2016 Books 1-2: NOS4R2 and Skipping Christmas
Book 1: NOS4R2.
Author: Joe Hill with illustrations by Gabriel Rodriguez, 2013.
Genre: Horror. Vampires.
Other Details: ebook. 704 pages.
Summer. Massachusetts. An old Silver Wraith with a frightening history. A story about one serial killer and his lingering, unfinished business. Anyone could be next. We're going to Christmasland ... - short synopsis from UK publisher's website.
I first read this novel just after it was published and wrote a glowing review ( 2013 Book 164). When our reading group was looking for a Christmas-themed novel to read over December I suggested it given the macabre setting of Christmasland. As a few members of the group did not read horror novels, a light-hearted alternative was chosen as well.
As things turned out only myself and one other had read this novel and they had appreciated it. Two others has tried and failed to engage with the story, which was a little disappointing as I felt it was an excellent work of contemporary horror.
Book 2: Skipping Christmas.
Author: John Grisham, 2001.
Genre: Comedy Drama.
Other Details: ebook. 242 pages.
Imagine a year without Christmas. No crowded shops, no corny office parties, no fruitcakes, no unwanted presents. That's just what Luther and Nora Krank have in mind when they decide that, just this once, they'll skip the holiday altogether. Theirs will be the only house on the street without a rooftop Frosty the snowman; they won't be hosting their annual Christmas Eve bash; they aren't even going to have a tree. They won't need one, because come December 25 they're setting sail on a Caribbean cruise. But, as this weary couple is about to discover, skipping Christmas brings enormous consequences - and isn't half as easy as they'd imagined. - synopsis from UK publisher's website.
While not really my kind of novel, I read this as it was the alternative for our reading group for those who did not want to read the horror NOS4R2. It was a fun, if predictable tale. What amused me was that without being aware of it the idea of 'skipping Christmas' also came up in NOS4R2.
Cross-posted to 50bookchallenge.