Haunted: Tales of the Grotesque

I have finally finished reading Haunted: Tales of the Grotesque by Joyce Carol Oates. I've been looking forward to reading something by Oates for a while now, so I was very excited when I picked up this collection of short stories one day while perusing my local library. Joyce Carol Oates is one of the most prolific writers of our time. Though very literary, she incorporates many dark elements and horror. Though she's received many prestigious literary awards, most for literary fiction and not genre fiction, I am most impressed by her Bram Stoker lifetime achievement award (because winning that award is my life goal).

I am not used to reading and reviewing short story collections. I'm definitely more of a novel/novella fan because I want to be fully engaged and emerged in what I read, and most short stories just aren't long enough to really accomplish this feeling. However, I did enjoy several parts of this collection. Haunted is a collection of 16 short stories. The first four were my favorites, and then the rest seemed to go downhill. I absolutely loved the stories "The Doll," and "The White Cat," because they both dealt with a more supernatural theme. The tone of these two stories really engaged me and kept me on the edge of my seat.

However, after the first four stories were finished, the remaining twelve left me feeling uneasy. While I love psychological horror, some of these stories, though psychological, were incredibly abstract or did not seem to have a solid point. Some seemed graphic for the sake of being edgy and shocking rather than to express an artistic desire for darkness. Some stories just tended to be too melodramatic for my taste (and I'm usually a fan of melodramatic writing).

Overall, I would suggest this book to you if you are a fan of edgy literary fiction rather than just the horror genre. The prose is clearly meant for a literary audience. While I enjoyed the first four stories, the rest of the collection dragged and was not my cup of tea, but I did enjoy some of her style. I think that in the future I will pick up an actual novel by Oates before I develop a concrete opinion on whether or not I care for her writing.

Darkness Under the Sun

I recently read the novella Darkness Under the Sun by Dean Koontz. I've long been interested in exposing myself to some literature by Koontz because he is constantly being compared to Stephen King. I am a conditional fan of King: some things I love, some things I hate, some things I just don't care about. After reading this novella by Koontz, I do not quite understand the similarity many people see between the two (besides the obvious fact that they are men with last names starting with the letter "K" who write in the same genre).

This novella was very easy to read. It was fast-paced and never ever stalled. This is a huge plus for me because I have a short attention span and I get distracted easily. I purchased this novella for my Kindle, so I read most of it in various hallways, waiting for my university classes to begin. The story, about a serial killer, was not the same tired cliche that surrounds most serial killers, but it wasn't anything astonishing either. Basically, this novella is an introduction into the characters that appear in Koontz's novel What the Night Knows. Most novellas that tie into novels are nothing more than marketing ploys, and that seems to be the case here. The story was much too tidy for my tastes. Things developed too easily. This entire book was a prop to get people to buy the actual book that Koontz spent time writing.

If you want a brief, light read with a bit of suspense and a minimal amount of horror, then maybe this is a good novella for you to read. I'd like to talk about plot, characters, and other such technical things, but there just wasn't much there to analyze. I'm sure if I took the time to actually read What the Night Knows, I would have a much more developed opinion, but alas, this novella did not leave me wanting more. It didn't grasp my emotions with enough intrigue to convince me that I want to continue investing time in this world. I wasn't gripped by any of the characters, especially the serial killer. The topic in general wasn't unique enough for me. However, the writing style was rather nice, so I'll probably try a different Dean Koontz book in the future.

This Week in Horror

I keep lapsing in my horror blogging, and for that I am truly truly truly sorry. For the first time in a very long time, I keep getting distracted by this thing called REAL LIFE. Shocking, I know! I don't know what to do with myself anymore! Anyway, here is what I shall be blogging about in the next two weeks:

• Movie Review: Them (French Version)
• Movie Review: Let the Right One In (Swedish Version) 
• Book Review: Darkness Under the Sun by Dean Koontz
• Book Review: Haunted by Joyce Carol Oates
• Book Review: The House by Bentley Little

And, for those of you who love the show True Blood, I'm going to do an episode-by-episode review of season 2 while I watch it! I am very much looking forward to staring at Alexander Skarsgard for a while! 

Your Empress,

Mina

Let Me In

Dearest Readers,

Today has been the most productive day ever! I am incredibly thrilled that I can say this is the first time I've even had a chance to sit down and write something down because I've done sooooo much academic work today! I feel ahead of the game! I know that officially it is Valentine's Day, but as a single female, I do not celebrate such an atrocity....I celebrate Singles Appreciation Day (S.A.D.) So, happy SAD everyone!

Today I will be reviewing the movie Let Me In. Let Me In is an American remake of the Swedish movie Let The Right One In (originally a novel by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist). I'd like to preface this post by saying I have neither read the novel or seen the Swedish film, so my opinion is solely based on my experience with the American film.

LET ME IN:

This movie was amazing. It was hauntingly beautiful but not scary, so don't watch it expecting to jump or have nightmares. Though there is blood, the driving force of this movie is the plot and the relationship between the 12-year old vampire girl and the lonely young boy who cares about her. Admittedly, the story started off slow, but I didn't mind because I enjoyed just watching the lovely cinematography. The visual aesthetic of the set really solidifies the atmosphere of this story. The acting of the two young stars was absolutely incredible! They seemed so mature and believable in this film that I am now expecting very great things and very long careers for both Chloe Grace Moretz and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Also incredible is the fact that while the plot is a bit predictable at times, it is not cliche. The ending, while generally expected, still has several interesting details that create a heart-wrenching and bittersweet resolution.

Things I Loved:

• The chemistry between the actors and the incredible acting performance by the two main characters
• This was a vampire romance that was not sappy or Twilight-esque! It elicited zero eye-rolls!!!

Things I Did Not Love:

• I would have liked the movie to be a bit scarier than it was.
• The pacing could have been a bit faster.

Again, I hope everyone has a lovely day whether you celebrate Valentine's Day or S.A.D.

Love Always,

Mina 

True Blood and More....

Dearest Friends and Fiends,

I am back! In the not-so-immortal words of Lady Gaga, "I'm on the right track, baby. I was born to survive!" Sometimes, life doesn't go as planned, and it really gets you down. Well, the past few weeks have not been very happy, and thus, I did not so much feel like blogging! Alas, things must get better. I plan to force them to become better....starting with more blogging and horror immersion! So, let the reviewing begin!

TRUE BLOOD SEASON ONE:

Now, I'm going to admit, I read all of Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse books, and I was afraid that I was going to be torn between the books and the TV show....but I was not at all! I genuinely like both of them equally because they are so very different!

Now, for all you nay-sayers out there, YES, True Blood is pretty campy. It's not always the most engaging of TV shows or the most intelligent, but it's a great guilty pleasure! It's a nice diversion from reality, and it is surprisingly hilarious for such a dark show. However, I'd like to issue a brief warning: if you are squeamish with blood, sex, or swearing, perhaps you should avoid this show since it is rife with all three.

I found season one at my library (I work in a library, by the way...shocking, I know!) and I checked it out. I loved it so much that I actually went ahead and purchased season two from Amazon! It has already arrived in the mail, but I might not review it until spring break (Mid-March!).

Season one of True Blood started out a bit slow, at least in my opinion (keep in mind, that some "shocking" things didn't shock me since I read the books first), but as the season progressed, I really started to enjoy everything, especially the things that weren't in the books. I really enjoyed the major airtime of Lafayette/Tara/Tara's Mother. However (*spoiler alert*) I didn't like the Sam/Tara hookups because it seemed out of character.

Jessica's character does not exist in the books, but she made the last few episodes incredibly enjoyable! I am really looking forward to seeing how her character develops in the coming seasons! Also, Alexander Skarsgard, if you're reading this, I just want you to know that you are exceptionally hotttttt!

Things I LOVED:

• All the gore!
• Jessica!
• (Alexander Skarsgard) Eric's appearance!
• Pam's dry humor 
• Hoyt's gentleman-like behavior and innocence (it was endearing lol)
• Grandma Stackhouse (I wish my grandma was as awesome as Sookie's instead of being a psycho) 
• Tara's acerbic tone

Things I Didn't Care For:

• Sookie's air-headed behavior (This didn't happen constantly. She seemed strong and independent a few times as well, but this stood out to me more).
• Bill - He's sort of irritating and not very attractive
• Sookie's cat dying (I love cats!) 
• Alexander Skarsgard was not in EVERY episode....

Well, hopefully, this week will be pretty productive! I plan to review the movies "Legion," "Let Me In," and "The Last Exorcism" as well as reviewing the novella Darkness Under the Son and maybe another book review as well.

Have a terrifying week,

Mina Raquel Fae

Yeah, I suck, so what?

Dearest Readers,

This week, my blogging may or may not happen. Please, disregard my last post that gave you a lovely schedule....

I'll be back as soon as I get time and emotions sorted....

Love Never,

Mina

Musical Spotlight - Emilie Autumn

Dearest readers,

I nearly neglected this blog post today. Today has been a tumultuous soap opera of surging emotions! Thankfully, I've learned that I'm not nearly as alone as I generally feel, and so I can look back on the events of today with amusement instead of trauma.

Now, to the point:

Today I'm bringing you a musical spotlight on one of my favorite artists: Emilie Autumn. EA is an extraordinary violinist who once toured with Courtney Love. She has bipolar disorder and has suffered through abuse, and she sings about those subjects with such a haunting vulnerability. 

One of my favorite things about EA is the fact that she incorporates her extensive training in classical music with heavy industrial and electronica music and a stunning burlesque aesthetic. She is a true artist. In a world of generic pop artists with mindless beats and amateur lyrics, EA stands out with her poignant words and genuine talent! 

I am a massive literature nerd, so I love how EA intelligently pays homage to great literature with her songs "Shallott" (based on the poem "The Lady of Shallott" by Tennyson) and "Opheliac" (based on the character of Ophelia by Shakespeare). These songs really stand out, as do the heartbreaking "Gothic Lolita" and the very witty "Thank God I'm Pretty." Seriously, if you love both edgy and classical tones, if you have suffered through abuse or mental illness, if you just want to explore new musical talent, you should give Emilie Autumn a try! Also, for those of you who already love Emilie Autumn, she has announced that she's working on a new album called Fight Like a Girl, which she promises will be even more intense than Opheliac!

Now then, I'm off to pretend I care about the Superbowl! 

Eternally yours,

Mina