What are you currently reading?

Finished my reread of The Dog Stars by Peter Heller, which I enjoyed as much as I did the first time around.

After The Dog Stars I read A Little Silver Book: A Screenplay by Richard Chizmar & Johnathon Schaech, which was a screenplay based on Black House. 

Trying to adapt a 660 page novel, with numerous characters and story lines into a 90 minute or two movie is almost always going to be a losing proposition.

Only die hard Talisman / Black House need apply.

Next up, probably starting the first volume in Stephen Jones Weird Tales trilogy anthology.

B

Posted by: @brlesh

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Finished my reread of The Dog Stars by Peter Heller, which I enjoyed as much as I did the first time around.

I loved THE DOG STARS, and it made me a Peter Heller fan from that point on. I didn't much dig CELINE, but all this other books have to varying degrees been terrific. Probably my top three Heller books would be, in order, THE DOG STARS, THE PAINTER, and THE RIVER (with THE LAST RANGER getting Honorable Mention).

Currently reading OUTER DARK, which is one that’s escaped my reading until now. Getting back into the McCarthy mood in anticipation of Suntup’s exciting offering next month, CHILD OF GOD. Almost done with it, and I'd probably place it fifth in my McCarthy lineup: THE ROAD (my favorite book, bar none), NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, CHILD OF GOD, BLOOD MERIDIAN, and OUTER DARK, then the Border trilogy (of which I've only yet read the first two). I haven't read THE ORCHARD KEEPER or SUTTREE yet. I read the recently published set of THE PASSENGER and STELLA MARIS, but couldn't connect with either one.

 SLEEPING BEAUTIES was an absolutely awful book to be reading when COVID hit. It made me more nervous heading out the door every morning than I would have been otherwise, lol.

Finished Chris DiLeo's The Lost Ones the other night. First book of his that I've read, and I don't think it will be the last. His writing pulled me right in from the start and kept me interested and captivated the entire book! 

I've got a spoiler-free review posted here: https://www.pagesfromthemist.com/2026/09/review-lost-ones.html

Started my re-read of BLACK HOUSE (King & Straub) the other night. Finding myself a little put off by the "narration" in the first few chapters (for example: “Out Tyler’s window we go, away from Libertyville, flying southwest on a diagonal, not lingering now but really flapping those old wings,”).

I don't remember being bothered by this in previous reads ..  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 I just finished one of the best books I've read in a long time- IN THE VALLEYS OF THE NOBLE BEYOND: IN SEARCH OF THE SASQUATCH, by John Zada. Zada is a journalist who fell in love with the British Columbia coast while researching a magazine article, and the book chronicles his return to the area to try to find out more about the Sasquatch phenomenon. Less a cryptozoology book that a beautifully-written travelogue, Zada tells of the landscape and the people who live there in such a lovely way that it made a hermit like me want to check the place out myself. 

 Highly recommended, even if you don't care about Bigfoot. 

I started reading an ARC of UNEARTHED: NEW HORRORS OF ANCIENT RUINS, an anthology edited by Dan Coxon and Philip Fracassi, which releases this coming Tuesday. I was looking forward to this one, as the theme really appeals to me, but I'm four stories in, and two of them were meh (Josh Malerman and Benjamin Percy), one was pointless (Ai Jiang), and the fourth, by Tananarive Due, was great, until it just STOPPED. I have never experienced that before...The story was moving along, I turned the page, and it was the beginning of the next story. WTF? So far, nothing at all to recommend.

Posted by: @rmquist

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Started my re-read of BLACK HOUSE (King & Straub) the other night. Finding myself a little put off by the "narration" in the first few chapters (for example: “Out Tyler’s window we go, away from Libertyville, flying southwest on a diagonal, not lingering now but really flapping those old wings,”).

I don't remember being bothered by this in previous reads ..  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I remembered that narrative device from the first time I read Black House 25 years, and it is different, and after awhile it does get to be a little annoying.  It didn’t bother me that much this time around, as knew what to expect.

They revisit that narration throughout the book, but it is only used minimally after the first 50 pages or so.

 I always wondered who came up with that story telling method, King or Straub?

It seems more like a device Straub would use rather than King, though most of that opening narrative does feel like it’s told in King’s voice.

B

Posted by: @brlesh

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They revisit that narration throughout the book, but it is only used minimally after the first 50 pages or so.

 I always wondered who came up with that story telling method, King or Straub?

 

I'm about 1/3 of the way through at this point and that "voice" is definitely less noticeable. Good question about who came up with it. I don't recall noticing it in other King stories (I've read some Straub - but nowhere near enough - to be certain about the origin). 

One thing that has surprised me is that, unlike with The Talisman, I'm finding that I do not remember a whole lot of the story from my earlier reads. For whatever reason, The Talisman has stuck with me over all the years and while I didn't always recall specifics the scenes & characters were all very familiar to me on my most recent re-read. With Black House (at least so far) it's almost like reading it for the first time...  

Posted by: @dannyboy121070

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UNEARTHED: NEW HORRORS OF ANCIENT RUINS, an anthology edited by Dan Coxon and Philip Fracassi

That's disappointing. The contributor list shown on their web site ( https://titanbooks.com/72519-unearthed/) looks decent.

Keep us posted

Posted by: @brlesh

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Finished my reread of The Dog Stars by Peter Heller, which I enjoyed as much as I did the first time around.

I've been thinking of reading this one again, even though I've read it a few times now. I wish I could remember who first suggested it to me because I want to thank that person again, but I have no clue now.

Brian

Posted by: @rmquist

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Posted by: @dannyboy121070

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UNEARTHED: NEW HORRORS OF ANCIENT RUINS, an anthology edited by Dan Coxon and Philip Fracassi

That's disappointing. The contributor list shown on their web site ( https://titanbooks.com/72519-unearthed/) looks decent.

Keep us posted

 I read two good stories yesterday, by Tim Lebbon and Christopher Golden, neither of whom I usually like, so...go figure. I also read an Eric LaRocca story that did nothing for me. So far, more misses than hits.

Posted by: @dannyboy121070

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 I read two good stories yesterday, by Tim Lebbon and Christopher Golden

I read Christopher Golden's recent release CARRY ME TO MY GRAVE not too long ago and thought it was excellent 

Posted by: @rmquist

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Posted by: @dannyboy121070

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 I read two good stories yesterday, by Tim Lebbon and Christopher Golden

I read Christopher Golden's recent release CARRY ME TO MY GRAVE not too long ago and thought it was excellent 

 Something about Golden's writing just doesn't click with me. I usually find his stories very bland. Maybe I should give him another try.

Posted by: @dannyboy121070

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 Something about Golden's writing just doesn't click with me. I usually find his stories very bland. Maybe I should give him another try.

I have the same unfortunate issue. His plot synopses typically sound great, so I've tried probably close to a half-dozen of his books. No idea why, because objectively the plot ideas are solid and the writing is professional, but whatever secret sauce I require to make words come alive off a page and entertain is largely absent in Golden's books. 

Currently starting Patricia Highsmith's RIPLEY series, an overdue read for me. I have the box set from Norton. I understand volumes 4 and 5 pale to the first three, but I guess I'll see when/if I get there...so far only a quarter or so into the first book.