Tag: james pack

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Coffee and Contemplation: Horns by Joe Hill

This is the second novel of Joe Hill’s I’ve read. I enjoyed this one so much more than his first novel “Hear-Shaped Box.” You can read my opinion of that at This Post from back in March. The writing and the story in “Horns” was superior to Hill’s first novel and compared to most novels I’ve read. It is one of my all-time favorites. The was a movie adaptation starring Daniel Radcliffe and Juno Temple. The first time I saw the movie, I enjoyed it. When I saw it years later after reading the novel, I felt the movie was terrible. Don’t watch the movie.

I wouldn’t call this novel scary though it does deal with a lot of adult content. The horror aspects are more supernatural than gory. The monsters in the story are only humans. The story may give the reader a different view of the devil and its purpose. This novel was a lot of fun to read. It has a strong suspense, thriller vibe in some parts. If there were no supernatural themes to the story, it could have easily been film noir mystery. I am definitely looking forward to reading more by Joe Hill. 

I recommend this book to everyone. It may not be for younger teens or children.

Spooky Spider Scale (How scary was the book?): 7 spiders 🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️

Overall rating: 5 stars ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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Keys Reef Part 1

            “Doris? Doris! Did you eat my worms and baby shrimp?”

            “You know I don’t like your food choices Larcus.”

            “So, my food just swam away, did they?”

            “Probably. You never pay attention to anything.”

            “I don’t like your tone. When I take over the world you won’t get to talk to me like that.”

            “I always talk to you like this.”

            “Let me guess, you think because I’m a lobster and you’re an alligator that you’re better than me.”

            “Here we go.”

            “Everyone will respect the lobster once I complete my master plan.”

            “And what’s your master plan?”

            “To conquer everything!”

            “And how do you plan to do that this week?”

            “I will melt the ice caps.”

            “What?”

            “The ice caps will melt raising the sea level, drowning millions of humans. Then the sea life will take back this watery rock. Hahahaha!”

            “And you expect all sea life to make you their leader?”

            “Well yeah. It’s my master plan.”

            “Some might resist you.”

            “Then I will crush them in my claws.”

            “Like that time you tried to crush Wallace the sea turtle?”

            “He hid in his shell which is the same as running from a fight. What a coward!”

            “Okay. Assuming everyone goes along with your crazy scheme…”

            “It’s not a scheme. It’s a master plan for world domination.”

            “Whatever. How do you plan to melt the ice caps?”

            “Well…I haven’t…worked that part out yet.”

            “I thought not. Why don’t you brainstorm some ideas while I pop up top for a little sun bathing.”

            “But I can’t think on an empty stomach. That’s why I wanted my worms and baby shrimp. We still haven’t determined whether you ate them or not.”

            “Where did you last see them?”

            “Yesterday right before I…oh. I guess I ate them yesterday.”

            “You are so dumb.”

            “Maybe you could get me some things while you pop up top?”

            “Get your own food.”

            “You never help me when I need it.”

            “Don’t be a dick.”

            “Fine. Leave. But if I starve today, it’ll be your fault.”

Read Part 2.

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I’ll be at the Mad Monster Party in July

If you’re not familiar with Mad Monster Party, I suggest you check out their website. This is a horror themed convention and I’ll have a vendor table. It’s happening in Glendale, AZ on the Fourth of July weekend. They have a great list of celebrities who will be in attendance. It looks like it’ll be a lot of fun. What will I be doing there? At my vendor table, I’ll be selling copies of my book “The Morbid Museum,” a collection of short horror stories framed around a curator and museum of death.

I’ll have paperback copies and a few hardbound copies. I will also have an exclusive collection of spooky haikus available for those spooky poetry fans. “Haunting Haikus” has 23 haikus along with some images. It’s a quick read but fun. I will also have a few bookmarks for sale. These will have spooky themes like skulls, pumpkins, and witches. I’ll post some photos once I have everything collected and packaged. I’m still waiting on a few deliveries. I’ll post more details as I get them. If you’ll be in Glendale, AZ on the Fourth of July weekend, come to the Mad Monster Party, find my table, and say hi. I’m looking forward to hanging with my fellow horror enthusiasts.