Welcome to our seventh post about the Horror A Month Storygraph Reading Challenge. This month we had a lot of horror books to choose from because the prompt was quite board.
July Prompt: Horror by an author you haven’t read before
Discussion of the Prompt:
I never do well with too many options and lately with wanting to promote more indie authors, I decided to ask my indie friends for help. SK ended up suggesting a horror anthology which I am keeping for another time and a short story collection called Owl Eyes Motel which is what I picked up!
My pick this month was Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix. I was intrigued by the premise and that it fell under the subgenre of “horror comedy” which also happens to be our prompt for next month! I was hoping that I’d be laughing through my fear in this book.
Ariel’s July Horror Read
Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix
(Find it on Storygraph and Goodreads)
Synopsis:
Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking.
To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.
General Thoughts of Book
This is one of the first times I’ve explored a “Horror Comedy,” and I’m very intrigued to continue exploring this subgenre for next month’s prompt. I have seen this author promoted with the book A Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, and have not read it yet. I was interested to give this author a try and found my way to Horrorstör. This was a wild book from start to finish. There were a lot of gross horror moments, sudden shocker horror moments, and edge-of-your seat horror moments.
The humor part of this book was very dry and sarcastic, and sometimes witty. I wasn’t laughing out loud, but there were a few lines that made me smile. I was hoping for it to be a little more funny. Also, It felt like almost every haunted horror trope was explored, in a very fast way, like I was on a rollercoaster ride and I was just being swept along from scene to scene. I felt like the story lost me a little at the end due to it feeling extra weird and otherworldly, but the overall format was immersive and really did feel like a satirical IKEA. While I’m glad I tried out a new author, I’m not sure I’ll be excitedly grabbing the backlist of Grady Hendrix anytime soon.
Kriti’s July Horror Read
Owl Eyes Motel by Barbara Avon
(Find it on Storygraph and Goodreads)
Synopsis:
The year is 1985, and there’s a storm brewing. It’s the kind that forces even the derelicts to retreat to their gutters. Each room is its own unique story; each chapter, a room. Check in at Owl Eyes and stay a spell, won’t you? There’s always room for the dead.
“Come in! Come in! Welcome to the Owl Eyes Motel. My name is Milton and I am the owner of this fine establishment, situated on Route Number 666. That’s six-hundred and sixty-six. Owl Eyes offers impeccable service. There is no lack of creature comforts at this here motel. At Owl Eyes, we pride ourselves on our attention to detail. Management kindly reminds you that we are not responsible for lost luggage…or souls.”
Content notes: Some scenes depict dark and sensitive themes.
General Thoughts of Book
I think of anthologies and short story collections as puzzles. I am always trying to find a common thread between the stories. While with anthologies, the theme of the book helps bring the collection together, when all stories are by the same author, the puzzle is more fun to unravel.
Folks stop by the Owl Eyes Motel for different reasons – they intentionally booked a room there, they accidentally ended up there, maybe they work there… it could be anything! Through the stories in this collection, I met a variety of characters and creatures. Each story was about a different guest staying at the motel and what they were experiencing and seeing was very individual to them. At Owl Eyes Motel, everyone is bound to meet their demons. Some of them look friendly and the meeting starts off very well, but as the story progresses, a darker side of the person is revealed – the secrets that have been buried deep in their hearts.
I enjoyed this collection! It was well written and sometimes made me jumpy. I liked the role that Milton played as the owner of the Motel and seeing him through each guest’s eyes. Definitely a place to visit through a book, but I am not going to stop by. 😀
Next month our prompt is to read a dark comedy. Do you have any recommendations?
Thank you for joining us for our sixth Horror a Month post! Look thourgh all our horror reads at our Horror A Month Challenge home page.
Cover image: Photo on Unsplash
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