And, Yes, Yet More Suggested Reads

Below are 5 more suggested reads, just in case you still have no idea what to read next. There are so very many excellent books out there. And so very many adventures we can get in on, just by riding our armchairs!

The Stone Seekers by Jack Tyler

Jack Tyler is one of those writers who just doesn’t write fast enough for me. Doggone it. Nor is he a prolific writer. Double doggone it. He has but four books published and a short story in an anthology. I own them all.

My favorite is his epic fantasy novel The Stone Seekers. It is refreshingly different. No Tolkien pastiche here! And like any epic fantasy novel, it has a quest, high adventure, and larger than life villains. What makes this novel memorable, is the world building and the superb storytelling.

Tyler gives you a good story. A story that will take you places you’ve never been, with fascinating travel companions.

Get this book. Heck, get all of his books. They’re worth it.

Daguerreotype by Ray Zacek

I do not remember when I ran into Ray Zacek. Most likely it was on Twitter or Facebook. I do not know him even though we follow each other on Twitter and are friends on Facebook. We’ve never chatted.

However, what I do know is this: he is one heck of a good writer. I don’t own all of his work — yet. But I’m working on it. He’s that good.

He writes horror, sci-fi, dark comedy, humor, crime, and satire. And it’s all superb.

Daguerreotype is a tale of terror. A tale about greed and its unfortunate consequences. And like all of the Zacek stories I’ve read, it’s riveting.

Very highly recommended.

The Peach Widow by Zara Altair

Zara Altair writes historical mysteries set in Ostrogoth Italy after the fall of Rome. Her sleuth, Argolicus (who was a real person, by the way), is a retired civil servant with a knack for solving murders in a time and place where murder wasn’t a crime!

The Argolicus series of four (and counting) mysteries is well worth your time. A good way to pass a lazy afternoon, or the ride on the bus or train to work.

The research and storytelling bring this little known era to life.

So if you like history, or want to learn some history, and have fun doing so, and like mystery, then pick up these time machines and step into another world.

Good stuff be here!

Off Grid by Simon Osborne

To my knowledge, this is Mr Osborne’s sole offering — and it’s a good one.

Not quite a post-apocalyptic cozy catastrophe, it’s still close enough to get my attention.

Aliens come to earth and take over. The humans that remain are being hunted to extinction. And the pockets of survivors that remain are doing their best to avoid their decreed fate.

The story focuses on truck driver Harry Lennard and his quest to stay off grid, thereby avoiding the aliens, and to try and make a life for himself minus his family, who appear to have been killed in the attack.

The book is told well. Mr Osborne is a natural storyteller.

If post-apocalyptic fiction is your thing, Off Grid is definitely for you. If you like a tale of survival and adventure, then you’ve found your cup of tea in Off Grid. Good reading be here!

A Very English Mystery series by Elizabeth Edmondson

I am a committed indie author/publisher and a dedicated indie author reader. In fact, as a writer, I’m anti-traditional publishing. As a reviewer, I rarely review traditionally published books. As a reader, I very rarely buy new traditionally published books. I will buy them used.

However, the late Elizabeth Edmondson so impressed me with her Very English Mystery series, that even though it’s published by Amazon’s Thomas & Mercer imprint, I though I’d give it a shoutout here.

There are actually four books in the series. The novella, A Youthful Indiscretion, fits into the series between books one and two.

I grew up in the Cold War. The 1950s (the time period of the books) was a time when we tried to carry on life as normal, even though there was the underlying fear an atom bomb was going to blast us into oblivion.

Ozzie and Harriet were on TV, while we practiced hiding under our desks at school and read our civil defense manuals on how to build and stock a bomb shelter in the basement. The Red threat was on everyone’s mind, and we chanted Better Dead than Red.

Ms Edmondson captured the era perfectly in her books.

The series revolves around Hugo and Freya and their involvement with murder in the town of Selchester.

The atmosphere is much like an Agatha Christie or Patricia Wentworth novel, and packs the punch of a good spy thriller.

An excellent series. One well worth your time and money.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

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More Suggested Reads

Last week I made a few suggestions for your summertime, or wintertime, reading.

This week I’m back with a few more books that will enable you to take a vacay from your daily routine. Enable you to explore new worlds, solve crimes, and witness the world’s first surfing zombie.

The Omega Chronicles by Mark Carnelley

I’m a big fan of post-apocalyptic cozy catastrophes. A cozy catastrophe, in short, is a story about what happens after the apocalypse. These are stories about people and how they survive and how they rebuild their lives and their world. And hopefully make both better in the process.

The two giants in the sub-genre are the classics Earth Abides by George R Stewart and The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham. They are very much worth reading to get a feel for this important, if often neglected, approach to post-apocalyptic fiction.

Mr Carnelley has penned a superb addition to the cozy catastrophe. A tale about the lone survivor of the end of the world as we know it. To be the last person left alive… What would you do? Would you even want to go on living? There’s much food for thought interwoven in this masterful story of survival.

From my review on Amazon:

This book is no action-packed thriller. It is in the great tradition of Earth Abides. You won’t find zombies, or space aliens, or even triffids. This book is about what it means to live when you are the only one alive. Without diving deep into philosophy, Carnelley gives us a philosophy of life — a philosophy of what can make us have tranquility here and now, free from all the baubles and gadgets and so-called pleasures of “civilized” life.

Good stuff from the pen of Mark Carnelley. Don’t pass this one by.

Don’t Dream It’s Over by Matthew Cormack

This book is one mammoth saga. The tale of a survivor of the end of the world, at least as we know it. The book is written in the form of journal entries and McCormack does a magnificent job in handling what can be a difficult narrative form.

I’ve read a fair number of cozy catastrophes, and I must confess that this one is my favorite. The book is an incredible character study of the narrator. The book is also a realistic picture of what life after the end of the world would be like. In addition, McCormack lays out a very practical and realistic plan for the continued survival of humanity.

This is one amazing book. One incredible adventure. Do buy and read this book. It’s fabulous.

Entangled by J. Evan Stuart

I very much enjoy mysteries. And the older I get the more I enjoy them. Not thrillers. I’m talking the classic mystery as perfected back in the 1930s, and continued today by such writers as Sue Grafton, SJ Rozan, and Lawrence Block.

Entangled is the sole offering in what looked to be a promising series. I write “looked” because Mr Stuart has apparently disappeared. And that is a shame. An incredible shame. For this is a masterful mystery. Stuart tells a story that is part police procedural, part love story, and all pursuit for justice.

The writing is very accomplished. Few debut novels reach this level of accomplishment.

I very much enjoyed the book. And even though it is a solo offering, the book is worth the price and the time you’ll spend reading. Because Stuart sucks you into Sonya and Connor’s world. A world of deceit, prejudice, love, methodical detection, and fast-paced action. 

A superb reading adventure!

The Undude by Ben Willoughby

The Undude is the latest release by Ben Willoughby. It is a hilarious dark comedy about a surfer who drowned, his body never recovered, and then comes back to life as a zombie due to toxic waste being dumped into the water.

Mr Willoughby gives us a very funny story that takes a satirical whack at politics, social movements, and environmental pollution. And the Russians are definitely involved!

At base, however, is the message that people just want to be left alone to enjoy life and nature — nature that hasn’t been mangled by commercialization.

A thoughtful and very funny read. Ben Willoughby is one of my favorite authors. There be good reading here.

As always, comments are welcome; and, until next time, happy reading!

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Some Suggested Reads

It’s summer in Houston. Tropical heat and humidity. TG for AC.

The other day I was saying to my wife that when we lived in Minnesota we stayed indoors in the winter. Moving to Houston, we now stay indoors in the summer. And when one has to stay in it is a good time to raid the bookshelf.

Of course, in truth, any time is a good time to read a novel. From the comfort of my easy chair, with the AC on (or the heat in winter), hot tea at hand, I can take any number of adventures.

I can leave earth entirely, or I can travel to a fantasy world that only exists in the writer’s and his reader’s minds.

If I want, I can go to another city, or another country.

I can do all of that and never leave the comforts of home. Just by reading a book.

If you happen to be looking for something to read this summer (or winter, if you live on that part of the globe) I have a few suggestions for you.

Church Mouse by RH Hale

I recently re-read this incredible novel to refresh my memory and prepare for Church Mouse: The Change, which I’m currently reading.

How Ms Hale can generate such tension and suspense from her slowburn Gothic style is beyond me. As a writer, I’m in awe. As a reader, I’m in love — and chewing my fingernails down to the quick.

But tension and suspense aren’t the only thing. She excels at painting a word picture that lets you experience the setting. And she gives you characters that are so life-like, you’ll swear you’ve run across them in real life.

These two books are good reading anytime. They are amongst the best vampire novels out there. And they are so much more. They’ll get you thinking about what it means to be human.

Exit and 01134 by Crispian Thurlborn

Mr Thurlborn is one of my favorite authors. His imagination gives rise to fabulous stories.

Exit is a dreampunk tale that examines if we are truly free to do as we want and change who we are. It is a superb addition to the ranks of weird fiction.

01134 is another stupendous addition. This book examines loneliness. It examines choices we make, or don’t make. It is a book that takes us to The Twilight Zone.

Your Arms Around Entropy and Other Stories by Brian Fatah Steele

I love short stories. A well-written short story, IMO, is more satisfying than a long novel. I know there are people who don’t like short stories. I feel sorry for them.

Mr Steele is a very accomplished writer, and this collection of short stories blew me away. I went out and bought all of his books.

These are dark tales that will make you fear the dark. They are superb examples of contemporary Lovecraftian fiction. 

Keep the light on if you read these at night.

All of the above recommendations are dark, quite dark. Maybe you prefer lighter fare. If that’s the case, the next two fit the bill quite nicely.

Agonising: The Problem Page Letters of Jean Price and Raine Vincent by Ernestine Marsh

Ms Marsh has a knack for humor and the witty turn of phrase. She also is quite at home dishing out biting satire. You’ll find both in Agonising. You’ll also have to take periodic reading breaks to catch your breath and give your stomach a break from all the laughing.

The Garden of Jane Pengelly by Stephen A Howells

This book is a hidden gem. It took me completely by surprise — a very pleasant surprise. It is a sweet and tender paranormal love story. Not normally my cup of tea. No, not by a long shot. Yet, I was drawn in by Mr Howell’s wonderful storytelling. And yes, it brought tears to my eyes. Definitely not one to miss!

The above ought to keep you going for awhile. I’ll be back next week with more gems for your ereader or bookshelf.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

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