A Year in Reading 2022

It's time to reflect on my year of reading for 2022.  It has become my annual tradition to spotlight my notable reads for the past year. It's a fun way to reflect on the best material I've had the honor of reading instead of making some inaccurate, ever-changing, or controversial ranked list.

I like to spotlight the books that I connected with most in a given year instead of ranking them. I read twenty six books this year, twelve less than last year. The is a reason for the dramatic decrease in books I read this year. It was my intention to focus on reading longer length books that have been sitting on my shelf this year. I didn't want to find myself reading short books just to reach my Goodreads reading goal so I set the bar lower (25) to afford myself more time to read longer books. And it worked.

The following are the books that have left an impact for one reason or another. They are presented in chronological order as I read throughout the year. I hope you will be inspired to check out any on this list that you haven't and discover those you wouldn't have ever considered.

And now, my most notable reads of 2022:

• Boondock Butcher by Chuck Buda (2021) La Cigolli Press: Chuck Buda's latest horror situated in the rural mountains of Tennessee. This reads like the bastard child of Edward Lee and Richard Laymon. Its gritty, extreme, gore fueled and just backwoods enough to lose a tooth while reading it. This is Chuck Buda's best horror to date. Wash it all down with a sweet tea.

• Talia by Daniel Volpe (2021) Independently Published: Last year, Daniel Volpe made my list with Billy Silver. This year, its Talia, a prequel to Billy Silver and every bit as visceral and disgusting. Maybe even more so. While it is connect to Billy Silver, the story takes on a whole different flavor from its predecessor. This is a tale of revenge wrapped in cringe and filth. Read if you dare.

• The Ballad of TERROR TINY TIM & Other Tales of Unkindness by Douglas Hackle (2022) Independantly Published: If Douglas Hackle writes a book, there's a really good chance you're going to find it on my year end list. Like this, Hackle's supposed last hurrah (though rumors are there maybe one or two more before he hangs it up for good.) This is a collection of odd, absurdist stories as on Douglas Hackle can tell them. These stories are weird but also, smart. Hackle practically dares his readers to see the brilliance of his work hidden in the miasma of silly preposterousness he weaves in words, both coherent and incoherent. Pick up TERROR TINY TIM... if you dare!

• Moonfellows by Danger Slater (2022) Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing:  As with Douglas Hackle, so too will Danger Slater almost certainly appear on my year end list anytime he publishes new work. And such is the case with the uber-moody, MOONFELLOWS. You know that old timey movie where a rocket ship is launced to the moon and then the grainy, choopy image of a man with his face painted like the moon, harrumph's when said rocket pierces him in the eye? And
  
  
  also, you know that similarly toned but more modern, yet still goes for the old-timey asthetic Smashing Pumpkins music video for the song Tonight? Yeah well this story are those two things, but its a Danger Slater book. So unique. Its party alternative history, part fantasy, part absurdist sci-fi, part bizarro, and part literary fiction. In the end, what it is is all good. Read it. For mankind.

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  Southern Fried and Horrified by Ronald Kelly (2022) Stygian Sky Media:  I'm nearly embarrassed to admit that this is the first book by Ronald Kelly that I've ever read. That's because this is the non-fictional account of Ronald Kelly's storied writing career from breaking into publishing as just before the industry collapse at the dawn of digital publishing and the comeback he made to once again find himself among horror fiction's elite in a new golden age of dark fiction books. The story is full of the southern charm it promises and is feel good even through the darkest time. You likely won't find another book 'on writing' quite like it. If you were to twist my arm and force me to rank these books, this one would easily be my number one read of 2022. Time for me to read some Ronald Kelly fiction in the coming year! 

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• Honorable mentions for 2021 include: 

• PARADISE CLUB by Tim Meyer, a book who's path was dictated by his Patreon contributors 
• ZODIAC by Tom Duffy, the debut novel with a wickedly sinister concept. A serial killer is forced out of retirement
• THE TRIANGLE OF BELIEF by Brian Keene, a non-fiction offering by one of horror's greats that connects the dots between belief, faith, maturity and writing. 
• TOLLBOOTH by Bud Smith. Too many people are sleeping on Bud Smith's work. This is the second book that I've read by him and it is exceptional, accessable fiction of the every man. This is what I like to call 'blue-collar fiction.' Do yourself a favor and check it, or anything, by Bud Smith out.

There you have it. Due to the curtailed amount of books I've read overall this year, I've made a comparable amount of notable books to spotlight this year as well. This year, three books of the twenty-six I read earned my elusive 5-star rating.  That's one more five star book with twelve less books read. Quantity went down, quality went up. 

Next year I will endeavor to read at least thirty books. I liked having the time to allow myself to read longer works but I was also a bit frustrated by the really longer books. I'll try to find a happier medium this year. I'm kind of getting frustrated dictating my book journey by reading goals I set for myself on Goodreads. But, its also fun to set those goals. Bottom line, I'm going to keep reading and you should too.

You can check out the complete list of the books I read in 2021 on Goodreads.
You can check out my notable books read from 2021 HERE.

Your Invited to a Birthday Bash!

 

Now available in hardcover, paperback and eBook, from D&T Publishing: Reg E. Rat's Birthday Fun Center and Same Day Outpatient Care Facility. A bloody tale about the horrors of attending children's birthday parties.

For Mortimer, there are only two things in life to fear: kidney stones and children’s birthday parties. For his son, Ichabod, its bullies and lame birthday presents. The father and son duo are about to spend an afternoon facing their worst fears at the quirkiest place on Earth: Reg E. Rat’s Birthday Fun Center.

Reg E. Rat’s is full of fun and games for the whole family. It’s also filled with maniac animatronics, a questionable food menu and, somewhere in the back, the zaniest medical staff imaginable.

Spend a hellacious afternoon with Reg E. Rat and friends. You’re gonna have a bloody good
time!

“Frank J. Edler, the deranged mind behind BRATS IN HELL, and DEATH GETS A BOOK, is back with his most insane and hilarious book to date. REG E. RAT'S BIRTHDAY FUN CENTER & SAME DAY OUTPATIENT CARE FACILITY is batshit crazy—full of animatronic monsters, a giant humanoid rat and brutal kill scenes. Birthday parties will never be the same. Enjoy the pizza!” — Daniel J. Volpe, author of LEFT TO YOU 

Now available at Amazon (hardcover, paperback and Kindle eBook) & Barnes & Noble (paperback only)

Grab your copy today and party with The Rat!

Haunted Hamburger House on the Open Seas

 I've been talking a lot about NFTs lately. And it all culminates with this, the ultimate NFT release of Haunted Hamburger House on the OpenSea platform. You can check it out right here.

The OpenSea mint of Haunted Hamburger House features an eerie 3-D rendering of the inside of the Haunted Hamburger House, which if you pay close enough attention, you will find a lot of paranormal activity happening. Additionally you will unlock access to the digital book files of Haunted Hamburger House in addition to the audiobook recording, narrated by the fantastic voice talent of Ron Gabaldon.

All of that for less that the equivalent of $20 US dollars is an insanely great deal! And don't forget, you get true ownership of the product when purchasing an NFT. And the added benefit of resale value. 

This is not a one-of-a-kind or small run minting. The publisher, D&T NFTs, NFT project, D&T Book Club of Horror, seeks to normalize the purchase of books via NFTs. They are working to offer the NFTs on as many user friendly, accessible platforms as possible. The future of book purchasing is here and you can get in on the ground floor. 

This is the future, not just of books, but the whole world. Let Haunted Hamburger House be your gateway to what's next.

Start an NFT Bookshelf

 I'd like to make a case for NFT books. Not just because I have an NFT book available for purchase right now but because I believe NFT books are the future of digital reading. Granted, right now, the learning curve is steeper than it should be for mass market appeal but I'm hoping to find a few intrepid believers to step forward and be a part of the future, now.

The best argument for switching your preferred digital library to NFTs is simply ownership. Right now, when you purchase eBooks from any of the big retailers (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, etc.) you are not truly purchasing the book. What you are doing is unlocking access to the digital files that said retailer owns in exchange for a fee. They can tell you you own the book all you want but read the fine print. If any one of those retailers folds up, your books are gone. If any one of those retailers decided that after you've plunked your hard earned money down on those books that those books do not meet their content guidelines or the author/rights holder has misbehaved, those books will disappear. No returns, no refunds, no exchanges.

You don't truly own your books on Kindle, Nook and Kobo. Any books you purchase on those platforms are not yours. Bottom line.

Then, there is resale value. We know that when we purchase a paperback or hardcover book, we can lend it to a friend, treasure it on a bookshelf or even place it in a little free library for the enjoyment of a random stranger. And, of course, if you're lucky enough to have a used book store or consignment shop around you, you can always sell it to them for some pocket change. Even today, there are platforms like Pango Books and even Amazon where you can resell you're used books on the secondary market.

You can't resell your eBooks though. Best you can do is make them available to lend out to your friends on Kindle. But when you purchase an NFT book, you purchase honest-to-goodness ownership. And with ownership comes the ability to resell. Best of all, with an NFT book is that there is no such thing as 'used'. A digital book is always as new as the day it was first minted (minting is crypto-speak for made available to purchase). Now, depending on how many copies or versions of an NFT book are created will determine its resale value.

When you think of NFTs now, you probably think about digital art work. The image of a cartoon monkey in various outfits, against different backgrounds and sporting different accoutrements likely comes to mind. Each of those monkeys have varying degrees of commonality. Just like trading cards. A lot of trading card images are printed at a high rate of frequency (the commons), some at a lesser rate of frequency (the uncommons), some are printed with a very low degree of commonality (the rares) and in some cases, the ultra-rare, one-of-a-kind card could be made available. Like any market, the price is dictated by the supply and demand. The NFT market is no different. I can choose to print one million copies of my NFT book or I can choose to go Wu-Tang style and print only one NFT copy of the book. So the book will be priced for purchase accordingly and you can resell the book accordingly based on availability of the book in the market.

But, you can resell it. No matter what. If a lot of copies of the book are still available to purchase, you can elect to undercut the market and resell the book at a cut rate. If there were a thousand copies of the book minted and all of them have sold out, then, even though there are a lot of copies out there, none of them are available on the open market any longer and you can resell the book at a premium to those who want but no longer can purchase it from the minter. And, those prized, one-of-a-kind NFT books, well we already know how those go on the secondary market.

What's more, if you are a writer or publisher, you also stand to gain from the resale of NFT books. That's not the case with traditional used book markets. The authors and publishers only get one bite at that apple. Secondary sales go to the owner of the book only. Not necessarily so with NFTs. NFT's come with what are known as 'smart contracts' which are digital stipulations tied to ever NFT. Since NFTs reside on a blockchain, ownership is tracked digitally over a lifetime. Royalties can be written into the smart contract on all future exchanges of ownership of a given NFT. In other words, the creators continue to get royalties in perpetuity on every sale of the book. That's a win all around and an opportunity that has not existed in the world until now.

Haunted Hamburger House:
An NFT Book available now

Those are only a small handful of reasons to start building your NFT bookshelf up starting right now. Ownership, true ownership. That is a thing that has frustrated eBook readers since their inception. Even if you do retain ownership of eBook files, storage is on you. If your laptop, or tablet or phone take a crap, the file is lost forever. NFT books exist on the blockchain. Until the world explodes and the entire infrastructure of the internet is obliterated, your book will always be available to you in some way. Think about it, you could burn your NFT book and still own a perfectly good copy of it the next day. You'll just have to go to Amazon to buy a new tablet. That's okay, Amazon is going to need the business after everyone pulls out of Kindle for NFTs.

Open For Business

Want book mail? Wanna stick it to the man? Want to but more than just a book? Well  I can help you out with all of those things. And it's easier than ever to do.

All you have to do is visit https://frankedler.com for you one-stop-shop for all things Mr. Frank. I've combined my online book store with my blog feed and Insta posts into one seemless experience.

ALL books at frankedler.com are just $12 each and 3 for $30 (Use Code BUY3 at checkout). All books can be signed and personalized and always come with bookmarks and stickers!

Everyone loves finding book mail at their door. Experience the thrill of doing box opening videos on YouTube, Insta or TikTok. Share all the cool books you're going to be reading. Douse them with all that FOMO. Not being the cool kid on the block with titles like DEATH GETS A BOOK, BRATS IN HELL and EXPLODING BEARS sucks. Order your Mr. Frank books today at http://frankedler.com 

Don't give Amazon all your money. Buy books direct from Mr. Frank. You can't get signed books at the big box stores. But you can at frankedler.com Everyone wins when you buy direct from the author.

Haunted Hamburger House - An NFT Book

Full Cover Wrap for Haunted Hamburger House from 
D&T NFTs

 On October 7, 2022 my new book, Haunted Hamburger House was released on objkt.com as an NFT. Most of you will problably have no idea what that means. That's okay. I'll try to explain.

NFTs (short for Non-Fungible Token) is a digital property that can be bought and sold much like physical objects or services. They are linked to cryptocurrency blockchains meaning, you will likely need to hold some type of cryptocurrency to purchase Haunted Hamburger House or any other NFT. That's not entirely true either but, we'll get into that later.

When you purchase an NFT you are purchasing a digital property with a 'smart contract' attached to it. The smart contract, like any contract, will have agreements and clauses attached to it. That's what makes it work. The contract for an NFT basically states in exchange for X amount of crytptocurrency, you will retain ownership of the digital property attached to this contract. There can be all types of stipulations and further clauses but the basic premises is that it is a legally binding contract giving you ownership of the NFT.

In this case, you will receive ownership of a digital copy of Haunted Hamburger House. In short, you are buying an eBook. And, unlike when you purchase an eBook from Amazon, Barnes & Nobel or any other traditional retail distribution platform where you don't technically own your eBook library, with an NFT you really, truly do retain ownership of the digital book. It won't ever go away.

Some people may be under the impression that an NFT is a unique item, in other words, there is only one NFT copy available. While that is sometimes the case, in this case (and in most cases) this is not true. At the time of release, there are 100 digital copies of Haunted Hamburger House available to purchase. So, it is not exclusive and still there are a finite number of copies available.

Better yet, you can re-sell your NFT book to someone else they way you might sell used books in real life. You can't do that on Kindle, Nook or Kobo.

The concept is exciting to me. In a time when everyone is becoming frustrated with the massive control Amazon has over not only books, eBooks and almost every other consumable good in this world, NFTs seem like a good alternative. Its a way for artists and creators to get their work out to the world in a more direct fashion.

I understand the world is still at the infancy of learning about digital currency, blockchain technology and cryptocurrency. I know this is a very new way of selling books. There is a big learning curve to get people to buy in. That's fine. I believe NFTs, smart contracts and cryptocurrency are the future. I'm happy to use Haunted Hamburger House as a sort of vanguard to help lead the way to the next generation of book markets.

So, if you have a basic understanding of NFTs and cryptocurrency you can follow the link below and pick up your copy of Haunted Hamburger House right now (Objkt.com uses Tezos). Purchasing this way gets you access to the digital copy of the eBook. 

You can also wait just a bit longer for the other NFT release which will include not only the eBook, but also the audiobook version in addition to a breathtaking 3-D image from a scene straight out of Haunted Hamburger House. That version will be available on OpenSea.io and Voice.com very soon and they are separate NFT from the one available on objkt.com. Think of one as the paperback version and the other as the hardcover. Different versions and values of the same book at different price points. Like the version available on objkt.com the other version will also have multiple but finite number of NFTs for sale.  

Here is the press release and link provided by the publisher, D&T NFTs:

We are proud to announce our 2nd NFT book is now available on objkt.com!!!

OpenSea and Voice coming soon!!

We absolutely love these pdf NFTs! No downloading or complicated procedures, simply buy for 5tzs (Tezos) and read from your wallet, it is so cool!!!

Check out Haunted Hamburger House and welcome Frank J. Edler(@MrFrank) as a pioneer in this web3 space we love!

https://objkt.com/asset/KT1MUYnLiembMDkmzhTk2GfRWh34d4A4mbby/1

Exploding Bears: A Savage Comedy

 

Check out EXPLODING BEARS: A SAVAGE COMEDY, the new release from dark comedy author, Frank J. Edler. Available now on Kindle eBook and Paperback on Amazon.com. Grab your copy of the most outrageous story you're bound to read this year.

Welcome to Wyld Louie's Exploding Bears Experience where every hour, on the hour, you can witness one of Wyld Louie's genuine, one-of-a-kind Exploding Bears blow up right before your very eyes!

MARVEL at the awesome power of a bear detonating into thousands of pieces.

RELISH the opportunity to be impaled with fragments of an exploded bear carcass.

TASTE a genuine, strawberry-flavored, beaver butt at Wyld Louie's Petting Zoo.

ENJOY the hospitality of Wyld Louie's courteous and friendly staff.

CHERISH the memories you'll leave with for a lifetime, including the bear claw impaled in your skull.

Spend the day at Wyld Louie's Exploding Bear Experience and have a Dynamite Time!









Readers are raving:


"The story is chock full of jokes, celebrity appearances, dry humor, witty humor, humor humor, you name it, it's here! This book is just plain ol' fun, you won't find another like it, especially one that can promise THIS many bears exploding!" -Dakota Dawe


"Hilarious, well developed characters and a strong plot make this a strong contender for my top 3 books of this year." -Matthew Clark, author of Things Were Easier Before You Became a Giant F*cking Mantis


"Part classic literature, part business study, part exploding fucking bears, the entire novella is fantastically funny and entertaining." -Ghostville Hero Review


"No bear goes unexploded in this savage, fun, and bizarre release." -Tom Duffy


"10/5 Tongue lashings" -Christina Pfeiffer


"This was the craziest, weirdest, most bizarre story I have ever read. Holy rusty sherif badges and balloon knots. This is so fun, laugh out loud, tell your friends..." -Todd Love, author of Sweet Shot


Crazier than Joe Exotic. More eccentric than Doc Antle. More dangerous than Jeff Lowe. Experience EXPLODING BEARS: A SAVAGE COMEDY today on Kindle eBook and Paperback.

The Final Gong

A Year of Reading 2021

 It's time to reflect on my year of reading for 2021.  It has become my annual tradition to spotlight my notable reads for the past year. It's a fun way to reflect on the best material I've had the honor of reading instead of making some inaccurate, ever-changing, or controversial ranked list.

I like to present those books that really stood out to me in the past year. I read thirty-eight books this year, two less than last year. The following are the books that have left an impact for one reason or another. They are presented in chronological order as I read throughout the year. I hope you will be inspired to check out any on this list that you haven't and discover those you wouldn't have ever considered.

And now, my most notable reads of 2021:

• The Writing Life: Reflections, Recollections and a Lot of Cursing by Jeff Strand (2020) Independently Published: I don't usually go for writing fiction but Jeff Strand's book on writing takes a different approach than most. Strand cut his teeth during a changing era and he's had a good degree of success in the digital publishing age. Not only do I admire his work, but also, his work ethic. A must-read for anyone writing and publishing in the digital age.

• Billy Silver by Daniel Volpe (2020) Independently Published: Real. Uncomfortable. Wet. Daniel Volpe exploded onto the extreme horror scene early in 2021 with his viseral book, Billy Silver. Its a gritty, honest tale that presents a protagonist that you have no right rooting for and yet, for some reason, you do. You feel left as disgusting a human being as Billy Silver is in the end. Great ride!

• The Slob by Aron Beauregard (2019) Maggot Press: The Slob is disgusting. This Splatterpunk Award nominated book tells the story of the most depraved, dehumanized serial killer ever. Picture an episode of hoarders but with kidnap victims and the remains of those who came before them. Yeah, that's The Slob. Gross.

• Hogzilla by Mike Baron (2020) Wolfpack Publishing:  Last year, Mike Baron's FLORIDA MAN earned its way onto my notable reads list. This year he has returned with an even stronger follow-up to its predecessor, HOGZILLA. Where Florida Man lacked a narrative direction, Hogzilla is a finely tuned machine of storytelling. All the while, never losing its bat-shit-crazy edge that made the original a sucess.

• 

  
  
  
  Bird Castles by Justin Grimbol (2019) Atlatl Press:  Justin Grimbol has appeared on every notable reads of the year list I've done. He's a fixture. Bird Castles is another charming, poetic, simple and beautiful addition to his pantheon of wonderful poetic prose. I look forward to presenting another Grimbol book on the list next year.

• 

  
  
  
  Zoltergeist the Poltergeist by Douglas Hackle (2021) Independently Published:  Douglas Hackle presents what he claims is the penultimate book of his catalog. Douglas Hackle is is own genre but for my money, Zoltergeist the Poltergeist is my #1 Bizarro Fiction book for 2021 and the only worthy candidate for the Wonderland Book of the Year. Plus, these this thing in a cabinet that's the creepiest fucking thing in a book ever.

• Things Were Easier Before You Became a Giant Fucking Mantis by Matthew A. Clarke (2021) Independently Published:  Had Douglas Hackle not gone and written the most brilliant Bizarro book since Danger Slater's I WILL ROT WITHOUT YOU, Matthew A. Clarke's charming, twisted tale of the trials and tribulations of inter-cryptid-alien-species love would have been my top pick for Bizarro book of the year. As it is, it sits at number two and still earns a privileged place on my list of notable reads for 2021.

• Mother Maggot by Simon McHardy (2020) Potter's Grove Press: To say Mother Maggot has had a complicated publishing history is an understatement. The initial appeal of this book, at first, was simply getting my hands on a copy. Mother Maggot kept getting deplatformed from any distribution platform it was placed on. And yet, it had incredible buzz for being the most disgusting book ever written. Finally I was able to snag a paperback copy before it was removed from the retail market again. What I read became a focal point for how, what and where I consumed my fiction ever since. Mother Maggot brought extreme horror back into province. It was the 'killer app' that field the early success of Godless.com (an extreme horror fiction distribution platform that doesn't give a fuck if you are offended.) Mother Maggot also gets my nod for Cover of the Year. Look at that bad-ass thang!

Honorable mentions for 2021 include: 

• EVIL BIGFOOT MONSTER by FF Monsoon, a book that figures into Jeff Strand's THE WRITING LIFE. 
• WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING, Max Booth III's book turned big screen movie about a dysfunctional family trapped in a bathroom after a tornado strikes.
• THIS IS A HORROR BOOK, Charles Austin Muir's short story collection that packs a whallop.
• THE DEMON, THE DUMBWAITER AND THE DOUCHBAG, newcomer Sal Cangemi's bizarro tale of an apartment building tormented by a fuzzy demon. Its a Troma movie told in words not celluloid.

This year, only two books of the thirty-eight I read earned my elusive 5-star rating.  I hope I'm not becoming too much of a curmedgion in my old age. This year, I found the books I reached for were different than years prior. A new crop of extreme horror has made a lot of people take notice, myself included. A new distribution platform, Godless.com, has fueled a lot of that attention. Godless is a disruptive force and so far has proven to be a game changer for a lot of readers. Much of what is offered on Godless is very short and inexpensive fiction, much of which I deemed too short to quantify as a read on Goodreads. I may have to do a separate list for the short Godless stuff next year because it still deserves attention and recognition.

You can check out the complete list of the books I read in 2021 on Goodreads.
You can check out my notable books read from 2020 HERE.