Feed Your TBR - Port Luck

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

May 2, 2025

FROM GOODREADS: Nearly eighty years ago, the town of Port Luck was a thriving community in the wilds of Alaska. That was until a series of unexplained deaths and disappearances forced the townspeople to abandon their home.

The town has since been re-inhabited, drawing in new residents and businesses. By all accounts, the town is thriving. Until a body is found on the outskirts of town, shattering the illusion of safety and security.

Sheriff Johnny Myers is tasked with investigating the grisly scene. What at first appears to be a random animal attack soon reveals itself to be something much more sinister. As the bodies pile up, Johnny digs into the town’s tragic past, searching for a way to stop the cycle of violence.

In the wake of the ever-growing death toll, Johnny is forced to face the truth. The stories were real. And it’s happening again…

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  I just stumbled on this one last night so there isn't much of a wait at all.  I hadn't planned on featuring another horror book so close to the last few, but I couldn't help it.  I love a good creature feature!

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK???

Wow, How Creepy Are These Kids???

 

TITLE: Suffer the Children

AUTHOR: Craig Di Louie

PUBLISHER: Gallery

PUBLISHING DATE: May 20, 2014

PAGES: 343   

SOURCE: KU

FROM GOODREADS: Suffer the Children presents a terrifying tale of apocalyptic fiction, as readers are introduced to Herod's Syndrome, a devastating illness that suddenly and swiftly kills all young children across the globe. Soon, they return from the grave…and ask for blood. And with blood, they stop being dead. They continue to remain the children they once were...but only for a short time, as they need more blood to live. The average human body holds ten pints of blood, so the inevitable question for parents everywhere becomes: How far would you go to bring your child back?

MY THOUGHTS: I've seen this book around for years and was actually thrilled when my on-line horror book club, "Mel Screams," chose it as the April pick.  I had no idea I would have so much fun with this book even thought I was a bit put off because the author's Episode Thirteen wasn't exactly a hit for me.

The book starts by introducing the reader to a set of characters which will be revisited throughout the entire plot.  Doug is a waste management employee, and his wife Joan runs a daycare from their home.  They have two young children.  Ramona is a single mother who has a medically fragile son who attends Joan's daycare.  And then we have a doctor who runs a pediatric practice with his wife, a nurse.  They recently lost a child through a horrible accident and are still recovering.

One day, for no known reason, all the children in the world who have not reached puberty start dying off from something called Herold's Disease.  There is little to no warning and the deaths are sudden.  These death's travel around the world systematically and within hours, all the young children are dead. But then something odd happens, a few days later, the children start to rise.  Many of them return home but soon everyone learns that the children need to ingest blood on a regular basis and a pint of blood only affords them a few hours before they "die" again.  Furthermore, the more time that elapses, the more the children's conditioner deteriorates.  

I loved seeing the horror unfold in this one.  The book was extremely fast-paced, and it was interesting to see the lengths some parents would go to in order to gain more time with their decaying, dead children.  As to be expected, things get really rough, and the worst of human nature comes out and the reader gets a ringside seat for it all.  I completed the book in less than a day and although I know this is a book people either love or hate, I'm glad I feel more on the love side of things.  It might have even gotten 5/5 if it wasn't for the unnecessary dog death - BAD DOUG!

If you want a new twist on "vampires" and don't mind some gory descriptions of dead and dying kids, then this is a book you should definitely consider.  

MY RATING: 4 PAWS

Check Your Carbon Monoxide Detectors Everyone!

 

TITLE: Night and Day in Misery (Shivers Collection)

AUTHOR: Catriona Ward

PUBLISHER: Amazon Originals

PUBLISHING DATE: April 15, 2025

PAGES: 35    

SOURCE: KU

FROM GOODREADS: Room 17 was the last stop on her husband and son’s journey. Eight years after their deaths, Stella books the same room, hoping to commune with their memories. But as she tries to sleep, disturbing and urgent visions blur the lines between reality and the supernatural, and the other side sends a terrifying message.

MY THOUGHTS: I've read several books from this author and keep giving her chances.  I still can't decide if she is a good fit for me.  I didn't like The Last House on Needless Street.  I loved Sundial, but then Looking Glass Sound left me with a giant question mark over my head.  I have to admit it though, this short story really worked for me so maybe I need to focus more on her shorter works.  It has some pretty interesting quotes as well.

"Bridges are made to cross great heights, and over danger, so by their nature they bring one close to these things."

"'Welcome to Missouri,' he said. 'Or Misery, we call it.  It's a terrible place.'"

MY RATING: 5 PAWS

Feed Your TBR - DuMort

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

July 22, 2025

FROM GOODREADS: Mrs. Mina Braithwaite has never quite fit into Mydalla’s polite society. Her features are so different from the other noblewomen, more like the city’s foreign workers, and she chafes at all the rules. Then there’s the furious entity that has followed her for years, crawling from shadows to hurt her and staining every memory with fear. Desperate for help, Mina crashes a private gathering to see the infamous occultist Alexandre DuMort in action. She doesn't expect the pull of attraction towards the man, nor his invitation to join him in his work.

But DuMort has enemies, dangerous ones, and they dog his steps as closely as Mina's entity does hers. Mina must choose between her old life, and the angry spirit that stalks her, or follow the famed occultist down a new path, where even worse things might haunt her.

Like the truth.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  I feel in love with the cover, and I love all things related the occult in books. This one is a must read!

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK???

I Know Where I'm NOT Vacationing

 

TITLE: The Blanks

AUTHOR: Grady Henxrix

PUBLISHER: Amazon Originals

PUBLISHING DATE: April 15, 2025

PAGES: 36    

SOURCE: KU

FROM GOODREADS: Jeckle Island offers Rachel’s children the chance to spend summers roaming wild and free, as long as they follow the rules. But when her son comes face to face with a terror they dare not speak of, she must prepare for their perfect world to change. Forever.

MY THOUGHTS: This one would be really easy to spoil so I don't want to give anything away other than the synopsis, which I also shortened because it said too much.  I love Hendrix's writing and have read several of his books. I enjoyed this tale but honestly, felt like it needed a longer book or at least a novella.  I have so many unanswered questions. Anyway, here are a few of my favorite quotes.

"'I hate pickles,' he says, quiet.

'They hate you too,' I say."

"'That's what men do,' Tom Docks says, sitting under the string lights on our back deck, shucking oysters with a flathead screwdriver.  'Something goes wrong with the car, and they pop the hood and look at the engine.  They don't know what they are looking at or what to do about it, but they feel that caveman compulsion to stand there and scrutinize.'"

MY RATING: 3 PAWS

Beware of Trees That Walk

 

TITLE: Jackknife

AUTHOR: Joe Hill

PUBLISHER: Amazon Originals

PUBLISHING DATE: April 15, 2025

PAGES: 46    

SOURCE: KU

FROM GOODREADS: Dennis awakens something evil when he removes a decades-old jackknife from the trunk of a gnarled old sycamore. Once pinned in place—now thoughtlessly freed—the tree returns to its roots. An act of vigilante justice took place under its boughs long ago. But its taste for blood has only grown stronger…

MY THOUGHTS: This story is part of the new Shivers Collection from Amazon Originals. There are five stories in all, and my hope is to get them all read and reviewed soon.  Of course, since I love Joe Hill, I had to read his first.  And on top of that, look at that cover!  Isn't it awesome?  In order to avoid saying too much, which would be easy given their length, I've decided to do something different and just share a few of my favorite quotes from each one. Needless to say, I loved Jackknife, and it was a perfect one to start with!

"You had to make rules for yourself, and you had to follow them, or you were really lost."

"...in America, even disgrace could be monetized.  Even shame had market value."

MY RATING: 5 PAWS

Janitors Have It Rough!

 

TITLE: Janitors vs. The Living Dead

AUTHOR: Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason

PUBLISHER: Death's Head Press

PUBLISHING DATE: April 1, 2025

PAGES: 284    

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: In the pristine landscape of Serenity Canyon Country Club, situated in the majestic red rocks just outside of Sedona, Arizona, there is little leniency for anything grotesque. The staff ensures constant tranquility, their priorities glued to maintaining this slice of paradise on Earth in their gated community with private pools, a golf course and a members-only club. But when member Dr. Reinart becomes obsessed with his newest experimentations however, this facade begins to crumble. He unknowingly carries a parasitic virus into the neighborhood and his wife unleashes it when she decides to end their marriage swiftly and violently. Chaos envelopes the community as the virus spreads throughout. Once high-class ruling members of society shift into bumbling monsters covered in bile and decaying flesh. Their only salvation? The lowly janitors they dedicated their living days to belittling.

MY THOUGHTS: My thoughts after reading the first chapter or so was that this book was one of my first forays into extreme horror, but the note at the end leads me to believe it is actually more splatterpunk.  Not exactly sure of the difference but whatever it is, this was a wild ride I won't soon forget.

Stephi and her jerk husband Teddy live in an elite, closed-gated community outside Sedona.  Teddy is a lying, cheating jerk but he is also a scientist who is working a secretive government experiment. One night he comes home but unbeknownst to him, he is carrying a lethal parasite.  Something happens to Teddy which sets the parasite free and before you know it, the trusty janitors, along with a couple of governmental officials with guns and grenades, are left to clean up Serenity Canyon before it's too late. In the meanwhile, Teddy's coworkers are back at the lab trying to find a cure before the whole world goes to hell.

This book is action-packed from the first chapter and never slows down.  It wasn't really a book which encourages the reader to form any emotional attachments to any of the characters, but I will say the janitorial crew really stole my heart.  Speaking of hearts, this book is not for the faint of heart.  There is blood, gore, feces covered zombies, body fluids being spewed everywhere and as well as limbs and other various body parts.

This book was a fun romp.  I know no other real way to explain it but I think the action-lover horror fans out could really find this to be a hidden gem.  My only complaint was the extremely long chapters which seemed to make the story lag just a bit, despite all the action.  I will definitely look to read more from these authors in the future.

MY RATING: 4 PAWS

This book is almost 100% action.