3 Chilling Horror Books to Read This Month, Including a Reissued Classic
The Japanese author Uketsu, according to his biography, 'only ever appears online, wearing a mask and speaking through a voice changer.' His work mirrors the mysterious nature of his persona.
STRANGE PICTURES (HarperVia, 236 pp., paperback, $17.99), the first of Uketsu's novels to be translated into English, is a labyrinthine and multilayered horror mystery, full of cryptic images, about a series of deaths. The book opens with two college students in Tokyo reading a sad, abandoned blog that chronicles a portion of a man's life. The blog is filled with personal details, including entries about the man finding out that he's going to be a father and posts about the death of the man's wife during labor. It also features mysterious drawings by the man's wife. The students are convinced these drawings contain secrets and work to unravel them.
But that's just the beginning. In the past, a string of unsolved murders plagued the region. In one instance, a man was brutally beaten to death with a rock while hiking and painting. Among his things was an unusual drawing, sketched on the back of a receipt and rendered in a different style than his other work. Is the picture a clue like the drawings on the blog? Who's responsible for the murders? Nine drawings hold the answers, but cracking the case is much more complicated than it seems.
The novel is split into four parts. The third can feel repetitive, but the entire mystery is wonderfully complex and carefully crafted, so the misstep is easy to ignore. This is a story where revelations and new questions wait around every corner, and Uketsu keeps readers guessing until the very end.
At Dark, I Become Loathsome
Most people associate horror with fear, but great horror can also incite a deeply rooted sense of discomfort and revulsion. The work of the author Eric LaRocca does just that. Blacker than the blood of a fountain pen and unapologetically queer, AT DARK, I BECOME LOATHSOME (Blackstone Publishing, 230 pp., $25.99) shares the gruesomeness of LaRocca's previous work while exploring the inner workings of a mind shattered by guilt and grief.
Ashley Lutin lost his beloved wife to cancer; then his young son went missing. The authorities are sure the boy is dead, but Ashley can't accept that. He has nothing left to lose and the memories of the mediocre father he was haunt him. As a coping mechanism, Ashley has covered his face in piercings and is trying to help others by ushering them through a multistep ritual of death he created where, among other things, he buries people alive in a coffin for 30 minutes. His patrons hope that facing their mortality will be transformative.
One night, Ashley connects online with a man named Jinx who is interested in the ritual. After setting up an appointment, Jinx shares a disturbing story of sex, violence and kidnapping. Later, when the two finally meet, Ashley learns that Jinx has much more to tell, forcing Ashley to reckon not only with a past he'd rather not face but also with the weight of all his recent decisions.
LaRocca exploded onto the horror scene in 2021 with 'Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke,' a brutal novella about queer love and obsession that went viral because of the graphic content it contained and the twisted psyches it studied. 'At Dark, I Become Loathsome' picks up those same themes, using them to fashion another unique, relentlessly depressive, strangely sexual and extremely violent novel about how pain changes people.
The Contortionist's Handbook
Craig Clevenger's THE CONTORTIONIST'S HANDBOOK (Datura Books, 250 pp., paperback, $18.99) — originally published in 2002 and now reissued 23 years later — is one of those stories that defy categorization. It is a cult classic, a crime book and an understated horror narrative, all about a brilliant man who constantly reinvents himself to evade the law.
John Dolan Vincent is a talented forger with an extra finger on one hand. He also suffers from horrible migraines and blackouts. Doctors haven't been able to help, so John self-medicates. One night he accidentally takes too many painkillers, and when he wakes up, he's in a hospital in Los Angeles where doctors think he tried to kill himself. As a result, he must undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
But the hospital isn't evaluating John; they're evaluating Daniel Fletcher, one of the fake identities John adopted to outrun a criminal past. Now, however, both the thugs who hunt him and the authorities who want to detain him are encroaching. In order to get to safety, John must successfully trick the doctor evaluating him before time runs out.
This novel is a master class in tension. John lived through a rough and traumatic childhood, and the evaluations force him to be someone else while he also contends with the deep wounds he carries. With its re-release, this superbly written and very entertaining novel is sure to make its mark on a new generation of readers.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
23 minutes ago
- USA Today
Ichiro Suzuki becomes comedian during Baseball Hall of Fame induction speech
COOPERSTOWN, NY. — The day was filled with passionate speeches, inspirational messages, and ended Sunday with a comedy show by the least suspecting Hall of Famer, with most of the audience unaware he even spoke English. Ichiro Suzuki, the first Japanese Hall of Famer in baseball history, brought down the house with one of the most humorous speeches since the late Bob Uecker. Suzuki, who has had a full-time interpreter since he arrived in the United States in 2001, delivered his entire speech in English, cracking jokes with a perfect delivery, entertaining the crowd of 30,000 at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. He was one of five players inducted in the 76th induction ceremony, joined by CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner and the late Dick Allen and Dave Parker. 'People often measure me by my records,'' Suzuki said. '3,000 hits, 10 Gold Gloves, 10 seasons of 200 hits. Not bad, huh? But the truth is that without baseball, you would say, 'This guy is such a dumbass.'" Suzuki's comedy act was just beginning, reciting baseball stats, his 3,089 hits, his record 262-hit season, and saying how his career was recognized by the Baseball Writers Association of America, but it still wasn't good enough for the one anonymous writer who didn't vote for him, preventing him from joining Mariano Rivera as the only unanimous Hall of Famers in history. He paused, listened to the laughter from the crowd, and then with a perfect delivery said, 'Oh, by the way, and that offer for that writer to have dinner at my house has now ... expired.'' He thanked the Seattle Mariners and Hall of Fame GM Pat Gillick for believing in him and signing him in 2001, thanked the New York Yankees for his 2 ½ years with them, and Hall of Famer Derek Jeter for his valuable leadership. And then thanked the Miami Marlins for extending his career for three more years, but with a twist: 'Honestly, when you guys called to offer me a contract for 2015,'' Suzuki said, pausing again, 'I had never heard of your team.'' Suzuki's teammates all knew that he spoke perfect English, and had a delightful sense of humor, but now the baseball world became clued into his secret. 'I played with him for three years, so I knew he could do that,'' Sabathia said. 'I was just excited for people to get to know his personality and how funny he is.'' In the press conference after the ceremony, Suzuki said there was never any thought to delivering his speech in Japanese, saying it was important to him to provide humor to the fans and baseball officials in attendance in Cooperstown, while also making sure everyone understood the importance of respecting the game. 'I always said that being a Hall of Famer wasn't a goal,'' Suzuki said, 'but to make people laugh here was a goal of mine.'' The only time Suzuki spoke Japanese during his entire speech was thanking Hideo Nomo for giving him the courage to play Major League Baseball. 'Because of Hideo's courage,'' Suzuki said, my eyes opened to the idea of challenging myself by going somewhere I never imagined.' Nomo was the first Japanese player in 30 years to play in MLB in 1995, pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and was an inspiration to Suzuki, who wrote an essay when he was in the sixth grade that he wanted to be a professional baseball player. 'I think you can imagine, there was much doubt when I tried to become the first position player from Japan in MLB,' he said. 'But it was more than just that. There was criticism and negativity. Someone even said to me, 'Don't embarrass the nation.' 'I encourage young players to dream, and dream big, but to also understand the difference between your dream and the goal. In order to make your dream your goal, you must be honest in thinking about what is important to achieve it.'' CC Sabathia hopes to see more Blacks in baseball Sabathia stressed throughout his speech and afterwards in a press conference, that he wants to do everything in his power to make sure he's not the last Black pitcher inducted into the Hall of Fame. He wants to be a role model in hopes of increasing the Black population of baseball, declining to just 6% on opening-day rosters this season. 'When I first started watching baseball, and Dave Parker was crushing homers,'' Sabathia said, 'the number of black players in the major leagues was at its highest, about 18%. Me and my friends played the game because we saw all of those guys on TV. There was always somebody who looked like me in a baseball unfiorm. 'Baseball has always been a great game for Black athletes, but the baseball culture has not always great for Black people. I hope we're starting to turn that around. ... 'I'm sitting here and thinking about it now, 'Who's next? Who's the next Black starting pitcher to win 20 games? Will there be another? I don't want to be the final Black pitcher standing here giving a Hall of Fame speech. I think it's on me and the next generation to find that next kid.'' Sabathia's speech also was effusive in praise for the women in his life, from his mother, Margie, to his aunts and grandmother, Ethel Rufus, raising him in Vallejo, California. He wouldn't be on stage this day, he said, if not for the love and support of his wife, Amber. His mother used to put on catcher's equipment to help him work on his pitching mechanics, and even talking about pitch selection in the garage. And he spent plenty of nights at his grandmother's house where he would pick grapefruits from her tree and throw them at a folding chair used as a strikezone in the back yard. When he wanted to work at Marine World as a teenager, his grandmother wouldn't let him, telling him he needed to focus on baseball. 'You'd be lucky to have even one of those women in your life,'' Sabathia said, 'and I had them all. A village of women who raised me, guided me, made me laugh, fed me, protected me, and a few times, literally save me, starting with my mom.'' Billy Wagner's wait finally ends Wagner, who had to wait until the 10th and final year of eligibility to enter the Hall of Fame while Suzuki and Sabathia made it on the first ballot, thanked dozens of teammates from Jeff Bagwell to Russ Springer to his pitching coaches to bullpen catchers to managers to writers. Wagner, 5-foot-10, is the second pitcher to be inducted under six feet tall. 'I wasn't the biggest, I wasn't left-handed [until twice breaking his right arm], I wasn't supposed to be here,' Wagner said. 'Perseverance isn't just a trait. It's a path to greatness. 'Being up here today, I feel like my baseball life has come full circle.' Dave Parker: Poet Parker, who died last month after battling Parkinson's since 2012, was able to let his son, David Parker II, present just what he wanted to say in his Hall of Fame speech, and wrote a poem before he passed. Here I am, 39. About damn time. I know I had to wait a little, but that's what you do with fine aged wine. I'm a Pirate for life. Wouldn't have it no other way. That was my family, even though I didn't go on Parade Day. I love y'all, the Bucs on my heart because those two championships I got, y'all played in the first part. I'm in the Hall now, you can't take that away. That statue better look good -- you know I got a pretty face. Top-tier athlete, fashion icon, sex symbol. No reason to list the rest of my credentials. I'm him, period. The Cobra. Known for my rocket arm, and I will run any catcher over. To my friends, families: I love y'all. Thanks for staying by my side. I told y'all Cooperstown would be my last ride.'' Dick Allen presented by his widow Allen's widow, Willa Allen, spoke for the Allen family, letting people know that her husband was a kind and passionate man, and was much more than just a Hall of Fame ballplayer. She told the story about the time a 16-year-old fan asked for his autograph at Dodger Stadium. They talked for two hours, and Allen wound up helping him throughout his life. He was in attendance Sunday at the age of 70. "It's not about where you come from, but where you're determined to go,'' Allen said. 'It's about principle, passion and determination.'' When the ceremony ended, the players retreated to the Otesaga Hotel where they had a dinner for Hall of Fame players only. No family members. No friends. Just the players and commissioner Rob Manfred. But, before they got together and sat down, Suzuki had a request to his new Hall of Fame teammates. 'I hope I can hold the values of the Hall of Fame,'' Suzuki said. 'But please, I am 51 years old now. So easy on the hazing.'' Follow Bob Nightengale on X @Bnightengale.
Hypebeast
an hour ago
- Hypebeast
Takahiro Miyashita Exits TAKAHIROMIYASHITATheSoloist.
Takahiro Miyashitahas confirmed that he is leaving his final collection will be his upcoming Fall/Winter 2025 manifesto, 'The Black-and-White Realism.' In a statement on social media, the Japanese designer wrote that the 'time has come for what has become a symphony, to close.' He added that the brand was built on 'simply crafting well-made clothes' and that he looks back on every piece as a 'musical note; both pure in simplicity yet intricate in their construction of only the very best tailorship and material.' The Japanese designer founded the namesake brand 15 years ago, just after exiting his subversive label, (N)umber Nine, in 2009. Despite Miyashita's exit, The Soloist has plans to continue the business. TAKAHIROMIYASHITATheSoloist. confirmed that it's 'committed to nurturing its next chapter' and that more information on the label's future will be revealed at a later date. Miyashita's next move is not yet known, but he hinted that his career as a fashion designer is not yet over. He said, 'Rock and Roll never dies, The music keeps on playing, louder and louder. Just on a different stage. A new band, a new noise, catch me.'
Boston Globe
3 hours ago
- Boston Globe
In Brockton, the '11th island' celebrates Cape Verde's 50th year of independence
Moises Rodrigues, 64, at-large city councilor of Brockton who helped organize the festival, said it helps bring people together and raise awareness of Cape Verdean culture. Advertisement Setting up on the concourse, Anna Aduayi dresses a mannequin with imported fashions from Nigeria at the annual Cape Verdean Day Festival in Brockton Rox Stadium. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff 'A lot of people have no idea who we are or where we come from,' Rodrigues said, 'but this festival has expanded so that folks of other ethnicities come to it, too.' Rodrigues who was born in Cape Verde, was living in Angola — another former Portuguese colony — when Cape Verde gained independence. 'A lot of people thought the country wouldn't survive because it doesn't have a great deal of natural resources,' Rodrigues said. 'But it's been an example nation for Africa. It ranks high on democracy and literacy rates compared to the rest of the continent.' Around 19 percent of Brockton's 100,000 residents are of Cape Verdean descent, Advertisement The diaspora began settling in New Bedford as early as the 1800s when Cape Verdean men crossed the Atlantic Ocean on ships to work in the whaling industry, fleeing poverty and drought in their homeland, according to a There was a second wave of immigration after 1975, Rodrigues was a part of that second wave of immigration, after coming to the United States at 16 with his immediate family. He remembers being one of five Cape Verdeans students in Brockton High School's class of 1980. Rodrigues also has roots in New England that go further back. In the 1930s, his great grandfather came to the U.S. to work on the Bourne Bridge. Rodrigues said that the festival originally started in the 1990s at City Hall Plaza. 'It was a small gathering at first because it was a recognition day, but Cape Verdeans can't do anything without food and music,' Rodrigues said, 'so it grew bigger and bigger.' Sue Festa, of Boston Caricature, draws a free sketch of Leia Fernandes, of Fall River at the annual Cape Verdean Day Festival in Brockton. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff As years went on and the festival attracted more attendees from across New England, it was moved to Snow Park and later Keith Field. This year was the first time the festival was held at Campanelli Stadium, the home of a local baseball team, the Brockton Rox. Advertisement Joaquim Ramos of Dorchester came to the festival to sell T-shirts with pictures of the Cape Verdean singer Cesária Évora and the country's blue, red and white flag on them. Ramos, 58, immigrated to Boston from the Cape Verdean island of Santiago when he was 23 years old. He said he enjoys coming to the Brockton festival, because it reminds him of home. 'We call Brockton the 11th island, because if I come here, I don't have to speak English,' Ramos said. 'People in businesses, shops and restaurants all speak creole.' Bel DeBarros of New Bedford attended the Brockton festival for the first time. She said she was specifically interested in the live music and dance performances. DeBarros, 63, is a second generation immigrant and said she tries to keep in touch with Cape Verdean culture through cooking family recipes and listening to music. 'I like coming to these festivals to meet other Cape Verdeans, to see how many of us there are,' DeBarros said, 'and bringing my grandchildren so they can be surrounded by the culture.' Angela Mathew can be reached at
