A Year in Reading 2020

 It's time to reflect on my year in books for 2020.  It has become my annual tradition to spotlight my noteable reads for the past year. I think 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 and God forbid, controversial ranked list.

I like to present those books that really stood out to me in the past year. I read forty books this year, one 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 2020:

• Florida Man by Mike Baron (2020) Wolfpack Publishing: This one suffered from a lack of direction. Despite the fact that the whole time I was reading this book I never understood the plot, it was still an insane, crazy ride of a read. I decided the plot was the title, the plot is Florida Man and that's good enough and different enough to earn a place on my list.

• The Hanover Block by Gregor Xane (2014) New Dollar Pulp: Look at that cover! If that cover alone doesn't make you want to pick up this book and find out what the hell that thing is all about then perhaps picking up the book and finding out what the hell that thing is all about will make you want to pick up the book to find out what the hell that thing is all about. And, I assure you, that thing on the cover is in the book and the book is full of mystery and intrigue. Its a book about keeping secrets and the biggest secret is that thing on the cover.

• We Don't Talk About Her by Andersen Prunty (2018) Atlatl Press: A story about the grass is always greener expect when it isn't. This one turns, flips, swerves and rolls over, keeping you on your toes. The truest meaning of a page-turner. My only complaint that is was too short. I wanted not to talk about her more, more, more!

• Mud Season by Justin Grimbol (2017) Atlatl Press:  Justin Grimbol has become a perennial fixture on my most notable book of the year lists. This year I read Mud Season, which continues the lovable poetry/prose styling that only Justin can seem to write. Not-so-obvious slices of life told beautifully and whimsically. There's nothing not to love about Justin Grimbol's work. Any of it.

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  The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum (1989) 47North:  I admit it. I didn't read The Girl Next Door until 2020. I feel like the member of some unfortunate club of people who've experienced this book. And, it is an experience. It felt real, too real. I felt as if by the very act of reading further I was causing the poor girl in this book to go through what she'd been through many times before in many other reader's minds. Scary. Truly, scary.

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  The Sea Was Angry by Armand Rosamilia (2020) Severed Press:  The Sea was Angry. The Sea was Pissed. The Sea was Irate. The Sea was Out to Get Us. The Sea was Relentless. Great cover. Wicked concept. Action packed dark thriller. Mindless fun.

• The Ballad of Ricky Risotto by Marc Cavella (2020) Belle Devereaux Publishing :  Marc Cavella came out of left-field for me. A total stranger whom I interviewed on my podcast (with focus on another of his books.) Marc talked about this book which was about to come out so when it was released I picked it up. The Ballad of Ricky Risotto was underpromised and overdelivered. Great, solid story about a fiction wrestling federation that takes place in the late 70s/early 80s right when a certain real wrestling federation was about to explode onto the world stage.

•  F250 by Bud Smith (2014) Piscataway House: I've been orbiting around Bud Smith for quite some time but a different book of his entirely. Then, I heard a glowing review for F250 on a book discussion show and decided I would start here. Bud Smith is a gem. This is what I like to call blue collar fiction. Its a character study of a guy working through life told by a guy who works blue collar jobs and writes on his iPhone about blue collar life.

• Wormwood by Tim Meyer & Chad Lutzke (2020) Thunderstorm Books/Silver Shamrock: You can expect nothing less than excellent story telling from each of these authors. Put them together and you are sure to get something extraordinary. And that is the result with their collaborative effort, Wormwood. Initially released as a limited edition paperback by Thunderstorm Books via Night Worms and subsequently released as ebook and paperback from Silver Shamrock. 
  
  

Honorable mentions for 2020 include: DEAD HIGHWAY by J.C. Walsh, a balls to the wall cosmic horror that crosses Fast and Furious with The Call of Cthulhu. KUMQUAT by Jeff Strand, his stand-out romantic comedy that is (I shit you not) a romantic comedy, no horror here just Jennifer Aniston level fun! There was also BRIDES OF HANOVER BLOCK by Gregor Xane that was just as good as the first book but I didn't want to include two books of the same series on the list. Lastly, DON'T SMELL THE FLOWERS THEY WANT TO STEAL YOUR BONES by Duncan Bradshaw, one of my favorite Bizarro reads of the year that fell just shy of making the most notable list.

This year, I rated four different books at 5 stars. That up from just one in 2019. Overall, it felt like a pretty good year in reading. Great stories are what helped keep our minds off the world outside the pages. I'm already looking forward to reading tons more potentially great books in 2021. Lord knows I have enough on the shelves (physical and digital alike) to keep me reading for many years to come. 

You can check out the complete list of the forty books I read on Goodreads.
You can check out my notable books read from 2019 HERE.

A Year in Reading 2019

Its time to reflect on my year in books for 2019. This is my favorite annual blog post. It has become my annual tradition to spotlight my noteable reads for the past year. I think 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 and God forbid, controversial ranked list.

I like to present those books that really stood out to me in the past year. I managed to ready forty one books this year, one more than the previous 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 2019:

• BANG UP: A FILTHY COMEDIC THRILLER by Jeff Strand (2018) Jeff Strand: This book didn't seem to connect with fans of Jeff Strand's more comedic horror books but I loved it for the off-the-wall comedic romp that it was. If I were going to read erotica, it would all have to be like this. A solid 4.75 star effort.

• MY BEST FRIEND'S EXORCISM by Grady Hendrix (2016) Quirk Books: There has been a lot of buzz around Grady Hendrix since Horrorstor and Paperback's From Hell. Instead of starting there, I decided to start with this. If everyone is talking about those other books and this one made my notable reads for 2019 list then I best get cracking on the other's for 2020.

•  IMPOSSIBLE DRIVEWAYS by Justin Grimbol (2018) Atlatl Press: A perennial favorite of mine. Justin Grimbol always delivers with his unique brand of poetry/prose story telling. There is charm and beauty in the uncomfortable truths and honest observations of the poet laureate of the weird and wacky.

• OF FOSTER HOMES AND FLIES by Chad Lutzke (2019) Poltergeist Press:  Last year, Chad Lutzke made my list of notable reads with OUT BEHIND THE BARN, a collaborative effort with John Boden. I wanted to be sure to read a solo effort from Lutzke. OF FOSTER HOMES AND FLIES is, without a doubt, my favorite read of 2019. This is the only 5-star rating I awarded this year. I love that the world is slowly starting to discover this extremely talented horror author. I expect to see more awareness and great effort from him in 2020.

• A CONFEDERACY OF HOT DOGS by Christoph Paul (2017) Clash Books:  I've been meaning to read this one forever. I put it off afraid that it would read as an inside joke. The protagonist, Phil LoPresti is a real person and the character is based on that real person. Hence my apprehension of that turning out as an inside joke. But, I did finally commit to reading it and the result was it was my favorite weird/bizarre read of 2019. I think this will translate well and not come off as an inside joke to those in the know. Its simply fucking funny.

• BITCOIN BILLIONAIRES by Ben Mezrich (2019) Flatiron Books:  Ben Mezrich updates and turns the tables on his notorious book, THE ACCIDENTAL BILLIONAIRES. Where that book left the Winklevoss twins looking like the devil incarnate, BITCOIN BILLIONAIRES recasts them as the brilliant entrepreneurs that they are in real life. I have a love a affair with the story of Bitcoin and this telling of the Winklevoss twins story in cryptocurrency with gorgeous, sexy and Romantic. I've fallen in love with it that much more.

•  JURASSIC FLORIDA by Hunter Shea (2018) Lyrical Underground: Beautiful in its simplicity. This is a giant monster book. That's all. Its a great story wrapped around a giant iguana monster book set in Florida. Hunter Shea keeps it simple stupid (k.i.s.s.) and pulls off a notable read for 2019 in the process. 

• TERROR MANNEQUIN by Douglas Hackle (2019) Douglas Hackle: Douglas Hackle turns in a darker, more horror focused offering for 2019 and the result is TERROR MANNEQUIN. This title wins cover of the year handily. Its also backed up by one weird, twisted story full of macabre crazy. This book feels like its own new thing and others will only follow suit. Read the original, whatever it is!
  
  
   

• POPSICKLE HEART by J. Peter W. (2018) DP Books:  POPSICKLE HEART by J. Peter W. represents the sleeper hit of 2019. A full on, bizarro tale of one clown's struggle against the world. So bizarre, so weird, so artistic and visceral. Great weird writing, it's time everyone found out that J. Peter W. has got the write stuff. Dip your pink little toes into this quiet gem.

Honorable mentions for 2019 include: THE WARRIORS by Sol Yurick, a classic that I finally got around to reading: different but as good as the classic film inspired by the book. PRESTO! by Penn Jillette a different type of diet book. F*CKED UP STORIES: VOL. 1 edited by Ira Rat, a stand out DIY 'zine that wasn't big enough to warrant a mention of the main list but still a standout offering in short form for 2019. And lastly, Tim Meyer's LIMBS a twisted tale that simply fell one slot shy of getting main stage recognition.

2019 was punctuated by the fact that I only rated one book at 5 stars. And yet, I probably awarded the most 4-star reviews in a given year at the same time. Lots of great books but just one super stand out. 2020 promises to have more great reads in store. Weird will rise again and horror is sure to birth new great names. Catch ya in 2021!

You can check out the complete list of the forty books I read on Goodreads.
You can check out my notable books read from 2018 HERE.

A Year of Reading

I like to reflect on my year of reading. Thank goodness for Goodreads.com where I can actively track the books I've read year to year. So I'd like to present to you my notable reads for the year 2016. Sure, everyone is doing it but here's my hook: These are the books I've read and enjoyed in 2016 but were not necessarily published in 2016. 

The fact of the matter is, I probably read more books not published in each given year than those that are published in the current year. I'm always impressed with those who focus on reading mostly new books. Of course, this is coming from a chronically slow reader. There are just so many great books out there and even if I were a fast reader, there are just too many great books to get to that you couldn't possibly get to in any given year. 

So, let's get on with my list of notable books I've read in 2016! These are listed chronologically in order read from January through December.

• I WILL ROT WITHOUT YOU by Danger Slater (2016) Fungasam Press:  I feel like I've been waving the flag of this book for a year now, and that's because I have. I said from the moment I read that last page of the book that this will be the winner of the Wonderland Book of the Year Award (The Award for the best fiction in the Bizarro genre) for 2017. Twelve months later I still believe that in my heart of hearts. If I were going to rank the best book of 2016, this would be it.

• RITUALISTIC HUMAN SACRIFICE by C.V. Hunt (2015) Grindhouse Press:  I said that this list is ranked chronologically, but Ritualistic Human Sacrifice also takes the rank of my second favorite read of 2016. It was a very close second to ROT. That is because this book is so visceral, so disturbing, so daring, so real and yet so over the top that it is impossible to ignore. The author, a female, reveals the darkest parts of the male mind that many men would never admit they think. This book basks in the darkness it casts on you as you read.

• PINK PLANET by Jon R. Meyers (2014) Riot Forge:  I was shocked that I loved PINK PLANET as much as I did. This book had flaws I felt would have me giving any other book a two star review and leave me disappointed. PINK PLANET thrives on its heart. Some of the plot points are absurd. There is a fuzzy creature that seems to serve no function whatsoever to move the story forward and yet, I want to buy plushies of this creature and read the further adventures of this adorable useless character. But this book is dripping with sincerity and passion and if you can get past some of the more technical shortcomings, I think it is punk rock brilliance in writing.

• THE LAST PORNO THEATER by Nick Cato (2013) Grindhouse Press:  This book is one of those books that I've been eyeing for for the past three years but never pulled the trigger on for one reason or another. Then I met Nick Cato at a con earlier this year and got the paperback from him. I knew Nick Cato to be a movie buff of the 70's exploitation era in particular. THE LAST PORNO THEATER is exactly that, a 70's era exploitation story crossed with a Godzilla movie rolled into a story about the last remaining porn theater on 42nd Street in New York. If you're a fan of H.G. Lewis, The Warriors and Kaiju monsters, get your hands on this book.

• THE COMPLEX by Brian Keene (2016) Deadite Press:  You can hardly go wrong reading a Brian Keene book. So THE COMPLEX making my list this year isn't much of a surprise. The book is signature Keene: bloody, dark, character rich and bleak. What I loved best about THE COMPLEX was that Keene dared to give it an ending that was reminiscent of THE RISING. Anyone who knows anything about the ending to that book knows that for readers, you either love it or hate it. I am in the love category and so I enjoyed Keene taking that risk again with THE COMPLEX.

• THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON by Stephen King (2005) Scriber eBooks:  It's been a long while since I last read a King book (I'm thinking Under The Dome when it came out.) I've really been heavy into reading indie authors for the past several years. But I felt I needed to get back to King. It was time to read something from the highest echelons of horror and THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON was sitting on my digital bookshelf for quite sometime. I blew off the dust and was instantly reminded of why he is the master. For me, King has been hit or miss since his golden age. This book is without a doubt a hit for me. Great, suspenseful storytelling. Atypical psychological horror with just a touch of supernatural. A perfect Stephen King book and a perfect way to close out my year of reading for 2016.

There it is. Looking back on the year as a whole, I think I had my hair blown back early in the year. ROT and RITUALISTIC both floored me and it was difficult for anything I'd read the remainder of the year to touch either of them. There were lots of honorable mentions: The Drive-In 3 by Joe Lansdale, Sick in the Head by Phil LoPresti, SuperGhost by Scott Cole, Pay Up and Die by Chuck Buda, The Enemy Held Near by Armand Rosamilia and Jay Wilburn and Pins by Jessica McHugh. Any one of those books could have fallen in line in a longer list. Unfortunately, I've only read a total of 31 books this year so I wanted a short list to highlight the heavy hitters for me this year. 

I've already got a bunch of great reading suggestions from others Best of 2016 lists. That's why I feel it's important to share mine as well. Hope something here grabs your attention and you decide to check it out and add it to your list for 2017.

You can check out my full list of books read for 2016 HERE.