Two Laymon novels I haven't read yet. Good to know about Alarums

Alarums probably won't wow you but it definitely kept me interested, it was a tragic tale spurred on by greed, jealousy, envy, and lust.

I love his books and have only disliked two of them so im sure i'll like it.

Summer Knight
By
Jim Butcher

Fiction; I'm just embarking on a re-read of Jeff Lindsay's Dexter series, in preparation for his next novel "Dexter's Final Cut".

While the TV series is definitely very enjoyable imo, the novels are infinitely better - darker, more twisted, and completely free of television polish and any need to worry about actors' contracts.

The humour is blacker, the story lines much more outré, tha characters far more interesting. Kudos to Showtime for making a half-decent TV adaptation, but for me the novels are in a different league entirely.

Non-fiction; Just finished reading (for the second time) "By Sword and Fire - Cruelty and Atrocity in Medieval Warfare" by Sean McGlynn. An absorbing and at times uncomfortable read on the general topic of the treatment of non-combatants (including prisoners) in medieval conflicts. Definitely worth finding if you're into history/sociology/human nature and the generally horrific.

Just finished 11-22-63 by Stephen King- awesome! Its not Horror, but just a cool ride into the past. A young teacher befriends a local diner owner who has a secret in the back storage room of his restaurant- a porthole to the year 1958, the two devise a plan to go back in time to kill Lee Harvey Oswald before he assassinates JFK.

An intimidating tome but surprisingly I finished it rather quickly. There were some horror elements in my opinion, but I agree that it's overall a tragic tale.

I just started on Next by Michael Crichton last week, and so far it's really good. It's not horror, but it's an interesting read.

I agree, bittersweet. The SK one I could'nt put down and finished in a weekend was "Cell" if you're a Walking Dead fan- this book is a must read!

Its being made into a movie with John Cusack- http://screenrant.com/cell-movie-ste...-tod-williams/

http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/o...ephen_King.jpg

Cell isn't my favorite by King, but it was a fun read. The opening is intense.

Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, Or, How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat by Gwen Cooper

Had to re-read this as Homer made his journey to Rainbow Bridge last week.

Just started on Carrie. I've read a few King novels (Bachman I found especially dark) but realised the other day that I never actually read this one.

The Phantom of the Opera
Portrait of Dorian Gray
Collected Poe
Skeleton Crew
NOS4A2
Books of Blook Vol, I-III
Annotated Dracula

Just began reading Under the Shanghai Tunnels by Lee Widener.

Lee and the saxophone player Wilson are about to take a trek into the Portland tunnels via a secret barroom knothole. My prediction: two men enter, only one leaves!

Silent Killer by Beverly Barton

Bedlam Stories
 

I just ordered a new book that came out today. I saw it on Goodreads, has a few reviews already.

Seems cool! It's a dark rendition of Alice and Dorothy.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...om_search=true

Anyone heard of it?

Hi Christine. Your book is getting great reviews. Don't tarnish your reputation by using this transparent chicanery. Always be honest. This sort of thing always comes back to haunt you.

Thank you for that. But, this is not Christine. I am honestly new to forums and have no clue how to use them. I'm getting twitter feeds for this book.

Sorry to offend.

Okay Christine. :p

Neverending
 

Apparently I have gotten off on the wrong foot.

If this isn't an inviting forum I will gladly just walk away. I was looking for a place to find more books and movies.

Again, this is not Christine. I believe that the only one to tarnish her name is you, sir.

The Complete History of Jack the Ripper by Philip Sugden, third edition revised and with a new introduction.

So far it's definitely shaping up to be a cut above most of the utter piffle that gets published on this abiding mystery.

*Edit; What makes Neverending think that an author is plugging her own book here? Just curious...*

Is this the book by the author that had first access to the original police files that were unsealed after 100 years? If so, that book is great. Remember reading it years ago when it first came out.


As for your question- 90% of new authors come in here posing as a random reader that was so amazed by this incfedible book by an author nobody ever heard of that they just had to find a forum to join and talk about it. It's happened so many times it's just too obvious. Somebody out there is giving really bad advice to new authors that they should logon to forums and lie, in order to publicize their work. It's really bad advice and only works out poorly in the long run.

That might be Trevor Marriot you're thinking of. He fought an expensive and unsuccessful legal case with Scotland Yard to get classified papers released - the papers in question are something like 900 pages of information collected from informants between 1888 and 1912, some of which might relate to the Ripper inquiry. Iirc he did get them to name four "new" suspects, but that was all.

His books aren't really taken very seriously though, sorry to say. He's a bit sloppy with his facts and is also one of those writers who claims to have solved the case which generally results in an unfavourable reputation among serious historians.

His most recent theory is that there was no Jack the Ripper, and that the whole thing was cooked up by journalists from a handful of unrelated killings.


Thanks by the way - I was just curious if you knew something we didn't :)

No, that's not the book I'm thinking of. I remember quite clearly the author claimed to have first looks at previously unreleased files, and I thought I remembered the title was The Complete Jack the Ripper.

Here's the one I meant. I recommend it.

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Jack-...ack+the+ripper

It could well be this book then, I'm only half-way through chapter 1 so far.

In the introduction he talks about how when he wrote the first edition, there were no surviving inquest records for Emma Smith, but after publication he discovered that there were notes from such records, in the private collection of another writer.

It looks to be a good read anyway, he seems to be a respected writer on the subject.

*Edit - thank you! That does look like a good one too.

See post above.

I read the earlier version. Highly recommended.

Half-way through Under the Shanghai Tunnels. Wow, what a disturbing tale! Had to put it down to collect myself.

Don't want to give anything away but I definitely think a sequel has to be in the works based on Mary's Harbor Lodge. I don't think we've seen the last of her (is the pit a metaphor for her dominion, I wonder...). In the meantime, I don't see how Lee and Wilson escape this book alive, at all.

I'm glad you're enjoying the story! I'm not in it though. :p

Thank you darkchamber for the interest in my wife's book, she appreciates it.

I am her husband and will happily announce that I am also new to the forums and enjoying them and spreading the word about my wife's book (as made obvious by my signature). Check it out if you are interested. Send me messages privately if you would like to chat more about it. I read it three times during the writing and editing process and am happy to talk.

Most recently, I read Ender's Game in preparation for the new movie. Loved it, although I got mixed reviews about the apparently numerous other books in the series. Still trying to decide if I want to read more of them.

She and I are both fans of horror so this site is turning out to be quite a cool place to hang.

Finished Under the Shaghai Tunnels tonight after beginning it just yesterday afternoon. A wonderful horror yarn! If you are into neo-Lovecraftian horror I definitely recommend getting this book through any black-market channels you can find, as it had a limited release.

Could the story all be true? To put my mind at ease, I have to believe there never was a Wilson Davis. But if I ever go to Portland, I will have to visit Cameron's Bookstore, and then look around for "a faded old bar that still clung to a touch of elegance".....

I'm really glad you enjoyed it MM! And I got word from the publisher this week that he had several copies that were printed on the wrong paper stock, and he's sending those to me. And here's something to help you if you ever get to the Rose City:

http://pics3.city-data.com/businesse.../7/4880187.JPG

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King. Really enjoying it; it's genuinely creepy, human, different to how I perceived it might be.

I am very interested in this now that I know that it is tied to The Shining. I hadn't heard much, but after seeing what you wrote and discovering its tie to The Shining I am much more interested.

This week:
http://c2.bibtopia.com/f/080/098/978...080.PE.0.m.jpg

My fiancee just bought me Pet Sematary as a Halloween present, I'm only a couple of pages in but I love Stephen King and he rarely disappoints

____________

"Enjoy that dead girl's body."

I didn't like Pet Semetary very much compared to his other work. Hopefully you'll like it

Pet Sematary is actually one of my favorite Stephen King movies but I've never had a chance to read the book until now. So far I like it, I'm about 10 chapters in, Jud just took the Creed family through the woods to the cemetery.

______________

"Enjoy that dead girl's body."

I really like the movie too, better then the book actually. I thought the book was too slow