We are back for my 2022 Book Bracket, today for the months of July and August, 2022. Here we go!
In July, I read two books that I loved! So this was hard… the first one was Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero. This appealed to me as it is extremely Scooby Doo inspired (with a dog and everything), which was something I was obsessed with when I was a kid. It is also cosmic horror, which is fast becoming a favourite horror subgenre for me. There are darker elements, and mental health isn’t really discussed in a positive way (though they still love the character with mental health issues), but it didn’t really feel as if the author was trying to make any negative assumptions about mental illness. The setting was good fun, and the stakes were really high. Reading it with the Fanciful Sister was fun too!
Small Town Monsters by Diana Rodriguez Wallach was the second book for July. I loved the premise. What if the Warren’s room full of cursed and haunted items was disturbed, and something got out? What would their daughter do about it? Obviously, the Warrens don’t star in this book, rather a fictional family. Vera Martinez’s parents are extremely well known in paranormal circles, and travel the world to help people. Vera has no such talent, and is left at home to attend school, being taken care of by her aunt. But a classmate’s mum seems to have gotten possessed, and he desperately needs her help. I loved the plot, and having a Latina main character was great as well, as we need more representation, but also because that can kind of ground Vera’s outsider status in reality, as she lives in a small, predominantly white town. This book is my winner for July!
In August, I read four books that I enjoyed. The first one was The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole. This was written in the eighteenth century and is often cited as the first horror novel. That’s why I read it, as I am obviously a big horror fan, and I read it for research for something I’ll be working on. For a modern reader, it was an ok book. Nothing especially spooky, but the atmosphere was involving. I loved comparing modern gothic horror to this OG, and how they have evolved, and things they still have in common. I am very glad I read this.
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware was the next read. A bit of a break from straight up horror, veering more into mystery and thriller. A live in nanny moves into the smart home of her new employers to look after their four children. A teen, two children, and an infant. But our main character is sure that the house might be haunted, and is perhaps being targeted specifically. The book starts off with the MC being in jail, appealing to a lawyer through writing in order to attempt to clear her name for the murder of a child in that home. So, you read the whole book knowing something terrible is going to happen, and you’re drawn in. You want to find out what happened. It was very atmospheric and extremely enjoyable.
Next was My Best Friend’s Exorcism, by Grady Hendrix. I was pretty sure I’d enjoy it, as I had read two of his books previously (Horrorstor, a horror novel, and Paperbacks From Hell, a nonfiction about vintage horror novels). I buddy read this with the Fanciful Sister, who luckily enjoyed it just as much as me (more than I think, honestly). After taking some drugs, Abby’s best friend Gretchen changes. It starts to look more and more like she’s been possessed. Abby desperately tries to help her friend, and often comes out looking like the bad guy. But she refuses to give up on her best friend. This is set in the 80s, so it has good nostalgia if that is a decade you enjoy, and the writing has Grady Hendrix’s signature mix of horror and humor.
And the last book of August was What Moves the Dead by T Kingfisher. This was my most anticipated release for 2022, and I really enjoyed it. This is a retelling of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Fall of Usher. I haven’t read that yet, but I am given to understand that What Moves the Dead has more focus on the characters and their lives. This book is set in a musty family manor that is in decay, is full of creepy mushrooms, and eerie hares. It has a nongender conforming character, who was awesome, and you know I love a house with a family crypt in the basement!
My favourite book of August was My Best Friend’s Exorcism! Pitting this against Small Town Monsters was difficult, but ultimately I enjoyed Small Town Monsters a little bit more, so it is my winner of July and August!
Rebecka O'Malley 