The Top Five Reviewed and Non-Reviewed Reads of 2017

Normally, I do a top ten of the books I read at the end of each year. This year, however, I read far more books than I have in past years. Because of that, I've decided to do two top fives instead, one of the books I didn't do a full review of and one of the ones I did. Keep in mind, "full" reviews, if I did a Brief Thoughts on it or discussed it in my 31 Horror Book Challenge, I'm counting it as a non-reviewed one.

That may seem like an odd distinction, however, I go into books I plan on doing reviews on with a different mindset than books I read just for pleasure. So the division makes perfect sense in my mind.

Let's get into the books.

Non-Reviewed

5. The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Part campus novel, part noir story. It took me some time to really get into this book, but once I did, I absolutely loved it.

4. Angel Dust Apocalypse by Jeremy Robert Johnson

A mix of bizarro, crime, and experimental fiction that moves through each genre flawlessly. This is easily one of the best short story collections I've ever read.

3. Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music by Irwin Chusid 

An entertaining encyclopedia of some of the weirdest music and the people who make it. 

2. Savage Night by Jim Thompson

Like Thompson's The Killer Inside Me, this book deals with repression in mid-20th century America in the guise of a pulp crime story. This has one of the most baffling, but beautifully terrifying endings I've read in a novel. 

1. No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai

This book is up there with Camus's The Stranger and Houellebecq's Whatever as one of the best existential works I've ever read. An incredible and painful work of genius.

Non-Reviewed Honorable Mentions 

- White Jazz by James Ellroy
-  I Am Suicide by Philip LoPresti
-  The Impossible by Georges Bataille

Reviewed

5. What We Build Upon the Ruins by Giano Cromley

Another short story collection up there with the best I've ever read. Sad stories about building upon a past that can never be revived. (Full review)

4. In the Woods of Memory by Shun Medoruma 

The first English translation of the Okinawan author. It's an amazing examination of how tragedy lingers with the people it directly affects and those around it. (Full review)

3. Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix 

An excellent and informative look at the books from the horror fiction boom from the 70s and the 80s. This book is a horror fan's dream. (Full review)

2. Hell Hound by Ken Greenhall

Existential horror from the 1970s that I'm thankful is back in print. (Full review in print) 

1. ANSWER Me! All Four Issues, edited by Jim and Debbie Goad

All four issues of the most offensive zine ever created in one volume. An absolutely essential read. (Full review)

Reviewed Honorable Mentions 

- Cartoons in the Suicide Forest by Leza Cantoral (Full review)
- Liquid Status by Bradley Sands (Full review)
- Sorry, Wrong Country by Konstantine Paradias (Full review)

Book Review: Diary of an Oxygen Thief by Anonymous

Diary of an Oxygen Thief by Anonymous 

The unnamed Oxygen Thief is a recovering alcoholic who enjoyed emotionally hurting women when he was drinking. Five years sober, he moves from London to take a job in Minnesota. On a business trip to New York, he falls head over heels for a woman who ends up hurting him as bad as he hurt others.

I was intrigued enough to pick this up despite the embarrassing synopsis that the book is like "an alcoholic Holden Caulfield dating Lolita in Bright Lights, Big City." Which makes even less sense after having read it.

While nothing groundbreaking, it's still an enjoyable read. When the O2 Thief verbally abuses one of his girlfriends at the beginning and then gets humiliated by the woman he's in love with at the end, both are appropriately cringe-inducing. Some of the observations about winter in the Midwest and corporate America are also entertaining, though not exactly saying anything new.

Despite the book seeming to be very "love it or hate it" given the mixed reviews, I can't say I felt particularly strongly about it. I can't see what it is about the book that made it a cult hit when it was first self-published to the point that it was eventually picked up by Simon & Schuster.

I might pick up the sequel, Chameleon in a Kaleidoscope (the anonymous author comes up with great titles, I'll give them that), at some point. I'm not in a hurry to do so though. 

Buy Diary of an Oxygen Thief by Anonymous here.

Book Review: Hate From The Sky by Sean M. Thompson

The Sky hates Kyle and Kyle has no idea why. It keeps tormenting him, sending winds, rocks, and

rain to ruin his home, his job, and relationships. With nothing else left for him, he sets off on a journey to either make peace with the Sky or escape it altogether.

“There wasn’t a time of the day or night when Kyle was safe from the atmospheric onslaught. Heavy wind rattled the house, sending tree branches and stones through the glass, through the walls, no matter how late.”

The story here is very picaresque. There's not really a strong plot here. Kyle wanders from place to place getting fucked over by the Sky, emissaries of the Sky, or just most of the people that Kyle runs into. Despite the lack of a strong plot, Thompson keeps it moving in a fun and engaging manner.

The strongest point of this novella is just how funny it is. This is a bizarro book, so one can expect goofy weirdness. While this one isn't as “off the wall” as some other bizarro books, he uses the weird moments to great effect. One of the funniest moments is when Kyle allows himself to get raped by a living bathroom in exchange for information on how to stop the Sky's wrath. The description of it is something to behold.

“The bathroom moaned, and Kyle felt the cold of a metal faucet stretch him, and he cried out. The pain was intense,and he yelled at the phantom to stop, to slow down, to fucking grab some lube or something, but it didn’t stop.”

My favorite moment is where Kyle is arrested by a police officer who's more interested in telling him terrible jokes than with anything else. This part had me laughing hard.

“'Can you hand me your sidearm? That was fucking awful.'

'Are you threatening a police officer, son.'

'No, I am hoping that maybe I can shoot a hole in my head and hit my memory of hearing that terrible fucking joke as the bullet comes out the other side.'”

As funny as this book is, it makes no secret of the fact that Kyle is profoundly affected by how the Sky is treating him. He grows more and more desperate, hurting and humiliating himself and eventually others in his attempts to appease the sky. It eventually drives him to an extremely dark place.

If I had one complaint about this book, it's the ending. I'm avoiding spoilers so I won't go into specifics, but it felt very much like a deus ex machina. It seemed very forced and rushed. Thompson is a competent enough writer that the way he goes about this doesn't ruin the book, but it still feels very much like a cop out, especially given what happens right before the ending.

Despite the weak ending, Hate from the Sky is one of the funniest bizarro books I've read in a while. It's a short read, but a highly entertaining one. If you like absurd comedy, pick this one up.

Buy Hate From The Sky by Sean M. Thompson here.

New Flash Fiction at Philosophical Idiot

B. Diehl of Philosophical Idiot has published another piece of work by me. This time it's a flash fiction piece called "A Very Young Something With Wings." As the title suggests, it's a playful tribute to Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings."

Read it here.

NEW STORY PUBLISHED: "The Arranged Marriage" at SOFT CARTEL

I now have a new story published! It's not a horror story, except maybe in a broad sense, so it's not in the spirit of the season. But I'm still proud of the story and I'm very happy to have it up at SOFT CARTEL.They describe the story as this: "a kafkaesque match is made in a lucid dreamscape."

Read it at SOFT CARTEL here. 

New Review in Red Room Magazine

I now have a review in print. The debut issue of Red Room Magazine has published my review of Hell Hound by Ken Greenhall. Head over to Amazon and pick up a physical or digital copy.

Month Long Halloween Party at Cultured Vultures

If you're friend with me on Facebook, you know that I'm doing a challenge to read 31 horror books before the end of October. I'm also going to be discussing the books I read each week over on Cultured Vultures.

I've already laid down some ground rules for the challenge. Next week, my first set of brief discussions will be up over there.

There may also be something even better coming out soon, but nothing is certain yet, so I'm not announcing it.