#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway 125: The Beast You Are by Paul Tremblay With Star Review Access

This week I have a copy of one of the most anticipated Horror titles of the summer, a book that is getting many STAR reviews [not just from me]. 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 #124. Our winner was Keri from Somerville [MA] Public Library. Now on to today's giveaway.

Yesterday on the regular blog, I posted links to my June 2023 Library Journal Horror Review Column. I will have many of those titles to give away in the coming weeks, but today I want to start with one of my STAR reviews, The Beast You Are: Stories by Paul Tremblay. Here is my Goodreads posted review.

Star review in the June 2023 issue of Library Journal. 

Interview with Tremblay also included in that issue. [Link coming soon]

 Three Words That's Describe This Book: menacing. strong narrative voice, pervasively creepy 

 Draft Review: Tremblay returns with his second Horror collection, this time gathering 15 tales, some from award winning anthologies, others gems previously only available in smaller outlets, all of which will be enjoyed by long time fans and new readers alike. Showcasing his award winning brand of Psychological Horror, which, while never eschewing violence, derives its emotional terror from the characters, as he reveals a terrible truth and then makes readers watch as the characters must confront both the horror itself and their reactions to it. Every story, no matter the specific details, will break the reader's heart but ultimately leave them with hope. The new, titular novella which anchors this volume is a great example. Subtly nestled into his A Head Full of Ghosts universe, Tremblay presents an unsettling, anthropomorphic animal story, told in free verse, a captivating, visceral, and menacing tale that while fantastical is also clearly about humanity right at this moment. Readers will be unable to look away, even as they see themselves in the horror. 

 Verdict: Yet another not to miss release by the popular and critically acclaimed Tremblay, showcasing a discomfort that is reminiscent of Shirley Jackson, but also leading a new generation of authors who proudly work within Horror’s tropes while constantly striving to do something new and thought provoking with the genre such as Stephen Graham Jones, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Grady Hendrix, and Victor LaValle.

I am VERY tough on authors I know are excellent and this collection had to cross a high bar to get this STAR. It opens with one of my favorite Tremblay stories, the story that opened Ellen Datlow's amazing Echoes: The Saga Anthology of Ghost Stories, which I also gave a star too. There are also new to me stories in this collection, such as "Mean Time," which I am still thinking about. But it is the eponymous novella, original to the collection, which blew me away. Just read it. 

This collection has an excellent "Story Notes" section which are great for new fans of Tremblay but equally a treat for those of us who loves the connections between the stories in his universe. 

Remember, enter once and you are entered going forward, and going forward I have more titles from the column plus the ARCs I will be getting at StokerCon in 2 weeks. 

Good luck to all.