An Adult Fiction Reading Round-Up: Indie Edition…

Welcome once again book-herds to my Reading Round-Up! This is where I briefly display a number of books that have caught my attention recently, but that don’t quite warrant an individual blog post.  Today’s edition is focused on indie titles that have graced my inbox and Kindle in the last month or two.  It’s a mixed bunch – some I really got stuck into and some that I didn’t relate to quite so much.  So saddle up and let’s ride amongst the wild, indie tomes of the internet plains!

Cracking Grace (Stephen Stromp)

Two-Sentence Synopsis:

Sentient cemetery statues, a ghost and a bluebird muse on the meaning of life to while away the endless hours of statue-related boredom.  Meanwhile, young Audrey must deal with her father’s descent into madness brought on by his grief at losing Audrey’s mother.

Muster up the motivation because:

It’s original, it’s different and it features gargoyles.  Stromp has deftly mixed humour with depressing reality here and has also managed to squeeze in some deep philosophical musings without being didactic.  Also, it was mildly gratifying to follow Audrey’s father and be able to think, “Well at least I’m not as crazy as that guy!”

Brand it with:

Magical realism, talking statuary, the meaning of life, precocious youngsters, lunacy

See my Goodreads review here!

 

Shorts: Stories about Alcohol, Asperger Syndrome and God (Tessie Regan)

Two-Sentence Synopsis:

A young woman with Asperger Syndrome recounts funny and philosophical stories about her struggles with alcohol and her relationship with God.  Her stories are told in a combination of poetry and prose.

Muster up the motivation because:

Regan has a really engaging writing style and a very non-literal turn-of-phrase considering her Aspergers.  Many of the stories contain laugh-out-loud elements.  Those with a particular interest in reading about the Christian testimony of someone developing their relationship with God should enjoy the large amounts of God-related material in Regan’s writing.

Brand it with:

Humour, short stories, autobiography, Christian spirituality

See my Goodreads review here!

Island Fog (John Vanderslice)

Two-Sentence Synopsis:

A whole bunch of ordinary people have lived on Nantucket for hundreds of years.  These are a few of their (unexpectedly intriguing, mysterious, fantastical) stories.

Muster up the motivation because:

Each of the stories in this collection feels like a novel in itself, so for that reason, this is a collection that makes a good return on your investment.  There is something for most people in here, as the stories span almost every aspect of the experience of being human and as a bonus, each story features a different historical period from the 1800s to today (or thereabouts).  Those who enjoy engaging fiction of a historical or contemporary nature that features a twinge of the mysterious, ethereal or slightly unsettling will find something to get lost in, in this collection.

Brand it with:

Historical fiction, contemporary fiction, short stories, Nantucket, unexpectedly unsettling

See my Goodreads review here!

 

 

Gifts For the One Who Comes After (Helen Marshall)

Two-Sentence Synopsis:

A collection of strangely unsettling tales of the unexpected.  The dead scaly kitten-thing on the cover gives a good indication of the tone of the stories.

Muster up the motivation because:

If you are into close encounters of the weird and creepy kind, then this book will satisfy your cravings (you weirdo!).  The stories all feature an element of darkness and at least one fantastic, paranormal or violent theme.  This is also quite an extensive volume, with plenty of stories to dip into at leisure.

Brand it with:

The new weird, unsettling, mildy horrifying, Murphy’s Law, short stories

See my Goodreads review here!

 

 

Zeus is Dead: A Monstrously Inconvenient Adventure (Michael G. Munz)

Two-Sentence Synopsis:

After the mysterious death of Zeus, the way is opened for the Ancient Greek pantheon to take over the world once again.  Unfortunately for the humans, this vintage group of deities bring with them a whole bunch of monsters and egotism.

Muster up the motivation because:

This book is in the same kind of vein as Helen and Troy’s Epic Road Quest, which I reviewed not too long ago, except it’s aimed at an adult audience.  It’s funny, it’s about forgotten gods and goddesses and their hangers-on and it’s got deadly flying kittens.  Really, what more could you want in one book?

Brand it with:

Humour, gods and goddesses, airborne death-kitties, reality tv, action/adventure

See my Goodreads review here!

So there you are – indie titles all and surely there’s something there to whet your appetite.  If you’re in an indie, rebellious sort of a mood I’ll have an indie Double Dip for you on Wednesday catering to those who like YA.  In the meantime, what titles have you been rounding up recently?

Until next time,

Bruce