Ronald Malfi's #TheNightParade - Review

My thoughts
Sometimes when I really, really like a book, I have a difficult time writing the review. I so want to do it, and the author, due justice.

Let me start off by saying that Malfi's writing really evokes thoughts of Stephen King's writing. Now I know that some authors may hate being compared to famous authors, but let me just say that I mean it as the highest of compliments. There have been so many times that I've sat and read a King book and couldn't put it down. I felt exactly the same with The Night Parade. The story is just genius. Of course, I had to put it down...more than I wanted to. I couldn't wait to get back to it.

This "plague" that's setting itself up to bring about the end of humanity is not your run of the mill post-apocalyptic annihilator. Wanderer's Folly is something only a nightmare can dream up. If you get it, you're screwed. If you're immune, you're doubly screwed. That's all I'm going to say about that. There's another creepy aspect of Wanderer's Folly as well. The birds are dying/have died and the insects are getting bigger (without birds around to control their populations). I don't know about you, but I don't like insects, and I definitely do not want them growing larger.

There are moments in the book that had me so edge of my seat, I thought I was watching a Walking Dead episode. So intense. That feeling of not being able to trust anyone. Wanderer's Folly needs its own set of three questions to ask when you meet a stranger.

I really cannot recommend this book enough. Malfi has outdone himself with this one. It is clearly one of my top favorite reads of the year.

About the book
File Size: 1261 KB
Print Length: 384 pages
Publisher: Kensington (July 26, 2016)
Publication Date: July 26, 2016
Sold by: Penguin Random House Publisher Services

First the birds disappeared.
Then the insects took over.
Then the madness began . . .

They call it Wanderer's Folly--a disease of delusions, of daydreams and nightmares. A plague threatening to wipe out the human race.

After two years of creeping decay, David Arlen woke up one morning thinking that the worst was over. By midnight, he's bleeding and terrified, his wife is dead, and he's on the run in a stolen car with his eight-year-old daughter, who may be the key to a cure.

Ellie is a special girl. Deep. Insightful. And she knows David is lying to her. Lying about her mother. Lying about what they're running from. And lying about what he sees when he takes his eyes off the road . . .

Buy the book

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About the author

Ronald Malfi is an award-winning author of many novels and novellas in the horror, mystery, and thriller categories from various publishers, including The Night Parade, this summer’s 2016 release from Kensington.

In 2009, his crime drama, Shamrock Alley, won a Silver IPPY Award. In 2011, his ghost story/mystery novel, Floating Staircase, was a finalist for the Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker Award for best novel, a Gold IPPY Award for best horror novel, and the Vincent Preis International Horror Award. His novel Cradle Lake garnered him the Benjamin Franklin Independent Book Award (silver) in 2014. December Park, his epic childhood story, won the Beverly Hills International Book Award for suspense in 2015.

Most recognized for his haunting, literary style and memorable characters, Malfi’s dark fiction has gained acceptance among readers of all genres.

He was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1977, and eventually relocated to the Chesapeake Bay area, where he currently resides with his wife and two children.

Visit with Ronald Malfi on Facebook, Twitter (@RonaldMalfi), or at http://www.ronmalfi.com.

Praise for Ronald Malfi

“I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The setting, the words, the ending. Color me impressed.” –Melissa Reads on The Night Parade

“The Night Parade has a creepy vibe and some genuinely terrifying moments. I even teared up a time or two. It's everything I look for in a great read.” – Frank Errington on The Night Parade
“One cannot help but think of writers like Peter Straub and Stephen King.”
—FearNet

“Malfi is a skillful storyteller.”—New York Journal of Books

“A complex and chilling tale….terrifying.”—Robert McCammon

“Malfi’s lyrical prose creates an atmosphere of eerie claustrophobia…haunting.”—Publishers Weekly
“A thrilling, edge-of-your-seat ride that should not be missed.”
—Suspense Magazine

Want to feature this book/author? 

If you are a blogger, author, or member of the media and you would like to feature The Night Parade or Ronald Malfi in a review or interview, please contact Erin Al-Mehairi, publicist, at hookofabook@hotmail.com. Thanks!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - #GothicSept Read-Along Discussion 2 #MissPeregrines

I apologize for the lateness of this post. I ran into some dental and health issues in the past two weeks and it has seriously slowed down my reading.

I hope you're enjoying the book as much as I am. In week two's section, we finally get into the meat of the story and we get our first glimpses of the peculiar children. Aren't they amazing!? Which is your favorite? I'm kind of fond of the dapper Horace.

Miss Peregrine is an odd bird. HaHa...see what I did there? As she was explaining the time loop, I found myself having problems following. This often happens to me with time travel type stories. It's just kind of confusing. How weird would it be to always be on that one day?

Since this is Gothic September, I want to touch on some of the Gothic elements we've encountered so far.

Setting in lonely or remote places

Cairnholm Island is an isolated, remote place. There is only one phone on the entire island and the electricity comes from generators instead of power lines and the electricity is shut off at 10pm each night. Can you imagine that? I can't, although reading into the wee hours by lamp or candle light might be nice.

In addition, Miss Peregrine's house is also very isolated. Its location outside the edge of town, past a steep ridge, and through a bog and forest make it an extremely remote place indeed. In its abandoned state, it certainly could be referred to as lonely.

An atmosphere of mystery and suspense

Perhaps the mystery and suspense truly begins with the last words of Abraham Portman, and what they mean for Jacob.

“‘Find the bird. In the loop. On the other side of the old man’s grave. September third, 1940.’ I nodded, but he could see that I didn’t understand. With his last bit of strength, he added, ‘Emerson - the letter. Tell them what happened, Yakob.’” - pg. 37

Once Jacob gets to the island, there is the mystery of the abandoned house, and then the suspense of Jacob chasing Emma through the Loop, then Jacob being chased by the men in the town. The next mystery comes up with the killing of the sheep. Who did it? I couldn't help but think about the creature that killed Abraham. 

What are your thoughts about this week's section?

Michael Phillip Cash's The History Major - Review

My thoughts
The History Major was an interesting read. It definitely was not what I expected. When Amanda wakes up from a bender, after a huge fight the night before with her boyfriend, things are not how they should be. This leads the reader to wonder...Alien abduction? Did she travel to another dimension? The reason I mention the latter is because things in her world are the same, but not the same.

So, I can't go into detail here because it would give the whole story away. I will say that the story definitely keeps you reading, and being a novella, it doesn't take long to get through it. The book has a message contained in its short pages, and it even ties in some history and an occurrence not unlike some recent current events.

I wouldn't necessarily classify this as horror, but it is eerie enough to feel a few chills on the back of your neck.

About the Book

Title: The History Major
Author: Michael Phillip Cash
Publisher: Chelshire, Inc.
Pages: 130
Genre: Thriller

After a vicious fight with her boyfriend followed by a night of heavy partying, college freshman Amanda Greene wakes up in her dorm room to find things are not the same as they were yesterday. She can't quite put her finger on it. She's sharing her room with a peculiar stranger. Amanda discovers she's registered for classes she would never choose with people that are oddly familiar. An ominous shadow is stalking her. Uncomfortable memories are bubbling dangerously close to her fracturing world, propelling her to an inevitable collision between fantasy and reality. Is this the mother of all hangovers or is something bigger happening?

For More Information The History Major is available at Amazon.
Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
Watch the Trailer.

Book Excerpt

“You again!” The professor pointed a long finger at her angrily. “If you had bothered to read my treatise on logic, you would understand the chain of thought! Care to share what you have learned these past few classes with your puerile friend, Mr. Fortune?” he demanded.

The room was deathly silent. Amanda shrank into her chair. Nick turned to her.

Wait, she thought frantically. Past few classes? Where have I been? Did I miss something? Did I miss class? Amanda’s fisted hands forced small semicircular indentations from the pressure of her nails into the tender skin of her palms. Was this a dream? Her mind worked feverously, trying to piece things together. “What’s today’s date?” she demanded, her eyes wide with mounting horror.

Nick went on, ignoring her. “What I think our esteemed professor is trying to point out is that the chain of thought results in a systematic group of memories that create the laws of association. The professor believes”—he glanced up to the teacher as if for confirmation—“that past experiences are hidden within our minds.” The older man nodded sagely. “He claims there is a force that awakens these memories. That power is association.”

Amanda looked at Nick and then glanced uncertainly at the professor. It was like looking through a tunnel. Their voices came as if from a distance.

“Yes, Mr. Fortune. Logic, once again. First we have the experience, then the memory, which fades. We stimulate the brain with an image, and there you have it.” He snapped his fingers. “The memory is activated by the…” He bent down, peering at Amanda expectantly.

Nick whispered from the side of his mouth helpfully, “Association.”

“Association,” Amanda repeated weakly.

“Yes,” Nick said quietly. “Aristotle’s theory on association.”

“Aristotle?” Amanda exhaled the name. She looked from Nick to the educator on the stage and giggled. “Is this a joke, like where teachers dress like historical figures?” Or a dream?

“Silence!” the teacher’s voice thundered. He stalked over to stand right before Amanda, his silver brows drawn together. The room was deathly silent. Amanda gulped so loudly, she swore she could hear it amplified in the room.

About the author

Michael Phillip Cash is an award-winning and best-selling novelist of horror, paranormal, and science fiction novels. He's written ten books including the best-selling “Brood X”, “Stillwell”, “The Flip”, “The After House”, “The Hanging Tree”, “Witches Protection Program”, “Pokergeist”, "Monsterland", "The History Major", and “Battle for Darracia” series. Michael’s books are on the Amazon best-seller list and have also won numerous awards. Additionally, he is a screenwriter with 14 specs under his belt. Michael resides on the North Shore of Long Island. 

Michael’s latest book is The History Major.

• Visit Michael Phillip Cash’s website. 
• Connect with Michael on Facebook and Twitter.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - #GothicSept Read-Along Discussion One #MissPeregrines

Welcome to the first discussion! So, what did you think of our first section, through the end of Chapter 4? I'll share my thoughts and then you can join in on the discussion in the comments, or leave the link to your blog post.

There is a handy reading guide with discussion questions here at LitLovers. You can refer to some of the questions to help with discussion points, if you like. I may use a few of them myself.

DISCUSSION

Favorite quote in the first section:

"I told him I had another statement to make and then held up my middle finger and walked out."

I love how Jacob (Jake) doesn't quite fit in and has such a mind of his own. I feel like this is what his grandfather saw in him, and why he felt he was the one to share his stories and secrets with. As Jacob "grew out" of his grandfather's stories, I still think deep down that he truly believed. Otherwise, how could he have so easily suspended disbelief when he encountered his fatally wounded grandfather and the creature responsible. Many would have just chalked it up to hallucination, or a stress response...which is exactly what the adults classified his behavior and testimony of events to be.

Cairnholm Island seems a magical place in and of itself, not withstanding the "peculiar" or "magical" children who are purported to have lived there. It's like stepping back in time with the kerosene lamps after 10pm and the one telephone on the island. I think I would like to visit a place like that. Talk about being "unplugged."

So, Jake is determined to go back to the old house and investigate further. I'm looking forward to reading the next section to find out what's coming. So far, I am really enjoying the book. I can't believe I waited this long to read it!

Final note: I'm loving the photographs scattered throughout. I think they really add to the atmosphere of the novel. What do you think?