October Reading Plans

After breaking through my reading slump with some Conan pastiche short stories last month, I jumped into Dracula by Bram Stoker this month. It’s been on my to-read list for a long time, and I figured this October was the right time to finally get to it. I have the deluxe edition with illustrations by Edward Gorey which I picked up during a Barnes & Noble 50% off hardcover sale a few years ago. I’m enjoying it so far although it’s slowed down a little after a strong start. Here’s a stack of some other books and comics I may or may not get to this October.

I always enjoy the book pics that Graeme over at Lord Samper’s Library posts on his blog, so I thought I would do something similar. Give him a follow if you’re not already doing so as he also posts lots of great book, film, and television reviews:

Lord Samper's Library (lordsamperlibrary.blogspot.com)

The stack:

Damnable Tales: A Folk Horror Anthology selected and illustrated by Richard Wells

I picked this up recently when I saw that it had a couple of short stories that I’ve been looking for, “Pallinghurst Barrow” by Grant Allan and "Randall's Round” by Eleanor Scott. It includes lots of other great authors as well including Robert Aickman, Shirley Jackson, and M.R. James. 

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Bradbury is one of my favorite authors. This has been on my to-read list after reading his collection The October Country and his book The Halloween Tree which goes over the history of Samhain and Halloween. 

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson 

Another one of my favorite authors. I’ve been wanting to read this ever since watching the filmed versions, The Last Man on Earth with Vincent Price and The Omega Man with Charlton Heston.

A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny

One of my favorite books from another one of my favorite authors. It’s a tradition for many people to re-read it every October. I first read this in 2020 and re-read it in 2021 and 2022. I’m not sure if I’ll get to it this year. 

The Books of Blood I-III by Clive Barker 

Barker is an author I’ve been meaning to read more over after reading and enjoying The Hellbound Heart, the basis for the first Hellraiser film. 

Roots of the Swamp Thing by Len Wein, Bernie Wrightson, and Nestor Redondo

I’ve been a Swamp Thing fan ever since reading Alan Moore’s run in my university days. I found this collection at Half Price Books last year and had to pick it up. 

Dracula: Vlad the Impaler by Roy Thomas and Estaban Marato

Another Half Price Books find. I’ll read it once I’m finished with Dracula. This collects issues originally published by TOPPS Comics in the 90s. I found this in the reduced section for a couple of bucks. 

Will I get to everything in the stack? Probably not. But as usual, we’ll see what happens! I hope that you’re reading something good this October. 

Short Stories and Comics I Read for Cimmerian September, 2024

My original plan for Cimmerian September was to read Conan: Blood of the Serpent by S.M. Stirling and then some of the Conan paperbacks that I’ve collected over the last few years. Unfortunately, I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump lately and it didn’t help that I couldn’t get into Blood of the Serpent. It took me three weeks just to get through the first few chapters. I haven’t given up on it yet but I’m finding the first part really, really slow paced. So, I came up with a new plan. 

At the beginning of the year, I read “Conan: The Shadow of Vengeance” by Scott Oden and I loved it. Here’s a link to my post that includes a review:

We Learn by Writing: Books I Read in February 2024

I figured now is a good time to read the other Conan stories by other authors featured in the Heroic Legends series. These stories were just what I needed. 

“Conan: Lord of the Mount” by Stephen Graham Jones (Titan Books, 2023)

I enjoyed the two horror novellas I read by Stephen Graham Jones, so I was looking forward to this. It grabbed me right from the start. Fast paced, action packed, and Conan pretty much felt like Conan.

 

“Conan: The Child” by Brian D. Anderson (Titan Books, 2023)

Action, twists, and interesting characters. Written in a contemporary style while still feeling true to the character of Conan. Even though I could see where things were heading, this was a really fun read. Brian D. Anderson is an author new to me and this story makes me want to check out his other work. Scott Oden's story and this one are my favorite of the Heroic Legends Conan stories published so far.

“Conan: Lethal Consignment” by Shaun Hamill (Titan Books, 2023)

A young Conan is hired as a guard on a ship. Even early in his career I would have expected Conan to be more confident than he’s depicted here and some of the modern vocabulary took me out of the story. Other than that, it was a quick fun read. 

“Conan: Terror from the Abyss” by Henry Herz (Titan Books, 2024)

Conan and Bêlit face a Lovecraftian horror from the deep. A fast-paced story with an abrupt ending. The strengths of this story lie in its great descriptions and use of vocabulary. Conan praying to Crom felt very out of character though. 

“Conan: The Halls of Immortal Darkness” by Laird Barron (Titan Books, 2024)

I’ve heard good things about Laird Barron and have a few of his books but until now I haven’t read anything by him. After being bitten by a snake and having a weird vision, Conan is hired by a mysterious woman and an old man. As much as I liked the writing, I wasn’t sure what to make of this story until I got to the end, which really won me over. I really need to get around to reading more of Laird Barron.

There’s one story that I didn’t get to, “Conan: Black Starlight” by John C. Hocking. It takes place between his two books Conan and the Emerald Lotus and Conan and the Living Plague, both which are included in Conan: City of the Dead, which was published this year. I ordered a copy this month but it’s one of the books that I didn’t get to.

I did get to the Conan the Barbarian comic though:

Conan the Barbarian Vol. 2: Thrice Marked for Death written by Jim Zub, art Doug Braithwaite, coloring by Diego Rodriguez, and cover art by Roberto De La Torre. (Titan Comics, 2024)

Volume 2 collects issues 5-8 of Titan’s Conan the Barbarian comic. While haunted by memories of Bêlit, Conan joins a group of thieves for a heist. Of course, things don’t go as planned. Jim Zub continues to write a great Conan and the art by Doug Braithwaite is impressive, especially his splash pages.

That finishes up my Cimmerian September. I may read some spooky stuff for October but I’m not making any definite plans as I hardly ever stick with them. We’ll see what happens.

Cimmerian September

Cimmerian September is a reading event in which people read Conan stories, either Robert E. Howard’s originals, pastiche versions, or comics. Since I recently finished reading the original stories, I figured now would be a good time to dive into some of the pastiche novels that I’ve collected over the last few years. 

First up is Conan: Blood of the Serpent by S.M. Stirling from 2022. This is a prequel to Howard’s last Conan story, “Red Nails.” The book includes Howard's story and has some great illustrations by Roberto De La Torre who has done artwork for the new Conan comic from Titan. I'm also planning on reading the new book by John Hocking, Conan: City of the Dead. It includes two books, Conan and the Emerald Lotus from 1995, and its new sequel, Conan and the Living Plague. The original edition of Emerald Lotus goes for high prices so it's nice that it's included in this new edition. After these, who knows? I have lots to choose from as you can see below.

Here are Bantam editions and a Tor edition of The Road of Kings by Karl Edward Wagner:

Two from Ace by Andrew J. Offutt:

Three Tor editions by Sean A. Moore:

Four Tors by John Maddox Roberts:

If you have any suggestions for which Conan pastiche I should read next, please let me know!

Books I Read in July and August 2024

Only one book a month as the reading slump continued. This is the least I’ve read in a long time. I think I finally broke through as I started reading some Sherlock Holmes stories. On to the two books.

Psycho by Robert Bloch (The Overlook Press, 2010. First published in 1959)

I watched Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and a few of his other films years and years ago. A few months ago I started watching his films from the beginning. I’m taking a break from them now but wanted to read Bloch’s original book before re-watching Psycho. The book really gets into the head of Norman Bates. Parts of it are a little dated but it was a suspenseful read, even with knowing the major plot points from watching Hitchcock’s film adaptation.

The Carter of La Providence by Georges Simenon (Penguin Classics, 2014. First published in 1931)

This is the second book in the long running Inspector Maigret series. In this one Maigret investigates after a body is found by a canal in the French countryside. The story is okay but where it really shines is with the atmosphere as Maigret traipses through the gloomy countryside in the pouring rain. As it’s an early book in the series, Simenon is still getting a handle on the character. Will be reading more. 

September Reading Plans 

Besides continuing with The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, I’m planning on reading some Conan pastiche for a reading event called Cimmerian September. I have plenty of books on the shelf to choose from and I’ll post some pics. We’ll see what happens though as I never do well with reading events. 

Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy

My reading slump continues. I haven’t been reading much but I have been watching stuff. I just finished a rewatch of Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy, aka The Man with No Name Trilogy even though Eastwood's character is named in each film, a marketing gimmick dreamed up by American distributor United Artists.

Leone is one of my favorite directors and this loose trilogy includes some of my favorite spaghetti westerns. You can really see Sergio Leone growing as a director with each film. Watched on Blu-ray as I’m slowly rebuilding my physical media collection. It’s nice to have a library of my favorite films and I love watching the extras that are included. 

A Fistful of Dollars (1964)

Yojimbo as a western with Clint Eastwood in the starring role. Loved the soundtrack, the direction, the way the shots were framed, all the close-ups, and how they all moved the story forward. 

For a Few Dollars More (1965)

After A Fistful of Dollars, Sergio Leone ups his game story-wise, direction-wise, and final shootout-wise with For a Few Dollars More. I loved seeing Clint Eastwood paired up with Lee Van Cleef. I still prefer A Fistful of Dollars over this one though. 

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)

Extended version. I really like how Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach play off of each other. There were lots of scenes where Leone just lets the camera tell the story and I loved it. It’s a long movie but all the sweeping vistas, the character moments, the twists and turns, as well as the direction and that amazing soundtrack from Ennio Morricone, held my attention throughout. From the character introductions to the final shootout, a spaghetti Western masterpiece that includes a strong anti-war message. 

For future viewing: Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), which has been on my to-watch list for quite a long time.

Reading Books vs. Collecting Books

I recently saw some discussion on the Whetstone sword & sorcery Discord server about reading vs. collecting books and getting to the point of having so many books that you’ll never be able to read them all. It got me thinking about all the books I have.

Not all readers are also collectors but I sure am. I love spending time browsing independent and used bookstores. I think of myself as a reader first, but as a collector I’m always on the lookout for something interesting or books by favorite authors I haven’t read yet. I order books when I have to but finding something in the wild is so much more fun than ordering online. My ever-growing collection includes paperbacks and hardcovers as well as a huge number of books on my Kindle. 

Here are some quotes from writers that have helped me deal with the fact that I’m never going to read “all the books.”

This one puts a positive spin on things:

“Every morning, I have woken up knowing that I will never run out of books to read.” 

— Kenzaburo Oe 

I really like this quote which describes books as things in life we need:

“It is foolish to think that you have to read all the books you buy, as it is foolish to criticize those who buy more books than they will ever be able to read. It would be like saying that you should use all the cutlery or glasses or screwdrivers or drill bits you bought before buying new ones. There are things in life that we need to always have plenty of supplies, even if we will only use a small portion. If, for example, we consider books as medicine, we understand that it is good to have many at home rather than a few: when you want to feel better, then go to the ‘medicine closet’ and choose a book. Not a random one, but the right book for that moment.” — Umberto Eco

To me reading and collecting are two different things and I think of my collection as my library. So, to finish up I’ll end with one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite authors. 

“Who wants a library full of books you’ve already read?” — Harlan Ellison from “Paladin of the Lost Hour” 

Books I Read in June 2024

Three books this month. I was planning on reading more, including some westerns for June on the Range, but I fell into a real reading slump towards the end of the month. I think a combination of the summer heat and some long hours at work did me in. 

The Conquering Sword of Conan by Robert E. Howard (Ballantine Books, 2005)

This third volume of Del Rey’s Conan the Barbarian series collects Robert E. Howard’s final Conan stories as well as a number of extras. While two of the stories came across as standard Conan sword & sorcery tales, Howard tried new things with the other three after becoming influenced by stories of the American frontier. As with the previous volumes I liked some stories more than others but the collection as a whole is outstanding. 

Doctor Who and An Unearthly Child by Terrance Dicks (Target Books, 1981)

Watching the new season of Doctor Who got me in the mood to read some of the Target novelizations which I have fond memories of.

This one written by the prolific Terrance Dicks, is of the very first serial from 1963, but not published until 1981. School teachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright follow their mysterious student Susan to a junkyard. There they wind up meeting The Doctor, entering the TARDIS, and they all travel back in time to the stone age. 

The Doctor isn’t as likable as he becomes in later stories and the adventure involving cave people isn’t as compelling as later stories, but it was interesting reading such an early adventure from when they were still developing the character. Written in a simple style, it was a quick, light, and fun read. I was also going to read The Pyramids of Mars, but that will have to wait until next month. (Update: I didn't get to it.)

Non-fiction 

The Celts: A Very Short Introduction by Barry Cunliffe (Oxford University Press, 2003) 

After reading Song for a Dark Queen by Rosemary Sutcliff last month I became interested in learning more about The Celts. I had heard good things about the Very Short Introduction series of books so thought I would start with this. I enjoyed some of the chapters but most of the book was a slog. It felt like three books in one. I found the middle chapters titled “Gauls and Romans,” “Britons and Romans,” and “Interlude: the story so far,” as well as the final summary chapter, the most interesting. The first half was written in a style that was too academic and dry for me and the last few chapters on what “Celtic” means today didn’t hold my interest. The Further Reading section at the end looks useful though. 

Here's hoping I can get back into a reading groove next month.