The Friday Face-Off: Current Read #31

                       

 Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme at Books by Proxy. Join us every Friday as we pit cover against cover, and publisher against publisher, to find the best artwork in our literary universe.  You can find a list of upcoming topics at Lynn's Books.

This week's topic is:

Current Read #31

I haven't done a Friday Face-Off in a while and I'm reading something that I correctly anticipated may have a nice variety of editions out there, so I figured it'd be a great time to revisit this weekly blog meme. This week, one of the books I'm reading is Stephen King's On Writing (and even though this book isn't horror, it feels like a good pick for Friday the 13th). I've heard for years how insightful this book has been for writers, so I decided to finally give it a go–and guess what? Everyone was right! I've been really enjoying this and appreciate all of King's thoughts and advice. I'll admit that I was a little uncertain at first because the first portion of this book feels more like a memoir before getting into discussing the craft itself, but then it all came together. But I digress–let's take a look at some of the different covers that exist for this book!

2000 US Paperback | 2000 US Hardcover | 2008 Polish

2007 Romanian | 2004 Spanish | 2011 German 

2017 Ukrainian | 2019 Arabic | 2023 Lithuanian

2018 Serbian | 2022 Romanian | 2019 Thai

2016 Romanian | 2017 Persian | 2020 Turkish

My favorite(s):

There were so many edition of this book so I couldn't include them all, but I tried to give a nice variety. I also felt compelled to include the three Romanian editions I saw because they were all unique and really stood out to me. My impression is that Romanians really love Stephen King since they have so many editions. The Turkish cover is a little funny to me because it looks like some sort of political poster or USA-style poster of Stephen King's face. The Spanish one does crack me up a bit because King's got a very fashion model pose going on, and I think the Thai edition is really fun and simple as well. My favorite is probably the 2000 US paperback because it's the edition I'm currently reading and I like the simplicity of it (and I love dogs, so...), but I like a lot of these. Which edition(s) do you like the best?

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Black Hunger by Nicholas Pullen, Polostan by Neal Stephenson, & Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy

   

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

The Black Hunger by Nicholas Pullen
Publication: October 8th, 2024
Redhook
Paperback. 400 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"A spine-tingling, queer gothic horror debut where two men are drawn into an otherworldly spiral, and a journey that will only end when they reach the darkest part of the human soul.

'A gothic masterpiece. A devastating exploration of humanity's capacity for evil.'​ – Sunyi Dean, author of The Book Eaters

John Sackville will soon be dead. Shadows writhe in the corners of his cell as he mourns the death of his secret lover and as the gnawing hunger inside him grows impossible to ignore.

He must write his last testament before it is too late.

The story he tells will take us to the darkest part of the human soul.

It is a tale of otherworldly creatures, ancient cults, and a terrifying journey from the stone circles of Scotland to the icy peaks of Tibet. It is a tale that will take us to the end of the world."

This sounds so good and delightfully dark, I can't wait to check it out!

Polostan by Neal Stephenson
Publication: October 15th, 2024
William Morrow
Hardcover. 320 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Termination Shock and Cryptonomicon, the first installment in a monumental new series—an expansive historical epic of intrigue and international espionage, presaging the dawn of the Atomic Age.

The first installment in Neal Stephenson’s Bomb Light cycle, Polostan follows the early life of the enigmatic Dawn Rae Bjornberg. Born in the American West to a clan of cowboy anarchists, Dawn is raised in Leningrad after the Russian Revolution by her Russian father, a party line Leninist who re-christens her Aurora. She spends her early years in Russia but then grows up as a teenager in Montana, before being drawn into gunrunning and revolution in the streets of Washington, D.C., during the depths of the Great Depression. When a surprising revelation about her past puts her in the crosshairs of U.S. authorities, Dawn returns to Russia, where she is groomed as a spy by the organization that later becomes the KGB.

Set against the turbulent decades of the early twentieth century, Polostan is an inventive, richly detailed, and deeply entertaining historical epic, and the start of a captivating new series from Neal Stephenson."

I've been hit or miss with Neal Stephenson, but I think this premise sounds like it could be amazing in the hands of Stephenson, so I'm all for it!

Sorcery and Small Magics (The Wildersongs Trilogy) by Maiga Doocy
Publication: October 15th, 2024
Orbit
Paperback. 416 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"Desperate to undo the curse binding them to each other, an impulsive sorcerer and his curmudgeonly rival venture deep into a magical forest in search of a counterspell—only to discover that magic might not be the only thing pulling them together.

Leovander Loveage is a master of small magics.

He can summon butterflies with a song, or turn someone’s hair pink by snapping his fingers. Such minor charms don’t earn him much admiration from other sorcerers (or his father), but anything more elaborate always blows up in his face. Which is why Leo vowed years ago to never again write powerful magic.

That is, until a mix-up involving a forbidden spell binds Leo to obey the commands of his longtime nemesis, Sebastian Grimm. Grimm is Leo’s complete opposite—respected, exceptionally talented, and an absolutely insufferable curmudgeon. The only thing they agree on is that getting caught using forbidden magic would mean the end of their careers. They need a counterspell, and fast. But Grimm casts spells, he doesn’t undo them, and Leo doesn’t mess with powerful magic.

Chasing rumors of a powerful sorcerer with a knack for undoing curses, Leo and Grimm enter the Unquiet Wood, a forest infested with murderous monsters and dangerous outlaws alike. To dissolve the curse, they’ll have to uncover the true depths of Leo’s magic, set aside their long-standing rivalry, and—much to their horror—work together.

Even as an odd spark of attraction flares between them."

This sounds really fun, and who doesn't love a curmudgeonly rival?

Review: Ruin Road by Lamar Giles

Ruin Road by Lamar Giles

Scholastic Press

Publication Date: September 17th, 2024

Hardcover. 368 pages.

About Ruin Road:

"Sometimes a little fear is a good thing...

Cade Webster lives between worlds. He's a standout football star at the right school but lives in the wrong neighborhood--if you let his classmates tell it. Everywhere but home, people are afraid of him for one reason or another. Afraid he's too big, too fast, too ambitious, too Black.

Then one fateful night, to avoid a dangerous encounter with the police, he ducks into a pawn shop. An impulse purchase and misspoken desire change everything when Cade tells the shopkeeper he wishes people would stop acting so scared around him, and the wish is granted...

At first, it feels like things have taken a turn for the better. But it's not just Cade that people no longer fear--it's everything. With Cade spreading this newfound "courage" wherever he goes, anything can happen. Fearless acts of violence begin to escalate in both his neighborhood and at school. Something monstrous is clearly at work and it's up to Cade to stop it. But just what did he buy and what's the price to undo the damage? After all, the devil's in the details."

 If anyone knows how to write a young adult thriller, it's clearly Lamar Giles!

First, is this not an incredibly striking cover that absolutely sets the tone for this book?  As soon as I saw that cover, I knew I was in for a ride. 

We mainly follow the POV of our protagonist, Cade, with a few chapters throughout that cover some background and provide insight into things going on with some other mysterious and dangerous characters in this book. Cade is an incredible kindhearted character who has genuine compassion and empathy for his friends and family, and this made it so much more interesting to follow him on this harrowing journey to see how he made his decisions and attempted to keep everything under control. He's an easy character to root for, and I think that's what made this a thriller that I felt more connected to, as I had someone to actually care about and want to succeed. Cade struggles with a lot in his life, and his resilience as a teenager is what really sets him apart. 

Ruin Road packs a lot into it in a short amount of time, touching on issues of class, race, family struggles, medical issues, supernatural elements, and more. This is a strong thriller with hints of horror sprinkled throughout, and it's one that is sure to keep you hooked and even a little on edge as you wait to find out what's going to happen next. The best part about Giles' inclusion of so many different topics and themes is that he manages to do so in a way that weaves them all together into a seamless narrative that tells a compelling and addictive story. I especially appreciated how well Giles captured the disparities in how Cade is viewed compared to other people at his high school, as well as the many additional layers of complications that follow him around as a black teenager, such as an incident that occurs on a bus and following interactions with police.

One of the big themes explored int his book is that of "fear" and how it can affect lives, both positively and negatively. I'll be honest that initially it wasn't entirely clear to me how Cade's wish for people to stop fearing him was being enacted in the real world, and the actions from various people didn't entirely make sense. I think Iw as focusing a little too heavily on the logical aspects of this and had a lot of questions, such as: how close did people have to be to Cade to be affected? does it last forever? what exactly happens and are they just not afraid of Cade or not afraid of everything? As the story progressed, It hik Giles did a pretty good job of exemplifying what it meant, but there were still a few things that didn't make sense to me. Fortunately, the nitty-gritty of this wasn't the crux of things, so I had no issues with still enjoying the story and understanding everything else going on. I also particularly appreciated how Giles did such an excellent job of showing how a lack of fear or burst in confidence can have a variety of effects, and while some may be positive, many more ended up having some stronger deleterious effects.

Ruin Road is also a surprisingly intense thriller that has some very dark angles that I didn't really expect–although having previous read Giles' thriller The Getaway, I really should expected it! Because of this, everything int his book felt like much higher stakes than I expected, and this really lent itself to the more highly charged atmosphere and curiosity to find out how everything would pan out. And let me tell you,  I was definitely not disappointed by the climactic moments of this book and eventual discoveries of everything happening. Giles doesn’t shy away from exploring the dark undercurrents of human nature and the lengths people will go to in desperate situations. There is also an incredibly bittersweet ending that I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about, but that I think was very brave and bold of Giles to do and left me appreciating his storytelling choices. 

Overall, I've given Ruin Road four stars!

*I received a copy of Ruin Road in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating.*

Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org

Month in Review: August 2024

Well, I've had some blog issues this week so this is the first post that's actually going up, but something's better than nothing! I know I''m a broken record with how often I say I'm shocked that the year is going by so quickly, but it really is crazy that it's September already! (I am so ready to get into the Halloween season, but I'm also still enjoying summer activities–it's still plenty warm, so my husband and I have been visiting the beach whenever we can, and I don't plan to stop anytime soon.) But before we can dive into September, let's talk about August.

It was a very busy month–once again–for a number of reasons, but the most fun reason was because I performed in my very first aerial performance a couple weeks ago! It was a group routine where we had some solo and partner pieces and it was an absolute blast (and if you're interested in seeing any photos/video from it, you can check some out here). I am so glad I had the opportunity to try it out and I was somehow not as paralyzingly anxious as I thought I would be. Based on this experience, I think I would definitely be open to doing another performance sometime in the future if I had the opportunity. :) 

In reading news, I read some really great books in August, including The Crimson Crown by Heather Walter, which was a highly anticipated release of mine. I also finally started the Dungeon Crawler Carl series and I am so hooked it's not even funny (although the books themselves are actually really funny and I'm having a great time).

How was your August?  Let me know how your month was below and what you've been reading!

   

# books read: 11

Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl #1) by Matt Dinniman

Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: I had a blast with this and am now kicking myself not starting the series sooner! I've been seeing people rave about this book for so long now and I finally had a chance to and it was the best decision. I listened to the audiobook version and I can't recommend it enough--the narrator is fantastic.

The Crimson Crown by Heather Walter

Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC

Thoughts: I really loved Heather Walter's Malice duology and have been eagerly anticipating something new from her, and this did not disappoint! This time it's a dark Snow White-inspired story, which I don't think I've seen yet (?), and it was a really great journey. I can't wait for the sequel!

The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey

Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: This was a really interesting sci-fi and I loved the concepts it explored, but unfortunately it didn't work for me as much as I'd hoped. Still, I'm curious enough to read the sequel when it's out.

Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis

Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: This was a really fun story that puts readers in the shoes of the villain--a villain who doesn't really remember that he's the villain--and it was such an enjoyable adventure. Rozakis' writing is full of wit and cleverness and made for a very entertaining time. 

Pay the Piper by George A. Romero, Daniel Kraus

Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: This was a really immersive horror that takes a deep dive into the culture of Louisiana and explores some interesting ideas. There's also a very colorful cast of characters to keep you company. 

Carl's Doomsday Scenario (Dungeon Crawler Carl #2) by Matt Dinniman

Source: Audible | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: This was a very solid sequel and just left me even more excited for the next book!

Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga

Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: I liked this literary novel that explores the life of a translator and the somewhat odd events that takes place. This was a really thoughtful book and I'd definitely read more from Ledia Xhoga.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: This was fascinating! For years I've seen people raving about Mary Roach and I always mentally put her books on my TBR, but I recently saw the audiobook available while scrolling through Libby and thought now was the time, and I can't believe I put her books off for so long! Her voice is so vibrant in her writing and made this somewhat morbid topic absolutely fascinating. I will definitely be diving into more books by Mary Roach in the future.

Ruin Road by Lamar Giles

Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: I enjoyed one of Giles' previous thriller/horror books, The Getaway, and thought this was another solid addition to his work. It didn't grab me quite as much, but it still had some really great messaging and explored some really thought-provoking ideas. 

Killers Amidst Killers: Hunting Serial Killers Operating Under the Cloak of America's Opioid Epidemic by Billy Jensen

Source: Audible | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: I have no idea how I got this book, but I saw it on my Audible account while looking for something new (maybe it was an Audible deal at some point and I grabbed it and forgot?) and decided to give it a go. It was really fascinating, and although I think the author strays around to different topics sometimes, it had really great insights into murders associated with the opioid epidemic and a whole host of issues associated with those topics. 

The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon

Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: This was really cute! I definitely see it for a slightly younger crowd than I anticipated, and I think younger me would have absolutely loved it. It's so creative and unpredictable and never gives you a moment to rest. 

DNF/To-Be-Finished:

None!

 

Mystery Lights by Lena Valencia
The Phoenix Keeper by S.A. MacLean
Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan
The Crimson Crown by Heather Walter
The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey
Pay the Piper by George A. Romero, Daniel Kraus
Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga

 Posts:

Month in Review: July 2024
Anticipated September 2024 Releases

Blog Memes:

Can't-Wait Wednesday:
8/7: The Naming Song by Jedediah Berry, The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk, & We Kept Her in the Cellar by W.R. Gorman
8/14: William by Mason Coile, Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker, & Evil in Me by Brom
8/21: The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart & Bitter is the Heart by Mina Hardy
8/28: Dearest by Jacquie Walters & Entitlement by Rumaan Alam

Anticipated September 2024 Releases

 

September is absolutely bursting with new releases and these honestly aren't even close to all of them. There's a huge variety of books coming out to kick off the fall season, so I think there's definitely al ittle something for everything. I'm extremely excited for so many (not that I could ever even dream of keeping up with them all!) and have really loved a few early copies that I've had a chance to read. Which September releases are you most looking forward? And, as always, be sure to let me know in the comments if I've missed any that you're most excited for!

The Naming Song by Jedediah Berry || September 24th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart || September 3rd -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik || September 17th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Spireheart by Travis M. Riddle || September 3rd -- Amazon

Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker || September 3rd -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Devils Kills Devils by Johnny Compton || September 24th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Empusium: A Health Resort Horror Story by Olga Tokarczuk, trans. Antonia Lloyd-Jones || September 24th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

This World is Not Yours by Kemi Ashing-Giwa || September 10th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison || September 10th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Thirteenth Child by Erin A. Craig || September 24th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune || September 10th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Tiny Threads by Liliam Rivera || September 24th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Dearest by Jacquie Walters || September 17th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel || September 24th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Bringer of Dust by J.M. Miro || September 17th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Midnight Club by Margot Harrison || September 24th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson || September 17th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Haunting of Moscow House by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore || September 3rd -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Scarlet Throne by Amy Leow || September 10th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio || September 24th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner || September 3rd -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Sleep Tight by J.H. Markert || September 10th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C.M. Waggoner || September 24th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Mesmerist by Caroline Woods || September 10th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida, trans. E. Madison Shimoda || September 3rd -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hirragi, Jesse Kirkwood || September 17th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Evil in Me by Brom || September 17th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma || September 3rd -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

At the End of the River Styx by Michelle Kulwicki || September 24th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell || September 10th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Night Guest by Hildur Knutsdottir, trans. Mary Robinette Kowal || September 3rd -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Colored Television by Danzy Senna || September 3rd -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

We Kept Her in the Cellar by W.R. Gorman || September 24th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Entitlement by Rumaan Alam || September 17th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Examiner by Janice Hallett || September 10th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

We Came to Welcome You by Vincent Tirado || September 3rd -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Lucy Undying by Kiersten White || September 10th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

What are your anticipated September releases?