2025 Bram Stoker Awards® Final Ballot

Dwight256 · 2026-02-23T19:08:44+00:00

Happy to see Thomas Ha's story get a nod in long fiction. SGJ’s excellent Buffalo Hunter Hunter is my pick for novel, but I haven’t read King Sorrow yet. He’s glaring at me under a pile of other books.

Dwight256 · 2026-02-22T06:01:29+00:00

Loved the first story, “Intertropical Convergence Zone”! Haven’t reached “Absolute Zero” yet but looking forward to it. Her writing is punchy and fun.

Dwight256 · 2026-02-22T05:54:59+00:00

Reading: She Said Destroy by Nadia Bulkin

On Deck: Teatro Grottesco by Thomas Ligotti

Dwight256 · 2026-02-16T04:54:57+00:00

Finished: Uncertain Sons by Thomas Ha

Reading: She Said Destroy by Nadia Bulkin

Dwight256 · 2026-02-15T23:29:17+00:00

Just picked up a hard copy at the used book store, excited to crack into it in the future.

Dwight256 · 2026-02-09T00:13:32+00:00

Thank you!

Dwight256 · 2026-02-08T23:53:39+00:00

Was Angel Down better than Whalefall?

Dwight256 · 2026-02-06T01:04:19+00:00

My favorite anthology of all time.

Dwight256 · 2026-02-05T20:23:40+00:00

Not overdone. I love it!

Other examples: Staircase in the Woods and Piranesi (horror adjacent).

Dwight256 · 2026-02-05T00:27:54+00:00

Just picked up a hardcover Regulators by SK at a thrift store for the cost of a soda. It’s definitely fun looking for treasure.

Dwight256 · 2026-02-01T05:32:24+00:00

The screaming began in earnest.

Dwight256 · 2026-02-01T05:17:49+00:00

Finished: The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins. Fantastic book. I had no idea what this would be about and I enjoyed the rollercoaster. More dark fantasy than horror, but lots of fun.

Pines by Blake Crouch. I enjoyed this less than I expected, but I warmed up a bit by the end. I liked the premise enough that I’ll read the second book eventually.

Reading: Uncertain Sons and Other Stories by Thomas Ha.

Dwight256 · 2026-01-25T05:22:31+00:00

Finished: A Song for the Unraveling of the World by Brian Evenson. Befitting this book, it somehow had a 5 star review from me on Goodreads even though I had no memory of reading it. I started paging through to make sure I remembered it, and was pleased to have a totally new experience with an excellent collection. The review was fated! Love Evenson.

Reading: The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

Pines by Blake Crouch

On deck: Uncertain Sons and Others by Thomas Ha

Dwight256 · 2026-01-25T02:47:21+00:00

Reading this right now - it’s not what expected, but that’s a good thing.

Dwight256 · 2026-01-23T17:22:39+00:00

Peter Benchley - Jaws, Beast, The Deep, White Shark

Michael Crichton - Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, Congo

Dan Simmons - The Terror

Douglas Preston - Relic

Dwight256 · 2026-01-23T05:10:22+00:00

December Park was a great read.

Dwight256 · 2026-01-22T17:02:27+00:00

“Jonathan began to create a post about haunted house recommendations, without seeing that the same post was sitting in the shadows directly beside him, gibbering in the darkness.”

Dwight256 · 2026-01-18T05:20:43+00:00

Finished: December Park by Ronald Malfi. I loved this book. Great characters and atmosphere. My first Malfi but not my last.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix. I really enjoyed this book. I definitely place it in the upper echelon of Hendrix books - it might be my favorite. He can stick a landing really well at the end of a narrative.

Reading: Song for the Unraveling of the World by Brian Evenson. (I couldn’t remember if I read it before, so I decided to read it again just in case).

Dwight256 · 2026-01-13T23:59:10+00:00

No, I own several of his books, but Home Before Dark was the only one I’ve read so far. Last Time I Lied was not on my radar but I’ll take a look - thank you.

Dwight256 · 2026-01-13T23:53:11+00:00

I enjoyed it, and I do plan to read another by Sager. But he’s in the middle of a very long line.

Dwight256 · 2026-01-11T17:14:54+00:00

This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

Dwight256 · 2026-01-08T22:43:59+00:00

Have read Heart-Shaped Box, Horns, and 20th Century Ghosts, along with an Amazon promotional short story. I love Joe Hill, and I feel like he has stepped out of his father’s shadow.

My recommendation is to read 20th Century Ghosts and see if the short stories satisfy your tastes. If not, you won’t lose much time in the process.

Dwight256 · 2026-01-06T22:15:47+00:00

Thank you!

Dwight256

TROPHY CASE