#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway: Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird

 Today I have an ARC for a book that came out back in June but it is one that has made a handful of best lists, is by an author whose novel you probably own, and is a title you may have missed. 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 the previous giveaway. Our winner was Mary from Jervis [NY] Public Library. Now on to today's giveaway.

The Argentinian author, Agustina Bazterrica is well known here in America for her novel Tender is the Flesh which I shared my thoughts about when I first read it here.

Back in June, her story collection, Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird, which features many of her award winning stories, was released in English. From Goodreads:

A collection of nineteen dark, wildly imaginative short stories from the author of the award-winning TikTok sensation Tender Is the Flesh.

From celebrated author Agustina Bazterrica, this collection of nineteen brutal, darkly funny short stories takes into our deepest fears and through our most disturbing fantasies. Through stories about violence, alienation, and dystopia, Bazterrica’s vision of the human experience emerges in complex, unexpected ways—often unsettling, sometimes thrilling, and always profound. In “Roberto,” a girl claims to have a rabbit between her legs. A woman’s neighbor jumps to his death in “A Light, Swift, and Monstrous Sound,” and in “Candy Pink,” a woman fails to contend with a difficult breakup in five easy steps.

Written in Bazterrica’s signature clever, vivid style, these stories question love, friendship, family relationships, and unspeakable desires.

I received this ARC from the publisher last spring. Since the collection is showing up on year end lists, I wanted to remind everyone about it with a giveaway now. So, enter to win this copy, yes. Read it for yourself and then give it away as a prize. But also, everyone, go check and see if you added this to your collections when it came out, and if not, place your orders now.

Back next week with the last giveaway of 2023. 

Good luck!

31 Days of Horror: Day 3-- What I'm Reading [Booklist October 2022 Issue]

The October 1, 2022 issue of Booklist has 2 of my reviews. Both are by newer voices and both should be on your radar for a wide audience. The first one, is a unique translation by and author who will be a part of my "Why I Love Horror" series this month and the second is the first book in a series that will be wildly popular with library patrons and it is part of a brand new imprint by Sadie Hartmann who will also be featured here in the coming days.

A Study in Ugliness & Outras Histórias
By H. Pueyo

Oct. 2022. 250p. Lethe, paper, $18 (9781590216019). 

First published October 1, 2022 (Booklist). 

After a few appearances in critically acclaimed anthologies and magazines, Pueyo is ready for her close-up with this debut collection of 10 stories presented side-by-side in both Portuguese and English. The visual layout is both authentic and striking, adding an extra layer of unease to these already deeply unsettling stories because as readers turn the page, their eyes will automatically look at the next page, but will be unable to read it. The subsequent pause and readjustment, forces the reader to slow down and fully experience these thought-provoking, disorienting, and open-ended tales that are more about how they make you feel than what happens in them. A standout example of Pueyo’s style can be seen in “An Open Coffin.” Amélia is hired by her former army officer as caretaker for a long dead and preserved body that receives daily visitors. But what do those visitors want from the body and what does the body need from them? This captivating new voice is a great choice for those who enjoy the weird and atmospheric stories by Carmen Maria Machado, Samanta Schweblin, and Karen Russell.

Further Readalikes: These are excellent stories by someone who you all NEED to know about. I will do my part helping that to happen by featuring Pueyo later this month here on the blog. But when I said she has been featured in top anthologies already, I am not exaggerating. One of those anthologies, Professor Charlatan Bardot's Travel Anthology to the Most (Fictional) Haunted Buildings in the Weird Wild World edited by Eric Guignard [my review] was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award and just a few days ago, it was nominated for the Shirley Jackson Award as well.

I cannot emphasize enough how very cool it was to present these stories in English and Portuguese. Pueyo not only handled her own translations [and has interesting comments about that process in the book as well], but some of the stories were first written in English and others in Portuguese. 

Finally, I will be hosting a giveaway of this book as part of a Lethe Press prize pack on October 13th. You can enter anytime for that by clicking here for the entry details.

Three Words That Describe This Book: deeply unsettling, thought-provoking, disorienting

Readalikes: Pueyo's writing absolutely reminded me of the three above, excellent award winning speculative story writers who have mastered balancing a deeply unsettling, weird brand of speculative storytelling. The Guignard anthology mentioned above is also a great readalike as well as anything by Cassandra Khaw.

All These Subtle Deceits 

by C. S. Humble

Oct. 2022. Dark Hart, paper, $14.95 (9781958598047). 
First published October 1, 2022 (Booklist).

Lauren has just put 1,000 miles between her and a bad relationship, moving to Black Wells, CO, but after one of her first nights out at a local nightclub, Lauren is the victim of a supernatural attack by three female spirits. William is a defrocked priest and expert exorcist with wealthy and influential clients. When Lauren is sent to William for help, the two work together, along with an intriguing cast of secondary characters, to uncover the root of the evil that has gotten ahold of Lauren. Opening this first book in a projected series, Humble has succeeded on all fronts, creating a compelling story set in a fascinating haunted city, but it is with the book’s strong emotional core, centered around William and Lauren, whose alternating points of view not only keep the pacing up, but allow the reader to connect with them, where this book will leave its mark on readers. Suggest this one with confidence and enthusiasm to fans of supernatural noir like Butcher’s Harry Dresden Files or Kadrey’s Sandman Slim series.

Further Appeal: This is one of the first books in a new, small press horror imprint, Dark Heart. Edited by Horror influencer, Sadie Hartmann, these titles promise to present “horror with heart,” a tag line that will make it easy for library workers to handsell their titles. This book is also the first in a 5 books series.

Speaking of Hartmann, my October column in LJ includes another book from this publisher-- an anthology and an interview with Hartmann and her co-editor, Saywers. I will be posting both on the blog when they are available.

Note: this book also has a bonus short story by the author.

Three Words That Describe This Book: supernatural Noir, demonic possession, series characters 

Readalikes: This will be a perfect read for you Harry Dresden [Butcher] and Sandman Slim [Kadrey] fans-- of which libraries have many and always need suitable readlaike options. Now you get a new series to rec.

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway 97: Swedish Cults by Anders Fager

This week I have an ARC of the first English language translation of the author known as Swedish Lovecraft. I reviewed it in the most recent issue of Booklist. But first here are the details on 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 #96. Our winners were Kim from Siouxland [SD] Libraries and Sara from Brandon Township [MI] Public Library. Now on to today.

This is an excellent release by one of my trusted publishers. 

Swedish Cults[stories]By Anders Fager

Translated by Ian Lemke and Henning KochSept. 2022. 232p. Valancourt, $29.99 (9781954321564); paper, $16.99 (9781954321571). First published September 1, 2022 (Booklist). 

With the success of their World Horror Anthologies, Valancourt continues their march to get the globe’s best Horror writers into more hands with the first English translation of the top Horror writer in Sweden. This story collection, first published in 2009, is best described as “Swedish Lovecraft.” The world he has created, while very much set in and influenced by his Nordic home, expertly draws off the established Lovecraftian universe, setting an atmosphere with each tale that steadily rises to existential terror as cosmic gods so pervasive and powerful, drawfs, even mock at times, the pitiful humans who hope to survive their wrath. A great example is the second story, “Grandma’s Journey,” an original tale of a journey across Europe, despite a tear in the universe that keeps getting wider. The repetition of the phrase “grandma’s going on a journey,” dozens of times, brilliantly adds another layer of unease. Also of note are the four “Fragments,” brief snapshots of atmospheric horror placed between each of the five longer stories. A must read for fans of 21st Century Lovecraftian Horror as written by those like Kiernan or Snyder.

Further Appeal: “Swedish Lovecraft.” – And that is not simply publisher marketing, Fager is the real deal. The Call of Cthulhu role playing game even uses Fager’s work for the Swedish edition of their popular game. So there's your book talk-- Swedish Lovecraft...'nuff said for a lot of readers.

But it is more that that though. It has an atmospheric tone that rises to the existential dread of the very best cosmic horror. It is also extremely grounded in its place-- Sweden. 

For those not as well versed in Cosmic Horror, here is a short snippet from my book, a piece of a quote from author and Cosmic Horror scholar, Mary SanGiovanni:

"In Cosmic Horror, there is a sense that the antagonistic force, whether evil or just utterly indifferent, is so pervasive and powerful, and of such a size and scope, that its very existence dwarfs the significance of humanity."

Three Words That Describe This Book: Lovecraftian, translation, strong sense of place

Readalikes: My book has an entire Lovecraftian/Cosmic Horror chapter. And I have a bonus list of titles that got cut from the book here. You have plenty of topics, but to the 2 readalikes included above I would also like to include The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft edited by Aaron French. 

Thanks to Valancourt for the ARC for this giveaway. And good luck! 

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway 73: The Lake of the Dead

This week's #HorrorForLibraries giveaway features a book that is consistently voted one of the best EVER by Norwegian readers. 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 #72.. Our winner was Holly from Kentucky. Now on to today's giveaway.

Lake of the Dead by Andre Bjerke is a Norwegian classic and it is now available for the first time in an American edition courtesy of one of my favorite small publishers for libraries-- Valancourt Books. I reviewed this title in the January issue of Library Journal. Below is my draft review with extra commentary from Goodreads:

Three Words That Describe This Book: translation, mystery-ghost story hybrid, compellingly creepy

Draft Review: Norwegians’ consistently list titles by Fossum, Nesbo, and this 1942 classic in the top three of their all time favorties. Werner, a young scholar, disappeared while investigating a sensational murder from over 100 yrs before. Now, a year later, his sister, and his friends-- a psychologist, an occult specialist, a stage actress, and our narrator, a mystery novelist and private detective-- plan a trip to the haunted lake hoping to find him. Written with an enticing first person narration, directly addressing the reader, and with chapter titles like, “ In which a madman's diary is presented,” it is as if Bjerke is daring readers to put the novel down, a herculean task once started. This forgotten classic, with an excellent, new translation, allows the creepy setting, menacing tone, and very real danger of this compelling and engaging story to shine in all its 1940s glory for a modern audience.

Verdict: While some of the views on women are a bit outdated here, they are directly addressed in the excellent introduction, leaving room for this title to appeal to a huge swath of readers from fans of Yrsa Sigurðardóttir or Anthony Horowitz, to atmospheric Horror-Mystery hybrids by Cynthia Pelayo or Simone St. James.

Extra info: Great, accesible translation of a book that in Norway is consistently in the top 3 of favorite books by Norwegians coming in only behind Nesbo and Fossum! Originally published in 1942. Never available in an American edition.

Out dated notions of women but it is 1942! The translation makes it shine in all of its glory though. Captures the voice well. 

Super creepy and atmospheric, mystery-ghost story hybrid, compelling pace. I especially loved the titles for each chapter which are a leading statement to get you to just read one more chapter. For ex.. "Chapter 5: In which a madman's diary is presented." Who could resist one more chapter with that hanging over you. 

Reads like a 1940s mystery-- ala Agatha Christie with a strong first person narration by the investigator who is a crime fiction writer. The book breaks the 4th wall often. A

I really enjoyed being immersed in the 1940s feel but the super creepy lake house and the menacing tone, and VERY REAL danger, were not outdated in anyway. 

Readers of mysteries like those by Anthony Horowitz will enjoy this and of course Nordic Noir fans. Especially fans of Yrsa Sigurðardóttir. But also light horror like Alma Katsu's THE DEEP

Order a copy for your library today and good luck!

Thanks to Valancourt for providing this ARC for the giveaway.