Tag Archives: Dreadful Tales Book Club

Dreadful Tales Book Club – May 2013 Edition

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Firestarter

This beautiful banner is courtesy of Mark Brown, a.k.a. Dark Mark

Dreadful Tales has a number of enthusiastic members who consistently read the book of the month as well as chime in on The Mortuary message boards to discuss their thoughts, so this month I handed the baton to a gentleman that goes by the moniker Nut of the Living Dead (“When there’s no more room in shell…” Pretty clever, huh?), and as you can see from the lovely banner above, he chose one of Stephen King’s earlier titles, Firestarter.

Like Nut, the only recollection I have of Firestarter is the film adaptation starring Drew Barrymore as Charlie which I watched probably some 20 years ago. The only memory I have of that movie is Miss Barrymore sweating and setting shit on fire which I’m pretty sure I thought was cool as hell when I was younger. I think this time around I will be able to appreciate the psychological trauma, confusion, and moral struggle that comes with that kind of power.

I hope all you diehard King fans, King fans-in-training, and those who have yet to read a King novel will join us to celebrate one of King’s earlier works. As always, we’ll all be hanging out here and chatting about the book.

“See” you there!

-Meli

Dreadful Tales Book Club – March 2013 Edition

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This lovely banner is courtesy of Mark Brown (aka Dark Mark)

This lovely banner is courtesy of Mark Brown (aka Dark Mark)

Colum proposed a very ambitious Bram Stoker challenge for all you DT readers (you can check that out here), but I have an unrelated warm-up challenge for our Book Club members; we’re reading two books this month! Well, technically one anthology and one novella.

Book Club readers are of course free to read at their own pace (I’m just now wrapping up January’s book!) and since we have two books this month you are welcome to read them in whatever order you wish. So, without further adieu and in no particular order I present to you the March Books of the Month. Continue reading →

Dreadful Tales Book Club – August Edition

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We’re already 5 days into August and I haven’t told you about this month’s title. But not to worry, the book we have lined up runs at such a break-neck pace I don’t think you’ll need the whole month to finish.

This is a fitting title to welcome home Colum McKnight, one of the creators of Dreadful Tales and a man who was conspicuously absent from the virtual world for the past few months. In case you missed it, he made his resurgence on the site just last week and we couldn’t be happier to have him back.

So, about the book. What makes this particular title so special and why is it befitting of Colum’s homecoming? I’ve mentioned more than a few times that Colum was the one to stoke my interest in modern horror fiction often guiding me to his favorite authors. He was also the person to encourage me to share that enthusiasm with other readers by reviewing books. The path that lead me here (at least in regards to my reading and reviewing) can be traced back to one specific care package from Colum a few years ago which contained three novels. In it were novels by Jeff Povey, Shaun Hutson, and our Book of the Month author of August….

Drum roll please…..

John Everson!

This month we’re reading his latest novel NightWhere (Samhain Publishing 2012) which I reviewed last month and you can see what I had to say about the book here.Banner courtesy of Mark Brown, a.k.a Dark MarkFrom the Samhain website:

She yearned to go beyond… but some curtains should never be opened.

When Rae broached the idea of visiting an underground sex club, Mark didn’t blink. He should have. Because NightWhere is not your usual swingers club. Where it’s held on a given night…only those who receive the red invitations know. Soon Rae is indulging in her lust for pain. And Mark is warned by a beautiful stranger to take his wife away before it’s too late.

But it’s already too late. Because Rae hasn’t come home. Now Mark is in a race against time—to find NightWhere again and save his wife from the mysterious Watchers who run the club. To stop her from taking that last step through the degradations of The Red into the ultimate BDSM promise of The Black. More than just their marriage and her life are at stake: Rae is in danger of losing her soul…

John Everson is one of those authors that hits all the right notes for me. He has a passion for horror, of course, especially the satanic and erotic type, but he also has a love for music that is evident in his writing as well. Every novel has its own unique soundtrack that pulsates along with the action of the story and that’s just one of the many elements I love about his books.

Without further adieu, please give a warm welcome to John Everson and his latest novel of sexual depravity, NightWhere.

You can get a copy from the Samhain Publishing website or Amazon or anywhere else cool books are sold. Join in the discussion as you read at The Mortuary message boards in the August Book of the Month thread.

Be sure to follow John Everson on Twitter, friend him on Facebook, and check out his website.

Dreadful Tales Book Club – July Edition

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Banner courtesy of Mark Brown, a.k.a. Dark MarkWe have the perfect summer read for the Dreadful Tales Book Club this July (twenty-twelve is already halfway over!?), James Newman’s The Wicked. We’ve uttered the name Newman more than a few times around here and knew when we saw the cover for the reprint of The Wicked that this had to be the next Book of the Month. Well, it was actuallyRue Morgue Magazine’s Stuart FEEDBACK Andrews that put the bug in our ear, but it took very little convincing. Still, thank you, FEEDBACK!

Fans went nuts when they saw Jesse David Young’s artwork for Shock Totem’s revised and expanded edition. Reviews started rolling in shortly after the re-release with equal praise for the story promising that Newman’s book was bringing back the beloved horror heyday of the 80s.

I hope you will join us this sweltering July as we pull up a chair next to the window air-conditioner to cool off with a read that promises to deliver 80s horror nostalgia and a good scary story. This will actually be my first Newman experience, so it’s extra special for me.

You can get your copy from Shock Totem or Amazon in Kindle or paperback format. With a cover like that I had to have the real thing, so I opted for the worn looking paperback version which comes with faux grocery store price tag and all.

If you’re still wrapping up the June Book of the Month, Michael Louis Calvillo’s Lambs, don’t forget to stop by and share your thoughts at The Mortuary’s official thread here. For July’s discussion of The Wicked, you can connect with readers here.

Join usssssssssssss!

-Meli

Dreadful Tales Book Club – June Edition & Giveaway!

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Banner courtesy of Mark Brown (a.k.a. Dark Mark)June marks the third month of the Dreadful Tales Book Club and while each selection thus far has been darkly sweet we have an extra special month of grim reading ahead.

Gregory Lamberson, author of May’s Book of the Month Carnage Road, scanned the darkest corners of his book shelves to find the perfect title for you macabre maniacs. This month we’ll be hanging out in The Psychopedia Necronomicon forum of The Mortuary message board discussing the literary prowess of the late Michael Louis Calvillo by digging into his novel Lambs (DarkFuse Publications, 2012).

From the DarkFuse website:

Plagued by a trio of murderous ghosts, Arthur has bigger problems than your average teenager. Young love, wild hormones, and The System haunt him, but those phantoms are nothing compared to the concern he has when watching the darkened corners and deep shadows around him. These spaces are now consumed by a spectral evil seemingly hell-bent on destroying everyone he loves.

As the bodies pile up, Arthur distances himself from his roommate, Connor, a pyromaniac crack-baby with destructive tendencies, and his girlfriend, Melanie, an all-American Satanist with a hidden agenda. He embarks upon a grisly odyssey of self-discovery in hopes of burying the past, cleansing his soul, and obliterating the blood-thirsty spirits once and for all.

In conjunction with this month’s book club we have an exciting giveaway courtesy of Lambs publisher DarkFuse Publications. We have 3 paperback copies of Lambs up for grabs. There are several ways to enter and each time you increase your chances of getting a copy. This giveaway will run for the next two weeks, so you’ll have plenty of time to join in the book club discussion if you win.

Here’s what you do:

(1)   Like DarkFuse on Facebook. Not only does this count for one entry in the giveaway, but you can also claim a 25% OFF coupon. You just need to go to the “Special Offers” tab at the top of the page to redeem.

(2)   Follow DarkFuse on Twitter.

(3)   Visit the DarkFuse website and let Dreadful Tales know about your favorite DarkFuse title OR which title is on the top of your wishlist. You can do this by commenting below, telling us on Facebook, Twitter, or email (dreadfultalesstaff AT gmail DOT com).

(4)   Post a review of a DarkFuse title on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, or Goodreads.

Any of the above-mentioned count for an entry in the giveaway, so the more you enter the better your chances. Just be sure to notify us via Facebook, Twitter, or email (dreadfultalesstaff AT gmail DOT com) each time you enter for verification.

Michael Louis Calvillo touched many lives not only with his great words, but also with his humble and gracious character. I hope you will join me in this celebration of his literary legacy for our June reading of Lambs.

-Meli