Wednesday, December 9, 2009

My Favorite Horror Book of the Year

So Paul Tremblay issues this challenge to blog, tweet, facebook, or skywrite about your favorite horror book. I ignore such challenges. Except when he’s giving away free stuff, like in this case, and I willingly give up and play along. Plus Paul is the author of the excellent book The Little Sleep. (Note to those fans of The Little Sleep who e-mailed me. That is a positive review. I don’t understand why you would think otherwise.)

Picking my favorite was harder. Fortunately I have this blog to review the books I’ve read this year, but picking the best one wasn’t easy. I’m not going to fall into the whining “Books aren’t good anymore” because I enjoy most of what I read, but it was hard to pick a standout horror book one that was head and shoulders above the rest. At least, until I got back to March and realized Ronald Kelly’s Midnight Grinding and Other Twilight Terrors was published this year. It is a massive collection of Ron’s short work from Cemetery Dance, and filled with some of the best southern-fried writing you’ll ever come across. (His shorter collection The Sick Stuff was a contender, too, but I went with the longer, more diverse volume. A hard call, though.)

So there you have it.
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4 comments:

Unknown said...

The Sick Stuff was excellent, not read this one yet.

Rabid Fox said...

Good titles to add to my wish list.

As for my fave from '09, I'm not as well read on the new releases, but of those I have been fortunate enough to read, I list Ouroboros as the one to beat. That was just an amazing read.

I also need to visit the Keenedom more often.

The Doctor said...

I want this book, damnit.

Ronald Kelly said...

Aw shucks!

Thanks a bunch, hoss. I'm honored.