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Barely Making a Dent: October 2017 Books


In which our narrator tries to read his way through the endless stacks of books that are slowly overtaking both his bookshelves and his life.

This time of year brings several things to mind: leaves changing color, chilly yet comfortable autumn air, pumpkin ales and pumpkin spice everything, candy corn, and of course Halloween. As a horror fan, this month is almost overwhelming—the desire to watch and read all the horror, all month long, is all-consuming. Of course that's not possible, but I am trying.

I've been working my way through rewatching all of the Halloween franchise films; just watched the sagging sixth film (Curse of Michael Myers)—which is always a big letdown after watching Tina and her neon heart in the previous film (Revenge of Michael Myers)—so only four more to go, counting the two Rob Zombie flicks.

Then the eerie and haunting Mindhunter appeared out of nowhere and, six episodes in, I'm completely hooked. I've also been reading some horror novels and comic books when I can find the time. Here's a very brief breakdown.

Currently reading

 Image result for moon knight bill sienkiewiczWe, by Yevgeny Zamyatin. A novelist friend of mine recommended this a few years ago, then reminded me again last month that I really need to read it. It's not as widely known but it's better than 1984, she says. So I found an old, used copy and started reading it this week. Stay tuned.


Moon Knight Epic Collection: Bad Moon Rising, by various creators, including Doug Moench and Bill Sienkiewicz. These are the first appearances of one of my favorite Marvel characters. Moon Knight is an irresistible character for me, mashing up soldier of fortune style action, lunar-based powers deriving from an Egyptian moon god, and multiple personalities/various mental health issues into one potent stew of engrossing comic book storytelling. He used to be dismissed as a crazy version of Batman, but that's misleading for two reasons: one, Batman is likely pretty crazy himself, and two, Moon Knight is actually a more complex and intriguing character than Batman. Plus, he originated in a werewolf book (Werewolf by Night), so his stories often include elements of horror, and thus are perfect for Halloween season reading.

Recently read

Related imageGerald's Game, by Stephen King. My King fandom goes back to grade school (doesn't everyone's?), but there's still a swath of his ouevre I haven't read, including Lisey's Story, Misery, Delores Claiborne, to name a few. Gerald's Game was one such book. Now that I've read it, I can't believe it took me this long. It's a deeply moving story, with one of my now-favorite King protagonists in Jessica Burlingame. He writes her so well, so vividly, that she came to life in my mind, becoming a living, breathing woman. I followed this up by watching Netflix's movie adaptation and I can confirm that Carla Gugino is exceptional in the role. I'll be writing about the movie later this month for the After Movie Diner.

The Light at the End, by John Skipp and Craig Spector. A friend who shares my eclectic tastes in films and books loaned me his well-worn copy of this 1986 NYC splatterpunk, vampire horror novel. No surprise here, but I love it. Skipp and Spector make New York a character in and of itself, setting their action all over town, but especially in the city's dark, cramped apartments and subway cars. This book stands alongside other epic vampire novels like King's own 'Salem's Lot, and deserves to be read by every horror aficionado.

Recently acquired

Image result for cultographies ms. 45

Ms. 45 (Cultographies), by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas. From the book's descriptive copy:
This book explores the entwining histories and contexts that led to Ms. 45's creation and helped establish its enduring legacy, particularly in terms of feminist cult film fandom, and the film's status as one of the most important, influential, and powerful rape-revenge films ever made.
A critical examination of one of the very best cult genre films ever made? Yes, please. I'll likely also revisit the film concurrently. I've written about Abel Ferrara's early career masterpiece before; you can read that here.
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Comments

  1. Paul SOctober 24, 2017 at 1:10 PM

    Sadly, I can't offer any insight because I haven't read any of your featured books. I've had Steven king's 11.22.1963 sat unread on my shelf since last Christmas. I think it's high time I started it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Words Seem Out of PlaceOctober 25, 2017 at 6:28 AM

      I have yet to read that one, but it's on my list! And don't get me started on the piles of unread books scattered about my shelves and all over the house. Oy.

      Delete

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