That’s right! @StephenKing in overalls. This is the best horror book you’ll never buy. Only a lucky few have a copy of this page turner and when ol’ Doc got his mail yesterday, that number of ‘lucky’ rose by one.
Halloween. We all love the holiday. I mean, what’s there not to love for a horror fan? It’s the one time of year where we can turn on any random channel and hit a horror flick. Disney? Hocus Pocus! HBO? CastleRock Series on full blaze! Stars? One word–Groovy. Even that Kirk Cameron channel has a horror flick playing (technically, I think it’s supposed to be a fund raiser drive but have you seen what that dude’s been saying for the last few decades? **shiver**).
Don’t be jelly but you missing out on a lot of great haiku reviews!
Loving the holiday is one thing. Watching a horror movie on that day is one thing but have you ever wanted to watch 31 (33 ‘cuz who can count!) movies that month? Have you ever done that…and then wrote a haiku about it? Have you then drew Stephen King in overalls for a cover design? I didn’t think so.
Halloween 2017: Stephen King in Overalls is a blast from the pre-COVID past.
Remember going outside and when a high-five couldn’t kill you? Seems like many moons ago and yet there is a way back to that time–one of binge watching gems like Sharknado and utter shit like whateverthehellthatkirkcameronmovie was. It was a more carefree moment that we should have cherished a bit longer. This book will bring you back to those moments with such stunning haikus such as:
It is difficult / to put into so few words / how awful this is ** I’ll save you some time / boring ghost with backwards feet / bores someone to death / I am the Shitty Thing that Pretentiously Lives / Inside of Netflix.
Review of ‘I am the Pretty thing that lives in the house’.
From warnings to favorite movies to ponderings about life, the universe, and Sarah Jessica Parker’s singing voice Stephen King in Overalls has a bit of everything for the horror fan in you. Unfortunately, much like the Lemarchand’s Boxes, there are only so many copies in existence. However, much like our very own Boxhuman, you can read a bit of that spark here on HauntedMTL.
For those who want to check out some of the horror mentioned in the book (that you cannot read), go click below. Remember, we are an amazon connected site and if you buy, we do get a bit of a kick back.
If you have other books that are ‘the best book you cannot’ buy come drop us a line on Twitter @HauntedMTL and let us know what else ol’ Doc should be on the look out for in his Canadian mailbag of maple syrup goodness!
Jenna: A stay at home mom with a secret assassin past
Donnie: An alcoholic rock star
Nico: An executive producer of a reality television show
They all have a past, but who is out to get them?
The Plot
Jenna, Donnie, and Nico share a troubled past. They were all orphans who lived at Savior House — which is much less savior, much more terror. When their friend Benny, a famous judge, is murdered and the FBI comes looking, Jenna, Donnie, and Nico must race against the clock to figure out who is targeting them.
The Verdict
From the author of The Night Shift, which I reviewed here, I would expect nothing less than what Finlay has delivered. Finlay notoriously creates stories with palpable thrill and spine-tingling revelations.
I particularly enjoyed the character of Jenna. She is a reformed assassin living a normal life as a new stepmom. When she is called in to make a hit and her family is threatened, she goes badass mom on ’em. While I still thought Donnie and Nico as characters were engaging, it was nothing for what I felt for Jenna.
Also, major props to Finlay for creating a character that kills with a very unique weapon. Read it to find out more!
Keeping it all in the family, Julia Bartz’s The Writing Retreat is the debut novel of the sister of Andrea Bartz, author of We Were Never Here, which I reviewed here.
I was much more impressed with The Writing Retreat than I was We Were Never Here.
The Plot
Five up and coming female writers under 30 are invited to a writing retreat hosted by the reclusive and acclaimed horror writer Rosa Vallo. Rosa reveals the details of the retreat: each writer must complete a full length novel from scratch over the next month. The best novel wins a multi-million dollar publishing deal with Rosa.
Suddenly, the retreat turns into a nightmare when one writer goes missing in the snowy terrain outside.
The novel hinges on friendships in turmoil and has a focus on LGBT+ representation as well as interpersonal female relationships. The novel explores the dark publishing world and the search for fame and the Great American Novel.
The Verdict
This novel is atmospheric and intellectual, page turning, and the English major’s required reading. I absorbed this novel and found Julia Bartz’s writing and conceptual chops to be leagues above her sister’s.
Ths novel releases on February 21, 2023 and it should be in your cart right now.
“A brilliantly genre-bending, mind-twisting answer to the question How far would you go to save your child?” — Ruth Ware, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Jen watches her son murder a stranger. Stab him to death. She and her husband, Kelly, watch as their son Todd is taken into custody.
The next morning, Jen wakes up and it’s yesterday. Jen knows that at the end of the night, her son kills someone. She is determined to stop it.
Jen goes further and further back in time trying to discover why Todd murdered a stranger and how to stop it.
The Verdict
This book is twisty. Right when you think you know the ending, something else is there to prove that the story is more multifaceted than that. While the premise of the novel is simple, Gillian McAllister elevates a simple concept with deep, dark twists.
It is best that you don’t know too much going into this one. For fans of Blake Crouch, this is such a good thriller with time travelling vibes.
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