R. A. Busby is my favorite body horror and other specific phobias, author. I've read a few of Busby's short, body horror stories in various anthologieR. A. Busby is my favorite body horror and other specific phobias, author. I've read a few of Busby's short, body horror stories in various anthologies and my first reading experience was "Bits" a short, sharp, shocks story about losing teeth and other "bits". HOLES by R. A. Busby- deals with a fairly well-known fear, trypophobia (of which I am a sufferer). This is the tale of a woman who suffers a fear of holes. She embarks on a series of therapeutic attempts to lessen or eliminate her fear but to no avail. This has a great ending. And of course, Corporate Body is part of the line of novellas I curated for Cemetary Gates called My Dark Library. It's medical body horror--scientific lab experiments.
You Will Speak for the Dead is about a man named Paul who professionally cleans hoarder houses. I loved all the conversation in the narrative surrounding hoarding and its connection to mental health, grieving, and loss. The last house Paul cleans is a real doozy...filled with SPORROR and I do NOT want to tell you anything else but prepare to: Read the whole thing in one sitting make cringing faces and gagging noises and never want to be around mushrooms ever again! I LOVED IT...more
Wow! I was not prepared for all of *that*. I went into this book with a certain level of expectations based on what I *thought* this book was going toWow! I was not prepared for all of *that*. I went into this book with a certain level of expectations based on what I *thought* this book was going to be, but Kiersten White had a few tricks up her sleeves and now I'm just totally and completely blown away. Who will love this book? Readers who enjoy... - Short chapters & multiple cliffhangers - Mixed media elements like emails, articles, blog posts, message boards, etc - Podcasts/documentaries for those "true crime" "reality tv" vibes - Childhood friends reuniting to face a common threat (think Loser's club/IT) - Mandela effect in horror--memories - Found footage - Religious trauma/Childhood trauma - Conspiracy theories - TV shows -Horror as catharsis/therapy (it was for me)
I loved this book. I think it would make a great companion read with books like, Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle, Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay, Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison, The Children of Red Peak by Craig DiLouie, and Little Heaven by Nick Cutter...more
I re-read sections of this book today and watched several interviews with Toni Morrison about the writing of this book as research for my WIP and to pI re-read sections of this book today and watched several interviews with Toni Morrison about the writing of this book as research for my WIP and to prepare for a deep dive on Patreon as a group; a book club discussion. We will take a look at a classic horror book or read one together every few months. You can join us here: https://www.patreon.com/MotherHorror...more
This book is epic in its scope--over the lifetime of sadness from the narrator's perspective who is 14 in Part One. From his worldview, we witness theThis book is epic in its scope--over the lifetime of sadness from the narrator's perspective who is 14 in Part One. From his worldview, we witness the suicide of his father (an elaborate ritual involving the splitting of a tree and burying oneself inside it), growing closer to his stepmother (who is 16), and we get a sense of the village--and it's people, including the Blacksmith. I don't want to give too much away here but the mythology is super important. The rituals and the ceremonies--even filtering the water is ritualistic and ends in disaster if it's not done correctly and can be used as a punishment. there's just too much to say... The prisoner and his life The narrator's relationship to the Blacksmith The guy in the cave The narrator's daughter The river The housing The food situation The night of the fire The horrible way people treat children and these feral children murdering people...it's just a whole THING...more soon ...more
Hmmmm... Still ruminating on this one. The storytelling style was...unusual. The vibes are very gothic and the tone is foreboding. Our POV is from a yoHmmmm... Still ruminating on this one. The storytelling style was...unusual. The vibes are very gothic and the tone is foreboding. Our POV is from a young woman named, Rafael "Rafa" who finds herself in an isolated village called, Strega. She joins up with eight other women to work at an empty hotel. Rafa makes fast friends with Alba, they become very close--maybe lovers. There's something wrong with this place. Guests never arrive. There's something about a convent and nuns who make a strange, green, elixir. One night, men show up at the hotel for a night of dancing and revelry, and the young women are caught up in the dancing and partying. One woman, Cassie, performs for everyone and then disappears. The prose is intentionally ambiguous and disorienting. I was never quite sure what was happening and my mind was constantly chasing down loose ends. Very entertaining and visual...I felt like I was watching an A24 fever-dream movie. Recommended for readers who show up for the vibes and don't get hung up on plot details or a lack of deep characterization work. Quick read/short chapters...more
It takes a minute for the clarity to settle in--to find your groove with the storytelling style. It's a little disorienting. Once you figure things ouIt takes a minute for the clarity to settle in--to find your groove with the storytelling style. It's a little disorienting. Once you figure things out and have sure footing, once you understand and the pages start to fly and then you're overcome with that sense of dread and terror...everything becomes clearer to you, you realize what has happened and what IS happening, then it's over. Make sure to go back and re-read the beginning...the parts where you were confused.
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