Weird Fiction discussion

Here is a link to the nominations for October's Group Read thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/.... If I am not mistaken, this is at least the third time this year I've been the only one to submit a nomination for a Group Read. There have been at least as many times I felt I was the only one reading the Group Read. Clearly this group after a year and a half of being in existence hasn't truly caught on. We have 142 members, but not so many participants.

That could be your moderator's fault. Perhaps I am not doing all that could be done for this group to be successful. If you have some ideas and would like to try your hand at some measures to make this group more successful, shoot me a message. I'd be happy to make you a moderator. I could stay on as co-moderator, or you could become sole moderator, whichever you prefer.

Please do not lament the passing of this group. For one thing, it is not necessarily permanent. There's always a chance my now flagging interest in Weird Literature might pick back up at some future point at which time I may spontaneously decide to reignite the group. Perhaps someone will take the moderator chair. In any event, I think we have had a good ride and read some really worthwhile literature. You have only to look over the bookshelf to see that.

There is one GoodReads discussion group that does a really good job of featuring Weird Literature often. In fact, I would say as much as one third of all their reading output could be classified as Weird (using the broadest definition of the genre). That is the Literary Horror group. That group has a lot of moderators, for some odd reason, but despite that it is really well run, and the people there are super friendly, knowledgeable, and welcoming. Please consider joining them in the unlikely event you're not already a member: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/.... I know I plan to be a little more active there, nominating, voting for, and participating in the Weird reads as opportunity presents. They've got a poll for next month's read going right now with at least one good Weird book in it. I just wanted to let you know of another possible venue to get your Weird fix on when you feel the urge.

I said I'd be getting a little more active in the literary horror group, but it won't be full immersion, for which they will no doubt be happy, lol. That's mostly because I have another project I am excited about and devoting time to. It probably won't interest most of you here because it has hardly anything in common with Weird. Unlike with most Weird, the writing in this other genre is typically very linear. That's the "The Hardboiled School of American Detective and Crime Fiction" group I just started and now moderate. The first official group read starts a few days from now: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/.... I love pulp fiction, whatever the genre.

Even though we are on hiatus, everyone is still welcome to retain membership in this group and continue lurking or post when you have something to say about matters of Weird literature, or if you go back and read one of the books on the shelf and want to share observations. If I read it, and I have read all but two or three of these 27 books, I'll engage. Others might too.

It's been a fun time these past 18 months. Fair winds and following seas, my friends!

Thanks for your work with the group, Dan.

Thank YOU Rosemarie. Oh, I forgot to mention, the werewolf group I moderate (https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...) is kicking back up and growing surprisingly fast. If you have any interest in our misunderstood lycanthropic friends you can always join that group. I'm taking nominations for our Fall 2020 group read through the end of week and running the poll next week: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

It's been a crazy year and I've been having a hard time concentrating on reading (you may have noticed I've been reading a lot of comics) due to general anxiety. Perhaps when the world recovers from its hysteria and sanity is restored things will get better. Anyway, thanks for running the group, and I don't plan on going anywhere.

Maybe I just needed a break for a couple months, but I find my interest in Weird Fiction reawakening. To my surprise we haven't lost many if any members. In fact, we just crossed the 150 threshold as we continue to grow. How can this be? Given these two developments I would like to as of December 1, 2020 bring our Weird Fiction group officially back to active status again.

Since December is already upon us there really is no time to hold a poll for the December group read. So, I'll just go ahead and pick it. The book I choose may have been assembled so recently as 2017, but it's an anthology comprised chiefly of classic Weird stories. Its contributors are Edith Miniter, Donald Wandrei (the chief attraction for me--I'm on a Wandrei brothers kick right now), Clark Ashton Smith, C. Hall Thompson, Ramsey Campbell, Thomas Ligotti, Brian McNaughton, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Jonathan Thomas, W.H. Pugmire, Mark Samuels, and Ray Garton. The book is The Red Brain: Great Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos.

If you're a member of this group, I am betting one or two of the authors I just listed is a favorite for you. Please join in as you wish then if you feel so inclined. I hope you won't feel obligated to read the entire book. Cthulhu mythos books are for savoring, not gorging. Maybe you just want to read the story or two by your favorite author and read the others later. I'm not sure yet if I'll read all these in December. I do know for certain I'll read the Wandrei, Smith, Campbell, and Samuels stories. I've read other work by them and really enjoyed it, or at least found it thought-provoking enough to want to read more by them. How about you? What appeals most to you in this list?

For January's group read, I'll take nominations and run a poll. I'm also going to be offering a buddy read for January. Frankly, the cost of entry into the January buddy read I will be offering is $31, the minimum it costs to obtain even a replica of the now 72 years out-of-print book, so I may well be the only reader. But I'll offer the buddy read just in case I'm not the only Wandrei fan here with more money than sense. That book and the poll winner will be what's on offer for January.