Horror Review Index Update

I post most of my reviews on the main blog and then archive them in the Horror Review Index. But to make sure that they are also searchable by title here on the horror site, I occasionally list them in a post.

It's all about ease of discoverability. I have to make sure every title can be accessed with a simple title or author search on either blog. Well, I don't actually have to, but that MLIS degree tugs on my conscious if I don't.

Click on each title, in the list below, to see the full reviews and my "three words"

• Little, Bentley. The Bank (2020)
• Tremblay, Paul. Survivor Song (2020)
• McOmber, Adam. Jesus and John (2020)
• Jennings, Kathleen. Flyaway (2020)
• Fram, John. The Bright Lands (2020)
• Henderson, Alexis. The Year of the Witching (2020)
• Cesare, Adam. Clown in a Cornfield (2020)
• del Toro Guillermo and Chick Hogan. The Hollow Ones (2020)
• Malerman, Josh.  Malorie (2020)
• Moreno-Garcia, Silvia.  Mexican Gothic (2020)
• Jones, Stephen Graham. The Night of the Mannequins (2020)
• Murano, Doug and Michael Bailey eds.  Miscreations: Gods, Monsters & Other Horrors (2020)

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway #5: The Bright Lands by John Fram and The Bank by Bentley Little

First, a reminder that these giveaways will be running every week, on Thursdays, for the foreseeable future. And here is the best part, if you enter any week, you are eligible for ALL weeks.

The only rule is that you need to be affiliated with a public library in America or Canada. My rationale behind that is that I will be encouraging you to read these books and share them with patrons. While many of them are advanced reader copies that you cannot add to your collections, if you get the chance to read them, my hope is that you will consider ordering a copy for your library and give away the ARC away as a prize or pass it on to a fellow staff member.

Okay now how to enter. If you are interested in being included in any giveaway at any time, you must email me at zombiegrl75 [at] gmail [dot] com with the subject line "#HorrorForLibraries." In the body of the email all you have to say is that you want to be entered and the name of your library.

Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm will be considered.

If you win, you are ineligible to win again for 4 weeks; you will have to re-enter after that time to be considered [I have a list of who has won, when, and what title]. However, if you do not win, you carry over into the next week. There is NO NEED to reenter.

Why I am doing this? Well, one of the parts of my job that has gone away for the time being is my visits to libraries, library conferences, and library systems to provide general RA training. On all of those visits, I would  fill my suitcase with giveaway titles and they were mostly horror. It not only gave me a chance to give away books as prizes, but it also allowed me the opportunity to book talk horror even if that wasn't on the agenda.

Now that my services have transferred to 100% virtual, for the time being, I have an overflow of books in my house and less of chance to promote horror to the unsuspecting masses of library workers.

And thus my #HorrorForLibraries giveaway is born. This will be going on indefinitely, so the sooner you enter the better your chances.

Click here to see last week's giveaway. Our winner was Cassandra from Dauphin County Library Systems and Pottsville Library in PA.

But now back to this week. Today I wanted to feature a debut title that is coming out in a few weeks, a book that I just reviewed in the June issue of Library Journal here, The Bright Lands by John Fram. The action in this novel takes place in Bentley, TX, and as I note in the review, this book has clever nods in storytelling style and tone to the great Bentley Little. Well, ironically, I also recently reviewed  Little's latest book, The Bank, recently for Booklist here.

All of this means I have paper ARCs of both titles to package together for you this week! That's right 2 excellent books for 1 entry.

Good luck.

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway #4: Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova

This is the cover
of the giveaway copy

#HorrorForLibraries giveaway #4 is here!

First, a reminder that these giveaways will be running every week, on Thursdays, for the foreseeable future. And here is the best part, if you enter any week, you are eligible for ALL weeks.

The only rule is that you need to be affiliated with a public library in America or Canada. My rationale behind that is that I will be encouraging you to read these books and share them with patrons. While many of them are advanced reader copies that you cannot add to your collections, if you get the chance to read them, my hope is that you will consider ordering a copy for your library and give away the ARC away as a prize or pass it on to a fellow staff member.

Okay now how to enter. If you are interested in being included in any giveaway at any time, you must email me at zombiegrl75 [at] gmail [dot] com with the subject line "#HorrorForLibraries." In the body of the email all you have to say is that you want to be entered and the name of your library.

Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm will be considered.

If you win, you are ineligible to win again for 4 weeks; you will have to re-enter after that time to be considered [I have a list of who has won, when, and what title]. However, if you do not win, you carry over into the next week. There is NO NEED to reenter.

Why I am doing this? Well, one of the parts of my job that has gone away for the time being is my visits to libraries, library conferences, and library systems to provide general RA training. On all of those visits, I would  fill my suitcase with giveaway titles and they were mostly horror. It not only gave me a chance to give away books as prizes, but it also allowed me the opportunity to book talk horror even if that wasn't on the agenda.

Now that my services have transferred to 100% virtual, for the time being, I have an overflow of books in my house and less of chance to promote horror to the unsuspecting masses of library workers.

And thus my #HorrorForLibraries giveaway is born. This will be going on indefinitely, so the sooner you enter the better your chances.

Click here to see last week's giveaway. Our winner was Heidi from Bradford Library in Ontario, Canada.

But now back to this week. Today I have a paperback, finished copy [not ARC] of the Summer Scares 2020 YA selection Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida  Cordova courtesy of Sourcebooks.

I would like to highlight this title today to remind you of our Summer Scares programming guide, point you to our videos from the authors, including Cordova, and also highlight that Labyrinth Lost is the first book in the Brooklyn Brujas trilogy and the third and final book, Wayward Witch is ready for preorder right now! It comes out August 1, 2020.

This is key because the only reason Labyrinth Lost was NOT a Summer Scares pick last year was precisely because we knew the third book wouldn't be out until 2020, so we were willing to wait. Offering a trilogy start title to a bunch of teens when the third book is not ready yet is just mean.

While this title is technically YA, I will note that Labyrinth Lost, and actually all of the YA titles over the last 2 years of Summer Scares, are great choices for adult readers too.

If you win, this is a book you can keep for yourself or add immediately to your libraries collection. No matter what, win or not, you all need to order

Good luck.

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway #3: The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

Click here for myLJ star review

#HorrorForLibraries giveaway #3 is here!

First, a reminder that these giveaways will be running every week, on Thursdays, for the foreseeable future. And here is the best part, if you enter any week, you are eligible for ALL weeks.

The only rule is that you need to be affiliated with a public library in America or Canada. My rationale behind that is that I will be encouraging you to read these books and share them with patrons. While many of them are advanced reader copies that you cannot add to your collections, if you get the chance to read them, my hope is that you will consider ordering a copy for your library and give away the ARC away as a prize or pass it on to a fellow staff member.

Okay now how to enter. If you are interested in being included in any giveaway at any time, you must email me at zombiegrl75 [at] gmail [dot] com with the subject line "#HorrorForLibraries." In the body of the email all you have to say is that you want to be entered and the name of your library.

Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm will be considered.

If you win, you are ineligible to win again for 4 weeks; you will have to re-enter after that time to be considered [I have a list of who has won, when, and what title]. However, if you do not win, you carry over into the next week. There is NO NEED to reenter.

Why I am doing this? Well, one of the parts of my job that has gone away for the time being is my visits to libraries, library conferences, and library systems to provide general RA training. On all of those visits, I would  fill my suitcase with giveaway titles and they were mostly horror. It not only gave me a chance to give away books as prizes, but it also allowed me the opportunity to book talk horror even if that wasn't on the agenda.

Now that my services have transferred to 100% virtual, for the time being, I have an overflow of books in my house and less of chance to promote horror to the unsuspecting masses of library workers.

And thus my #HorrorForLibraries giveaway is born. This will be going on indefinitely, so the sooner you enter the better your chances.

Click here to see last week's giveaway. Our winner was CL from Kurth Memorial Library in Lukin, TX.

But now back to this week. As I mentioned here on the main blog earlier this week, the PW Summer Reads list came out and the only 100% horror title in the bunch was Stephen Graham Jones' THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS.

I read this book back in December and it blew me away. This is currently my #1 horror book of 2020, hands down. It is a moving story of friendship and revenge, gorgeously written, completely engulfing the reader in dread an unease on every page, and it is scary as hell with some pretty grisly scenes. In summary, it is just about perfect. I also think it will make for an excellent crossover for readers from the book club set who want to try horror.

Click through to read my full Library Journal star review. This one is going to be talked about all summer. Remember to follow the rules above in order to be eligible to win.

Good luck.

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway #2: Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay

Click here for mySTAR review

#HorrorForLibraries giveaway #2 is here and it is a big one!

First, a reminder that these giveaways will be running every week, on Thursdays, for the foreseeable future. And here is the best part, if you enter any week, you are eligible for ALL weeks.

The only rule is that you need to be affiliated with a public library in America or Canada. My rationale behind that is that I will be encouraging you to read these books and share them with patrons. While many of them are advanced reader copies that you cannot add to your collections, if you get the chance to read them, my hope is that you will consider ordering a copy for your library and give away the ARC away as a prize or pass it on to a fellow staff member.

Okay now how to enter. If you are interested in being included in any giveaway at any time, you must email me at zombiegrl75 [at] gmail [dot] com with the subject line "#HorrorForLibraries." In the body of the email all you have to say is that you want to be entered and the name of your library.

Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. If you win, you are ineligible to win again for 4 weeks; you will have to re-enter after that time to be considered. However, if you do not win, you carry over into the next week. There is NO NEED to reenter.

Why I am doing this? Well, one of the parts of my job that has gone away for the time being is my visits to libraries, library conferences, and library systems to provide general RA training. On all of those visits, I would  fill my suitcase with giveaway titles and they were mostly horror. It not only gave me a chance to give away books as prizes, but it also allowed me the opportunity to book talk horror even if that wasn't on the agenda.

Now that my services have transferred to 100% virtual, for the time being, I have an overflow of books in my house and less of chance to promote horror to the unsuspecting masses of library workers.

And thus my #HorrorForLibraries giveaway is born. This will be going on indefinitely, so the sooner you enter the better your chances.

Click here to see last week's giveaway. Our winner was Rebecca from Racine [WI] Public Library.

But now back to this week. One of the hottest horror titles of the year is Paul Tremblay's Survivor Song both because of his popularity and because it is so timely. My review of this upcoming title appeared in the latest issue of Booklist [May 2020], so I thought now was a good time to remind you of that STAR review and pass on my ARC.

Click through to read the review and my extra readalikes and talking points. This one is going to be talked about all summer. Remember to follow the rules above in order to be eligible to win.

Good luck.

Summer Scares 2020 Begins Online

Welcome to the 2020 edition of Summer Scares, our second annual outing, and although this year is a bit different, I dare say, the program is better than ever.

From the Summer Scares FAQ and Resource Page:

The goal of the Summer Scares program is to introduce horror titles to school and public library workers in order to help them start conversations with readers that will extend beyond the books from each list and promote reading for years to come. Along with the annual list of recommended titles for readers of all ages, the Summer Scares committee will also release themed lists of even more “read-alike” titles for libraries to use when suggesting books to readers this summer and all year long. And, in order to help libraries forge stronger connections between books and readers, the Summer Scares committee will be working with both the recommended list authors and horror authors from all over the country, to provide free programming to libraries. From author visits (both in person and virtual) to book discussions to horror themed events, Summer Scares is focused on connecting horror creators with libraries and readers all year long.

Originally, the kick off for Summer Scares was scheduled for May 7, 2020 with HWA Librarians' Day, an all day event at the Naperville Public Library. While that event was rescheduled for November 12th, Summer Scares forges on.

Last year all we had was that online resource page. [Click here for the Summer Scares archive from 2019, which by the way you can still use for more reading options]. We still have an excellent resource page filled with links, interviews between our spokesperson, Stephen Graham Jones and the selected authors, and more suggested reading links. Click here to view it.

However, after speaking with libraries who ran with Summer Scares last year, we quickly realized that if we wanted to get more libraries involved, we needed to provide more assistance. Since the Summer Scares Team is 100% volunteer, we needed to look outside of ourselves, and approaching one of the libraries that went all out with Summer Scares in 2019 made sense.

Today, I am happy to present to you our "spooktacular" programming guide courtesy of Konrad Stump and his team at the Springfield-Greene County [MO] Public Library. They got on the Summer Scares bandwagon early last year. They generously offered their experience and staff to help us help all of you. Click here to access the entire guide, but here are two sample pages:

Cover

Full list of titles

This guide has a page for each title focusing on that book's appeal, a list of readalikes, programming ideas, and book discussion questions. Just this amazing guide alone is enough for you to run a successful Summer Scares program at your library, but wait, there's more.....

This year we have also created a Summer Scares 2020 video playlist to provide you with more help and content for your patrons too. You can click here for the Summer Scares YouTube playlist hosted by the Horror Writers Association.

Those videos introduce the program. Konrad himself is even there to walk you through the programming guide and give you some of his expert tips on how to use Summer Scares at your library [in person or virtually]. We have videos with the 2020 Summer Scares authors [more coming soon]. We asked them to record a short video to introduce their book, give you some background behind the title, and suggest more reading options for your patrons. 

These videos can be embedded onto your websites to share with your own patrons. And, all of the Summer Scares authors have agreed to connect with your library virtually if you are interested. Please send those requests to me and I will connect you. My contact information can be found here.

Besides featuring the authors and explaining the program over on YouTube, we are also working with HWA author members who have already worked with libraries, libraries which has recommended them and their programs. These authors will be submitting videos introducing themselves to libraries, providing contact info is you are interest in hosting a virtual program with them. Our first one is already up.

Everything on the Summer Scares resource page, including the links to the YouTube videos and the programming guide are available for FREE. You can use them with your patrons, at your library, on your social media and websites, etc.... There are no restrictions.

We will be adding more content to the YouTube playlist and the Resources page in the coming weeks, so check back often. In fact, if you do something with Summer Scares that you want to share with all of us, contact me. I'd love to showcase your library.

Summer Scares is brought to you by the Horror Writers Association, United for Libraries, Library Journal/School Library Journal, and Book Riot.