It’s Christmas Eve in Boone County, Virginia, and fledgling musician Jesse Walker is witness to a bizarre scene; Santa Claus racing through his neighbIt’s Christmas Eve in Boone County, Virginia, and fledgling musician Jesse Walker is witness to a bizarre scene; Santa Claus racing through his neighborhood trying to outrun a pack of monsters. Although Santa appears to escape in his sleigh, a sack falls from the sky, landing in Jesse’s possession. The sack is life-changing to say the least, and while it allows Jesse access to endless material possessions, it also puts him on the radar of the imprisoned Yule Lord Krampus. You see Krampus needs that sack, and he’ll stop at nothing to get it.
I’m not quite sure what I expected from this book, to be honest. I like to load up on holiday reads during December and this popped up on my radar while perusing online lists consisting of off-beat Christmas novels. I’m so glad I took a chance on this one because it ended up being one of the best books I read this year.
I really do not believe there is a hero nor a villain in this story when discussing both Santa Claus and Krampus - it’s definitely shades of grey here. Obviously, outside of those characters, there are clear good guys and bad guys but both these mythical characters have traits that the reader can identify and sympathize with. I even found myself tearing up during the story’s climax as it was a real no-win situation for two of the book’s characters.
This review makes the book sound so deathly serious, but Brom definitely knows when to play off the absurdity of the whole situation. After he escapes his shackles, it has been a long time since Krampus walked amongst humans and his attempt to reclaim his status as the Yule Lord leads to both terror and comedy. I laughed out loud at the image of this seven foot creature resembling Satan attempting to convince two children that he is there to offer gold coins rather than bite their heads clean off.
This story has just about everything. Emotional discussions surrounding identity and the complexities of age, gruesome horror, laugh-out-loud moments, and the interweaving of modern Christianity with Norse mythology. If you read one book this holiday season, I can’t think of a better one (unless you’re looking for smut, I suppose). ...more
What does it say about me that I'm far more comfortable reading Nick Cutter's most graphic horror novels than I am reading this. Am I psychopath? Am IWhat does it say about me that I'm far more comfortable reading Nick Cutter's most graphic horror novels than I am reading this. Am I psychopath? Am I a prude?...more
Author Benjamin Stevenson returns with his second Ernest Cunningham adventure, EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT. This time around, reeling from theAuthor Benjamin Stevenson returns with his second Ernest Cunningham adventure, EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT. This time around, reeling from the success of a runaway best seller, “Ern” finds himself as a guest of the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society’s annual crime fiction festival. Taking place aboard a train travelling from the northern tip of Australia through to Adelaide in the south of the country, Ernest readies himself for four days of author panels, socialising with fans, and schmoozing with publishers. The festivities are short-lived, however, once a guest drops dead and it’s once again up to Ernest to uncover the guilty party.
Given how much I adored the first book in this series, I was not prepared for quite how much more I would end up loving the sequel. It certainly helped that Stevenson stuck with what brought him to the dance by applying the same style and humour that worked so well with the first book. There were moments that gave me deep belly laughs and of course, the central mystery kept me engaged reading long into the night.
I thought the supporting cast here were stronger than those who made up the first book and I couldn’t wait to see what each character was up to when they were “off-page”. One of the novel’s more nail-biting action scenes had my eyes dancing over the page even though he wasn’t really in any danger, as he was quick to point out early in the novel that the book we’re all reading was, in fact, finished by him. This is the mark of a truly great writer; still finding a way to get you lost in the story when the stakes are relatively low.
It’s hard to believe that I started this series due to the fact that the author released a Christmas novel this year and I had been struggling to find some new non-romance holiday literature (and of course, I had to read the prior two books before I could start the new one). Now this series has become one of my favourite on-going mystery titles and I can’t wait to see what he has planned next....more
Although this series had been recommended to me by a handful of people over the past two years, it never quite found its way to the top of my ever-groAlthough this series had been recommended to me by a handful of people over the past two years, it never quite found its way to the top of my ever-growing to-be-read pile. However, all an author needs to do is write a Christmas entry in a series and I’ll get right to that first book quicker than Santa traverses the globe in a single night.
Ernest Cunningham is invited to a family reunion taking place at a ski resort in the frosty mountains of Australia. Things take a turn for the worse when a body is found in the snow exhibiting tell-tale signs of a serial killer recently dubbed “The Black Tongue”. As the title suggests, everyone in Ernest’s family is a suspect. Can he uncover the guilty party and prevent a killing spree?
This one was a lot of fun. Ernest is a self-published author who helps struggling mystery authors complete and release their work, so he’s well-versed in the mechanics of a good who-dunnit. The book itself takes the shape of a memoir by Ernest telling the story of what happened by adhering to Robert Knox’s 10 Commandments of Detective Fiction, so things like the detective being the criminal, the sudden appearance of twin brothers and the existence of ghosts are strictly forbidden. Ernest is a self-professed “reliable” narrator, so he’s setting out to play fair and isn’t trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the reader. So be forewarned - pay attention to everything! If something is mentioned, it’s absolutely for a reason.
EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE was the PERFECT book to sink my teeth into following the outcome of the 2024 US Election. It’s darkly funny and above all else, an intriguing mystery that offers a welcome distraction from the endless 24-hour news cycle that has turned my brain to mush....more
Sum 41 was just about everywhere during my final year of high school all the way back in 2002. The band’s appearance on the soundtracks for both the fSum 41 was just about everywhere during my final year of high school all the way back in 2002. The band’s appearance on the soundtracks for both the first Spider-Man film as well as second American Pie movie coupled with the near constant airplay on MuchMusic made it damn near impossible to get away from them. I guess this worked out for me as like most eighteen year olds at the time, I loved their music. That said, my intense fandom was short lived for me to be honest, as I sort of checked out following their third album “Does This Look Infected?” in 2003. Aside from a few singles on the radio, they went completely off my radar.
In April of 2013, I had tickets to see them play live alongside headliner Billy Talent during their stop in Halifax. Sum 41 pulled out of that show (and were subsequently replaced by Monster Truck), but I wasn’t aware of why until now. Turns out the band had been on the ropes and it didn’t look like they would be continuing following the departure of long-time drummer Steve “Stevo32” Jocz. These days, the band is once again producing new music and in the middle of a final tour (minus Stevo) that is set to wrap up in January of 2025. For the first time, lead singer Deryck Whibley recounts the rise, fall, and rise again of both himself and the band with his memoir WALKING DISASTER.
Deryck’s book is a wild ride to say the least. The fact that he is still alive today is completely mind-blowing given the level of drugs and alcohol he subjected himself to over a near twenty-year period. There is also the sexual and mental abuse suffered at the hands of the band’s long-time producer and manager Greig Nori; something that has taken the music world by storm since revealed in the pages of this book. Those parts were especially difficult to read at times and made worse by the fact that Deryck felt he couldn’t tell anyone, even years after the abuse stopped.
I was completely unaware of the partying that Whibley and his bandmates were up to during their most intense popularity. Leaving trashed hotel rooms in their wake, fueled by ungodly amounts of drugs and alcohol were commonplace incidents for the first half of their career. Even life off the road wasn't any easier for Whibley as his relationships with both Paris Hilton and Avril Lavigne were tabloid fodder that left him with little to no private life. There’s even a story of a photographer who buried himself underground inside Avril and Deryck’s wedding venue the day before the ceremony. Unbelievable stuff.
I listened to this one, so I’d recommend the audiobook as there are moments where Deryck plays stripped-down versions of Sum 41 songs as well as a handful of cameos by musicians who read the quotes attributed to them. If you’re a fan of rock memoirs, this is one of the more intense ones I have read in recent years....more
Having read dozens of hockey player memoirs, they are rarely something that I get overly excited about. While I find both coaches and those in managemHaving read dozens of hockey player memoirs, they are rarely something that I get overly excited about. While I find both coaches and those in management often tend to put out more engaging reads, it's the players who have the harder time producing an entertaining story. I don’t know if you’ve ever watched an interview with a player but it’s a lot of cliches and boiler-plate responses as they’re well-trained in dealing with the media. Their books tend to follow this trend and can sometimes read like a game-summary about stats, wins and losses, so they feel sort of soulless. You get the odd breakthrough book like Willie O’Ree’s memoir or Ken Dryden’s masterpiece “The Game”, but most fall in the realm of average-at-best.
When I heard one of my all-time favourites in Mats Sundin was going to finally tell his story, that definitely captured my attention. When he tapped best-selling fiction author Amy Stewart to assist him, I was even more interested. What ended up shaking out in the end was a more or less average memoir, but full of heart and love for a team that I have spent the majority of my life cheering for.
I lived through his time in Toronto, so it didn’t feel like a whole lot there that was revelatory. The true strength of this book lies in Sundin’s upbringing and his development as a player in Sweden. He came of age and was drafted to the NHL just after the Iron Curtain had fallen in Europe, so his stories about playing with talented, young Russians who ended up defecting to North America were fascinating. The fact that he was a first overall draft pick and stayed behind in Sweden for two years to play with his home club while also having a part-time job is something that would never happen in today’s NHL. A by-gone era for sure.
As a life-long die-hard Maple Leafs fan, I will always appreciate when someone desperately wants to play for the team. Mats’ passion for the hockey club is so clearly visible all throughout this book and you really feel his disappointment in not being able to bring a championship to the fans of Toronto. He wanted it more than anything. At this point, it feels like it would take nothing short of a miracle to see a parade down Bay Street in June, but you can’t blame Mats given just how hard he tried to make that happen....more
Ji-won’s family life is thrown for a loop when her father abruptly leaves her mother for another woman. Distraught and hopeless, Ji-won’s Umma longs fJi-won’s family life is thrown for a loop when her father abruptly leaves her mother for another woman. Distraught and hopeless, Ji-won’s Umma longs for companionship while holding out hope her husband eventually returns. This all changes when Ji-won’s mother meets George, a middle-aged white man with questionable motives. Ji-won, overwhelmed from both a stressful home life and the increasing demands of her university classes, begins to have intense dreams about eating eyeballs. This is somewhat manageable, that is until her ocular appetite reaches beyond her nightmares into reality.
I was looking to get my hands on as many horror novels as possible during the spooky season last month and Monika Kim’s serial killer novel shot right to the top of my list. After finishing the book, I wasn’t quite sure that what I had read was actually horror. Was this more of a thriller? Is it important to fit novels inside of a genre box? I can’t answer that. I can certainly say it was unnerving at parts; mostly when it came down to the graphic descriptions of Ji-won chowing down on eyeballs.
Ji-won is a cleverly crafted character who, despite her abhorrent actions, is hard to paint as a total villain. Her main adversary in George is a dumpster-fire of a human being, so it’s easy not to feel bad when Ji-won begins targeting him. No spoilers here, but the last quarter of the book is where things truly shine and even though I found the first half a bit of a slog to get through at times, Kim sticks the landing in the end....more