A Bad Day for Voodoo by Jeff Strand

Have you ever wished you could get revenge for some unfair or undeserved occurrence? Considering it's a Monday, I'd say quite a few of us have probably imagined paying someone back their due in response to some misdeed of one kind or another. Jeff Strand's story of revenge and voodoo is one I think ranks up there as a pretty perfect Monday read!

It wasn't fair that Tyler got a zero for cheating, especially since Tyler didn't cheat. But his teacher doesn't care at all and has no interest in even considering Tyler's side of the story. Tyler's friend Adam is ready to help plan the perfect revenge and comes up with what he thinks is a brilliant idea: a voodoo doll. Sure that the thing will never work, Tyler gives it a poke during class. The result is not quite what either of the teens expected. Instead of a sharp pain, the teacher loses his entire leg! Blood spurts everywhere and students are screaming and passing out. Insanity! Now Tyler has to see if the maker of the doll can do anything to help but before he can make it to the shop, he's waylaid by thugs, cannibals, a zombie, shootouts... complete and utter madness.

Strand's hilarious teen horror is quirky and unbelievably entertaining. I have no doubt that it will please his adult fans just as much as the teens it's intended for. A Bad Day for Voodoo is pure fun! I think Strand had to have had just as much fun writing this one as I did reading it. As the story progresses and becomes more and more ridiculous, I found myself laughing out loud and completely forgetting all the mess that had put me in a bad mood -- 'cause, yes, I did pick up A Bad Day for Voodoo in hopes that it would help alleviate some stress and tension and it most definitely delivered on all counts!

So if you're in the mood for some B-movie horror fun, A Bad Day for Voodoo is perfect... whether you're a teen or an adult.

New Releases 7/31/12

Some of the new titles hitting shelves are:

You Don't Want to Know by Lisa Jackson

Whispers Underground by Ben Aaronovitch

Off the Grid by PJ Tracy

Miss Me When I'm Gone by Emily Arsenault

Ten Girls to Watch by Charity Shumway

Night Forbidden by Joss Ware (Envy series)

Thy Neighbor by Norah Vincent

What the Nanny Saw by Fiona Neil

The Wild Princess by Mary Hart Perry

The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman

All Seeing Eye by Rob Thurman

Chimera by TC McCarthy

The Care and Handling of Roses With Thorns by Margaret Dilloway

The Trinity Game by Sean Chercover

Lake Country by Sean Doolittle

Triburia by Karl Taro Greenfeld

In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Hatner

The Holden Age of Hollywood by Phil Brody

Destiny by Gillian Shields

New reviews at Bookbitch.com:
Hell or High Water by Joy Castro
Stolen by Kelley Armstrong

Shadow Show ed by Sam Weller and Mort Castle

Today I'm part of the TLC blog tour for the new Ray Bradbury inspired anthology Shadow Show edited by Sam Weller and Mort Castle. This collection has simply blown me away and I can't recommend it highly enough!

Each contributor, in addition to their story, shares a little piece of their Ray Bradbury history: how he influenced and inspired them and, in some cases, personally encouraged them in their writing. And so I'll share a tiny bit of my own Bradbury memory:

When I was a freshman in high school, I wrote a paper on Ray Bradbury. When I was even younger than that, I can remember staying up super late and catching episodes of Ray Bradbury Theater on tv. Something Wicked This Way Comes was a staple in my childhood movie watching as well and I have my mom's old paperback copy on my bookshelf. I've never read Fahrenheit 451. In fact, I'd say that I've read less than half of Bradbury's accumulated works over my lifetime -- I need to get to reading! -- but The Illustrated Man remains one of my favorite collections and the latest edition holds pride of place on my bedside table, ready at hand for when I need a dose of Ray.

Bradbury has always amazed me. His short stories in particular are fascinating bites of entertainment that astound and entertain readers of all ages, from all walks of life. This collection is proof of that as well. Authors of every genre have come together to pay tribute to Bradbury, bringing to life their own stories inspired by Bradbury's work. Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill, Alice Hoffman, Dave Eggers and so many more contributed to the collection.


These stories - like Bradbury's - are poignant and beautiful as well as creepy and disturbing. And like Bradbury's work, the stories in Shadow Show range in genre, style, tone, and subject. Some, like Margaret Atwoood's "Headspace" are dark science fiction reads and others, like Thomas F. Monteleone's "The Exchange" are more nostalgic pieces. Each tale serves as a great homage to a fantastic writer who sadly passed away just weeks before the release.

Bradbury's body of work is so vast and wonderful, I really believe -- and truly hope -- that it will survive the test of time, continuing to inspire readers and writers for generations to come. I also hope that works like this one will pique readers' interests and drive, say, a Neil Gaiman fan to seek out The Martian Chronicles, or an Audrey Niffeneger fan to run out and buy a collection with "The Playground" after reading this book.

Whether you come to Shadow Show because you're a Bradbury fan or because you're a fan of one or more of the contributors, it doesn't matter. It's what you walk away with that counts and I think everyone will walk away with a sense of wonderment and a greater appreciation for a writer who has proven to be one of the best of all time.

For more stops on the tour, visit the official TLC tour page here.

Losing Clementine by Ashley Ream

What would you do if you had just thirty days to live? Clementine Pritchard is faced with just that question. In one month, Clementine will kill herself. She's got it all planned out, down to the nitty gritty details. She wants to wrap things up and she doesn't want it to be a burden on anyone.

Clementine has a history and challenges. But surprisingly LOSING CLEMENTINE doesn't become a big pity party or afterschool special. Ream's leading lady is snarky and funny and the book brings up some interesting questions in an unexpected way. It's hard not to love Clementine and Ashley Ream is definitely an author to watch!

I have to apologize because I apparently forgot to post this review! It's been sitting in draft form since I wrote it. (My Bookbitch review ran when I originally read the book back in March.) It's never too late for a book review and a reading recommendation, though :)

My reading has been a bit insane of late. I'm hopping around according to mood and reviews and formats (I now have an audio going for walks and such and I also have a brand new ereader that I've so far been using to read at night thanks to a dead bedside lamp and the fact that said device has a nighlight function). That and I've been spending a lot of wasted time watching crap on tv. Literally flipping channels. Ah well. It's a mood thing. My reading will swing back like it always does. I'm in the middle of a great short story collection at the moment, which always does wonders when I'm indecisive -- a little bit of this and a little bit of that is kind of perfect when I'm in a wishy washy state.

I've also got some superb looking titles in my TBR stack -- books suited for every mood and taste you can imagine.

For fellow moody readers, I'd say folks looking for a great quirky character driven novel will love Losing Clementine. It's a quick read that gives you a curious, and I've heard quite appropriate, look inside the mind of someone battling mental illness. And it's pretty darn funny throughout.

15 Seconds by Andrew Gross

I'm excited to be part of the TLC blog tour for Andrew Gross's latest, 15 Seconds! If you're looking for a great, fast-paced thriller, Andrew Gross is your man!

A routine traffic stop turns out to be anything but for Henry Steadman. The plan was to get the rental car, check in to the hotel, and play some golf before the Doctors Without Borders conference began. But on the way to the hotel, Steadman gets lost. He's pulled over for running a red light and things take a weird turn. Before he knows it, he's in the back of a police cruiser, cuffed and being yelled at by an irate officer. When the fuss dies down, the officer admits it was a case of mistaken identity and is about to let Steadman go on a warning when a second car pulls up and the cop is shot. Now Steadman's friend is dead as well and the doctor is running for his life. His only hope is untangling the web he's now caught up in and finding the real killer before it's too late. 

Everyone always wants to know where an author gets their ideas and the story behind this one is kind of a whopper! I'll let Andrew tell you about it himself:



Trust me (and the many, many others who have said it) when I say this is definitely a one-sitting read. The pacing is excellent and the intensity level of the story makes it the kind of read that you literally can't put down.

Gross is the author of five other solo novels:

The Blue Zone
The Dark Tide (Ty Hauck #1)
Don't Look Twice (Ty Hauck #2)
Reckless (Ty Hauck #3)
Eyes Wide Open

Gross also cowrote a number of books with James Patterson.

For more on Andrew Gross and his work, check out his official website (link above). You can also like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

To visit other stops on the tour, visit the official TLC tour page here. I've got a couple of cool extras for you as well: Gross's publisher has prepared a Reading Group Guide for 15 Seconds. And Andrew was a guest on Booktrib's live chat last week. If you missed it, you can watch the whole thing here.

Charlotte Markham and the House of Darkling by Michael Boccacino

I've been in the mood for some dark and strange reads of late and I have to say that my TBR has delivered! Over the past week, I finished up a Joe Hill and I had an early shot at Michael Boccacino's fabulous debut, Charlotte Markham and the House of Darkling, which hits shelves tomorrow.

The Darrow family has suffered great loss of late -- Mrs. Darrow passed away after a long battle with illness and the boy's nanny has recently been murdered, Charlotte Markham, the new governess, steps up as surrogate nanny in addition to her position, determined to do what's best for the boys. After all, Charlotte herself knows great loss as well. While exploring the woods one day, Charlotte and the boys come across a strange house. The House Darkling exists in a different world, one in which Mrs. Darrow lives, serving as a governess herself. Charlotte agrees to return with the boys, allowing them to spend more time with their mother, but as Charlotte learns more about House Darkling and The Ending -- the world in which Darkling exists -- she becomes convinced that severing the connection between the worlds might be in everyone's best interest.

This is a wonderfully weird debut filled with fantastical and horrific imagery. It's hard to believe that this is Boccacino's debut as his creation in the Ending and House of Darkling is both magical and brilliant. I can find no fault in this book and would happily and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys dark fantasy.

Markham is definitely going down on my list as one of my favorite 2012 releases. One of the cool things Boccacino does (in addition to building a great story and a truly original and intriguing world) is the inclusion of short stories. This is something a few of my other favorite authors have done and it can be quite effective as well as wholly creative (John Harwood in The Ghost Writer, Susannah Clarke in Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, and Carlos Ruiz Zafon in The Shadow of the Wind - though I can't recall if he included the stories or just mention of them). Interestingly, Boccacino's PS portion of the book includes reading recommendations and Jonathan Strange makes his list.

I did a happy dance when this book arrived and was happily entrenched in the book from beginning to end. I highly recommend running out tomorrow and tracking down a copy if you're looking for a really fabulous new read!

New Releases 7/24/12

Some of the new titles hitting shelves this week are:

Charlotte Markham and the House of Darkling by Michael Boccacino

Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong

The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern (pb)

Technomancer by BV Larson

Buried on Avenue B by Peter De Jonge

A Simple Thing by Kathleen McCleary

Broken Harbor by Tana French

The Thing About Thugs by Tabish Khair

Where We Belong by Emily Giffin

Black List by Brad Thor

Judgement Call by JA Jance (Joanna Brady series)

Let the Devil Sleep by John Verdon

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

Endlessly by Kierstan White

New reviews at Bookbitch.com:
Charlotte Markham and the House of Darkling
What You Wish For by Kerry Reichs