Chasing Tale [Kindle Edition]: My Christmas Shopping Spree

Chasing Tale is a regular look at the e-books I've recently downloaded and added to my to-be-read pile. Some are review copies forwarded to me, some are purchases from Amazon or elsewhere, and others are freebies that caught my eye.

It's the holiday edition of Chasing Tale, and I'm crossing a bunch of books off my wish list. Aside from the occasional Stephen King novel, I don't usually find books under my Christmas tree. I'm hard to shop for, I get that, and it's the thought that counts after all. Still, when Christmas rolls around, if I want books then I go out and buy them myself. This is the second year where the shopping spree has happened mostly online. I love the brick-and-mortar stores, support them when I can, but the affordability of buying books from places like Amazon, Book Depository, and even direct from publishers is undeniable.

Anyway, lot of books. Here they are, including a couple advance review copies that sneaked their way into my inbox.

Stupefying Stories 1.11 edited by Bruce Bethke - It seems fitting that the December edition of Stupefying Stories should be dedicated to the end of the world, considering how bloody stupid a fella would have to be to genuinely believe the whole of existence was coming to end any second now. This edition has eleven stories dedicated to apocalyptic scenarios.

To Each Their Darkness by Gary A. Braunbeck - I bought this from Apex Books and read a couple chapters right away. It's been riveting stuff, I can tell you that. Braunbeck, an accomplished horror author if ever there was one, rhapsodizes about the genre and writing in general, shares some absolutely wrenching stories from his life, and opines on some of his favorite films and books.

Dark Faith: Invocations edited by Maurice Broaddus & Jerry Gordon - This is another one from Apex. I read the first Dark Faith anthology about a year ago(readthe review here), and I dare say the list of contributing authors is even more impressive this time around--and it was pretty darned impressive last time. Oh, and if you like, check out my interview with Maurice about the book.

The Last Call of Mourning by Charles L. Grant - A while back, I read a blog post by Kevin Lucia extolling this late author's writing, particularly his Oxrun Station series. So, I kept his name on my radar in case I stumbled across one of his books at a used-book store. No luck. Then I saw Crossroad Press has a couple books from the series on their website. I decided to roll the dice on this one. 

Feed by Mira Grant - Quite a few blogs I follow rave about this book, and the trilogy as a whole, so I put it on my wish list (WLW#47). Then, it popped up as a recommendation while shopping on Amazon. Some folks say zombies are overdone, but some authors seem to find ways to keep them interesting, and I've got a feeling that's the case here.

This Dark Earth by John Hornor Jacobs - Speaking of zombies ... I have John's debut novel, Southern Gods, on my wish list (WLW#105), but I've seen a lot of praise this year for his zombie novel, too. His books have been recommended often enough, I figured it was about time to buy one of his books and give it a go.

The 13 Ghosts of Christmas edited by Simon Marshall Jones - Spectral Press has published an anthology of Christmas-themed horror stories a la the classic ghostly tales of yore. The limited edition hardcovers are gone by now I'm sure, but there's a trade paperback version for those interested. I'm thinking I'll crack open my review copy over the holidays, just to get into the spirit of things. Get it? Spirit? I know, I know.

Devil in the Dollhouse by Richard Kadrey - I really enjoyed the first two books in Kadrey's Sandman Slim series (Sandman Slim and Kill the Dead). So I was kind of stoked to see this free novella on the Kindle Store. I've been buying the books in paperback though, and this is set between the third and fourth books by the looks of things, which I haven't bought yet.

Chasing the Dragon by Nicholas Kaufmann - I recently blogged about Nick's short story collection, Still Life, and even posted an interview with him last week. Well, I remembered this novella (WLW#59) and saw Chizine had it on sale for Cyber Monday. With the story revolving around a heroin-addicted descendant of Saint George hunting for the dragon her ancestor failed to kill, it's gotta be good, right?

Scratch by Brian Keene - I figured I needed to a Brian Keene book to my TBR pile. Then I saw this novella about a monster that terrorizes a town in the wake of a flood. Yeah. I bought that pretty quick.

The Coyote by Michael McBride - After I read Snowblind, and even interviewed Michael for the blog, I checked his backlist and thought this one was especially intriguing. Set in the Arizona desert, it sounds like a grizzly thriller, and I've got a feeling I'm gonna like it.

Swan Song by Robert McCammon - I guess this is the season to add those battle-tested authors to my to-be-read pile, as this is another book I've had recommended to me quite a few times. God, now that I think of it, I have a few McCammon novels sitting in a box somewhere I've been meaning to read, too. Boy's Life being one of them, so I'll have to see which one I sit down with first.

Multiplex Fandango by Weston Ochse - I put this short story collection on my wish list during my Summer of Shorts Marathon months ago (WLW#117), then I got an e-mail from Chris Morey and the Dark Regions gang telling me it was now available as an e-book. You better believe, after being thoroughly impressed by the few short stories of Weston's that I've read in anthologies, that I hit that Amazon link toot sweet.

Kayla and the Devil by Bryan Smith - Horror readers have bandied Bryan's name about for a while when talking about standout authors, so I figured I should buy a book. But I had no idea which one to get. Then I saw this one on sale for a buck and figured that would be as good as place to start as any.

Pressure by Jeff Strand - I was going to get this book not long after I put it on my wish list (WLW#16), but then the unpleasantness with Dorchester Publishing kicked in. Well, it's finally been re-released. Jeff has a knack for blending humor and horror, but this one is light on humor. It got a fair amount of praise all the same, though.

The Way of the Leaves by David Tallerman - This is the latest chapbook from Spectral Press. They've never steered me wrong, so I'm looking forward to this one. This story won their 2012 This Is Horror short story competition, too.

The Tomb by F. Paul Wilson - I have been meaning to dive into the Repairman Jack series for years, but for whatever reason I've just never made the effort to track down a copy. Well, I've kept my eye out at brick-and-mortar stores, but no sign of it. Then I stumbled across it on the Kindle Store while buying McCammon's Swan Song, when it popped up as a recommendation.

The Last Invasion (Sam Truman Mystery #2) by Brandon Zuern - I got around to reading the first Sam Truman Mystery novella last year, so stands to reason that since I liked it enough to want to read the second, I should add it my TBR pile. I also have the fourth in the series for review, so I suppose I should get a move on--dot org--and start reading.

That's a ton of books, son. Anyway, the blog will be pretty quiet over the holidays, so I'll end 2012 simply by wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!