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My Top Three Authors of 2018
This was an incredible year for literature, especially indie horror and science fiction. As a member of scifiandscary.com, I got advanced reader copies of several amazing titles, many of which you can read about under my Books You Need to Read page. So for my last blog post of 2018, I wanted to share three amazing authors I discovered this year. I hope you’ll enjoy them as well!
Alan Baxter
Alan is an award winning British-Austrailian author who writes dark fiction, supernatural thrillers, urban horror, crime and noir all mixed into a blender of literary brilliance. He’s written around twenty books so far, including Manifest Recall which was the first book I ever gave a five star review to. There’s tension from start to finish of each of his novels, with high action and twisted characters that will make any eccentric heart beat a little faster. Check him out.
J. Barton Mitchell
I discovered award winning author J. Barton through his book The Razor, an intense science fiction plot with a unique and wild storyworld. He does a bit of everything, from YA to to comic books to selling screenplays to Warner Bros. and 21st Century Fox. I really hope The Razor ends up as a movie because it’s a fierce story. Check him out.
Scott Cole
I mean, who wouldn’t want to read more books by the author of Triple Axe, a story about revenge and porn actresses? Scott manages to depict a rather sensitive subject with a gore, grit and even a bit of humor, making him a wordsmith. I can’t wait to read more of his work! Check him out.
8 Gifts for Book Lovers
Yay! The holidays are here! It’s time to shop and share the love :) If you have a book lover in your life, here’s some GREAT finds! There’s a little of something for everyone…
Check out this AWESOME Dracula t-shirt available from outofprint.com. This company is AMAZING! They have a plethra of literary gifts from socks to totes to boxers to mugs to pins to baby onesies. And their collections range from Harry Potter to Poe. They’re worth checking out!
A tshirt will run about $30 and sizes vary from XS - 4X. The women’s shirts are a bit snug, so I’ve bought the men’s shirts and they’re great!
Okay, I admit. I put these writing gloves on my Christmas list. And the scarf? Yeah, I’ve been wanting one of these for awhile. But let me back up. Have you heard of Storiarts? They’re known for their literary scarves, but they’ve extended their brand to include gloves, totes, pillows, tees and even a few baby items. I’ve bought the scarf for a friend (totally almost kept it for myself) and I can attest to their high quality. Their products are more geared toward the classics, with collections such as Alice in Wonderland, The Raven, and The Great Gatsby. But they add new items and collections regularly, so keep an eye out!
They’re a bit on the pricey side, but sign up for their newsletter so you get an alert when sales are approaching. The scarves usually run $48 and the gloves are $26, without a sale.
This is such a fun and unique gift! It’s a chart of literary insults from some of the great writers. Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, Shakespeare, even Charles Dickens lend their snark to this 24" H x 18" W poster. Only the poster is included, so you’ll have to decide if you want to put it in a frame or simply tape it to your wall, but either way, a literature fan will get a kick out of this awesome gift!
You can find it at Uncommon Goods for $25.00
Let’s talk stocking stuffers. How about Lady Macbeth’s Guest Soap? You can find this coca butter scented soap for $4.46 from The Literary Gift Company. And while you’re on the site, check out their wide selection of pencils, mugs, socks, pins and more!
I love these bookmarks so much! I have the Edward Scissorhands one, but there are SO MANY to pick from! These just one twist…you’re book lover should be into horror because these bookmarks will spook ya! And you need to scoop them up fast, because they go QUICK! But the seller is amazing, ships them out fast, and restocks on a regular basis. So if you miss out on your Stranger Things or Jaws or Krampus bookmark, don’t worry! But what I love most, isn’t just the design. They’re a sturdy, well crafted piece of art that can not only holds your place in a book, but spice up your work place!
Buy through her etsy shop A Stranger Dream and prices tend to be around $5.00 / piece.
No more soggy books! Not that I’ve ever dropped a book in the tub, um, of course not. But just to be safe, why not give the book lover in your life this cute over tub caddy? There’s a decent amount of these on the market, but this one has candle holder and WINE GLASS HOLDER!! Sorry. I got a little excited. Available at Bed Bath and Beyond for $29.99
These are super cute and fun literary coasters. From Gone With the Wind to Jurassic Park, these coasters are perfect for the book lover. They’re made from upcycled and discarded wood with laser engraved artwork. Each is unique and sealed in a semigloss finish. They’re $20.00 for two coasters from CuttingBoardem on Etsy.
Okay, these are pricey but if you have enough to splurge, check them out! There are many literature clutches on the market, but these look to be higher quality then most. I don’t have one, so I can’t say for certain, but they’re made with vegan leather, fully lined and there’s a zip compartment. Surely, that makes them awesome :) You can pick between The Raven, How to Kill A Mocking Bird and Pride and Prejudice. Each on is $78.00
CRYPTOFAUNA by Patrick Canning : Book Review
CRYPTOFAUNA by PATRICK CANNING
BOOK REVIEW
Amazon Synopsis: Could be his job as a janitor at an insane asylum, could be the meaninglessness of existence, could be the unwanted cilantro on his tacos. Whatever the reason, Jim has elected to commit suicide. But before he can do the deed, a mysterious resident at work equips him with a dog and a bag of ash, and throws him into a secret game known as Cryptofauna. Cryptofauna is played by Operators, persons of special abilities who battle one another to influence important events around the world. To become an Operator, Jim must survive being stranded in the Pacific Ocean, pass a bizarre examination by leprous French monks, and pluck the existential splinter from his troubled soul. If there’s time, he must also stop a rival player from ending all life on the planet. Underwater Norwegian lairs, obsession with a decent pair of socks, and shapeshifting animals obsessed with AM radio all make up the strange world of Cryptofauna, which might help Jim discover a reason to live, assuming he doesn’t die in the process.
Review: Are you ready for a wild ride?
If Alice and Wonderland and The Hitchiker’s Guide to The Galaxy had a love child, it’d be Cryptofauna. This fantasy novel creates an acid dream of lovable characters, tense twists, and a storyworld unlike any I’ve experienced. Our protagonist gets dragged through dangerous adventures, each testing his stamina until the final test is revealed.
But what is Cryptofauna? A game, of sorts. It’s a well crafted metaphor for life, but I did think it took a little too long for the characters to reveal the rules. For the first few chapters, I was very confused and while I understand the need to build tension, I wished Cryptofauna had been explained, in detail, much earlier in story.
Even so, the heart of the novel rests within our protagonist, a man on the verge of ending his life. His journey of self discovery, the supporting characters he meets along the way, and the life lessons explored through this wild game will be relatable to many readers. The imaginative way that life and death are discussed within the constraints of the game help Jim understand that some things, simply put, are not within our understanding.
This book is riddled with incredible imagery, perhaps even a little too much at times, bordering on purple prose. The pacing of the action sequences are perfect, but the reaction scenes seem a little slow at times, and there are jumps in time (a week passes, a month passes) that are a tad jarring. When they occurred, I felt a bit cheated as I was sucked into the world, caught up in the adventures, and then time simply passed. I wanted to be a part of every second. But it’s a beautiful story, funny at times, ridiculous in the best possible way, intense and action packed. But it had a deeper meaning, one that was woven into the fantasy world.
Give this book a try! It’s a little dense at time, the exposition is a little heavy every now-and-then, but not so much that you’ll put the book down. Overall, a fantastic adventure! 4 stars
Buy it here: Amazon
(I was given this book for consideration in return for an honest review)