When the Ending Changes Everything

Last month, I binged on all things – books, movies, TV shows - creepy. The results? I yelled at two terrible movies, spent enjoyable chunks of time with solid entertainment, and was blown away by one movie and one book. 

 

Hunter Hunter is my kind of movie: dark, disturbing, tense. I was uneasy the entire time I watched it, gaze riveted to the screen. Until the ending. It was so gory I had to look away over and over. And, yet, the ending absolutely fits the story so well that I can't call it gratuitous. It haunts me to this day. (I don't usually talk trigger warnings, but this ending is not for the faint of heart.)

 

Come With Me by Ronald Malfi is a horror novel for people who don't like horror. In fact, I'd call this more mystery with paranormal elements than anything else. It's atmospheric, creepy, heartbreaking and lovely. Though parts of it felt kind of slow, it still stayed a solid 4 stars for me. Until the ending. When I got there, I gasped then flipped back through the book, re-reading certain moments with fresh eyes. The ending added a whole other layer that had me in tears. It leaped to 5 stars and is easily one of my favorite reads of the year.

***** 

 

How was your October/Halloween? Anything you read/watched that you'd recommend? Are there any endings that haunt you from books/movies/TV shows? What's next for you in November?

Oh, October!

October is one of my favorite months! We finally get cooler weather here in Florida. Our household celebrates birthdays. And all things spooky take center stage. 

 

I do read, write and watch scary stuff all year long, but I like to ramp it up in October, binge on stories of things that go bump in the night. I've got stacks of books to choose from and jotted notes of movies and TV shows, but I'd love to hear your recommendations.

 

*** What books and/or stories had you checking under the bed before going to sleep? What movies and/or TV shows had you turning on every light in the house? What was it that made your skin crawl? ***

 

Wishing you all a wonderful month and a Happy Halloween! 

🎃👻😱🎃👻😱🎃👻😱🎃👻😱🎃👻😱🎃👻😱🎃👻😱

IWSG: Motivation Is Like A Banana . . .

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For last month's IWSG post, I wrote I was "cautiously optimistic" about my writing and a new project - a horror novella - I was working on. My goal was to have the first draft done by the end of September.

Not even close. 

I lost faith - not in the project (I still really like the idea) but in myself. I'm now convinced that berating my lazy butt with colorful expletives is my true talent. Motivation disappears around here faster than a banana in the tortoises' food dish. (Trust me - that's fast.)

So, I set myself a new goal - to prep it and plot it in October so it's ready for the great NaNo push in November. But...I don't know. What if I can't get my mojo back? Or, what if comes back, but I can't sustain it for the course of the project? How can I accomplish anything consistently if I seem to work best in creative spurts? 

Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated! As is chocolate.   

The Off The Shelf Challenge: October/The End

Well, I've decided to stop participating in The Off The Shelf Challenge. This is very unlike me - I will usually stick out a challenge or whatever until I'm curled up in a ball at the end of it, sobbing and exhausted and (supposedly) victorious.

But the older I get, the more I realize that sometimes, it's okay to quit. It's okay to stop doing something that no longer makes me happy. (See The Year of Yes post.)

And that's what happened with the OTS Challenge. Don't get me wrong - I think it's a great idea and I'm happy - as are my bookshelves and TBR list - that I did as much of it as I did. The problem was that over the last couple of months, it started to feel like homework. I started choosing books based on how long they were, could I knock it out in a week, add to my count, etc. instead of choosing books I wanted to read, ones that I was in the mood for. I let the Challenge suck the joy out of one of my most favorite things - reading.

So, while this will be the last Progress Report post, I'll still do a monthly Recommendations post, mostly because I love to talk up books I enjoy.

Did you all enjoy the mini reviews? Would you like to see something a little different in those kinds of posts? Have you all read anything that blew you away this past month?

[And just because I can't quite let myself off the hook, I did a count and realized that although I read 33 Challenge books start to finish, I actually started - then put down - 20 others. So, technically, 53 Challenge books were involved and since my goal was 50 books . . . hmm, no I guess not. Sigh. Let it go . . . ] 

October - 

Challenge Books Read: 4

Non-Challenge Books Read:  3

Year to Date - 

Challenge Books Read:  33

Non-Challenge Books Read:  28

Total Books Read:  61

Standouts in October:

The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti - this is another of those books that I wish I'd read earlier.  Regular readers of this blog know I lean toward dark fiction. This book isn't exactly "light," -  Ren, an orphan who is missing one hand, is adopted by Benjamin Nab. Ren thinks he's found a family. And he has . . . but not quite in the way he thinks. But there's a depth here of heart and love and even humor, all delivered in an oddball cast of characters not easily forgotten. (I still can't get giant, murderer-for-hire Dolly out of my mind!) I also enjoyed the writing style - Tinti has a way of showing who these characters are in such small subtle ways and that are so much more telling than big grand actions.

The Floor of the Sky by Pamela Carter Joern - in the Nebraska Sandhills, Toby - a tough old widow - struggles to hold onto not only her land but also her secrets. When her pregnant teenage granddaughter, Lila, visits, the past and the present collide, taking down more than one person whom Toby loves. One of the things I enjoyed about this novel was the writing style - you would think the clean sharp prose would somehow minimize the complex emotions at the heart of this story when, in fact, it does the opposite - it heightens them, brings them out, shines a light on all the angles and edges and in all the dark corners, and makes the reader feel them even more. 

Behind the Curtain - One Forty Fiction

For a Twitter size horror tale, check out my story, "Behind the Curtain," now up at One Forty Fiction. 

It's tiny, like a fun size candy bar . . . but it's definitely not a treat. 

Mwahahaha!