June Reads

It’s still easy to forget how busy summers can get around here. Our campground opened for the season on May 15 and things get busier every week. My days are largely filled with mowing dozens of acres of grass; chopping, storing, and delivering firewood; collecting garbage; slinging beers (bar on-site); and occasionally disposing of the remains of recently-deceased rodents, birds, and small mammals. Oh, and I write when I can find / make the time.

This leaves very little time for reading. Fortunately for me, audiobooks are a thing so I’m able to supplement my eyeball reading with some earhole reading.

I read some pretty good ones this past month, including an anthology, a sci-fi classic, and a newer sci-fi. I want to remind you that my comments on each are not a review! These are just some thoughts I have on each.

K, here we go:

Illusions of Isolation by Brennan LaFaro

This is the book I’ve been looking forward to writing about the most. Brennan reached out for some readers to review his recent collection of short horror stories and was good enough to do a book swap with me. With indie authors (like myself), you never really know what you’re going to get. Fortunately this book was worth the read. I was unfamiliar with Brennan’s work when I reached out to him, but have since added the first book in his Slattery Falls series to my library.

Illusions of Isolation has something for everybody. Seriously. Brennan LaFaro has a real talent for crafting horror using a variety of devices and genres. From hauntings to demonic CEOs to post-apocalyptic wasteland warriors, he’s got you covered.

It’s hard for me to pick a favourite in this collection since each of the stories grabbed me in their own way. Gun to my head, though, I’d have to say The Last Little Piece of Civilization stands out among the rest. It’s a sci-fi / eco-horror that will long live in my memory.

Along with weaving a baker’s dozen of excellent stories, LaFaro does the reader the further consideration of including a brief note on each story on the page immediately following. I love this and plan on usurping the technique for my own anthology (which I hope to officially announce in the next year, but please be patient).

Awesome work, Brennan. Looking forward to Slattery Falls!

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing (The Carls #1) by Hank Green

I discovered this gem of a modern sci-fi entirely by chance, as many great books are discovered. I was looking for an audiobook to listen to while stocking our woodshed with the first of this year’s supply of firewood, and did something in my Libby app that I’d never done before: I sorted by most popular. I was looking for a good sci-fi and a lot of the choices that came up under my preferences were the same books that are always recommended, many of which I’ve read already. I can’t even remember reading the blurb for this one, so I must have downloaded it based on the cover image alone—a faux pas, I know.

The book turned out to be fantastic. And they chose the perfect narrator in Kristen Sieh—something I’m finding is becoming more and more of a rarity in audiobooks.

The book follows twenty-something digital designer April May, who stumbles upon a ten-foot-tall transformer-like figure on the streets of New York. She names it Carl. After uploading a video in front of it, she wakes up to discover not only that her video has gone viral, but that there is a Carl in every major city in the world. And not everyone is happy to see them…

Hank Green launches straight into the action in this book and doesn’t let up. I found myself dying to know what happens next, what such-and-such could possibly mean, and who or what “the Carls” are.

This book is smart, zany, and witty. The protagonist, April May, is immediately likeable and relatable. Her poor friends provide a solid foundation of personality for her to stumble upon time and time again. I’m looking forward to the sequel!

The Donut Legion by Joe R. Lansdale

I’m a big fan of Joe Lansdale’s work. He’s written some of my favourite episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, wrote the novel that inspired the Bruce Campbell film Bubba Ho-Tep, and his novel The Thicket (which I hear is being adapted into a movie starring Peter Dinklage) is a solid western.

I went into The Donut Legion kind of blind, drawn to the UFO on the cover and the seemingly aloof title. It was getting some good buzz so I decided to make it the second audiobook I listened to last month.

The novel is a wacky romp into the world of missing persons and larger-than-life cults. It features an eclectic ensemble of characters as they search for protagonist Charlie Garner’s missing ex-wife, who appears to him in a sort of vision in the early pages. What follows is an insane game of cat-and-mouse between Charlie and his friends, and the sadistic members of the titular cult.

This was a fun, never-too-serious noir / thriller / mystery from the master of many genres. Gotta say, though, the audiobook has quite a bit to be desired, in my humble opinion. I’d recommend the physical book if you have the option.

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

I’ve been yearning to read something by Asimov for a long time now. Why I haven’t sooner is the same reason I haven’t yet read any of the other hundreds of books in my to-be-read pile: because the stack keeps growing, titles sliding up and down in priority on an almost daily basis. I’m also making a habit of reading more books by indie authors, to support the community I became a tiny part of a couple of years ago. But I digress.

I, Robot is a fascinating conglomeration of anecdotal stories regarding the history of robots as they exist in Asimov’s Robot universe. Throughout the book, Asimov presents his characters with unique problems posed by the robots being used by everyday citizens as well as deep-space explorers. In general, the problems are heavily caused by and solved through Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics:

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

The laws are hierarchal, in that the First Law supersedes the second, and that both of those are held above the third.

This book could be viewed as a philosophical thought experiment. As each situation is presented, it felt—to me—as if Asimov poked holes in his own laws, or created circumstances to do the same, and then set about solving the situation through sheer logic.

What moved me throughout the book is how often it is discovered that, within an apparently dire situation, the robots are not at fault. Humanity, it would seem, does not deserve robots, at least not those that operate as effectively as Asimov’s. It’s hard to argue this point without spoiling much of the book.

All in all, I loved this book and can’t wait to dive further into Asimov’s work.

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And that’s it for June's reads.

Have you read any of these? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments, on social media, or through my contact page.

“If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn’t brood. I’d type a little faster.”
-Isaac Asimov

May Reads

Another month gone by, another pile of books consumed. May’s books include culinary musings, haunted puppets, a trip to Mars, and mythological embellishment. Read on for my thoughts on what I read this past month.

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

This is one book that’s been recommended to me more than almost any other, especially as far as biographies / memoirs are concerned.

As a fan of the gonzo / beat era of literature, I immediately fell in love with Bourdain’s way of storytelling. Kitchen Confidential reads like something Hunter S. Thompson may have written had he spent his years in kitchens as opposed to newsrooms. It’s a wild ride through Bourdain’s upbringing in the often-seedy world of restaurant kitchens and backrooms. As someone who has spent a fair amount of time in such environments (though never, thankfully, in fine dining), I found myself frequently nodding in commiseration as Bourdain describes some of the shenanigans that take place in many a kitchen.

The book is highly regarded and well-written, but if you are easily grossed out and are someone who enjoys eating out, beware. Nothing in these pages really came as a surprise to me, but the uninitiated may not be happy about some of the grosser “practices” that occur in a kitchen, fine dining or otherwise.

Circe by Madeline Miller

This is ostensibly a reimagining of the story of the nymph Circe from Homer’s Odyssey. As a kid, I was obsessed with Greek mythology. When the first God of War game came out in 2005, my passion was rekindled. When, based on numerous recommendations, I got my hands on a copy of Circe, I was hoping for the same thing.

Sadly, I fall into the minority of readers who did not love this book. It starts off strong, introducing us to the precocious titular nymph getting into all sorts of mischief in the courts of Helios. While there are some very cool moments throughout, I found a lot of the story to be meandering. Almost as if a lot of the words were there to increase page-count.

What was cool about this book were the various descriptions of the mythical monsters and creatures, though I don’t think Trygon received nearly enough attention.

Don’t let my disappointment deter you from reading this! It’s a hugely popular book and like 90% of readers love it—and for the most part, there is a lot to love.

Appleseed by Matt Bell

I was not ready for how truly incredible this book is. It’s the second book by Matt Bell that I’ve read, the first being his instructive Refuse to be Done, which has been enormously helpful to my writing process. This cli-fi (I promise that’s the only time I’ll use that term) epic proves his capability as a writer of fiction. Climate-change-sci-fi isn’t something I’ll always to go out of my way to read, as it can get preachy in the wrong hands, but at no point did I feel this novel was berating me for not driving an electric car and living in a geodesic dome.

Told from three perspectives in three very different eras, Appleseed tells the story of our planet’s ecological doom. It’s a bleak tale from the start, but one filled with hope. From the very beginning, it took turns I would never have seen coming. Throughout the book, I found myself left in wonder at the imagination behind it all. There were some things I would love to have had explained a bit better in the end, but ultimately the story had me by the short-and-curlies the entire way.

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

I fell in love with Grady Hendrix’s writing a number of years ago when I read his hugely entertaining novel Horrorstör, ostensibly about a haunted Ikea.

How to Sell a Haunted House walks a fine line between being amusing and scary. The title is a bit of a mislead as it is very swiftly revealed that the paranormal happenings are related to haunted puppets. Hendrix does a good job crafting some pretty creepy puppet scenes and ends with a climax straight out of your favourite 80’s horror movies, all while dealing artfully with themes of grief and loss.

It’s not the scariest or the funniest of this author’s books, but I can confidently recommend How to Sell a Haunted House to any and all lovers of horror.

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

What is it about Hannibal Lecter that makes him such an intriguing character? Is it his brilliance? His penchant for devouring human flesh? I’d argue it has more to do with the characters the author surrounds him with.

The Silence of the Lambs is one of my favourite movies. The series Hannibal is some of the most riveting and upsetting television I’ve had the pleasure of watching. Red Dragon, the prequel to The Silence of the Lambs was also a fantastic novel. In each of these tales (I haven’t yet had the pleasure of reading the final two Lecter novels) brilliant, strong, loveable, and interesting characters find themselves at the intellectual mercy of Hannibal Lecter. None of them want to deal with Lecter. None of them want to go to him for help. All are powerless—if they want to save lives—to ignore the brilliance dwelling within Lecter’s dark mind. Thus we get to see these characters reflected in the monster’s eyes, picked apart for his amusement, and toyed with as a means of passing the time. These characters, Will Graham in Red Dragon and Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs, are then given the opportunity to grow, become stronger, and ultimately win the day after being confronted with the monster that is Lecter.

If you enjoyed the movie of the same name, check out The Silence of the Lambs. If you’ve never seen the movie, read the book then watch the film. If you have the time or interest for it, start with Red Dragon.

Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis

This was my second time reading this classic sci-fi and I’m so glad I revisited it. Imaginative and deeply philosophical, this short novel about a man’s unwilling trip to space is one that I think about a lot.

The novel ostensibly follows an academic named Ransom, who is taken prisoner aboard a spaceship headed to another planet. Once landed, he finds himself growing to love the strange planet he finds himself on and is ultimately sent on a quest that could change the course of history for the entire universe. Throughout his adventures, Ransom is forced to question the trajectory of human existence, and to scrutinize our social hierarchies.

It’s a swift read packed with imagination and adventure and sure to leave you thinking. The subsequent novels, Perelandra and That Hideous Strength are also incredible reads.

Stolen Tongues by Felix Blackwell

This one comes highly recommended by many in the online horror community. Often sited as being one of the scariest modern horror novels, it tells the story of a couple’s vacation at a mountain cabin and the trouble they find themselves in when something from the woods follows them home.

The first third or half of this book held me pretty fast. I flew through those initial pages, my curiosity piqued by the very creepy presence Blackwell crafts. However, I soon found myself counting how many pages I had left. Though my interest wained the further I got into the book, I really wanted to find out what happens at the end. Unfortunately, a fair amount was left unexplained or forgotten entirely and the ending felt rushed.

The author does do a pretty good job at painting some very creepy pictures. The thing stalking the main characters is, at times, truly frightening.

Ultimately, Stolen Tongues entertained me but left me wanting more. Blackwell is apparently working on a prequel, which I will absolutely be reading in hopes that some questions are answered.

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And that’s all I’ve got for you this month. Have you read any of these? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments or shoot me a message through the contact page.

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Thanks for reading. See you next month!

-Chris