#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway 80: Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnum

Today I have a FINISHED copy of one of the best books I have read this year, a novella. Details, including  my Library Journal STAR review below, but first, how to enter: 

1. You need to be affiliated with an American public library. 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.
2. 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.
3. Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. Meaning you enter once, and you are entered until you win. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm each week will be considered for that week. I use Random.org and have a member of my family witness the "draw"based off your number in the Google Sheet.
4. 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.

Click here to see giveaway #79. Our winner was Sharon from Williamson County [KY] Public Library.  Now on to today's giveaway.

I was told about Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnum by his publisher, Undertow Publications, a publisher on my vetted list of independent publishers, one whose books I have greatly enjoyed. I like having at least 1 novella in my Library Journal columns so I marked it for inclusion. 

I started reading it with no preconceived notions and I am not exaggerating when I say, I was completely blown away. This books is, as I say in my three words that describe this book: grotesquely beautiful, immersive, deeply unsettling.

You can read my draft review below or click here and get a few more notes from my Goodreads as well. 

In this grotesquely beautiful, deeply unsettling, and utterly beguiling Kafkaesque novella, Ruthnum introduces readers to Louise, a nurse in 1900 New York City, caring for her husband, Edward, a doctor, dying painfully, his body literally dissolving piece by piece, as they prepare to relocate to Edward’s family’s orchard in Buffalo, where he wants to die peacefully. Edward’s numerous dalliances lead many to believe he has syphilis, but early on, it is made clear his suffering comes from something bigger than a bacterium. What exactly it is however, is for Lousie, Edward, and the reader to discover. Told with multiple narrators, including Lousie and Edward, this magnificent novella, draws readers in immediately and then holds their emotions hostage for the duration, without argument, as they watch the story transform* from a tangible tale of illness and death into one of otherworldly beauty, with just the right amount of darkness hiding in the wings. A reading experience that will linger long after the final page is turned. 

Verdict: This uncanny and disquieting story, with a perfect title,“Helpmeet,” a historical term for “a helpful companion,” a definition that Ruthnum satisfyingly twists in an unexpected way, is reminiscent of the complex feelings induced by Jones’ Mapping the Interior, any Oyoyemi tale, or We Can Never Leave This Place by LaRocca.

I read an early ARC but what I have for you today, courtesy of the publisher, is a finished copy! Enter to win it and add this copy to your library collections immediately. Read it for yourself. This is best of the year quality. Trust me.

Enter today and you are entered going forward.

Good luck!

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway 79: Just Like Mother

Today I have a copy of one of Tor NightFire's upcoming Horror novels; a title I reviewed in the April 2022 issue of Library Journal. Details, including  my Library Journal review below, but first, how to enter: 

1. You need to be affiliated with an American public library. 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.
2. 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.
3. Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. Meaning you enter once, and you are entered until you win. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm each week will be considered for that week. I use Random.org and have a member of my family witness the "draw"based off your number in the Google Sheet.
4. 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.

Click here to see giveaway #78. Our  winner was Sarah from the Staunton Public Library [VA].  Now on to today's giveaway.

I reviewed Just Like a Mother by Anne Heltzel in the April 2022 issue of Library Journal.  This is a title that will have wide appeal from readers who like Horror to Psychological Suspense and of course, fans of cult stories [of which there are many]. From my Goodreads account about this book:

Three Words That Describe This Book: intense, disturbing cults.

DRAFT REVIEW: 
Sucking the reader in immediately, Heltzel introduces Maeve and her cousin Andrea as children, living in nontraditional, probably abusive, conditions. Now an adult, having been rescued from a matriarchal cult, Maeve is a successful book editor, but except for a casual boyfriend and work friends, she is completely alone. With no family and a murky past, Maeve misses her cousin, deeply, that is until a DNA test reunites them. Andrea, now a wealthy CEO of a female wellness empire, rushes back into Maeve’s life, offering her love, family, and even wealth, but it may all be too good to be true. Maeve’s strong first person narration, including scenes from her past as they flood back to her, keeps the story moving, allowing the reader to both understand and root for Maeve as her world begins to dangerously unravel. Readers will think they have the twists figured out, even as Maeve is clearly a few steps behind, but this hubris would be a grave mistake. Flooded with visceral dread from the first scene and never letting up, this is a tale that will disturb readers to their core, leaving them looking over their shoulders, trusting no one, for weeks after completion.

Verdict: An excellent suggestion for fans of Cult stories, but also, with a menace that leaps off the page and grabs hold of the reader, Just Like A Mother is also a great choice for fans of intense Horror-Thriller hybrids such as those by Sarah Pinborough.

NOTES: 

This book sucks you in and even though you think you know what is happening, you don't, you underestimate it. 

Very strong first person narration by Maeve with the scenes from the past sprinkled throughout-- with the proper amount of restraint.

There is a lot of detail and repetitive actions but all of it is there to build the tension and it keeps you turning the pages. 

I have read very few books that are more disturbing than this one.

Add this title, coming May 17th, to your collections. 

Thanks to Tor Nightfire for the ARC. Good luck!

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway 78: Screams from the Dark

Today I have a copy of the latest anthology of all new stories, edited by Ellen Datlow courtesy of Tor NightFire. Details including  my Library Journal review below, but first, how to enter: 

1. You need to be affiliated with an American public library. 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.
2. 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.
3. Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. Meaning you enter once, and you are entered until you win. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm each week will be considered for that week. I use Random.org and have a member of my family witness the "draw"based off your number in the Google Sheet.
4. 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.

Click here to see giveaway #77. Our 2 winner was Kelly from the Orange County [CA] Library System.  Now on to today's giveaway.

Today I have an early, bound manuscript of an upcoming, Ellen Datlow edited, anthology. Here is my draft review: 

Datlow, Ellen, ed. Screams From the Dark: 29 Tales of Monsters

and the Monstrous 

Much like she did in the award winning anthology Echoes for the ghost story, Datlow turns her focus to monsters, this time collecting original stories from 29 authors, like bestsellers Stephen Graham Jones and  Joyce Carol Oates as well as emerging voices like Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ and Priya Sharma. The result, a book that lays down the gauntlet, redefining this classic and much beloved subgenre for a 21st Century audience  with stories that actively explore the monsters that surround us, both supernatural and human. With so many talented authors represented, there is also a satisfyingly wide arc of writing styles, settings, type of  monster, and range of fear induced from psychological dread to visceral terror to darkly humorous, with all stops in between. Two stories that stood out are Kaaron Warren’s "The Smell of Waiting,” a compelling and creepy tale of a young girl with a gift (or is it a curse?) and John Langan’s mesmerizing, "Bloedzuiger,” another one of his “fishing stories,” a tale that is both innocuously mundane and terrifyingly disturbing– all at once.

Verdict: This epic volume, with its impressive table of contents, will satisfy the hordes of readers looking for new takes on the monster trope and pairs nicely with the Bram Stoker nominated Miscreations: Gods, Monstrosities, & Other Horrors. Edited by Murano and Bailey. 

Three words that describe this book: range of scares, original stories, well known authors

Get your hands on this copy by entering today. Thanks to Tor Nightfire for the review copy. Now it is being assess for someone else to enjoy. 

Good luck!

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway #77: The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

After a 2 week hiatus, the giveaway is back. Today I have a copy of a book I just reviewed for Library Journal, featuring an author I interviewed as part of Penguin Random House's free Spring Festival of Books. Details below, but first, how to enter: 

1. You need to be affiliated with an American public library. 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.
2. 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.
3. Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. Meaning you enter once, and you are entered until you win. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm each week will be considered for that week. I use Random.org and have a member of my family witness the "draw"based off your number in the Google Sheet.
4. 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.

Click here to see giveaway #76. Our 2 winner was Kate from Hennepin County [MN] Library Now on to today's giveaway.

I read The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas for Library Journal's April Issue. And today, I am a part of a Free Virtual Event sponsored by PRH and LJ promoting the publishers Spring Titles. You can still register to watch the recordings here, but these are the details on my panel [which was pre-recored anyway]:

The Horror!

With supernatural torments and ghostly encounters, these terrifying page-turners are not for the faint of heart.

 

Isabel Cañas, The Hacienda (Berkley)
Clay McLeod Chapman, Ghost Eaters: A Novel (Quirk Books)
Ramona Emerson, Shutter (Soho Crime)
Alma Katsu, The Fervor (Putnam) 
Josh Malerman, Daphne: A Novel (Del Rey)
Moderator: Becky Spratford, Readers' Advisory Specialist

Watch all of us chat. It was fun. Again, you can get access to the recording here.

You can read my draft review with bonus appeal comments of The Hacienda at this link, but to get you intrigued, here are my three words that describe this book: claustrophobic, immersive sense of place, pure terror.

You will want to order this debut Horror novel for your patrons, but in the meantime, why not enter for your chances to win an ARC.

Good luck!