Review | Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes by Eric LaRocca

Source: review copy provided by the publisher. This is a review of my reading experience.

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes is a collection by Eric LaRocca.

Three dark and disturbing horror stories from an astonishing new voice, including the viral-sensation tale of obsession, Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke. For fans of Kathe Koja, Clive Barker and Stephen Graham Jones.

A whirlpool of darkness churns at the heart of a macabre ballet between two lonely young women in an internet chat room in the early 2000s—a darkness that threatens to forever transform them once they finally succumb to their most horrific desires.

A couple isolate themselves on a remote island, in an attempt to recover from their teenage son’s death, when a mysterious young man knocks on their door during a storm…

And a man confronts his neighbour when he discovers a strange object in his back yard, only to be drawn into an ever-more dangerous game.

From Bram Stoker Award® finalist Eric LaRocca, this is devastating, beautifully written horror from one of the genre’s most cutting-edge voices.

What have you done today to deserve your eyes?

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes combines three of Eric LaRocca's stories into one volume. I was excited to get this collection because I had heard great things about the titular novella Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke. I was wanting to read that one, and the other two stories were a bonus.

THINGS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE SINCE WE LAST SPOKE

Unfortunately, I felt like the horror in Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke was there just for horror's sake. It wasn't developed or believable - it was just horrific.

Lots of people have enjoyed Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke. That's why I wanted to read it in the first place, but in this story two strangers meet over an ad for an apple peeler and a few emails later things go completely off the rails in a way that I couldn't manage to suspense my disbelief, and I had absolutely no reason to care if any of this stuff was happening or not happening. Who were these characters anyway? They were agnes_in_wonderland_76 and crushmarigolds. You, dear review reader, now know almost as much as I do about these characters. I think the horror was supposed to shock me, but I had no emotional investment whatsoever.

Go into this one expecting horror - people horror, not supernatural horror - as the purpose of the story. You may love it. It's a fast read. I would have read it in one sitting if I hadn't required pizza. I'm intrigued enough to continue to the next story.

animal abuse, suicide ideation

THE ENCHANTMENT

Like Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, we are trust into a story without knowing anything about the characters. After making it more than halfway through The Enchantment, I'm going to put this aside and declare I'm not the target reader for this collection.

suicide, suicide ideation

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Recent Updates and Currently Reading | October 30

I feel like I'm back, friends. I've read all weekend. I've been writing reviews lately. I have a bunch of posts scheduled... I hope it lasts.

Here's the latest on my puzzle. I will be so glad when I finish this challenge.

Posted Last Week

Book Review | Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune ⭐⭐⭐⭐★ - Recommended for fans of Becky Chambers and Travis Baldree. Go read my review to find out why.

Finished Reading

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes by Eric LaRocca ⭐⭐★★★ - My full review will be posted tomorrow, but I have a hard time with horror when there's no character development.

The Clackity by Lora Senf ⭐⭐⭐★★ - This was creepy and imaginative, and I recommend for fans of Coraline. I'll post my full review next week.

Currently Reading

The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen - I started this last night, and I'm hooked. I will probably spend a lot of time with this one today.

Fairy Tale by Stephen King - I've been listening to this one on audio, and I finally got to pick up a print copy from my library. Even when I'm listening to a book, I still need to go back and forth to print. That's just how it is for me.

Added to the TBR

Sign Here by Claudia Lux - This was my Book of the Month pick. It's a horror comedy, and I can't wait to read it! I have high expectations for this one.

Currently Watching

Anyone watching the World Series? The Phillies stole game one from the Astros. Hopefully we can steal one back this week!

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This post is being shared as part of The Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz, Book Date It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Caffeinated Book Reviewer's The Sunday Post.

Review | Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune - Review

Source: personal purchase. This is a review of my reading experience.

Under the Whispering Door is a fantasy novel by T.J. Klune.

Welcome to Charon's Crossing.
The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through.

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead.

And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.

But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

Hilarious, haunting, and kind, Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home.

I've had T.J. Klune's books on my wish list for a while now. Thankfully, Under the Whispering Door was my local book club's pick for October. I went into Under the Whispering Door expecting a much lighter and more heartwarming (throughout) read. I wound up really enjoying Under the Whispering Door, but it was more focused on death and grief than I was expecting.

I enjoyed Under the Whispering Door a lot more than the other members of my book club. I feel like I need to point out the fact that there is no explanation for the way the magic works in Under the Whispering Door. This did not bother me in the slightest. I don't need rules for my fantasy, and I don't need explanations of how the magic works. No one understands how the afterlife works, right? But if you are the type of reader who needs rules for your fantasies and you want to know why things are the way they are and how things work the way they work, Under the Whispering Door might not work as well for you as it did for me.

In the end, Under the Whispering Door turned out to be as much of a romance as it is a fantasy. I think I really needed this type of read right now.

As I mentioned, there is a lot of death and grief and mentions of suicide in Under the Whispering Door so be prepared for that, but everything in Under the Whispering Door is handled with care. This is the first book I have read by T.J. Klune, and I would really love to go back and read The House in the Cerulean Sea.

One thing I have noticed in feel-good fantasies is there is a lot of tea, and I am here for that. I want feel-good fantasies, warm tea, found friends, love, kindness, and happy endings please. (These are all things you will find in Under the Whispering Door.)

If you are a fan of Becky Chambers or Travis Baldree, you might want to check out T.J. Klune's books as well.

 

4/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐★

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Recent Updates and Currently Reading | October 23

I have been in the worst reading slump. I've been blaming it on anxiety (I'm coming to terms with the fact that my job will only continue to get worse and not better). I've been stuck in this slump for so long now that I'm just not sure.

My slump has been affecting everything so thank you so much for still being here! At some point I'll snap out of it, and I'll be around more. I have such a huge TBR pile that I'm dying to read - I'm just not doing it.

It's been helping to listen to audio while working on this puzzle. This puzzle has turned out to be really hard so I'll be working on this one for a while.

Posted Last Week

Book Review | What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Finished Reading

The Doll in the Garden by Mary Downing Hahn ⭐⭐⭐⭐★ - I loved this more than I expected to! Full review soon.

Currently Reading

Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune - This was the October pick for my local book club. I attended book club even though I hadn't finished it and got spoiled to everything, but I'm enjoying this one (much more than my book club enjoyed it! lol).

Babel by R.F. Kuang and Fairy Tale by Stephen King are on hold until I finish Under the Whispering Door. I really, really hope I finish both of these by the end of October so I can refresh and start anew in November. (I promise I'm enjoying both of these - especially Fairy Tale.)

Added to the TBR

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes by Eric LaRocca - I actually said yes to a review copy. This is a rare occurrence for me, but I've been interested in Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke. This edition bundles it with two other novellas.

The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste - The Jumbies has been on my wishlist forever, and I found a copy on clearance at a used bookstore recently. WIN!

Currently Watching

I had to get a TV subscription in order to watch post-season baseball so I'm catching up on Shark Tank and watching shows like Master Chef. I miss having cable! We pay for a month here and there for sports when we have to, but it rarely feels worth it to pay for it year round.

Halloween Ends - I hate to complain too much because any Halloween is better than no Halloween, but this isn't one that I will want to watch again.

Noel Next Door - Countdown to Christmas has begun on Hallmark. Do you guys watch the Hallmark Christmas movies?

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This post is being shared as part of The Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz, Book Date It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Caffeinated Book Reviewer's The Sunday Post.

Review | What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Source: personal purchase. This is a review of my reading experience.

What Moves the Dead is a horror novella by T. Kingfisher.

What Moves the Dead is Kingfisher's retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's classic "The Fall of the House of Usher.”

When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruritania.

What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves.

Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all.

I bought What Moves the Dead because I wanted to read more of T. Kingfisher's work. I loved The Hollow Places, and I keep hearing such good things about everything she has written. Thankfully, What Moves the Dead was voted the September readalong selection by the Horror Spotlight discord group. it gave me the perfect excuse to pull it off the shelf and read it.

What Moves the Dead is a retelling of Edgar Allen Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. It had been a while since I first read The Fall of the House of Usher so I decided to read it again before reading What Moves the Dead. I'm so glad that I did! What Moves the Dead expanded on The Fall of the House of Usher in such a wonderful way. This was one of my favorite reading experiences of the year.

Edgar Allen Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher is very short and, in my opinion, not very memorable. But What Moves the Dead does an amazing job of keeping the tone of Edgar Allan Poe – the wonderfully creepy Gothic fungus covered tone – and expands it into a terrifying and memorable and even somehow lovable story.

I loved the characters and the writing and everything about What Moves the Dead.

T. Kingfisher does a really great job at creepy imagery in What Moves the Dead. There are several moments that are quite chilling, and I had so much fun with the suspense of it all. I think reading The Fall of the House of Usher as well really enhanced my experience with reading What Moves the Dead.

If you haven't read T. Kingfisher before, I highly recommend both The Hollow Places and What Moves the Dead. I would really love to read everything she has written. I think next up for me will be Nettle and Bone. That sounds like a perfect read for me.

 

5/5 stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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