Tag Archives: Genres

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Winter Is Coming….

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…Or, judging by the frost on my car this morning, dear readers, it might actually already be here.

I’ll be honest with you–I love winter.  I love the cold, I adore snow.  I was one of those kids who went tearing out of the house without a coat on and flung themselves at the nearest snowdrift (ok, I still do that, who am I kidding?).  But I realize that I am most likely in the minority here.

As much fun as it can be to sit cozily inside and watch the snow fall, or to flaunt your new boots and scarves this time of year, the truth of it is that human bodies really really don’t like to be cold.  It’s one of those primal fears built into all our brains, just like a fear of the dark, and a fear of being alone.  All of these things aren’t modern-day constructions; they are primal triggers that have been passed down to us from our single-celled organism ancestors.  Because all of them are, potentially, mortal dangers.

And this is what makes a genre that I am hereby terming Arctic Horror such a rip-roaring success.  We could also call it ‘Polar Horror’ or ‘Cold Horror”, but what we’re discussing are books that are set in remote, usually the Arctic, sometimes on Antarctica or a really high mountain, where it’s really, really cold.  And dark.  And isolating.  If done right, these books are not only fascinating journeys to places that most of us will never see–they are also absolutely terrifying, precisely because they tap into those brain-stem fears that we all have in common.  Even while you rationally know you are safe and warm and connected to the outside world, the visceral feeling of experiencing these harrowing expeditions, these brutal quests, or these races against time are experiences that linger long after the final page has turned.

But horror novels are more than just the scary stuff.  In order for the scary stuff to be scary, in order for us to feel for the characters who are enduring these hardships, we need to care about them.  We need to see ourselves in them, and we need to want them to survive.  So along with creating powerfully affecting settings, authors of Arctic horror also have to create genuinely real characters, and powerful relationships between them that ground us in their realities and make thier journeys that much more fraught.

So I thought I’d share some of the highlights of Arctic Horror that I’ve found recently, for those of you looking for a high-stakes, low-temperature thrill.  They may help you pass the next long, winter night–or give you the itch to go out on an adventure of your own!

indexDark Matter: Although this book only lives at the Boston Public Library, it’s a piece of cake to get those books, either by getting your own BPL card (any resident of Massachusetts is eligible), or by having one of your friendly Reference Librarians put in an Inter-Library Loan request for you.  Believe me, this little book is worth it.  In it, we follow Jack, a penniless, desperate, but adventurous young man who, in January 1937, manages to get himself accepted on board an Arctic expedition as a radio operator.  He and his small team weather the journey north, and prepare to make their winter home at a deserted bay known as Gruhuken.  But as the nights grow longer Jack begins to realize that there is more to fear in Gruhuken than the plummeting temperatures.  Members of his expedition team are being forced to leave, one by one, until Jack is the only man left–but he knows he isn’t alone.  And he knows whatever is outside is watching him.  Michelle Paver does a brilliant job creating Jack, and giving him both the wonder we would no doubt feel at his adventures, as well as the annoyance we would all feel at being stuck in cramped quarters with near-strangers for months on end.  The terror here builds slowly, but with the strength of a blizzard.  Once it hits, there is no turning back, and eventually reaches a climax that is disorienting, overwhelming, and genuinely frightening. (See the end of this post for a tiny, but helpful spoiler)

3839094Stranded: Bracken MacLeod’s haunting new novel opens in the midst of a massive Arctic storm that is remorselessly battering the Arctic Promise, a supply ship headed to an Arctic Drilling platform called the Niflheim.   Though the ship and crew survive, their radio and communications equipment completely stops working, stranding the ship in an impenetrable fog. Then, slowly, the crew begins falling ill–not with a cold or a fever.  They just begin to waste away.  Deckhand Noah Cabot is the only man who seems unaffected–and thus, becomes the first man to volunteer to leave the ship when a shape is spotted on the horizon.  With no hope left onboard the Arctic Promise, Noah and a small crew set out across the ice…but what they find on the horizon is more dreadful than anything Noah could have imagined, and forces him to reconsider all the choices he’s made to this point.  MacLeod does a sensational job of building the terror slowly around Noah, first by isolating him from his crew (his backstory with his captain is heartbreaking and critically important here), and then by sending him into a kind of frozen purgatory, not unlike the Niflheim of myth.  Though the twist here would seem utterly ridiculous if I told you here, it works in the context of this story, and leads to a climax that is shocking, but no less believable and tragic for all that.  There are no easy answers here–there are few answers at all, come to that–but in some ways, that makes this book even more haunting.

3370892The Abominable: Dan Simmons is one of those authors that we here at the Library can always turn to for a wonderfully told, immersive story, and this tale only further cements his reputation.  Like Dark Matter, this book is a historical tale, set just after the disappearance of George Mallory and Sandy Irvine on Everest in 1924.  One year after the loss of Mallory and the hopes of reaching the top of Everest, three climbers–a British war poet,a  French Chamonix guide, and an adventurous American–decide to try again.  Financed by a grieving mother whose own son disappeared on Everest, the team sets out to conquer the tallest, and most terrifying of all mountains.  But what they find on those treacherous, wintery slopes is far more than they expected.  Something is following them.  And even if they reach the top–even if they discover what happened to Mallory and the other victims of Everest, even if they survive…there is still the challenge of climbing down, and facing the terror head-on.  Simmons pulls a few narrative tricks here to make his story feel real from the outset, which is helped considerably by his innate talent for crafting historical settings, making this hefty book fly by.  By blending the real-life tragedy of Mallory and the First World War into the tapestry of this book, he gives his tale a pathos and a drive that makes the threat to our climbers feel so much more terrifying, because we want them to succeed so badly.

 

Enjoy, dear readers!  And don’t forget your mittens!

 

(The dog lives.)

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The Romance Garden!

It may be growing darker and colder outside, dear readers…but that is nothing more than a good excuse to curl up with a good book (at least that’s what I tell myself around this time of year!).  And our genre aficionados at the Library are here, as ever, bring you our favorite readers from this month!

Lady Reading in the Garden (1894). Niels Frederik Schiøttz-Jensen
Lady Reading in the Garden (1894). Niels Frederik Schiøttz-Jensen

Bridget: The Fixer, Helenkay Dimon

3803359I have had a tough time with contemporary romances for a number of reasons, but largely due to issues of gender and power relations that we can certainly discuss at a later time here…but then I read the debut of Helenkay Dimon’s Games People Play series, and realized there was still hope left in the world.

Years ago, Emery Finn’s cousin vanished without a trace, and her case was never resolved.  As a result, Emery has dedicated her life to helping find other missing women, and to following every lead into her cousin’s case, no matter how cold, no matter how obscure.  It is that search that led her to a man known only as Wren–a professional ‘fixer’, whose network of influence is vast, and whose true identity is a secret worth killing to keep.  But Emery refuses to take no for an answer.  Wren has lived most of his life in the shadows, doing the work that no one else can.  But as he gets to know Emery, to see the passion that drives her and the strength that keeps her going, he finds himself drawn ever closer to her.  But the more their search uncovers, the greater the danger to Emery grows, until Wren has no choice but to put aside his dark past and fight for the woman he has come to love.

I have a bit of a hard time telling you how much this book surprised me, dear readers.  But we’ll start with the part where Wren, who, despite his wealth and power, is awkward in social situations, apologizes to the heroine for intimidating her at their first meeting.  This is not a man who “takes what he wants”, like so many other heroes whose privileges are used to justify their horrible behavior.  This is a romance of equals who respect each other and value each other’s talents and input, and of two people who aren’t used to making interpersonal connections, which adds an utterly charming artlessness and humanity to both characters.  The mystery element of the plot is strong and interesting as well, but for me, this book was about shattering genre conventions, readers’ expectations, and telling a story about a strong, healthy, and honest relationship that was as meaningful as it was engaging.  This one probably one of my favorite reads of the year, and I can’t wait until it arrives on our shelves soon!

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Lady in a Garden, Frederick Carl Frieseke (1912)

Kelley: Love and Other Scandals  by Caroline Linden

3421764Sometimes it’s nice to read a simple love story without deception and drama, and that’s just what Caroline Linden gives her readers with Love and Other Scandals. There isn’t anything unexpected in this book, but it’s impossible not to like Joan Bennet and her family, especially her aunt, and though it took a bit longer for me, once more of his past was revealed I warmed up to charming rake Tristan as well.

Joan is a spinster wallflower largely because she spends most of her life dominated by her well-meaning mother, the only person both she and her brother fear to upset. From conservative rules of propriety to a religious observance of fashion that ignores flattering individual figures, Joan’s mother imposes rules that pretty much ensure that Joan will go unnoticed by potential suitors. When Joan’s parents and brother need to leave town while her mother recovers from an illness, Joan is left in the care of her unconventional aunt and, at the request of her brother, entertained by his good friend Tristan in his absence.

You can probably guess what happens next.  Joan’s trips to the modiste and outings with Tristan are full of the kind of light and fun romance that’s perfect when you’re looking for an escape from reality. Following Joan as she learns to embrace her own sense of style and understand that some things are worth fighting for even if it means upsetting the people you love is a true pleasure.

Until next month (next year!), beloved patrons–happy reading!

Gyula Benczú, "Woman Reading in a Forest (1875)
Gyula Benczú, “Woman Reading in a Forest (1875)

 

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Brave(r) New Worlds

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Courtesy of NASA

Reality is hard.

I think that is something we can all agree on, especially these days.

Literary allusions abound these days, dear readers–we hear the US being referred to as a “brave new world”, a nod to Aldous Huxley’s novel published in 1932.  We talk about “Big Brother” watching, and a number of commentators have begun to reference the slogan “War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; Ignorance is Strength” both of which are nods to George Orwell’s classic novel 1984.  I personally saw more “Cthulu for President” signs and shirts than I ever really thought possible over the past eighteen months, each of which were references to H.P. Lovecraft’s most well-known godlike beasty.

sci-fihires-a61f66a83e1071c6737125dfce801188b200be04-s300-c85But science fiction is good for much more than passing literary references that make everyone feel a little cooler than their neighbors.  And it’s good for more than just escapist reading when the world around us becomes too real.  What each of these references show is that science fiction is a really powerful tool for helping us cope with our own world–and to imagine a better one.  Huxley wasn’t just using up some extra ink when he penned Brave New World–he was giving voice to his fears that consumerism and economies based on mass-production could rob humanity of its uniqueness.  George Orwell wasn’t just using up scrap paper when he penned 1984 (or Animal Farm, for that matter); he had seen first hand the harm that megalomaniacal leaders had on their people, the kind of pernicious fear that government surveillance provoked, and the real danger of tyranny, and his novels were meant as warnings as much as they were for entertainment.
…And Lovecraft was a racist, anti-Semitic, misogynistic creep who was, quite literally, terrified of everyone who didn’t look like him.  And his novels depict that fear very well.

1953-kitchenmaid-blue-kitchen-the-television-kitchen-croppedBut the point I am trying to make here is that those works that we call “science fiction” very often speak to, and reflect, the world around us far more accurately than we give them credit for doing.  It isn’t just about the gizmos and gadgets (although those can be great), or about inventing new technologies to outdo what science has done today (although Jules Verne made a pretty penny doing just that).  It’s about slipping the bounds of reality and tossing out that idea of “progress”.  There was (and is) this notion that human endeavor happened on a straight line, and was all building towards this One Great Good (though no one seemed to agree on what that Great Good looks like, even today).  Those books can be good…but they can also come across like those 1950’s ads for the “kitchen of tomorrow” (see right).  They don’t make life better…they just create gadgets to distract you from the fact that you’re still stuck in a kitchen.  Progressive science fiction can show that idea to be utterly limiting and outdated, and dangerous in some cases.  Even better, they offer a unlimited number of alternative paths for us to imagine walking.  It’s not about crafting blueprints…it’s about dreaming in multiple dimensions, and that is just fun.

And science fiction as a genre offers a number of havens for marginalized peoples to talk about their experiences, and envision a different reality where power structures of race, gender, class, orientation, or language are either not barriers to living a full life, or are turned on their heads in order to give the outsiders some of the power.  As Octavia Bulter (perhaps one of the most important progressive science fiction authors) wrote in her essay “A World Without Racism“:

Several years ago I wrote a novel called Dawn in which extra-solar aliens arrive, look us over, and inform us that we have a pair of characteristics that together constitute a fatal flaw. We are, they admit, intelligent, and that’s fine. But we are also hierarchical, and our hierarchical tendencies are older and all too often, they drive our intelligence-that is, they drive us to use our intelligence to try to dominate one another.

More fiction? Maybe.

But whatever is the source of our intolerance, what can we do about it? What can we do to improve ourselves?

Science Fiction writer Octavia Butler poses for a photograph near some of her novels at University Book Store in Seattle, Wash., on Feb. 4, 2004. Butler, considered the first black woman to gain national prominence as a science fiction writer, died Friday, Feb. 24, 2006, after falling and striking her head on the cobbled walkway outside her Seattle home, a close friend said. She was 58. (AP Photo/ Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Joshua Trujillo)
(AP Photo/ Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Joshua Trujillo)

And that is what makes progressive science fiction so profound, and so fascinating–because it thinks not only about spaceships and technology and “progress”, but asks bigger questions about humanity and its interactions, and challenge some of the structures that we have simply come to accept as unchangeable.  But these words aren’t merely polemical, or diatribes against culture.  Instead, they are creative, thought-provoking tales that engage both the critical and the creative parts of the brain at once.

So if you are looking for a bit of an escape from reality, come on into the Library and check out the Free For All’s display of progressive science fiction–not only will you get your fill of imagination and adventure…you might just come away better prepared to face this Brave New World of ours, too.  Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

3703972Lovecraft Country: We’ve mention Matt Ruff’s series of interconnected stories here before, but we’re doing it again, because this is one of those books that stick with you.  The basis of Ruff’s work is a fictionalized version of “The Negro Motorist Green-Book“, which was published in the US from 1936 to 1966,  and provided Black travelers with tips and warnings about the places they might be going.  In Ruff’s book, Atticus Turner and his Uncle George (the publisher of “The Safe Negro Travel Guide”) set out from their home in Chicago to find Atticus’ father, who has fallen into the hands of the strange and sinister Mr. Braithwhite–and come face to face with a man with enormous powers, whose connection to the Turners is both diabolical and intriguing.  In this word, privilege is transformed into a kind of magic protection that the Braithwhites are able to wield for good or ill.  But as Atticus and his family begin to see just what that power can do, they realize that they have the power to overcome it–and even harness it for themselves, with some startling results.  This is a genuinely unsettling, surprisingly funny, and really thoughtful book that feels uncomfortably believable, even at its most fantastic points.

3780979The Obelisk Gate: The second book in N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy is dedicated “To those who have no choice but to prepare their children for the battlefield”, a powerful introduction to a riveting novel that deals very specifically with those hierarchies that Butler mentioned.  In this world, earthquakes occur with such frequency and power that civilization relies on orogenes, people born with the ability to harness thermodynamic power and still earthquakes.  But the orogenes are feared for their powers, and live as prisoners within the land they protect.  Within this world, Jemisin has created two incredibly driven, powerful women: Essen, on a quest to find her missing daughter, and Nassun, the daughter herself, who is slowly discovering the incredible orogenic powers that she herself wields–powers that could heal or destroy the world around her.  A wholly immersive adventure into a fascinating and complex world, Jemisin’s book is also a moving story about female power and relationships, as well as a commentary on how societies deal with “others” in their midst, making this series one that isn’t easy to forget.  If you’re interested, be sure to check out the first book in this trilogy, The Fifth Season, to really get into Jemisin’s world.

1200337Dune: Frank Herbert’s Dune books are seminal works in contemporary science fiction, and while they have earned legions of fans in the fifty years since Dune was first published, they’ve also inspired a number of economic studies and discussions.  Because, at it’s heart, Dune is a study in economics of scarcity.  Though a nearly uninhabitable planet, Dune itself is a source of “Spice”, a mind-altering drug that literally makes the intergalactic empire runs.  So those who live there must learn to adapt, and to profit, even while risking their lives to endure Dune’s incredible hardships…not unlike the extreme conditions to which humans will go for oil today…and while Herbert’s books are becoming more and more prescient over time, they are also phenomenally good reads that continue to captivate readers around the world.

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The Romance Garden

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Well, it’s November, dear readers; the month that Louisa May Alcott described as “the most disagreeable month in the whole year”.  And, frankly, I couldn’t agree more.   Thankfully, so long as there are books, there is hope, and thus, we bring you this months’ Romance Garden, where there is plenty of dirt to help your mind grow, and countless happy endings to make November just a little bit more bearable…

The Chrysanthemum is November's birth flower
The Chrysanthemum is November’s birth flower

Bridget:

3824611Going Deep by Anne Calhoun

I have a lot of trouble with contemporary romance novels (those set in the present day) because it seems that very few of them are willing to challenge the “hard, rugged, dominant Alpha-Male” and “Damsel In Need Of A Hero” tropes.  Not only do I find them damaging for perpetuating ideas about how men and women “should” behave and interact–I also find them really boring.  So I cannot begin to tell you my joy at reading Anne Calhoun’s latest Alpha Ops novel.

Singer/songwriter Cady Ward’s career is finally taking off…but fame comes with a price.  Cady is being stalked online, and after one too many run-ins with some over-enthusiastic fans, Cady’s manager decrees that she cannot go home for the holidays unless she has a bodyguard with her.  Conn is in the middle of a career melt-down.  Though he knows that the accusations of unnecessary force being leveled against him are false, his chief orders him to take some time off…and take care of Cady…until things blow over.

And thus, we are set up with the old  damsel-in-distress/aggressive Alpha Male trope, right?  Actually…no.  The relationship between Conn and Cady is as far from convention as it is possible to get.  Conn may be big and strong, but he is all too aware of the kind of fear that physical strength can impart, and never stoops to treating Cady as anything but what she is–a force, both creative and intellectually–with which to be reckoned.  Cady, for her part, effortless shows how capable she is of rescuing herself, but Calhoun also shows how difficult this role can be, and deals with it beautifully.

As a singer, I really appreciated that Calhoun treated Cady’s art with respect, and showed what a difficult, taxing, and stressful job performing really is.  More than anything, though, I loved, loved, loved the final scene in this book–enough to make it among my favorites of all time.  Readers who haven’t read the other Alpha Ops novels won’t have too much trouble at all with this one, but Anne Calhoun is a darn good writer, so I highly recommend checking out the series as a whole.

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Kelley:

3793430Hero in the Highlands by Suzanne Enoch

Suzanne Enoch’s “No Ordinary Heroes” series is off to a great start with Hero in the Highlands, a story that turns the standard English rose meets untamed Highland laird trope on its head to introduce us to Major Gabriel Forrester, a soldier in the British army; and Fiona Blackstock, a capable and confident Highland woman.

When we meet Gabriel Forrester, he is actively fighting for the British army in Spain and enjoying a military career where he thrives on battle, and his family is made up of the men whose responsibility it is his to keep alive. Shortly after we come to understand what being a soldier means to Gabriel, we see that life taken away from him suddenly and unexpectedly when he inherits a dukedom he never knew he was in line for in the first place. As the Duke of Lattimer, amongst the money and some well managed properties in England, Gabriel also inherits a castle in the Scottish Highlands that comes complete with a curse that makes the estate entirely unprofitable and an uncooperative steward.

Fiona Blackstock is the steward of Lattimer Castle, and she has no interest in seeing an English duke in residence at a castle neglected by the previous duke and adequately managed by the Maxwell clan, the clan who owned the castle prior to the English win at the Battle of Culloden. Though it’s been decades since Culloden, and Gabriel wasn’t even alive at the time, the battle is remembered bitterly in Scotland, and he is despised simply for being English. Although Fiona is reluctant to help him at first, Gabriel proves time and again that he is willing to take action when needed and he cares about her clan, so Fiona comes to see that Gabriel might be just what Lattimer Castle and its people need.

The relationship that develops between Fiona and Gabriel is a surprise to both of them, and it’s sweet to watch their romance unfold. Fiona is smart and capable, has the respect of her clan, and has managed the estate for years without need of help or rescuing. For his part, Gabriel is a hard-working man who cares deeply about the people in his care, but has never envisioned a future for himself that didn’t end in an early death. Can Gabriel teach Fiona that having a partner to support and help you can be a very valuable and desirable thing? And will Gabriel ever be able to envision and live for a life that includes a real future and love? I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of Hero in the Highlands to find out!

Until next month, beloved patrons…happy reading!

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Saturdays @ the South: Diversity in Horror

bonesIt’s getting close to the official All Hallow’s Read and while I can’t wait to see what Arabella has cooked up for Monday, we’ve still got one Saturday left in our month-long celebration. I’d like to spend it talking about diversity in what is often considered a white man’s genre: horror. Many will automatically think of Stephen King, Dean Koontz or even more classic authors like M.R. James and Edgar Allan Poe when they think of people creating horror stories. While they have produced many wonderful horror stories that have terrified people through the years and are read with good reason, they are not the only voices in horror.

In fact, amidst a predominantly white publishing industry,  authors, readers and interest groups (such as the fantastic “We Need Diverse Books“) are starting to take a stand to encourage more diverse books among horror and all types of literature. Blog favorite Book Riot has spoken several times on making it a point to recommend and speak about diverse books on their site and in their podcasts. I myself am working to have more voices of all types in my reading and when I looked back at what I’ve been reading this month (mostly horror and ghost stories in my own celebration of All Hallows Read) I noticed it was primarily white male voices.

I also noticed that while there are virtually infinite ways to scare people, many of these books fall into similar tropes. With that in mind, I thought I would take a look at some other voices in horror, to look at the possibility of other ways to be scared and to also see what are some of the commonalities of what is fundamentally scary as part of the human experience, regardless of culture. As Haruki Murakami said: “If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.” So here are some books that will help you think outside the box of typical horror:

3789533The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike

Koike is a hugely popular author in Japan working primarily in horror and detective fiction. In this newly-translated work from 1986, in some circles considered her masterpiece, a family moves into an apartment building  next to a graveyard where strange things begin to happen. The potential evil lurking in the young family’s new home seems to feed off of a dark secret they’re harboring and the psychological suspense builds as they explore the building’s spaces and its past. This book is purported to make basements even creepier, so sign me up!

3544400Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes

When I went searching for more diverse horror reads, I found this rec from Book Riot contributor Jenn Northington. Written with a diverse cast of characters, Northington had this to say about Broken Monsters: “Whether you’re a veteran horror reader or a hide-under-the-blankets-put-the-book-in-the-freezer newbie (I am the latter), Beukes has something for you. Her books are both terrifying and wildly imaginative, and so so hard to put down.” I’m so there. This may very well be the next book on my to-read list (All Hallows Read or not!) with a recommendation like that.

2267807Wee Winnie Witch’s Skinny by Virginia Hamilton

Working with her extensive knowledge of African-American folklore, Hamilton manages to make a children’s book truly scary for any who reads it. Uncle Big Anthony and James Lee have been cursed by Wee Winnie Witch who rides them like a broom throughout the night. Mamma Granny knows what to do to break the curse, however, in a clever twist that rivals any in the Grimm’s fairy tales.

3022778American Gods by Neil Gaiman

I know what you’re thinking: Lady Pole, while we are well aware of your love of Neil Gaiman, he is, in fact, a white, male author. Doesn’t this defeat the purpose of your post? Your point is certainly fair, but I’m including this book because Gaiman himself has spoken up and acted on (through some of the collections he’s edited) about diversity in literature. He has vehemently worked to ensure that the main character of this book, Shadow , does not succumb to Hollywood whitewashing and is striving to keep the cultural diversity of his book in the upcoming Starz adaptation. I’ve included this book because it is a horror book about the immigrant experience and because Gaiman does a pretty decent job of writing outside of his own cultural borders, which not every author is brave enough to attempt.

3699308The Girl with the Ghost Eyes by M. H. Boroson

Li-lin is cursed with”yin eyes” the ability to see ghosts in 1800’s San Francisco Chinatown. She is the daughter of a Daoshi excorcist who becomes cursed by a powerful sorcerer. It takes Li-lins powers of sight to defeat the curse all the while struggling against the demands of being a dutiful daughter and the stigmas of being a widow. This book got a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly and is described by the publisher as having: “…a rich and inventive historical setting, nonstop martial arts action, authentic Chinese magic, and bizarre monsters from Asian folklore…” I’ll never know how this didn’t end up on my radar sooner.

Diverse books are important for so many reasons. Readers need to see a portion of themselves represented on the page, regardless of who they are or where they come from. Books are one of the easiest and cheapest ways to broaden our horizons. If you’re already planning on reading something for All Hallows Read, why not see if you can be scared in a way that perhaps has never creeped you out before? If none of these books whet your whistle, you can try this great list from Goodreads which includes not just cultural, but gender and ability diversity as well. Till next week, dear readers, let’s try to break some boundaries with our reading. You’ll never know what new favorite you can discover.

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A Genre-Bending All-Hallows Read

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http://intbride.blogspot.com/2014/09/all-hallows-read-posters-2014.html

Books, like people, are made up of layers and contradictions…and flaws and strengths….the list goes on….but the point is that, like people, books aren’t just one thing.  This can make them difficult to shelve, or to choose which of those little genre stickers to affix to the spine:

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…But it can also be glorious for readers, because there are so many options in this genre buffet from which to choose: there are mysteries that have ghosts in them, and there are horror novels set in space, and there are legal thrillers that have romance in them, and they can be set in the past or the future, or during the holidays, or be aimed at younger readers or older readers….

The point is that there is a books for everyone, and for every taste.  And your All Hallows Read selection doesn’t have to be a nightmare-inducing, white-knuckle terror-trip, and it doesn’t have to be set in this time period, this country, or this galaxy.  There are ‘spooky’ stories aplenty (and by ‘spooky’ I mean a book with elements of the horror genre, like ghosts or vampires or weird trees) that are genuinely, delightfully funny, powerfully romantic, and whip-crackingly insightful.  And while they might not be the first books that people think of when they think of Halloween, they are absolutely as satisfying a Halloween read as the standard classics.

Here are just a few ideas, by way of example, of books that will might help you discover your new favorite All Hallows Read selection:

3739635The Gentleman: Faithful readers will know that Lady Pole truly loved this wonky Victorian tale about a young poet who marries for money, and then inadvertently sells his wife to the Devil.  I am pleased to announce here that, while her literary opinion should always be regarded as excellent, in this instance, she was spot on.  This book is a marvel of comedic timing and verbal wit, while at the same time delivering some charmingly well-rounded characters, including several very impressive female characters, and terrific plot.  Though there is plenty of devilry and Faustian bargains in this tale, I promise you that it will also keep you grinning the whole way through.

2385049The Terror: I will be honest with you, I was just a little heartbroken when the news broke a few weeks ago that scientists had discovered the remains of the HMS Terror, the ship that carried Sir John Franklin’s Arctic Expedition on their doomed voyage to discover the Northwest Passage in 1845–because it means we might not get any more historic horror novels like this gem by Dan Simmons.  A very gifted historical novelist, Simmons has the ability to blend facts and accurate details with wonderful sensory descriptions and emotional characters that make his worlds come alive, and put the reader right in the middle of the action.  Here, we are aboard the Terror, experiencing the cold and the dark and the hunger right along with the crew…..but those same literary talents also make Simmons a powerful horror writer, because whatever it is that is stalking the ship’s passengers, it isn’t human, and it is very, very scary.  The combination of history and horror makes this a big, epic, thoroughly creepy adventure that is sure to give you plenty of shivers.

3712878The Everything Box: I adore Richard Kadrey’s books, particularly the Sandman Slim series, as we’ve discussed, and was thrilled to see that this new series, featuring a former (and/or current) thief named Coop, and his exploits with the Department of Peculiar Science, features all the fever-dream creativity and larger-than-life characters that I had come to expect from his books.  But I truly didn’t expect this story to be as absurdly funny, or bitingly snarky as it is.  Kadrey is one of the few authors who can truly capture the cosmic horror of a modern-day shopping mall, or the frustrations of a would-be doomsday cult, and is definitely one of the only people who could bring the two together in a quest for the cube with the power to deconstruct reality in a book that manages to be a kind of slapstick paranormal adventure and still an emotionally engaging series that I cannot wait to follow.

3587650Get In Trouble: The author of the One City One Story selection  at this year’s Boston Book Festival, Kelly Link’s short stories are the stuff of marvels.  She takes armloads of familiar tropes and characters, from fairy tales and travel narratives, from aging movie stars and post-modern teenagers, and produces whole worlds and startling original tales that are funny and haunting and insightful all at once.  This book, which was a finalist for this year’s Pulitzer Prize, features nine stories that are all wild and wonderfully creative–from a young woman charged with guarding a house full of unseen creatures to a ghost-hunting reality show in the Florida swamps–but each also remains deeply grounded in human emotions and relationships, making these stories all vividly real, utterly unique–and compellingly creepy.

Be sure to check out the displays in the Library for more selections for your All Hallows Read!

 

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The Romance Garden!

The winds may be getting a bit chillier, dear readers, and the nights ever longer, but here in the Romance Garden, there is no frost, and no daylight-savings time, and certainly no droughts (or elections, for that matter).  So why not come and enjoy a bit of escapism, and check out our genre experts’ selections for the month here, where we believe that every mind needs a little dirt in which to grow….

Joaquin Sorolla, "In the Garden"
Joaquin Sorolla, “In the Garden”

 

Bridget: Shift by Sidney Bristol

3781546This book seemed, at first, to be way outside my literary comfort zone, but within only a few pages, I was completely hooked, and totally captivated by Bristol’s brilliant characterization and fiercely emotional love story.  The series as a whole focuses on the employees of a classic car garage, who are all tough, fearless street racers…and who are all also undercover government agents (usually as a way to pay down some sort of debt they owe to Uncle Sam, or because they have a personal stake in the mission at hand).

As the daughter of a KGB defector, Tori Chazov has spent her life keeping one step ahead of her father’s enemies.  Though she’s always ready to go back on the run, she has found some new sort of family with her fellow agents–and one serious crush in their tech guru, Emery Martin, the definition of the strong, silent type.  Emery might not say much, but he’s been captivated by Tori from the moment they met.  So when he detects in his surveillance that a Russian hit mob is on its way to Miami to find Tori, there is nothing he won’t do to keep her safe, even if it means letting her see every secret and scar that he holds close.

What I love most about this series, hands-down, is the fact that Bristol never gives in to any genre stereotypes–her heroes may all be well-muscled and strong-willed, but, as we see with Emery, they can also be insecure, unsure, and feel totally out of their depth, which allows us as readers to get to know them so much better.  Her heroine may be in need of help here, but Tori is never a damsel-in-distress, and is very clearly strong enough, both physically and mentally, to take care of herself and those she loves.  Together, these two share quite the sizzling chemistry, but they also start off quite awkwardly, desperate to make a good impression, but without a clue how to start.  It’s so incredibly endearing to see them both grapple with their feelings and their secrets and build a bond of trust between them.  Combine that with the thrill of spy hunt and some very slick car chases, and you have all the makings of one rip-roaring good read.  Though this is the second book in the Hot Rides series, new comers shouldn’t have too much trouble giving this book a test drive–and for those craving more, the third book, Chase, will be out in December!

Dappled Light by Richard Edward Miller
Dappled Light by Richard Edward Miller

Kelley: A Promise of Fire  by Amanda Bouchet

3784064First time novelist Amanda Bouchet has given the gift of a completely addictive fantasy romance to genre fans everywhere. A Promise of Fire is the first book of Bouchet’s The Kingmaker Chronicles, and based on the Orange Rose Contest and Paranormal Golden Pen wins, Romance Writers of America thinks it’s pretty great too. Typically, I gravitate to historical romances, but do read a lot of non-romance fantasy, so when review after review for this title was so exceptional, I decided it was time to find out what happens when romance and fantasy meet.

With magical abilities that come complete with an overwhelming destiny, and a dangerous and powerful mother,  it’s clear why Cat Fisa has been secretly living under an assumed identity as a circus soothsayer. She’s been there long enough to make her circus friends a sort-of family, and would have stayed if it weren’t for the unwelcome arrival of the legendary Beta Sinta, a warlord famous for conquering seemingly indestructible magical kingdoms despite having no magic of his own.

Beta Sinta, also known as Griffin, wants to further the power of his kingdom by harnessing Cat’s ability to glean when people are lying. Like Cat, he is strong, stubborn, and fiercely protective of the people he cares about. Fairly quickly, he comes to care about Cat, but she wants nothing to do with him and his advances. In Cat’s experience, when people love her, they die. Her solution is to avoid attachments and to never reveal her true identity, but Griffin is determined to earn her trust and give her the courage to let love and a real family into her life.

In addition to a very well developed cast of characters- Griffin’s family in particular- the world Bouchet creates is believable and well-built. The plotting is also first-rate, making it very difficult to find a good place to put this book down. If you like fantasy and you like romance, like me, you’ll be wonderfully glad you picked it up… until you remember that A Promise of Fire is Bouchet’s first book, and you have to wait until January 2017 for The Kingmaker Chronicles Book 2: Breath of Fire.

poppies
The Poppy Field, Claude Monet

…Until next month, beloved patrons, happy reading!