#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway 124: A High Demand 2-fer

This week I have two books for 1 winner. The first, a big, upcoming release from PRH by a well known author. The second, a hotly anticipated title by a cult Horror author from a trusted small press. Details below, but first, here is how you 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 #123. Our winner was Alfredo from Castro Library (CA) Library. Now on to today's giveaway.

I am sending 1 winner 2 books this week. Why? Because they are both EXCELLENT and the first is most likely one that you already have on order, while the other is one you may not know about without my intervention.

First, that blockbuster title. The Puzzle Master, the new novel by New York  Times Bestseller Danielle Trussoni. From Goodreads: 

Reality and the supernatural collide when an expert puzzle maker is thrust into an ancient mystery—one with explosive consequences for the fate of humanity—in this suspenseful thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Angelology

All the world is a puzzle, and Mike Brink—a celebrated and ingenious puzzle constructor—understands its patterns like no one else. Once a promising Midwestern football star, Brink was transformed by a traumatic brain injury that caused a rare medical condition: acquired savant syndrome. The injury left him with a mental superpower—he can solve puzzles in ways ordinary people can't. But it also left him deeply isolated, unable to fully connect with other people.

Everything changes after Brink meets Jess Price, a woman serving thirty years in prison for murder who hasn't spoken a word since her arrest five years before. When Price draws a perplexing puzzle, her psychiatrist believes it will explain her crime and calls Brink to solve it. What begins as a desire to crack an alluring cipher quickly morphs into an obsession with Price herself. She soon reveals that there is something more urgent, and more dangerous, behind her silence, thrusting Brink into a hunt for the truth.

The quest takes Brink through a series of interlocking enigmas, but the heart of the mystery is the God Puzzle, a cryptic ancient prayer circle created by the thirteenth-century Jewish mystic Abraham Abulafia. As Brink navigates a maze of clues, and his emotional entanglement with Price becomes more intense, he realizes that there are powerful forces at work that he cannot escape.

Ranging from an upstate New York women's prison to nineteenth-century Prague to the secret rooms of the Pierpont Morgan Library, The Puzzle Master is a tantalizing, addictive thriller in which humankind, technology, and the future of the universe itself are at stake.

This is a SF-Thriler-Horror hybrid title that will appeal to all of you Blake Crouch readers. It is not to miss. 

This title alone would make this a great week to win, but wait....there's more!

Danger Slater is a name we'll known to Bizarro fans and his latest entitled House of Rot, is with frequent contributor to the #HorrorForLibraries giveaway, Tenebrous Press and it is Fungus Horror! From Goodreads:

The pink mold growing on the walls isn’t the worst thing about Elenya and Myles’ brand new fixer upper. There’s also the inexplicable footsteps in the night; the sealed-over windows and doors; the neighbor that hears their screams but can’t be bothered to help. Soon, there’s no leaving at all. No hope of cleaning. And that encroaching mold? It’s practically become a second skin. Welcome to the House of Rot . You’re never getting out.

This one is great. I  hope everyone figures out a way to order it for their libraries, but one of you is going to get a free ARC as well. 

Enter today. And remember, enter once and you are entered going forward. And if you have won before, as long as you wait a month, you can enter again. There are currently over 80 people in the running.  

And next week, I have the upcoming Paul Tremblay collection, so get your name in the running now.

Good luck!

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway 123: A Finished Copy of Jackal, Jackal

This week I have a finished copy of a collection that I have a glowing review to in Booklist, courtesy of an award winning small press. Details below, but first, here is how you 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 #122. Our winner was Debbie from Helen Plum [IL] Library. Now on to today's giveaway.

On the May 1, issue of Booklist, I had this review:

Jackal, Jackal: Tales of the Dark Fantastic

by Tobi Ogundiran July 2023. 317p. 

Undertow, paper, $18.99 (9781988964430). 

First published May 1, 2023 (Booklist). 

With award nominations piling up for stories scattered across the speculative fiction publishing landscape, Ogundrian thankfully has gathered 18 of his compelling tales of dark magic in one place. Clearly framed by the author’s Nigerian roots, but with a conscious nod to dark speculative tales from all over the world, the stories in this volume will captivate readers with their haunting atmosphere, confident voice, and immersive settings. The two original stories in this collection are a great example. “Jackal. Jackal,” expertly combines the animal masks as a form of haunting trope with a cautionary tale of what happens when you try to erase the past, injecting it all with new terror in just a few short pages, while “Midnight in Moscow,” riffs off of the well-known Slavic character of Baba Yaga to showcase the enduring power of folklore across cultures. A great introduction to an up-and-coming author, this book will appeal to readers of dark speculative fiction by marginalized voices who actively engage with the white western canon such as Stephen Graham Jones, Marlon James, and Cassandra Khaw.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Haunting, Immersive, Compelling

I have a lot more to say about the HUGE appeal of this excellent collection over on the general blog, including readlaikes for specific stories and more authors who you should check out.

This is a finished copy which Undertow sent to me after the book published. I gave my ARC away to a local library and am offering this book in hopes that you add it to your library immediately. But back to Undertow Publications, they have been awarded the 2022 Bram Stoker Award for Speciality Press. Click here for that announcement. Also they have a book up for a Bram Stoker Award as well, Breakable Things, which I gave a STAR review in the October 2022 issue of Library Journal.

This is a press and a book you want to keep on your radar for dark fiction collection development. As I said in that longer post when the review went live:

It is a great collection from a trusted small press. Totally worth an add, especially because he has that epic fantasy series coming. Get this on the shelf before Ogundiran's popularity explodes.

Enter now and you are entered going forward. Next week, I have a 2-fer: a cult Horror fav paired with an upcoming book by a mainstream author who is also the NYT Books Horror columnist. And then we are into June and the giveaway EXPLODES into the biggest titles of Summer and Fall coming at you all Summer long. In other words, get in on the giveaway sooner rather than later.

Good Luck!

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway 122: A Signed Copy of The Complex by Brian Keene

This week I have a signed copy of a book that I proclaim in my book as a "start with" title for one of the genres top authors. Details below, but first, here is how you 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 #121. Our winner was Christopher from Buncombe County [NC] Library. Now on to today's giveaway.

In Chapter 2 of my book, I give an overview of the genre right now. In it, I name Brian Keene as one of my "Old Guard." I write about his work as a protector of the genre and a mentor to many of its best new voices. But then I get to his writing as I say:

However, while his importance as a mentor is unparalleled, he is also a fantastic writer. The undisputed king of mainstream pulp horror, Keene is a master at describing the dismemberment of bodies. He writes blue-collar horror featuring the people he encounters in his own life, from all political spectrums, and as a result. all of his characters are fully realized, heroes and villains. He also does not shy away from writing from the point of view of women or marginalized voices. Readers new to Keene can try The Rising, but the autobiographical and more recent, The Complex is the best place to begin.

The Complex is the best book to showcase how Brian Keene writes today. It perfectly captures why readers love him.

Last week, Brian came Bucket O'Blood in Chicago for an event and I was there. I bought a copy of The Complex with the intent to have him  sign it and give it away to one of you. 

So this week, a signed, finished copy of The Complex is going to one of you to add to your library collections. But to all of you, I want to remind you to add Brian Keene titles to your circulating collections. Since he mostly publishes with small presses, you have to order from a book store. Here is the Bookshop.org link to Keene's catalog to make it easier for you.

Make sure you have The Rising (credited as part of a trifecta that marked the beginning the 21st Century zombie craze- info in the link), Earthworm Gods (one of the first cli-fi horror novels of this era and an OG Summer Scares title), Ghoul (an emotional coming-of-age horror story), and of course, The Complex (being given away today), at a bare minimum. I promise you, they will be very popular.

Enter now and you are entered going forward. And forward includes books by Isabel Cañas, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Clay McLeod Chapman, Paul Tremblay, lots of Nightfire authors, and more. 

Good luck!

Photographic proof that Brian signed
the book just for my winner.

#HorrorForLibaries Giveaway 121: Whalefall by Daniel Kraus

This week I have a title that I can already tell you is one of the best Horror books of the year. I gave it a STAR in Booklist's May 1, 2023 issue. Details below, but first, here is how you 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 #119. Our winner was Meghan from Sargent Memorial [MA] Library. Now on to today's giveaway.

Back to today's giveaway then. Whalefall by this year's Summer Scares Spokesperson, Daniel Kraus, is everything you expect it to be and also, so much more. It is an adventure thriller done to perfection. But it is also an emotional story about family relationships and grappling with death; it is a tale filled with  while wonder, awe, an deep sadness; it is disgusting and exciting and beautiful. I wrote about it in more on the main blog a few days ago here, but below is the draft review for the sake of this post:

STAR
Whalefall 
by Daniel Kraus 
Aug. 2023. 336p. MTV, $27.99 (9781665918169); e-book (9781665918183). First published May 1, 2023 (Booklist). 

Prolific, bestseller Kraus presents a moving character study disguised as a riveting, cinematic, survival thriller. Jay is a high school senior dealing not only with the loss of his local hero and diving legend father, Mitt, but also his unresolved anger with their complicated relationship. In an attempt to bring some peace to his mother and sisters, Jay attempts a dangerous solo dive that is cut short when he is swallowed by a whale. Told from Jay’s point of view in short, alternating chapters set in the present, denoted by how much air is left in his tank, and the past, mostly between 2015 and 2021, readers fall into the story immediately. The pacing is relentless, the awe, astounding, and the tension, palpably constricting, even as Kraus takes time to add the necessary details both scientific and visceral. However, it is Jay’s constant growth throughout the story where this novel shines, allowing its beauty to emerge, and leave its mark on all who encounter it. An easy sell to fans of Ocean Horror like Pressure by Keene or harrowing survival stories like 127 Hours by Ralston, but also those who love the wonder, disgust, and heartfelt emotions found in Eric LaRocca’s work. 

YA Statement: Written by an author with many YA fans, featuring a 17 year old protagonist and mixing high-action, high stakes adventure with an honest look at a complicated parent-child relationship, WHALEFALL will attract a wide range of teen readers.

Again, click here for a lot more from me on this book including more readalikes, appeal commentary, and my 3 words.

Thank you to MTV Books for the ARC. Remember, enter once and you are entered going forward. And you should enter if you want this book because I will have another giveaway after StokerCon since we will also have copies to giveaway there as well. 

Get on this title now and make sure you have a few copies preordered to have on hand 8/8. It is going to be popular.