bookshelves: short-stories, defies-categorization, post-modernism, experimental, challenging-literature Rating: 4/5 Read online for free: https://www.esquire.com/entertainment… Dang. Quite possibly some of Wallace’s finest, most powerful and yet simplistic writing. Judging from the minimalist, experimental, in-the-readers-face style, it was most likely written around the time of Infinite Jest. I could be mistaken, though. For such a short short story, Incarnations of Burned Children sure packed one whollup of a punch.

bookshelves: urban-fantasy, horror, comedic, arc, united-states-of-monsters, mythology-folflore, mystery, slashers, lovecraftian, grimdark, favoritesRecommended for: all slasher aficionados DISCLOSURE: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own. Starting with the opening paragraph, and building steadily throughout, the following set the tone and mood quite nicely: “Psycho Killer” by the Talking Heads played on the jukebox of the diner. The Last […]

bookshelves: horror, classics, psychological 5/5 stars Taken directly from the pages of King’s exquisite 1978 debut short story collection, Night Shift, “The Boogeyman” tells the story of one of the most loathsome characters (I don’t say that lightly,) I’ve ever come across, as he and his wife, Rita, are afflicted with any parent’s worst nightmare. Seriously, there were absolutely no […]

bookshelves: mental-illness, contemporary, kindle, abuse, indie-publishing, inspirational, writing I expected more from The Unexpected Life of Harry Chambers, mostly because a good friend wrote and self-published it. Say what you will about Indies, self-publishing has come a long way since its inception. The likes of C.T. Phipps,Michael Sliter, and Rob Hayes, to name a few, have helped legitimize the former “last resort” of publishing. In retrospect, it wasn’t […]

bookshelves: buddy-read, contemporary, mental-illness, history, abuse, writing, literary, addictionRecommended for: everybody.DISCLOSURE: I received a physical copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own. It was my own personal theory that most lifetimes could be summed up by ten to twenty moments, meaningful snippets ranging from a handful of seconds to a few spins around the clock face that […]

bookshelves: sci-fi, fantasy, gaming, technology, philosophy, litrpg, buddy-read, kindle, wuxia-xianxia, indie-publishing A big part of my excitement going into Ed White’s book stemmed from the fact that though I’d long-since been interested in what the LitRPG subgenre had to offer, I hadn’t read any. In fact, the only gaming type book I can recall reading was Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game.Not even the seemingly uber popular Ready […]

Holy WOWsers, Mercedes Murdock Yardley!!! You had me hooked from the first sentence, and it refused to let up until the last. Every sentence was beautiful and nuanced and purposeful, as every good writing should be. The dual perspective was a nice, needed touch, as I doubt it would have as much impact if it […]

DISCLAIMER: this is a newly revised version of my testimony of how I came to Christ. I originally wrote it in 2012, I believe. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come..” For at least a year, probably closer to two, I would read […]

I hadn’t heard of this one until very recently, probably because it’s not one of Dekker’s actual novels. It was only thirteen pages, but as usual, Ted’s ideas were clear, and his prose flowed with ease. His heart was on full display. However, Sell Out: A Discussion On The Hidden Secret To Writing (a companion tohis Creative Way style […]

bookshelves: to-read, classics, read-with-carter, artRecommended for: to anybody with the heart of a child. Rating: 5/5 stars I remembered liking the story of Wilbur’s plight, and of Charlotte’s bravery. But that was ages ago, I reasoned, my tastes in literature had changed a lot. They had evolved into increasingly darker tastes, to the extent that I’ve grown very passionate about […]