The Parasite and Other Tales of Terror. Arthur Conan Doyle. 2021. Poisoned Pen Press. 223 pages. [Source: Personal copy.] Full disclosure – I only picked this book up because I really love Sherlock Holmes’ stories. If I love those so much, surely I’d feel the same about other works from the same author, Arthur Conan Doyle. I have to admit this collection of short stories wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but I wasn’t upset about it. I was in the mood for scary like “I’m alone in the house and what was that sound?” “Run into the bedroom when you turn the lights off” scary. This didn’t deliver in that way for a few reasons. One, I think the sensibilities for what qualifies as scary is very different today than it would have been during Doyle’s time (late 19th/early 20th century). Two, the topics of the stories are more creepy than terror-inducing. There wasn’t anything about the stories to make my heart pound or palms sweat. My pulse never raced at all while reading this; I was just more intrigued than anything. Despite it not meeting my scare factor, this book was an enjoyable collection of stories. Taking them…

Lovecraft Country. Matt Ruff. 2016. Picador. 330 pages. [Source: Personal Copy.] I was late to the party on this one. I saw advertisements for the HBO series prior to its release and knew I’d check the show out on the strength of who was connected to it. I was not, however, committed to reading the book until I actually saw the first episode. Now I’m pretty invested. Lovecraft Country is centered on Atticus, a young Chicago native who’s returning from military service at the request of his father, Montrose. Montrose has long been obsessed with understanding the family history of Atticus’ late mother. Things take an odd turn when Montrose sends a letter that compels Atticus to meet him in Ardham, Massachusetts. It’s the heart of Lovecraft Country, a literary world made famous by the author of the same name. It’s filled with evil creatures, but Atticus finds that not all monsters are figments of imagination. What struck me most about this book is how deeply it looks at racism in America. Some examples are glaring — sundown town, anyone — but many are insidious, like the lies than are easily told about “the help” that cost them their livelihoods….