What is This, A Joke?
This has been in the works for some time, but I can finally announce it. I’m going to be part of an anthology in which several authors write a version of “The Aristocrats” joke in the style of another author. I chose James Ellroy.
Other authors will be:
Dav Crabes as William S. Burroughs
Regina Watts as Vladimir Nabokov
Justin Isis as Damon Runyon
Kevin Sweeney as Lewis Carroll
Benzo Monroe as Hunter S. Thompson
Tom Bradley as The Marquis de Sade
K. D. Porch as H. P. Lovecraft
Sean Kilpatrick as Thomas Griffiths Wainewright
Mike Ennenbach as Stanislaw Lem
Gary Shipley as Jean Baudrillard
Hartlerode X. Terwilliger as Samuel Beckett
Daniel Beauregard as Erwin Schrödinger
The cover and interior art is by Nick Patterson.
It should be out sometime in February. All proceeds from this anthology will go to Comedy Gives Back. Thank you so much to Tom Bradley and Potter’s Grove Press for having me!
10 out of 40 Ain’t Bad
Over at The Next Best Book Blog, I took part in a series wherein I answered 10 out of 40 questions that were sent to me. It was pretty fun.
The Return of Rob Ramirez
Rob Ramirez’s first novel is still in the works, until then, he has a new story coming exclusively to Godless.com on Feb. 8th.
“Alone and afraid, Anthelme knows he can't hide from what lay in wait beneath the waters forever.”
Even more will be coming from Rob Ramirez in the near future.
Top Ten Reads of 2022
(Crossposted from my blog, days slip away like a leaking faucet.)
It's that time of year again. Remember, these are the books I read in 2022, not books that were published that year.
10. Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
A revenge tale about two fathers finding the men who murdered their sons. The action is exciting and the sense of loss throughout the book is palpable.
9. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
A woman who doesn't remember anything about her past studying the strange mansion she finds herself in. A book full of wonderful imagery.
8. Death's End by Liu Cixin
I only put The Three-Body Problem on my honorable mentions last year. While it is a good book, the trilogy really picks up in the second and third book. This one, the third, is an imaginative view into the far, far future when the world is so different, it becomes alien to the present.
7. Tears of a Komsomol Girl by Audrey Szasz
Part coming of age story, part study of Russian serial killer Andrei Chikatilo, part look into the last days of the Soviet Union, Szasz's first full novel is an amazing, brutal, and surreal work.
6. Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
One of the bleakest horror books I've read recently, this story about a world where cannibalism is normal is an incredibly affecting story.
5. The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
A unique alternative history that looks at a Nazi-occupied United States from the perspective of everyday people. It's also full of interesting concepts about the nature of reality and the perception of history. Definitely my favorite of Dick's that I've read so far.
4. The Dark Forest by Liu Cixin
The second in The Three-Body Problem trilogy. The book is a fascinating dive into psychology, sociology on a cosmic scale, and a gripping thriller. My favorite of the trilogy.
3. Coin Locker Babies by Ryu Murakami
The stories of Kiku and Hashi, two boys abandoned in coin-operated lockers as infants. They grow up to become a pole-vaulter with deep anger issues and a queer rock star. The story only gets stranger from there. The best I've read from Murakami so far.
2. Stoner by John Williams
The tragic tale of an undistinguished academic, his failed relationships, and his derailed career. It's an excellent novel about a simple man crushed by the weight of the world.
1. Hard Rain Falling by Don Carpenter
The story of Jack Levitt, a man who never had it made. This is often labeled a crime novel, but it's more of a study of a man who has to turn to crime to survive. Sad at times, hilarious at others, it's my favorite read of 2022.
Honorable Mentions
- We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
- The Bottoms by Joe R. Lansdale
- Children of the New Flesh, edited by Chris Kelso and David Leo Rice
- Contempt by Alberto Moravia
Thank you as always for reading.