#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway: Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil

Today I have an ARC of an upcoming book that I gave a STAR to in the April issue of Library Journal, a book that also appeared on the PW Summer Reads list as a Staff Pick. More below, first here are the rules for the giveaway:

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 the previous giveaway. Our two winners were: Kirsten from Hardwood Creek [MN] Library (someone who has been waiting since 2020 to win) and Joseph from Spartanburg County [SC] Public Library Now on to today's giveaway.

Over on the general blog, I have the June 2024 Horror Review Column from Library Journal, but today, I have a book that was in the April issue, And as I said above, not only did I give it a STAR but PW made is a Summer Reads Staff Pick.

Craft: Stories I Wrote For the Devil by Ananda Lima is out June 18, 2024 from Tor. From my draft review:

Lima’s debut is exactly what the title tells the reader it is going to be, a novel in stories, which “the writer” creates for the Devil throughout her life after sleeping with him at a party in her 20s. The “stories” are interrupted by unnamed chapters, told by a 3rd person narrator, who draw readers into the writer’s “real” life outside of her fiction, enhancing their connection to the writer's work as well as her struggles as a Brazilian immigrant, distant daughter, and eventual wife. The speculative stories themselves range from weird and chilling like “Antropófaga” where the main character eats “tiny Americans” from a work vending machine to emotionally devastating like “Ghost Story” where on a visit back to family in Brazil, the protagonist finds that the ghost of her older self is haunting her mother. However, it is the writer and her interactions with the Devil (rendered with both sympathy and healthy fear) throughout her life which adds a surreal hue uniting the entire volume into one of the most original and unforgettable reads of the year. 

Verdict: A captivating, alluring, and at times, illicit book that is conscious of the craft of the storytelling process without sacrificing an extraordinary reading experience similar to Fever Dream by Samanta Schwebilin, Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward and Coyote Songs by Gabino Iglesias.

This book provides a VERY COOL reading experience, one that stays with you and echoes, knocking around in your brain days after finishing it. I actually went back and re-read a bit because I wanted to, even though I was under deadline to finish other books. I literally felt like I had to go back. 

Three Words That Describe This Book: alluring, stories within stories, unforgettable

4th word: stylistically complex 

Thanks to Tor for the ARC that I am giving away to one of you.

Enter now and you are entered going forward (and next week I have this book!)

Good Luck!

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway: Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay x2 Winners

Today I have a giveaway of one of the hottest books of this summer, a title I gave a STAR to in Booklist. And thanks to the publisher, I have 2 copies to giveaway to 2 winners. More below, first here are the rules for the giveaway:

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 the previous giveaway. Our three winners were: Lizzy from Staunton [VA] Public Library, Lauren from Northvale [NJ] Public Library, and Taylor from Brooklyn [NY] Public Library. Now on to today's giveaway.

Paul Tremblay is a NYT bestselling author of Psychological Horror. I love his work, which means when I have to review something new by Tremblay I am extra critical. So, when you see that I gave Horror Movie a STAR you should know it is up to the excellent standard he has set. It also made the Library Reads June 2024 Hall of Fame list yesterday! Clearly I am not the only one who loves this book.

Here is my draft review and 3 words for this book.

STAR
Horror Movie
by Paul Tremblay
June 2024. 288p. Morrow, $30 (9780063070011).
First published April 15, 2024 (Booklist).

Tremblay returns with a terrifying novel about the creation of art and its effect on all it touches. Told with a strong Gen X perspective and dark humor, readers are led by, “The Thin Kid,” identified solely by his character’s name in the 1993 cult film Horror Movie, a film marked by tragedy (he is the only surviving team member). Although never released in full, the film has risen to cult status and is being rebooted 30 years later. Moving effortlessly between “Then” and “Now,” “The Thin Kid” speaks directly to readers, placing them under his spell, despite repeated warning signs not to trust him, explaining the details of the original film, its current reboot, and including sections of the original screenplay. The result, a suspenseful story that is indelibly marked by its relentless unease and disturbing revelations, about the characters, yes, but also, the readers themselves. An immersive reading experience that will forever alter the way those who encounter it watch any Horror movie, ever again. For fans of the cursed film trope like in The Remaking by Chapman or How To Make a Horror Movie and Survive by DiLouie, but it pairs even better with the menacing, intricately plotted, and unputdownable storytelling of Catriona Ward.

Three Words That Describe This Book: cursed film, disturbing, immersive

You can read more of what I have to say about the appeal of this book here. 

William Morrow sent me 2 ARCs so I am passing them on to 2 winners this week. Enter now and you are entered going forward. 

Also, a scheduling note: I will be out of town preparing for my oldest child's college graduation next week, so there will be no giveaway. But I will be back on May 30th with another book that I gave a STAR to [this one in LJ], a title that also made the PW Summer Reads list.

Good luck!

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway: 3 Books for 3 Winners Representing a Wide Swath of the Genre's Appeal

Today I have a giveaway of three titles for three winners. 2 finished copies and 1 ARC. I will be picking the winners in the order the books are listed below, but the excitement here is that these books are all so different. Yes, they are all Horror, but they are of a wide range of readers. More below, first here are the rules for the giveaway:

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 the previous giveaway. Our winner was Jennifer from Forsyth County [NC] Public Library. Now on to today's giveaways.

As I mentioned above, I have 3 books to giveaway. I am going to start with the ARC, a YA title out July 2 from CamCat Books-- A Misfortune of Lake Monsters by Nicole M. Wolverton.  First, from the publisher description:

When legends bite back... 

 Lemon Ziegler wants to escape rural Devil’s Elbow, Pennsylvania to attend college―but that’s impossible now that she’s expected to impersonate the town’s lake monster for the rest of her life. Her family has been secretly keeping the tradition of Old Lucy, the famed (and very fake) monster of Lake Lokakoma, alive for generations, all to keep the tourists coming. Without Lemon, the town dies, and she can’t disappoint her grandparents . . . or tell her best friends about any of it. That includes Troy Ramirez, who has been covertly in love with Lemon for years, afraid to ruin their friendship by confessing his feelings.

When a very real, and very hungry monster is discovered in the lake, secrets must fall by the wayside. Determined to stop the monster, Lemon and her best friends are the only thing standing between Devil’s Elbow and the monster out for blood.

This is a great genre-blend, dark fantasy, horror, local monsters, and mystery, and like the very best YA, it has a great cast of characters that readers will come to adore.

I do not review YA but I love to support the authors who are putting out great YA titles here on the giveaway. Our teen Horror readers are already reading adult authors. You need to make sure you also have titles that are specifically meant for them as well though. Our age level options from MG to YA to Adult help us build readers over their entire lives. When we have excellent options, in a genre they love, at the correct age level, we build lifelong readers.

Okay, now on to the finished copies. Next winner gets Mouth by Joshua Hull a novella that has gotten a lot of buzz.  From the publisher's description:

Screenwriter Joshua Hull (Glorious) makes his longform prose debut!

After a stranger leaves him a secluded property, drifter Rusty finds himself the caretaker of a massive, tooth-filled mouth in the ground…and it’s hungry.

His situation is complicated by Abigail, a wannabe filmmaker who stumbles on the secret. Together, the odd pair set out to discover the origins of Mouth and the hidden history of its former owner, setting in motion an outlandish scheme that could endanger them all.

Hull is an author on the rise and this title is a scary read with an awesome cover. You can add this one to your collection immediately, place it face out, and then sit back and watch it go out very quickly. Thanks to Tenebrous Press for the copy to giveaway.

And finally, our third winner will get The Redemption of Morgan Bright by Chris Panatier, again a finished copy, this time from the author himself. From the publisher's description:

What would guilt make you do?

Hadleigh Keene died on the road leading away from Hollyhock Asylum. The reasons are unknown. Her sister Morgan blames herself. A year later with the case still unsolved, Morgan creates a false identity, that of a troubled housewife named Charlotte Turner, and goes inside.

Morgan quickly discovers that Hollyhock is… not right. She is shaken by the hospital’s peculiar routines and is soon beset by strange episodes. All the while, the persona of Charlotte takes on a life of its own, becoming stronger with each passing day. As her identity begins unraveling, Morgan finds herself tracing Hadleigh’s footsteps and peering into the places they lead. 

This is a great "starter" title for someone who wants to give Horror a try but does not want to be terrified. It is compelling with great characters and plenty of chills. It would also make for a great book discussion title for any library book group. I read the author's previous novel, The Phlebotomist back in 2021 and also loved it. This one is brand new and getting a lot of buzz as well. You can add this finished copy to your collection right now.

So there you have it. 3 very different books, all great for public library audiences, and to 3 winners. Enter today and you are entered going forward.

But remember, not all of you will win, so please consider adding these or any of my giveaways to your collections. The point of these weekly giveaways is two-fold. First, it is very literally for me to off-load my large number of ARCs and get them into the hands of library workers to read, promote, and even giveaway themselves. But second, it is to make sure you know about as many great books as possible. I don't include a book here that I don't think you should add for your readers.

The #HorrorForLibraries giveaway is moving in hyperdrive with some of the biggest books of summer coming soon. For example, next week I am back with 2 ARCs of Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay for 2 winners, so enter now to be entered for all giveaways going forward.

Good luck.

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway: Invaginies by Joe Koch

Today I have a giveaway of an ARC of a book I reviewed in Booklist last month. It is from one of my favorite small presses as well. More below, first here are the rules for the giveaway:

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 the previous giveaway. Our 2 winners were Justin from R.H. Stafford Library [MN] and Andrea demo Atlantic County [NJ] Library System. Now on to today's giveaway.

Christoph from Clash Books sent me an ARC of Invaginies by Joe Koch many months in advance of its May 21st release and I was very excited to get it scheduled for coverage in Booklist. Clash puts out a great product of excellent books with wide and easy distribution for libraries. When Christoph sends me a specific book without me asking for it, I know he understands it is perfect for library audiences. I also appreciate that as a small press, he has titles available 4 months or more in advance, which is what I need to get titles covered in the library review journals. 

You can see my full discussion of this collection here. But below is the draft review to give you a small taste of this grotesquely beautiful, thought provoking, and lyrical volume:

 Shirley Jackson Award nominee, Koch, presents a collection of 18 stories that are Weird, lyrical, and grotesquely beautiful. Featuring all of the creepy things readers would want in a Horror collection (e.g. rats, clowns, body horror), but showcased in ways readers would never expect, this is a volume that leaves both its characters and readers transformed. To describe the plot of any single story does Koch a disservice because each tale is more of a character sketch, a prose poem, or a moment in time, but as the reader moves through, they are stitched together into a book that feels like it could all be one cohesive story, and yet, clearly it is not. A thought-provoking collection that readers will experience physically, making it a great suggestion for those who like to mix their their literary fiction with visceral, lush prose, recounting stories that captivate and discomfort in equal measure, such as in Tinfoil Butterfly by Rachel Eve Moulton and The Seventh Mansion by Maryse Meijer.

Thank you to Clash Books for the copy to giveaway.

Enter now and you are entered going forward. I have a backlog of copies of some of the most hotly anticipated titles of the summer and some great small press titles as well. They are stacking up so join the giveaway fun.

Good luck!