Daddygoth's 2010 Challenge

Well, I only took forever to start my thread on books read this year. I hadn't been rating on LT that I read because I figured I'd go back later and add that from my written list. My sons' school has a reading program where students, parents, and teachers all log the books they read. I kept that up to date... then turned in my list with their list this week and forgot to update LT. So, I'm trying to remember (and rate) all that I've read since January 1. I'll post what I've read, but no short opinions until a little later. My ratings can be viewed by going to the book's page.

1. Your Kids Are Your Own Fault: A Guide For Raising Responsible, Productive Adults by Larry Winget
2. The Five Greatest Warriors: A Novel by Matthew Reilly
3. Impact by Douglas Preston
4. Pursuit of Honor: A Novel by Vince Flynn
5. Collection of 15 or so short stories from Simon Wood purchased from Fictionwise
6. Chaosbound: The Eighth Book of the Runelords by David Farland
7. Horns by Joe Hill
8. Roll Them Bones by David Niall Wilson
9. Skull Moon by Tim Curran
10. Boneland by Jeffrey Thomas
11. The Endless Road by M. J. Konevich
12. Night Work by Greg F. Gifune
13. Dark Dixie: Tales of Southern Horror by Ronald Kelly
14. The Sick Stuff by Ronald Kelly
15. Scattered Ashes by Scott Nicholson
16. Burial to Follow by Scott Nicholson
17. The 13th Apostle by Richard F. Heller
18. The Genesis Code by Christopher Forrest
19. Luthor's Gift by Elliott S. Maggin
20. Cumberland Furnace & Other Fear Forged Fables by Ronald Kelly

edited because I'm losing my mind. The 28 books on the previously mentioned reading list included the ones I read from from early December to January 1, so this list of 20 might be the entire list, minus one or two. Good thing spring break is next week so I can recharge the batteries and hopefully reclaim my mind.

Wow. Some interesting titles there. I'm looking forward to hearing about Skull Moon and a couple of other ebooks on your list. Apparently I need to look into - Amber Quill Press, is it?

The eBook version I purchased from Fictionwise when they had their big sale in December. I'm not sure if Amber Quill Press did the digital version or not. A number of other horror readers recommended Tim Curran to me and I picked that one first since it was shorter than the others. I've heard great things about Dead Sea, but plan to read it soon. I also have Resurrection, but that's a 666 page tome and I'm not ready to read long novels at the moment.

I can say the ones from the bunch I didn't like were Chaosbound (8th in the Runelords series and was total filler) and The 13th Apostle (terrible writing, bad pacing). I've been a big fan of Ronald Kelly for years and I picked up his three short story collections from Macabre Ink Digital this week for half price as David Niall Wilson is running a 50% speciall on Macabre Ink books with the promo code eBookWeek. Of the 20 books in the list, 12 were eBooks. I still prefer physical books, but eBooks grew on me quickly.

Glad to see you back, David!

Well, I think I'll redo my list in the same manner as HHF. Maybe that will encourage me to keep it up to date.

#1.


Overall, a great read on raising children as he preaches discipline and not giving in to your children by being their best friend and giving them everything they want. There were only a few minor items with which I disagreed.

#2.


The final book in Reilly's trilogy and much better than the previous book. The usual non-stop, comic book type action is there, but the story here was better paced than the previous book.

#3


I'm not sure why I keep reading the annual Preston thrillers. They all have a great premise, start well, but seem to fizzle toward the end.

#4


Ah, the annual Flynn thriller. Unlike some readers, I have actually enjoyed the character introduced in the previous book (Nash). This one lacked the action of previous Flynn books, but I'd still recommend it to fans of the series.

#5
Simon Wood short stories -- Fictionwise has several of Wood's short horror stories available and most were better than average to great. I don't have a list of them handy, but most of those available, I'd recommend.

#6


The eighth book in the never-ending Runelords series, and to no one's surprise, it's a TOR publication. All successful TOR fantasy series seemed to be milked for all they're worth. The first four books are excellent, then things started to drag a bit with the new generation of characters in book five. This book's story runs concurrently with that of book seven and the overall story doesn't really progress since it is a concurrent story. You could definitely skip this one.

#7


While I thought Heart-Shaped Box was a good first novel, this one has the feel of an established author with many books to their credit. It is what I'd called "atmospheric" horror and, unlike many horror novels that have flashbacks, the flashbacks in this one are well written and flow perfectly with the overall story.

#8


A novella from the Darkside Digital line, this was my first David Niall Wilson read. Overall, it didn't do much for me. The underlying theme is one that is not particularly a favorite of mine (can't say much without spoiling anything). However, I've started another of his works, This is My Blood, and can say that one is a better read.

#9


An above average horror novel where the creature is not what you think it may be. The novel started slow, but once it picked up about a third of the way in, it was hard to put down.

#10


Another novella from the Darkside Digital line and an above average read. This one is a quirky sci-fi/alien invasion with a dash of horror. Don't give up on it early as it's a little difficult/out there at first, but it does all come together.

#11


An average collection of short horror stories.

#12


I'm a big Greg Gifune fan, but noir style books normally don't do it for me. This one was better than others in the same style, but still not a favorite of mine. Gifune is an excellent writer, which is why I thought it was still above average. Most writers simply couldn't have written it well enough to get me to the end.

#13


I've big a big fan of Ronald Kelly going back to his days in the Zebra horror line. I was pleased to hear that David Niall Wilson's Macabre Ink released some of Kelly's short stories in a series of eBook collections. This was a very good, but not great, set of short stories and one I'd recommend.

#14


Another in the Macabre Ink line of digital releases of Ronald Kelly's works. This one is nearly perfect, with my favorite being "The Abduction". Too many people make the wrong assumption in this story regarding the abducted. Definitely take your time and enjoy that one.

#15


Scott Nicholson is also starting to release his older works in digital format. The original title was Scattered Ashes and the digital version I think is the same with maybe a new story. My favorite, even though I knew where it was going, was "Dog Person". This is a collection of dark fiction short stories.

#16
Burial to Follow is a novella by Scott Nicholson. I really enjoy many of Nicholson's works, but this novella didn't do much for me. It is a bit humorous in places (dark humor), but it felt more like a short story extended to novella length. Still, this is the only work by Nicholson I haven't liked.

#17


Wow, what can I say. This has to be one of the worst books I've tried to read in recent memory. The writing is bad, the story is bad, etc. I don't think I'll even bother donating this one to the library.

#18


A slightly above average thriller about the encoding of something in our DNA. The story's beginning was not needed and it dragged a bit in the middle.

#19
Luthor's Gift is a short story by Elliott S. Maggin. He wrote two Superman novels in the late 70s, around the time of the release of the first two Superman movies, and I've heard both are great. I will try to get to them sometime, but in the meantime read this short story which can be downloaded from the author's website. It tells the story of Luthor and Superman about 100 years into the future as they reflect on their past.

#20


The third digital collection of Ronald Kelly short stories from Macabre Ink and, just like Kelly's other collections, I'd recommend it to fans of horror and dark fiction.

#21


An excellent thriller from JA Konrath. It is over-the-top and unbelievable in places, but a very entertaining read.

#22


I picked this one up at a used book store for $.50 and was pleasantly surprised. I'd read one other Sharman book in the past (Next), but didn't think too highly of it. However, I really enjoyed The Surrogate. The ending was predictable, but that was the only negative thing about it.

#23


The majority of readers didn't seem to like this one, but I've always been a fan of David Hagberg/Sean Flannery. I thought this was an excellent thriller and, like with his other McGarvey thrillers, you don't have to read them in order. There might be some spoilers about previous books, but none that you wouldn't have guessed ahead of time because you know McGarvey always comes out on top.

#24


An archaeological thriller which is the first in a series. Overall, an average read because it had its moments, but it seemed to go on a bit too long. I might try book two to see how it compares to this one.

#25


I'm definitely in the minority here, but I just don't understand the fascination with Klein and his two published works (The Ceremonies being the other one). The first three stories in this collection were below average and only the last one I felt was worth reading. Maybe it's the writing style of his dark fantasy, I don't know. Most seem to really like him, so I guess I'm just missing something.

#26


One of Gifune's previous works only released in a limited edition is now available in digital format from Darkside Digital. Overall, a very good read, but not Gifune's best.

#27


An average collection of zombie short stories. About half are average with the other half equally split between great and not worth reading.

#28


An excellent thriller with a touch of sci-fi. The main character is given the opportunity to correct the future before it happens over the course of several hours. There are a few places where the character's actions seem worthless as they are redone prior to that (timewise). However, overall I'd definitely recommend this one.

#29


The first in the Eddie Chase and Nina Wilde series. Parts of this read like a Matthew Reilly thriller (BANG!!, BOOM!!!) and other parts read like a Cussler novel (action not quite as over the top) with semi-likable characters. The humor between the main characters grows old quickly and the whole Atlantis "discovery" is a letdown, hence the average rating. I'll probably give the second in the series a try to see if things improve or continue along the same path.

That's a big update! Glad to see you back. It has been a while.

#30


McDowell's first book in the Blackwater series. I guess this could best be classified as gothic horror, even though the true horror elements are limited in this one. It's a great start to the series and I plan to finish the series over the next few months.

#31


McKinney's first book after his zombie novel Dead City. I thought this would be a post-apocalyptic survival novel, but it turned into more of a murder mystery with survival just being a subplot. It was only average and not one I'd probably recommend.

#32


A collection of three Gifune short stories from Darkside Digital. I thoroughly enjoyed all three stories in this collection.

#33


A digital re-release from Darkside Digital of Gifune's early work. It's an above average read, but not on par with Gifune's more recent works.

#34


Another digital re-release from Darkside Digital of short stories from Keene's Earthworm Gods world. Characters from his Rising world reappear here in this world with some meeting the same fate and others not. Like Gifune, it's hard to go wrong with a Brian Keene work.

#35


Another collection of three short stories from Greg Gifune offered by Darkside Digital. Like his other collection, these three are all entertaining reads.

#36


A very good, single short story by Greg Gifune offered by Darkside Digital.

Wow! Very nice set of books...

#37


An above average horror novel about ancient creatures that appear on a small island after mist appears. This is the first William Meikle novel I've read and it was good enough for me to want to try another of his. Plus, you can't beat the price ($1.99 at Smashwords for the digital version).

regarding message #42 -- drneutron, I thought this would help me to better list what I've read, plus by providing the covers, it might entice others to check out some of them as well. Each cover is also hyperlinked to the listing on LibraryThing. I got the idea from Huge_Horror_Fan as this is similar to the way he lists the books he has read.

#38


Wow, this was one of the best horror novels I've read in quite a while, and definitely my favorite for the year to this point. It's a cross between Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Phantoms that involves a stranded group of motorists who take refuge in a small town during a horrendous snowstorm. The town is essentially deserted and they soon learn why, then have to try to get out before they fall victim to the evil that has plagued the town.

This was the second Ronald Malfi story I've read (the other being his entry in Dark New Voices II) and I'll definitely be looking for future works by him.

#45: Doesn't sound like a book for me at all, David, but I am glad you enjoyed it.

I hope to see you around the group a bit more often :)

#39


This collection of six short horror stories, some with a bit of sci-fi mixed in, didn't do much for me. There were also too many typos for such a short book. I must be in the minority as Amazon reviewers seemed to enjoy it.

Welcome back.

Interesting to see your comments on Simon Wood's work. I haven't read his stories but he's on an email list with me and we used to hang out with the same group of people at crime fiction conventions. I assume Simon still does, I just haven't been able to get there for a while.

#40


Wow, did we have to wait a long time for this one thanks to Cemetery Dance and its shenanigans claiming this was "at the printers" for years. However, like with Rick's other works, it was worth the wait. This is a collection of his short stories published elsewhere from the early 90s to the new one he wrote in 2004 for this collection and almost all of them are excellent. Of special interest are the eight stories set in the Little Brothers/Untcigahunk world. His original Little Brothers novel, published by Zebra during the 80s horror boom is a must read. It's been republished recently in digital format, along with the eight short stories, as Untcigahunk: The Complete Little Brothers.

Occasional Demons is also available in digital format and many of Rick's older works are in the process of being converted and being made available digitally. Although I read many of Rick's horror novels when they were originally published, it's good to see them available to new generations of horror readers as most of his original paperback releases are long out of print.

regarding post #48 -- I haven't read any of Simon's thrillers, but have purchased one of his thrillers in digital format which I hope to read soon. I really enjoyed his horror stories and have heard good things about his thrillers as well.

#41


HHF recently posted about finishing the second book in the series. I started this one last year, read about a third of it, then got sidetracked and never finished it. The premise was a bit different from other zombie novels, which was a plus. However, some of those differences, such as way too many types of creatures showing up, seemed to detract from the overall story. The first third of the novel was average, the middle third was below average (where the other creatures started appearing) and the last third was excellent. So, overall it was a big above average. I'll try to get to the other two books in the trilogy sometime.

#42


While I, like many others, have started to grow a little tired of zombies, this one looked intriguing enough to give it a shot. Needless to say, I was definitely surprised. This is one of the better zombie novels I've read recently with a new twist or two in relation to the controlling of the zombies. My only complaint was something that occurred at the end that just seemed out of character, but I can't say more without spoiling.

#52: How gory is that one, David? It looks interesting, but have a low tolerance for horror and gore.

Stasia,

It's zombie fiction, so it's gory. Sorry, it wouldn't be to your liking.

#43


The second book in the Hater trilogy. I liked this one, just not quite as much as the first one. The first few chapters of this one were a definite adrenaline rush and reminded me of chase scenes in 28 Days Later.

#54: OK, thanks David. I will not put it into the BlackHole then.

55> I thought HATER was awesome and I have been looking forward to the sequel for some time.

I think Dog Blood is due to be released in a week or so in hardcover. Imagine my surprise when it turned up on my Amazon Vine list as a choice about a month ago! I'm looking forward to The Passage and hoping it lives up to the hype. That one was available on my Vine list last week, so I snagged that one as well. Sometimes there's a good selection available, other times it's nothing but juvenile and teen fiction.

Ohhhhh...a dystopia. Let me know how it is when you are done. I will likely pick it up when available.

#44


The second novel in Alex Berenson's John Wells series is a good read, but not quite as much as the first. There's quite a bit of internal politics, both within the CIA and within other countries power structure, and it gets old after a while. Of course, the ending set the stage for the third book, which I'll probably read soon.

#45

#46


This collection thirteen stories range from horror, to a Sherlock Holmes story, to just plain weird ones. Many are good stores, but a few are clunkers. However, it was free at Smashwords, so you can't complain about the price.

regarding #59, The Passage arrived yesterday -- all 766 pages of it. I have a few others things to knock out first, but I should get to it in the next week or so. Unlike many ARCs that appear to be quickly thrown together, this one features a semi-mirrored/reflective cover. I haven't seen that in too many ARCs. Then again, maybe more companies are making their ARCs more attractive as I also got the ARC of Boyd Morrison's The Ark and it features the same type of cover. Two goodies I can't wait to dive into.

Oh dear. I did not just click on this thread. I didn't. I didn't see anything. I swear. I'm just going to close my eyes, walk away calmly, and pretend this never happened. Otherwise I might have a wishlist explosion...

...I love the art on book #26 Judas Goat!!

#64: I am sure David would be more than happy to help you with your wishlist explosion, Stephen!

65: Yes yes, everyone seems to be very helpful in that way. :(

63: It surprised me when I got a shiny ARC too. I was lucky enough to snag The Passage through the ER program. :)

Hey Ape,

Sure, I'll be glad to help expand your wishlist!

Judas Goat is by one of the best horror authors today -- Greg Gifune. There's only one book of his that I haven't really liked, but his writing style is excellent and he can make any topic worth reading. Not quite at Robert McCammon's level, but close.

Per your profile, I see you're not fond of eBooks. I'll always prefer printed books, but eBooks have allowed me to read some books I might not have been able to otherwise. Judas Goat is one of them. It was originally a limited hardback release and you'd have to fork out $100+ to get a copy now. The eBook version? $6.95 at the Horror Mall.

If you have any questions about any on my list, feel free to contact me.

#47


Wow, what a read. This is told from the viewpoint of Mary Magdalene, who happens to be a vampire. The stories in the gospels are retold/reinterpreted with Judas ultimately being loyal and another being the betrayer. Wilson's writing style is very fluid and graceful. All in all, a great story.

#48


Well, I had to see what all the talk was about. I'm not much of a King fan (with the exception of some of his early works, Pet Sematary, It and The Dark Tower series), and I'm not a big baseball fan, so I wasn't expecting much, especially after hearing all the hype. It was just an average story and very short (but still can be classified as a novella).

#49

#50

#51

Congratulations on hitting the 50 book point, David!

#52

#53

#54


A good collection of vampire and non-vampire short stories.

#76: How is the gore factor in that one, David?

#55


An excellent thriller involving a madman with dreams of starting an event to eliminate most of the world's population, with its basis in the supposed discovery of Noah's Ark.

#78: Adding that one to the BlackHole. It looks pretty good. Thanks for the rec.

Stasia,

The gore factor is actually quite low for most of the stories in the collection. There are a few gory events, but it didn't seem to be extremely prevalent. The collection is e-book only, so it's definitely affordable.

#80: Thanks, David!

The Ark sounds pretty interesting. On to the wish list it goes!

Ooo, I'm adding This is My Blood to the list.

post #82 -- Doc, it's one of the better thrillers I've read in a while. A little over the top in places, but that's to be expected from these types of books. The Ark was originally a self-published eBook on Amazon and given away for free on his website. Then it was noticed and is now seeing print. He has two others that were available as self-published eBooks on Amazon which will be available in print later this year and next year.

post #83 -- This is My Blood is definitely different and not a traditional vampire story. The intermingling with the gospels is well done. The book is now available in more affordable eBook format as well through Crossroad Press and Amazon.

I think I'll be purchasing it for my Kindle. I'm a bit exasperated with vampire novels at the moment, so I think This Is My Blood would provide a welcome change. Thanks!

#56

#57

#58


A twisted Christmas tale about a Santa who can't be killed and a Frosty who wants to slaughter everything in sight. An average read with a few chuckles, but nowhere near as fun as Robert Devereaux's Santa Steps Out.

Ha! I love that cover! I will probably check it out around Christmas.

#59


An excellent horror novel about a small town where ghostly blue images appear to the townspeople. Are they evil or do they cause another evil to surface?

The cover above is the one from the new eBook version.

90: Haha, yeah, there's something about that cover that I love, I just can't put my finger on it...

:P

92> No, but you could probably stick your head in ...

... too low brow?

... too low brow?

I'm sure I could spin this question on it's head and mention that the present in the picture is in the way, but I don't feel like putting in the effort.

Carlton Mellick's books alway seem interesting, but my library doesn't carry them...

Mellick's books are definitely interesting -- some are quirky, others are downright hilarious. The outfit being worn by the character on the cover is in the book. Each Christmas, she and her husband would dress up at her insistence before a little evening rendezvous. That year, she wore the green latex suit and both wore antlers. The antlers came into play, but I'll leave it at that.

#60


A good group of short stories, especially the title story. A couple of stories in the collection were the basis for two future novels -- This is My Blood and On the Third Day.

#61


A very good collection of horror-themed short stories. The collection will soon be available in digital format.

#62


How best to describe this one? It starts with Armageddon, then becomes a survival story for those who made it through the several days of Armageddon. However, I felt like I was reading a video game. After the intro (Armageddon), you're introduced to the main character, a total novice at survival. She meets other survivors who soon warn her of a type of demon coming to kill them. After learning how to fight and repelling the demons, the group is warned of another type of demon coming. It seemed like new waves of enemies, just like in a video game, with the character gaining experience -- all leading up to the battle with the big baddie at the ending. The book was just an average read. Maybe it would have been better if it wouldn't have seemed like a written version of a computer RPG.

#98: Too bad about that one, David. It sounds like one in which I might have been interested, but I do not want to read a written version of an RPG.

Wait wait wait, Stasia knows what an RPG is?

#100: Yes she does and she even plays them.

*sigh* I should really learn to stop being surprised by you, but there you go again!

#102: Yes, you should. BTW - you need to check my thread for my response to your last message.

#63


Another good thriller by Jon Land which continues the story of Caitlin Strong, a Texas Ranger, but not as good as its predecessor Strong Enough to Die. The most interesting character in this one was Guillermo Paz. Cort Wesley didn't seem to have nearly as much involvement in this one as in the previous one.

#64
Horizon Lines

Another good collection of horror-themed short stories from Jeffrey Osier, but not quite as entertaining as his other collection Driftglider.

#65


A good thriller involving the secret of Johann Bessler's attempt at creating a perpetual motion device. The plans survive to modern day, albeit by cryptic means, and the main character is thrust into a power struggle between two factions wanting to learn the secret of the device.

This one is available in eBook format only.

#66


A better than average dark thriller with some slight horror elements which tells of the main character going underground after an event devastates him. He becomes one of the dwellers, called skells, uncovers some plots by those above ground, and must ultimately determine whether he wants to remain underground -- if he even has a choice.

This one was originally published in the late 80's by TOR, but will soon be available in eBook format.

#106: That one looks like a book I would enjoy. I will have to check it out!

#67


A good haunted mansion story from Chet Williamson, soon available in eBook format.

#68



A good little tale about demons inhabiting the thoughts of a little girl and eventually becoming a reality. Soon available in eBook format.

#69

#70

#71

#72

#73

#74

#75

#76

#77

Congratulations for reading 75 books! :)

Thanks. I'm actually well past 75 now, just too busy and/or too lazy to update my list ;-)

Light at the end is one of my faves

I am behind in posting bouncy guy!!




Sorry about that David :)

Congrats!

Way to go David!