Reading Catch Up & Best Horror Reviews

It's been a while since I posted books read and all that good stuff, so I thought I'd catch up with a media roundup. This one will focus on the books. Hey, maybe you'll get gift ideas from it.

Before I start, I wanted to share our house decorations with you. My husband loves Christmas. Each year he tries to add something new. This year it's the mega tree.

Also, I'll be doing a reading tonight of one of my Christmas horror stories, Last Elf Standing, from Happy Ghoulidays. It's free, and you can watch it on YouTube. I'll try to post a link in my next post (if I remember, which is always the real issue) of the completed reading. 

You can find the link in the FACEBOOK EVENT.

This is THE book on the Golden State Killer (aka Original Night Stalker). Michelle McNamara passed away before it could be published, but her husband made sure it saw print. She was an excellent writer, who had incredible insight and empathy when discussing the cases. The police officers in various departments accepted her, and some say she helped the case. If you like true crime, I HIGHLY recommend this one.

It took me a couple months to read this, because it was three books of short stories rolled into one, so I'd read a few, read a novel, read a few, read a novel. So on and so forth. The more I read of Barker's, the more I respect him as a writer. In my head, he was Hellraiser. That's it, because that was all I was familiar with. Then I read an understated short story of his in a best horror volume, and I realized I had no idea. (Also, this is part of my ongoing reading of books on Nightmare Magazine's Best Horror list (this post will lead you to more information about the challenge and links to the lists I'm reading through).

This book is also from the best horror list. It's more like a novella, so pretty short. I enjoyed it. It's almost a classic haunted house story. Set out on the moors, a solicitor must close out a recently deceased woman's property. Unfortunately, the house has it out for his sanity. Good creepy moments and lovely writing style.

I read this one for my Sisters in Crime book club, but also because Becky's a friend. She has a quick and clever wit in real life, and it shows in her books. The main character works at a restaurant as a waitress, but also creates crossword puzzles for the local paper. When a dead body turns up at the restaurant and her boss is arrested for the murder, she sets out to prove he had nothing to do with it. In the meantime, she's running the restaurant completely on her own, including doing the cooking. A fun read for those who enjoy cozies.

Also written by a friend, this one's a steamy romance. In other words, when things get spicy, the scene doesn't just magically end. The best thing about this book? The best part is, the boss isn't the man. The main character is intelligent and successful, but does she have the time for more than a fling?

If you've never read Tim Dorsey, you're in for a surprise. His main character throughout his books is a psychopath...but one that means well. In this book, he's on a mission to duplicate Easy Rider, taking his hapless companions on a bike ride in Florida. In the meantime, an honest man has an entire town working against him. The ridiculous humor in these is always fun.

I posted about the others in this series, but this is the last one I read (though technically not the last one that should have been read.) This one takes railroad cop Sydney Parnell back to Iraq, where she helped save a young boy, who she's intended to find since she returned to the states. But this time, she's racing against The Alpha, who also has their sites on the boy, and not to protect him. Full of tension and heart, the entire series is a must-read.

Have you read any of these? Any of them look good to you? Have you read anything you'd like to recommend?

May you find your Muse.