Blogmas 2023, Day 5 – Reading Challenges 2024

In a blink of an eye, the first five days of Blogmas is done, I’m trying to finish each five-day chunk with something to look forward to next year, such as challenges. My reading goal for the year 2024 is going to be more than 50 books. And I’ve chosen two reading challenges to tackle:

Helmet Reading Challenge
Helmet is the libraries of Helsinki metropolitan area and they organize a reading challenge yearly with 50 reading prompts. Here you can see this year’s challenge. As of today, they haven’t announced next year’s challenge yet. I shall write a longer post for it when they announce the prompts.

Summerween Reading Challenge
I recently heard about this reading challenge, where one reads horror or thrillers or fall-inspired books during summer. But I’m going to make it longer and I came up with 56 reading prompts. I may or may not have already chosen 20 books that hits all of those prompts. I was bored one day, okay? 😀 This reading challenge of mine would also last three months, from June to August. Summer is not my favorite season so I want to feel autumn-y when the heat hits. I shall make a longer post for this when it’s closer to summer.

Tomorrow begins a new theme for the next five days! Stay tuned and merry Blogmas!

Hot Blood X (#10 Hot Blood Series) – Book review, part 1/2

Here is part 1 of book ten of the Hot Blood series, a little reading project to go through a 13-book series of erotic horror short stories. Here are links to my previous reviews:

Reviews for book 1-4
Book 5, part 1 and part 2
Book 6, part 1 and part 2
Book 7, part 1 and part 2
Book 8, part 1 and part 2
Book 9, part 1 and part 2

Reviews for book 10 will be divided into two parts. I will briefly review every short story, and also include the length, the level of the sex of each story and then a rating for the story. At the end of part 2, there will be a summary of the whole book. Let’s begin with part 1 for book 10 – Hot Blood X.

“In this tenth edition of Hot Blood, the “original” award-winning erotic horror series, fear has never felt so X-citing, X-quisite, or X-traordinary. Join seventeen of today’s top authors as they X-pose the evil side of human — and not-so-human — nature. “

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams – Short Story Reviews part 2

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King

“…Magnificent, eerie, utterly compelling, these stories comprise one of King’s finest gifts to his constant reader—“I made them especially for you,” says King. “Feel free to examine them, but please be careful. The best of them have teeth.”

Read part one here. And here is part two of the short story reviews.

Ur
A horror story about a Kindle from a mysterious source. (60 pages)

When I started to read this story, I got swept into this amazing alternative world where a Kindle exists that have an alternative world. They got the same writers but they would have written different stories. I was so charmed about the idea that I get to read stories by my favorite authors, stories that don’t exist in this world. I was so jealous. But then I remembered that it’s Stephen King and this dread spread inside my head. I have to say that I was a little bit disappointed in how this story ended cos it was quite different than how it began and I don’t think it was half as good as how it began. But I still gave it a 7/10, just for putting that idea of an alternative literary universe to fantasize about.

Story rating: 7/10

Herman Wouk Is Still Alive
The horror about witnessing a car accident. (20 pages)

This was somehow a short teaser of how usually Stephen’s stories go. First it’s filled with ‘mundane’ things that seem unrelated to each other, and then the gruesome portion hits.

Story rating: 7/10

Under the Weather
A husband, who takes care of his sick wife, has a serious case of denial. (15 pages)

One of those who creeps up on you, hints left here and there and some might get what was happening sooner or later. And the ending was spectacular, in a horrific way. Hope it would have gone on longer.

Story rating: 8/10

Blockade Billy
A story about a baseball legend with a dark secret. (40 pages)

This was a bit hard to get through cos I know nothing about baseball, especially not about the slang. So I guess this was interesting if you know baseball. Otherwise, the ending would be quite underwhelming and not really worth it.

Story rating: 5/10

Mister Yummy
A haunting story about old men in a nursing home, reminiscing about their past. (18 pages)

This is quite a subtle story, and I think in the end it was quite beautiful in a haunting way even though I wasn’t sure it was what Mr King was aiming for. I guess the end doesn’t need to be scary at all.

Story rating: 7/10

Tommy
A short story about the death of a friend. (6 pages)

This was extremely short but I quite like it. Unusually romantic too, the idea of it all. It is about hippies and how those who died young never ‘sold out’.

Story rating: 8/10

The Little Green God of Agony
What if pain is not just pain but a demon that creates and feeds on it inside us? A little green god of agony? (24 pages)

Almost sounds cute, a little green god of agony but this story is not exactly cute. It is actually quite nasty. It actually started out as quite compelling, a sort of ‘is it true or not’ till the end, in a spectacular King fashion, it lost me a bit. Cos the ending part was such a stark contrast to the first part of the story.

Story rating: 6/10

Cookie Jar
It’s about a mysterious cookie jar that always stays full. (23 pages)

I love stories of Stephen King that create something that would stir my imagination endlessly, it delights me very much. Just like that story about Kindle that’s the doorway to another dimension where authors would have written different stories, I love that idea. And in this one, ‘Cookie Jar’, it’s a similar concept with an ending that I really like, kinda open ended. And just like the Kindle, I would love to have this cookie jar. I would open a cookie shop and make a fortune. XD

Story rating: 9/10

That Bus Is Another World
Short and sweet and it was weirdly chilling just because I sometimes do the same thing – look into buses while I am passing them in another vehicle and imagine whole lives for the people I very briefly focus my attention on. But what if what you witnessed wasn’t anything pleasant but horrific? (9 pages)

If this thing that happened in the story happens to me, I’m not sure I could ever get it out of my mind. It would haunt me for all eternity. But this little story didn’t only focus on the horror, but on the way our lead chose to react and his reaction is somehow way scarier to me – the willful ignorance.

Story rating: 9/10

Obits
A story very reminiscent to one of the best manga ‘Death Note’, just scarier because there wasn’t a rulebook involved. (38 pages)

This story felt very well built, didn’t feel like a short story at all. The characters were written well too. It does sound like a terrible power to bare, holding life and death on the tip of your fingers, can you stop? But I thought it was a little naive in many ways thinking power like that wouldn’t have any consequences.

Story rating: 9/10

Drunken Fireworks
This wasn’t exactly a horror story, just big egos fighting over who got bigger and louder fireworks and of course it ends in bad ‘accidents’. (29 pages)

I find it peculiar to be reading this so close to New Year’s Eve when there are lots of drunk people with fireworks. Always find that thought more than terrifying. I do like the nonchalant but extremely violent ending.

Story rating: 7/10

Summer Thunder
The last story of the book, of course it’s about the end of the world. (16 pages)

I find it almost ironic that this is the last story I read in the last hour of 2020 as I rush to finish the 50th book this year. It’s about the end of the world and it was depressing but still somehow a little romantic. Also with a very fitting fuck you to the universe. I agree, Mr King, fuck the universe and fuck 2020.

Story rating: 8/10

***
Summary

There were ups and downs and mostly ups. This collection of 21 stories was full of bizarre things, fascinating things. This is my first Stephen King short story collection, and I would like to definitely read all the rest now.

My Goodreads rating for the book as a whole: 4 stars out of 5

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams – Short Story Reviews part 1

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King

“Stephen King has dazzled readers with his genius as a writer of novellas and short story fiction since his first collection Night Shift was published. ‘There’s something to be said for a shorter, more intense experience,’ writes King. ‘It can be invigorating, sometimes even shocking, like … a beautiful curio for sale laid out on a cheap blanket at a street bazaar.’”

Stephen King is known for his long novels. He takes his time to set up his stories, his worlds within the stories, and his characters. Every time you finish reading his books, you would feel like you are saying goodbye to some old friends. So I am more than intrigued to read short stories written by the master of horror himself cos, to be honest, I can’t see how he could do it. Yes, this is the first short story collection of his that I’ve read. I’m halfway through the book now and I’m really enjoying myself. And as for reviews for short story collections, I see value in writing short reviews of each story. In addition to great little stories, in front of every story, there’s a 1-2 page intro where Stephen talks about his process of writing that said story. And those little intros are as interesting as the stories themselves. Without further ado, let’s get to mini-reviews.

Mile 81
A nightmare at an abandoned rest-stop where a cold monster stalking its good samaritan victims. (45 pages)

I haven’t read anything this otherworldly from Stephen King in a while. I have to admit, these aren’t necessarily my favorites although they sure are entertaining while it lasts. I’m not saying I don’t like supernatural things in my horror but this particular type is not my fave.

Story rating: 6/10

Premium Harmony
One absurd afternoon in a grocery store, strategy struck a long-married couple. Sometimes grief is the scariest thing of all. (11 pages)

A stark contrast to the first story, ‘Premium Harmony’ has its feet sternly on the ground, giving us one of the most brutal moments that can happen in our life. The absurd focus on some details is what made this such a gruesomely realistic take on life and death itself.

Story rating: 8/10

Batman and Robin Have an Altercation
Just another lunch at Applebee’s between a son and a dementia-suffering dad and on their drive home, drama happened with unexpected consequences. (12 pages)

Another similar story, this time instead of a couple, it’s a father and son. It is scary cos it can happen to anyone, and the holy-shit of it all doesn’t hit you until after the story ends.

Story rating: 7/10

The Dune
A sandhill that does some mysterious predictions of the future. A story with quite an unexpected ending. (13 pages)

Back to the otherworldly stuff. One of those that would make you guess the whole time how it’s going to end but I still guessed wrong. 😀

Story rating: 8/10

Bad Little Kid
The devil comes in the form of a little kid. (37 pages)

One of the things about King is that he doesn’t give any breaks for kids in his stories. Evident from stories like ‘It’ or more recently ‘The Institute’, kids are front and center both as victims and as heroes. He subjects his young characters to terrific things sometimes, but he also doesn’t underestimate them like many authors do. And sometimes, more rarely, he made the kid to be the bad guy and in a twisted kind of way, I enjoy those stories more.

Story rating: 7/10

A Death
A suspected murderer was caught, his guilt or innocence was a mystery until revealed in the end. (15 pages)

I enjoyed how this story kept me on the edge the whole time. I wasn’t sure the reveal, in the end, offered any comfort for anything for some reason cos it’s not about being proven right or wrong, it’s about being disturbed to having doubts for either direction and still gone through with it.

Story rating: 7/10

The Bone Church
A horror poem. (9 pages)

I’m not much of a poem person, and I don’t think I’ve ever read a horror poem before, except Edgar Allan Poe and that’s quite a high standard to compare to.

Story rating: 7/10

Morality
A fascinating story about what a couple would do for money and how that deed would change them. (29 pages)

This was very gripping and got me reading till the end of the night. I have to say that I was a little disappointed at the immoral thing that the couple had to do, cos I guess my horror-loving sick brain expected more. What I found more interesting were the effects on the couple and the aftermath.

Story rating: 8/10

Afterlife
If you have a chance to live your life all over again exactly the same, would you? (12 pages)

This surely was interesting and kinda got me thinking. Personally, for me, it’s a no-brainer. I’m not religious so I don’t believe in heaven or hell stuff, and reincarnation just sounds exhausting. So I would definitely be the one who would choose the ‘lights out, finito’ route, especially if the other choice is to live the life that I had all over again exactly the same. I’m not saying that I don’t a good life, it’s just… you know, been there done that bought the t-shirt and all that jazz. How about you, which door would you choose?

Story rating: 9/10

To be continued in part 2…

Stephen Fry’s Victorian Secrets – Book Review

Stephen Fry’s Victorian Secrets by John Woolf & Nick Baker
Audiobook narrated by Stephen Fry

“Legendary British comic Stephen Fry is our tour guide to the highs and the lows of Victorian society. In popular culture, the straitlaced era is portrayed as one of propriety, industry, prudishness, and piety. But scratch the surface and you’ll find haunting tales of scandal, sadism, sex, madness, malice, and murder.

“They were us in different dress and slightly different codes,” says Fry, whose signature wit and whimsy are in full force in this Audible Original. Find the quirky, dark, and forbidden details and family skeletons that even the most distinguished and conventional households attempted to cover up and hide, as you listen for the humanity beyond the polished veneer of this most fascinating era.”

I love history and I love reading about different eras. My favorite is definitely the older ones like ancient Greek and ancient Rome history. English histories with its colorful monarchs throughout history are deliciously scandalous too but I tend be more interested in the time before 1800. I am not very familiar with the Victorian era so initially I wasn’t that keen to read a book about it. But then I saw Stephen Fry’s name attached to the title and that’s that. Stephen Fry is the gentleman who got me into audiobooks and his narrations remain my favorites.

‘Victorian Secrets’ is very well produced. The sound effects, the interviews, everything really got you into the time, almost like watching a well-made documentary. There are 12 episodes altogether, topics of sexuality, murder, entertainment and every kind of scandalous secrets are plainly presented to the reader through historians, found journals and other documentation. They were fascinating.

One story that surprised and touched me the most was journals found written by a Victorian gentleman and his slave. Not slaves in its ‘traditional’ sense, but in the sense of BDSM. They were engaged in a 24/7 Master/slave relationship way before any of these terms were known to them, I’m sure. The Master loved being served, and he adored his slave that he took as his wife too. In the journal of the slave, the love for her Master and the pleasure she took for serving him was evident. And it was a simple and beautiful relationship, and considering my own involvement in the community, I found it delightful to ‘run into’ this story all of a sudden.

This book made me curious about the Victorian era. After all, many famous authors lived during this time, the Brontes, Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle, Poe, the list goes on and on. Previously, I thought Victorian era to be conservative and quite honestly, boring. But now that I think about it, how could an era have been boring if so many classic stories came out of it?

My Goodreads rating: 5 stars out of 5
My Audible rating: 5 stars out of 5