Bark At The Ghouls

Here's another oldie that belongs on your bookshelves!



Swan Song by Robert McCammon
Horror Fiction
First Released 1987
Amazon | Goodreads | Better World Books
Facing down an unprecedented malevolent enemy, the government responds with a nuclear attack. America as it was is gone forever, and now every citizen—from the President of the United States to the homeless on the streets of New York City—will fight for survival.

Swan Song is Robert McCammon’s prescient and “shocking” (John Saul) vision of a post-Apocalyptic nation, a grand epic of terror and, ultimately, renewal.

In a wasteland born of rage and fear, populated by monstrous creatures and marauding armies, earth’s last survivors have been drawn into the final battle between good and evil, that will decide the fate of humanity: Sister, who discovers a strange and transformative glass artifact in the destroyed Manhattan streets…Joshua Hutchins, the pro wrestler who takes refuge from the nuclear fallout at a Nebraska gas station…And Sw…

I read this one awhile ago but there's no better time than now to make the rest of you read it!


The Mourning House by Ronald Malfi
Horror Fiction
Released December 2012
Amazon | Goodreads

Devastated by tragedy, Dr. Sam Hatch is a shadow of his former self. He travels the byroads of America, running away from a past he cannot escape. There is no salvation for him.

And then he sees the house. Like a siren, it calls to him. Yet the house is not what it appears to be. Is it a blessing, a gift...or a curse?


My Thoughts:

I often find something to bitch about when reading short stories and novellas because usually something is missing or lacking or characterization gets shafted in exchange for less words. Or, perhaps the worst sin of short stories, the ending is rushed. Don’t you hate that? The Mourning House is an example of how to do the novella the right way. It has a very small cast of characters, doesn’t attempt more than it should, builds with a slow, creeping sense of dread that slowly l…

Which female has the strongest survival instinct?


Predators by Michaelbrent Collings
Horror Fiction
Released September 2018
Amazon | Goodreads

SHE IS ONE OF THE ONLY ANIMALS WHO CAN CHASE A LION FROM HIS KILL... 

Evie Childs hoped the all-expense-paid trip to Africa would give her a chance at adventure. Maybe it would even let her forget a past that haunts her, and find safety from a husband who abuses her. 

HER JAWS CAN CRUSH BONE TO POWDER...

But when a group of “freedom fighters” kidnaps her safari tour group, intent on holding them for ransom, the adventure turns to nightmare. 

SHE KNOWS NO MERCY, ONLY HUNGER... 

Now, Evie and the rest of the survivors must travel across miles of the harshest, most dangerous environment on Earth. No food. No water. No communications. 

And they’re being hunted. 

SHE IS THE ONLY ANIMAL ALIVE 
WHO LAUGHS AS SHE HUNTS... 

A pack of Africa’s top predators have smelled the blood of the survivors, and will not stop until they have fed. Because in this place, you can b…

I love Chuckles Book Cave's feature "Around the Blogs with Chuckles" so much that I'm going to do one too. There are never enough hours in the day to be a creeper on all the blogs so here's a recap of some great posts and articles you may have missed while you were out living your life.

This was a crappy blog hopping week for me and a crappy week in general but here are a few bright spots that I stumbled across:
Fuonlyknew reviews PREDATORS by Michaelbrent Collings
It's a nail-biter of a read.Read Laura's review here.

Books, Bones, Buffy Shares Some Joyland Covers 
Who knew there were so many and that they were so striking? Check 'em out here.

Chuckles asks for Gothic, Classic & Historical Horror Recs
Go give her some here  Because, like the rest of us, I'm sure she needs to buy more books :)

Need some horror recommendations for October?
Gingernuts recommends five books that are almost guaranteed to give you the creeps. See the post here.

Ladies of …

Carole @ Carole's Random Life In Books has created a fun feature called Books from the Backlog to spotlight neglected and unloved books that have been sitting on your bookshelf for too long.
If you would like to join in, click the pic above to find out more.
My Neglected Book of the Week is WOMB 8 Tales of Maternal Mayhem by Megan Hart which has a 3.33 rating on Goodreads. There are only two reviews, however, so that's not saying much.

The Goodreads Blurbage:

The bond between mother and child is supposed to be sacred, but what happens when it becomes something else? Some mothers will do anything to for their children…even give (or take) their lives.

Featuring the stories  Rising Waters  Mother's Milk  Over Hill  The Killing Point  A Cheap Gold Chain  Cockles and Mussels  The Annual Grandchild Reunion  Blood Born 
Why did I add this book to my tbr pile? Author Megan Hart generously sent me this book, along with a bunch of others, after I complained that Netgalley had only sen…

This review is spoiler-free (unlike the blurb on goodreads)


Rotters by Daniel Kraus, narrated by Kirby Heyborne
Horror Fiction
Released April 2011
Amazon | Goodreads | Better World Books

Daniel Kraus's masterful plotting and unforgettable characters make Rotters a moving, terrifying, and unconventional epic about fathers and sons, complex family ties, taboos, and the ever-present specter of mortality.
My Thoughts:

Do yourself a favor and do not read the synopsis for this book. I deleted all of the spoilers so you are safe here. For some reason, marketing decided to spoil the first part of the book in the very first words of their blurb. I can only guess at why they did it (to hook people in? to lure them with the taboo?) but for me it spoiled much of the mystery surrounding the first few chapters of the book. I would’ve liked to have figured things out myself. I don’t usually whine about spoilers because I forget things easily but this is one time I wish I could go back and unread somet…

Creepy cemetery, creepy house, creepy people? It's that wonderful time of year . . .



The House by the Cemetery by John Everson
Horror Fiction
Released October 2018
Amazon | Goodreads | Better World Books | Flame Tree Press
Rumor has it that the abandoned house by the cemetery is haunted by the ghost of a witch. But rumors won’t stop carpenter Mike Kostner from rehabbing the place as a haunted house attraction. Soon he’ll learn that fresh wood and nails can’t keep decades of rumors down. There are noises in the walls, and fresh blood on the floor: secrets that would be better not to discover. And behind the rumors is a real ghost who will do whatever it takes to ensure the house reopens. She needs people to fill her house on Halloween. There’s a dark, horrible ritual to fulfill. Because while the witch may have been dead... she doesn’t intend to stay that way.
My Thoughts:

This is another book I read with a group of book buddies. I recommend reading all books with a buddy. It makes the e…

My first five star read this month!


We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix
Horror Fiction
Released September 2018
Amazon | Goodreads | Quirk Books
A new novel of supernatural horror (and pop culture) from the author of Horrorstor, My Best Friend's Exorcism, and Paperbacks from Hell.

In the 1990s, heavy metal band Dürt Würk was poised for breakout success -- but then lead singer Terry Hunt embarked on a solo career and rocketed to stardom as Koffin, leaving his fellow bandmates to rot in rural Pennsylvania.

Two decades later, former guitarist Kris Pulaski works as the night manager of a Best Western - she's tired, broke, and unhappy. Everything changes when she discovers a shocking secret from her heavy metal past: Turns out that Terry's meteoric rise to success may have come at the price of Kris's very soul.

This revelation prompts Kris to hit the road, reunite with the rest of her bandmates, and confront the man who ruined her life. It's a journey that will take her from the …

#fridayreads These are my weekend plans. Buy 🎃 Finish up @mbcollings PREDATORS, start the audio of @SarahPinborough's CROSS HER HEART & finally watch THE RITUAL on #netflix. Yeah, I know one is a film but that's what I'm doing & I'm sticking to it! What're you up to? pic.twitter.com/A9kljEiywN — Bark At The Ghouls 👻 (@BarksBooks) October 5, 2018
I also have some profiles to write for Ladies of Horror Fiction& a back yard to clean and maybe I'll finally take some pictures for Instagram. Whatever you decide to do, I hope it's fun! I'll see you on the Instagram & Twitters.

I love Chuckles Book Cave's feature "Around the Blogs with Chuckles" so much that I'm going to do one too. There are never enough hours in the day to be a creeper on all the blogs so here's a recap of some great posts and articles you may have missed while you were out living your life.
Is Retro Horror Fiction Making A Resurgence? 
Well, I sure hope so because I love that stuff! Read the Forbes article here.
Char's Horror Corner Reviews Hunter Shea's "The Devil's Tentacles" 
Oops, I meant "THE DEVIL'S FINGERS". The accompanying photo really makes the review pop, lol. Read it here.

Chuckles revisits a book about the invasion of the planet by underground humanoid cannibals! 
Read her review ofDEAD TREES by Eli Constant.

BookerT's Farm reads a classic from the 70's called BURNT OFFERINGS by Robert Marasco 
I read this one a while ago on audio and loved it. I keep meaning to re-watch the creepy movie with Karen Black. Read Bar…