Book Review | A Primer to Steve Rasnic Tem edited by Eric J. Guignard

A Primer to Steve Rasnic Tem is a biography, a collection of short stories, and an analysis of Tem's work. It includes an interview with Tem as well as a non-fiction essay by Tem.

For over four decades, Steve Rasnic Tem has been an acclaimed author of horror, weird, and sentimental fiction. Hailed by Publishers Weekly as “A perfect balance between the bizarre and the straight-forward” and Library Journal as “One of the most distinctive voices in imaginative literature,” Steve Rasnic Tem has been read and cherished the world over for his affecting, genre-crossing tales.

Dark Moon Books and editor Eric J. Guignard bring you this introduction to his work, the first in a series of primers exploring modern masters of literary dark short fiction. Herein is a chance to discover—or learn more of—the rich voice of Steve Rasnic Tem, as beautifully illustrated by artist Michelle Prebich.

Included within these pages are:

• Six short stories, one written exclusively for this book
• Author interview
• Complete bibliography
• Academic commentary by Michael Arnzen, PhD (former humanities chair and professor of the year, Seton Hill University)
• … and more!

Enter this doorway to the vast and fantastic: Get to know Steve Rasnic Tem.

I absolutely loved this introduction to Steve Rasnic Tem. It's not only an introduction to some of Tem's stories, it's also an introduction to the author and his view on genre.

There are six short stories by Steve Rasnic Tem in this primer. Each story is accompanied by commentary from Michael Arnzen. I'm not big on literary analysis, but I enjoyed reading Arnzen's take on each story. I imagine folks who love analysis will really dig those sections. There's also a nice write up by Arnzen titled "Why Steve Rasnic Tem Matters".

I loved each one of the stories in this primer, and I think Steve Rasnic Tem really captured why during the interview portion of this book.

The writing process for most of my stories involves discovering what that emotional center is, and until I find that emotional center I feel there's not really a story yet. ... And as all this evolves I'm constantly looking for that emotional center - what the viewpoint character is feeling about whatever is going on, because in my experience it's the conviction of emotion that gives things meaning.

His stories are about the characters, and character driven stories are the best of horror for me.

Whether you are unfamiliar with Steve Rasnic Tem or are already a fan of his work, I highly recommend A Primer to Steve Rasnic Tem. I definitely want to read more of Tem's work, and I'm looking forward to diving into more Exploring Dark Short Fiction primers from Dark Moon Books in the future.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Review copy provided by publisher

Recent Updates and Currently Reading | November 11

If you are joining the Ladies of Horror Fiction team for the Rebecca readalong, the week one discussion post is live. I'm absolutely loving Rebecca so far. Daphne du Maurier's writing is so beautiful.

Be sure to stop by and comment if you are reading along with us. We are giving away a copy of our next readalong selection (to be revealed after Rebecca).

Posted Last Week

I'm starting to get my reviewing (and maybe even my ebook) mojo back.

Last week I posted reviews for House of Fallen Trees by Gina Ranalli ⭐ and Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. I just realized how extreme my reviewing week was!

Finished Reading

It was a rough week including no A/C (and I live on the Gulf Coast where it was still quite hot this week) so I only finished one book. It was an amazing book, though.

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Milk and Honey is a poetry collection and you can read my full review here.

Currently Reading

Return to Dyatlov Pass by J.H. Moncrieff - I'm enjoying this one.

The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur - The Sun and Her Flowers her follow up poetry collection to Milk and Honey.

Recent Acquisitions

Skyward (Skyward #1) by Brandon Sanderson - It was Lynn's review that sealed the deal with this one.

Dreaming At the Top of My Lungs by Israel Finn - This horror collection was recently a Kindle deal.

North: Finding My Way While Running the Appalachian Trail by Scott Jurek, Jenny Jurek - I grabbed this as part of an Audible Daily Deal. I enjoyed Scott Jurek's Eat & Run so I'm really looking forward to hearing about his running journey on the Appalachian Trial.

So what about you? Let me know what you're reading (or watching!) this week or leave me some links!

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

Book Review | Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

Milk and Honey is a poetry collection by Rupi Kaur.

milk and honey is a collection of poetry and prose about survival. It is about the experience of violence, abuse, love, loss, and femininity. It is split into four chapters, and each chapter serves a different purpose, deals with a different pain, heals a different heartache. milk and honey takes readers through a journey of the most bitter moments in life and finds sweetness in them because there is sweetness everywhere if you are just willing to look.

I've been interested in reading Rupi Kaur's poetry collections for a while now due to the huge amount of praise they have received. After being on a poetry kick this year, her collections made their way to the top of my wishlist.

As luck would have it, I ran into both Milk and Honey and The Sun and Her Flowers while doing a bit of after Halloween shopping. I did not intend on reading Milk and Honey right away, but I made the mistake of reading the first poem. After that, my entire TBR went out the window.

This collection was breathtaking, but it was also heartbreaking. Rupi Kaur took an honest look at rape, abuse, love, and pain in her poetry. Milk and Honey was a large collection, and like with any large collection of work, there were poems I didn't care for. Most of her poetry, however, was stunning.

The poetry in Milk and Honey was very accessible. While I understand some may shy away from the subject matter, the language was completely understandable and as a woman, (unfortunately) completely relatable.

If you are in the mood to pick up a poetry collection, I highly recommend that you seek out Milk and Honey. I will be reading The Sun and Her Flowers next!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Book Review | House of Fallen Trees by Gina Ranalli

House of Fallen Trees is a horror/mystery novel by Gina Ranalli.

“Two men have the carcass.” These words, heard over a crackling telephone line, change writer Karen Lewis’s life for the worse. Months earlier, her brother went missing in the small rural town of Fallen Trees, Washington. And now she finds out he willed his half of a bizarre bed and breakfast to her. “Two men have the carcass.”

Is this ominous phrase enough to draw her into the mystery of Fallen Trees? Is the answer to her brother’s disappearance located there? Or is it just a trap, something designed to draw her into a nightmare world and break her sanity? What horror awaits Karen in the House of Fallen Trees?

Why did I read House of Fallen Trees?

House of Fallen Trees was a buddy read with the Ladies of Horror Fiction team.

The Strengths

The cover was striking.

There was a dog in House of Fallen Trees, and she didn't die.

Weaknesses

My first complaint was the timeline. The main character's brother was missing. Between the nine of us reading the book together, we couldn't figure out how long he had been gone. The main character also seemed to be losing time/days in the beginning of the book, and I have no idea if that was character development (a flaky character) or plot development that was simply forgotten as the plot progressed.

The character development was really inconsistent. Did she love her brother? Hate her brother? Know her brother? Did she have social skills? Was she anti-social? There was no consistency with any of the characters.

House of Fallen Trees was very unoriginal most of the way through, and yet it still managed to confuse me.

House of Fallen Trees turned out to be more of a mystery novel than a horror novel. This would have been OK, but the conclusion to the mystery was unsatisfying for me.

Would I recommend House of Fallen Trees to others?

House of Fallen Trees made for a really fun buddy read, but unfortunately, the weaknesses outweighed the strengths for me.

⭐ Star

Recent Updates and Currently Reading | November 3

The Rebecca readalong starts today! Are you joining in? You still have time if you haven't gotten a copy of Rebecca yet! We are reading chapters 1-8 this week and will be posting discussion questions over on the Ladies of Horror Fiction website starting next Sunday.

Finished Reading

House of Fallen Trees by Gina Ranalli ⭐ - My review for House of Fallen Trees will post tomorrow.

Exploring Dark Short Fiction #1: A Primer to Steve Rasnic Tem by Eric J. Guignard ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I loved reading these Steve Rasnic Tem stories.

Currently Reading

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur - This poetry collection is so good!

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier - I'm reading Rebecca this month as part of the community wide readalong.

Current Distractions

Did you watch the Haunting of Hill House? It was amazing! I absolutely loved it.

I also loved watching Halloween. It is so worth going to see!

So what about you? Let me know what you're reading (or watching!) this week or leave me some links!

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