The more interesting test may be to read the lowest vote getter among the finalists. They might actually be better than the winner.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
That’s an interesting idea
@aliaswired
Жыл бұрын
I completely agree - I’ve been noticing that the books I like tend to be lower on the final list and have therefore concluded that’s were the gems are.
@JediJuniper92
Жыл бұрын
That’s honestly brilliant. Or even maybe a mid-point voted book.
@davidbrian6498
Жыл бұрын
This is a great idea.
@michellerever3564
Жыл бұрын
I love that idea!
@LifeasMonae
Жыл бұрын
Dean Koontz’s success coming from sharing an initial with Stephen King is a conspiracy theory I totally support!
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Ha ha thank you
@Mondomeyer
Жыл бұрын
The theory doesn't make sense. Since when has SK ever not had a new book out?
@mitzireadsandwrites
Жыл бұрын
People also vote for books they HAVEN'T read! I know this because I watched someone vote for each category and they said as they were voting, "I haven't read any of these, but I do want to read this one, so I'll vote for it." It was then that I realized the Goodreads award wasn't valid. 😂
@Topdoggie7
Жыл бұрын
The best-selling New York times list are also riggable. All it takes is a certain amount people buying mass copies of it for no reason and they can go up in the realest thing. In the past there have been groups of people who do this and raised search of books up in the rankings so they end up looking like they won but really it was all rigged.
@Lala47362
Жыл бұрын
You can actually see the data on this too! On the book page you can see the statistics on how many people have shelved it as “read”. There was a book that I found really overrated and when I looked it had 62 thousand votes but only ~50 thousand had read it!!
@lindala2602
Жыл бұрын
I'm waiting for a book that will come out in 2025 and it already has hundreds of ratings and reviews
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Ha! That's amazing
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Fans gotta fan, I guess
@kathleenbrashier2579
Жыл бұрын
The best thing this challenge has done is to help me find new booktubers I like. 😊📚
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Thank you! (Assuming I'm on of them!)
@chelsey8737
Жыл бұрын
Have I ever purposely read a horror book? Absolutely not. Will I ever? Absolutely not. But I'm going to love this video anyway 😂
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
ha ha! Hope you enjoyed the video!
@exomake_mehorololo
Жыл бұрын
This collab is such a fun idea 😁so far most people seem to have been suffering a lot 🤣🤣there goes my hope to find some nice book ideas
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Ha ha ha yeah the overwhelming vibe is meh!
@JediJuniper92
Жыл бұрын
I applaud you for getting through the Goodreads list. I typically avoid Goodreads and instead use Stoker and Shirley Jackson awards to help me choose new reads because I’ve also noticed Goodreads is full of people just jumping on hype trains instead of actual quality novels. Edit: I also disliked Final Girls Club and Loved Best Friend’s Exorcism. Soo many people I know recommend Final Girls to me because they loved it but they hadn’t read any of Grady’s other work.
@MarcelleLeiturasPreguicosas
Жыл бұрын
Final Girls was shallow and so "in your face". From 2021, I've read Near the Bone and The Last House on Needless Street which were better reading experiences for me than Final Girl.
@JediJuniper92
Жыл бұрын
@@MarcelleLeiturasPreguicosas i LOVED Last House on Needless Street. My personal favorite of late has been Mary by Nat Cassidy.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Yeah I really did think FGSG was very weak. Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed the video
@ASIF_M1934
Жыл бұрын
I normally use the Stoker Awards / runner ups as a guide but now I refer to your channel for recommendations - so no pressure Olly!😄definitely recommend Owl Goingback (Crota and Breed are great reads by OG) Carry on the great work sir.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Ha! Thank you Asif, that's very kind
@dylanholm1509
Жыл бұрын
I came from Reads with Rachel who did a different category of this challenge. I agree with all the takes you had on books I’ve also read and love horror, got a few suggestions from you here. Looking forward to more reviews!
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed the video and hope you enjoy the suggestions when you come to read them
@motherbipsy960
Жыл бұрын
I also came from RWR, hello neighbor!
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
@@motherbipsy960 Greetings!
@FrshChees91
Жыл бұрын
Your Koontz theory is exactly how I found out about him lol
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Ha!
@pappywinky4749
Жыл бұрын
I no longer trust anything on goodreads. Some of the (objectively) best books ever written are given 2-3 stars, but really badly written, surface level, juvenile books are given rave-reviews, 5 stars, etc. It's a populist website mostly populate by YA readers (i dont have a problem with YA) who read for entertainment and that alone.
@bookslikewhoa
Жыл бұрын
Why I am a perversely relieved someone else had to struggle with good old Uncle Stevie 😅
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Ha ha ha I actually really like the Bill Hodges books - I’d much rather have read those again than these ones
@bookslikewhoa
Жыл бұрын
@@CriminOllyBlog They were at least entertaining, so that was a definitely a win
@heidifogelberg3544
Жыл бұрын
I think that these days King writes as much to please his fans as to tell his stories. I think it makes a difference to the quality of the story that he doesn't feel that hunger and NEED for success any more. Now he really is like a very engaging old uncle sprawled in his chair talking his talk - you can tune in and out, but you don't need to hear it all because you're dying to experience it, like I often felt with some of his best stuff.
@johnnythepillpopper1974
Жыл бұрын
Honestly I don’t believe good reads know crap about horror, they base themselves on bestsellers……now if Olly is involved then that brings credibility to the whole thing.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Very kind of you to say!
@emmabrandel9870
Жыл бұрын
I'm here after watching Reads With Rachel, and I love horror! Just subscribed and looking forward to watching your other videos :)
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Yay! Thanks so much for subscribing Emma. Hope you enjoy the channel
@spookyfirst9514
Жыл бұрын
I've relied on the Stoker awards for years. Good reads reminds me too much of Twitter, which is a total dumpster fire.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
I'm not sure it's quite as bad as Twitter right now lol, But yeah I tend to use it just for logging what I read rather than anything else
@ellagoreyshorrorstories7524
Жыл бұрын
The cook was Dick, not Mike. I had to wonder who you were talking about for a minute! What I disliked the most about Doctor Sleep was the (SPOILER ) *secret love child* reveal. This was a stupid "twist" when Carrie 2 did it, and for King to rip off his own ripoff...Just makes me itch. Dumb dumb dumb.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Yeah I really don't know how the hell I got that name wrong
@20DYNAMITE06
Жыл бұрын
Mike Carey has a fun pulpy series featuring the character Felix Castor - he's sort of a psychic private eye, and he investigates crimes that involve the occult, demons and the like. It's fun. The first book is The Devil You Know, and it's worth a look. 👍
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
I think I have a copy of one of those books somewhere, I'll have to check it out!
@fallenangelz291
Жыл бұрын
No, the GR awards are worthless. Popular books are not necessarily good.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Very true!
@glyndwr15
Жыл бұрын
It seems like modern King novels will often devolve into pointlessly elaborate plot machinations which feel like filler. A million things will happen in the book, but it's all so elaborate that you don't even remember most of them. I can't even remember half of what happens in the last 1/3rd of Doctor Sleep, for instance. I'd make the same criticism of The Institute and a number of King's more recent novels. King wasn't above pointless filler during his classic period, of course -- he's famous for bloated, meandering books -- but it was a lot more fun to read because it was character driven. Rather than an endless series of mechanical and bland plot points that unfold, he instead would go into character's internal monologues, for instance, and the characters were more memorable and relatable for it. You got way more emotional and psychological realism than you get in modern King novels. I remember King's characters from his classic period, not so much from his more recent period.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
I definitely agree with that, although I've recently read Billy Summers which I thought was far more successful
@bybookandbone
Жыл бұрын
Stephen King is such an inconsistent author that his constant winning really illustrates that Goodreads Choice is a popularity contest. It never pretended it wasn't tbf. I wonder how many people that voted for all of the newer King books actually read them... Did they just see his name and vote for his books?
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
I suspect that might be the case - I think people vote on categories even when they haven't read any of the books
@allisonreilly1952
Жыл бұрын
Enjoy the cup of tea!!! You deserve it after making this video!! I really enjoyed that you compared the Goodreads winner to the Stoker winner!!!
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Thank you! The cup of tea was great!
@xneurianx
Жыл бұрын
Do not blame you for skipping over the Anne Rice stuff. Dreadful books. Interview with a Vampire spends slightly too long justifying the main male vampires being attracted to the main female vampire who was turned as a child snd consequently is still visually a child. Read like some NAMBLA apologist gumph to me. Didn't enjoy the prose or relate to any of the characters at all either. Could never understand their popularity.
@anotherbooktubechannel
Жыл бұрын
I thought the Mike Flanagan movie version of Doctor Sleep (particularly the Director's Cut) was significantly better than the book (which I thought was fine, but forgettable)
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
I do want to watch that
@goddessofgore
Жыл бұрын
I just looked at my subscription feed and I got all my favourites discussing Goodreads. I thought something had happened. How exciting! This might be REALLY REALLY good or REALLY REALLY bad 😂
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Ha! Hope you enjoy them all!
@davidbrian6498
Жыл бұрын
I definitely agree about the Goodreads Choice awards being a popularity contest. Although I think this probably applies to most book awards. I used to make a point of reading each year's top picks. Maybe it's just me, but too often I was left shaking my head. So many better picks out there.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Yeah shaking my head sums up my experience well
@imorca1994
Жыл бұрын
It offends my sensibilities that /Elevation/ is considered a horror story. Just...not scary in any way. Maybe about 3 paragraphs that were a bit creepy, but really not the right fit for the category.
@JekyViews
Жыл бұрын
Yeah, I wouldn’t class it as horror. I think it’s mainly due to King being as cemented in peoples minds as “that horror writer” that it ended up in that category at all.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Completely agree!
@heidifogelberg3544
Жыл бұрын
Never liked Anne Rice's horror stuff. I tried at several of them, but always noped out. I think Joe Hill may well end up being a much better writer than his father. I've liked him since Heart Shaped Box, which I remember being pretty scary. Quite the Tuesday post!
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Thanks Heidi! Yeah this was a loooong video for me
@heidifogelberg3544
Жыл бұрын
@@CriminOllyBlog It was longer than you usually do, but it was on an interesting topic that needed the extra time. You didn't really waste any time, and the minor divergences from the EXACT topic (talking about The Shining, your reason for not doing the Rice title, eg) were important to your commentary and so worked. It was interesting and well done, and while I guess the Stoker Prize part was again not EXACTLY on topic as far as the Goodreads people might feel, I think it was also necessary in order to give viewers who might want the info an additional and better - for your purposes - option. Bottom line is that the length worked and because you did the whole thing engagingly I didn't mind the time at all. I only noticed it when I looked at the image before I started. After that, I was into the narrative. Job well done!
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
@@heidifogelberg3544 Thank you. Heidi, glad you felt it hit the mark. I'm always conscious of people's time
@anotherbibliophilereads
Жыл бұрын
I quit Goodreads a few years for reasons not related to the awards. The site has issues. IMHO. I completely disagree with their methodology for voting. A judge must read all the books in the category voting in, otherwise, as you said, it becomes a popularity contest. I wasn’t impressed by The Fireman even if it was amusing at times. Mexican Gothic was pretty good but it fell apart at the end. Not really interested in the others. The Stokers do seem better.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Yeah they do seem to put the absolute minimum effort into updating GoodReads and making it usable - it feels like it was designed 10 years ago
@books-on-a-wire
Жыл бұрын
What a cool collaboration! I enjoyed Doctor Sleep, would actually love a prequel of Rose the Hat and her group. I never trust Goodreads Awards, they seem to have their favourites across all genres who inevitably win. I need to check out more of the Stoker books - Tremblay and Jones have been excellent but the other winners I've never heard of.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
I'm definitely going to dip into some of the Stoker winers I haven't tried yet
@WildeBookGarden
Жыл бұрын
oof, you had a lot of bad ones here! glad you at least had a few you'd already read - and that is dedication for reading that entire Dean Koontz series!! 😅 really love the way you reviewed these! I got a great sense of these books even though I've only read Mexican Gothic, which I LOVED - glad you enjoyed it too!!
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the video. it was an ORDEAL :D
@fiig5196
Жыл бұрын
I’m here from mynameismarines and readswithrachel. I hate horror books but I’m a completionist . I also read Mexican Gothic for a book club and The Fireman sounds so good, ima give it a shot!
@kennanlukacs
Жыл бұрын
29:43 love the review of Hidden Pictures. Looking forward to reading it. Fun fact: Rekulak was once Grady Hendrix’s editor!
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Ah, that explains why there is a blurb from Hendrix on the book!
@baxtersmom279
Жыл бұрын
I enjoyed the first couple of Odd Thomas books, but lost the thread by the 3rd book. King is maybe overly prolific and sometimes in need of a ballsy editor who can say, “Enough.”
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Yeah I think the lack of a strict editor is really harming King's work now
@davebrzeski
Жыл бұрын
I agree, but it's the same with any set of awards, with the possible exception of the Brits, which seems to be based on which artists brought in the most money in that year. People can only vote for what they know. I remember the music mag awards in the 70's. People voted for their favourite band, and voted for the individual members of that band in their individual categories. There were problems with the comic awards, when it became obvious that the publisher's of an X-Men fanzine campaigned for their entire readership to vote for X-Men in every possible category. As far as book awards go, it's down to how easy it is to get enough people to read, let alone vote for the books they considered of high quality. I have in the past been active in the British Fantasy Awards as a member of the judging panel for a particular category. They ran on the basis that members of the British Fantasy Society, and attendees of Fantasycon in the relevant year nominate their favourites. Then the books/authors/stories are shortlisted on the basis of how many nominations they got. Then the top 5, or so are passed to the judging panel for that category to read, and rank. We were also allowed to add an egregious omission to the list at that stage if we wished. I quite liked being on that end of things, as it was fun just having a handful of books/authors/stories/publishers to read & consider. I think that was as fair a system as I've ever seen, but it still depends so heavily on enough people having read a book for it to have any chance at all of being noticed. Naturally already Popular authors will always have an unfair advantage.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Totally agree.- I think anything where the winner isn't voted for by a panel who actually read all the books is going to be a bit iffy! But then panels have been known to make mistakes too
@99breyerproblems13
Жыл бұрын
I love your comment on Doctors Sleep where it’s like a Netflix team were asked to write a sequel 🤣 I enjoyed the book but completely agree with this feeling
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Ha! Thank you. 😊
@LifeasMonae
Жыл бұрын
I don’t know what the twist is of Hidden Pictures but every single review I’ve heard for it includes a strong dislike for whatever that twist is
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
It’s really truly ugh.
@worldofbare6727
Жыл бұрын
i'm super glad you shouted out stephen graham jones twice in this video. i haven't read mexican gothic yet (although it's on my list!) but the only good indians was so excellent that i can't imagine many other books topping it (at least within the same year of publication). i haven't read my heart is a chainsaw yet but only bc ive been meaning to watch more slasher films (esp OG ones). currently reading cabin at the end of the world & am so far loving it
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Watching loads of slashers before reading MHIAC is a great idea - hope you're enjoying them and like the book when you get to it!
@krisprepolec5616
Жыл бұрын
I read the audiobook for Doctor Sleep, and I highly recommend. I also saw the movie, and I loved how the Overlook section of the book carried on from what happened at the end of the Shining book, but the movie carried on from what happened at the end of the Shining movie, which was different. It validated my opinion that each has their own merits, and are their own thing. As an aside, I was not thrilled with the casting of Rose the Hat. I love the actress, but not right for this part.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
I am intrigued to watch Dr Sleep and a lot of people have praised it
@robynprice8289
Жыл бұрын
I think a big problem with the horror genre for the Goodreads Choice Awards is just because it's by Stephen King does not mean it's a horror novel. Yes he's known mostly for his horror but he can also write a great coming of age story, science fiction, etc. Elevation to me is not a horror story and neither is The Institute in my opinion as a big King fan. It just goes to show you Goodreads does not pay attention and neither do fellow readers sometimes.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Yeah completely agree!
@lordramoth3416
Жыл бұрын
Do you ever re-read the books you really like? I used to read nothing but Stephen King and sone of his I have read 5,6 times but I wouldn’t even say that are my favourites of his
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
I do - as a rule I tend to read new (to me) books, but I definitely reread sometimes.
@stews9
Жыл бұрын
Olly, you're reliable. If you don't like it, I will. If you do, I might, but probably for reasons entirely different from yours.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Ha - well that's something at least
@amandabarrett7945
Жыл бұрын
Dude,I had the exact opposite feelings about the institute. I really dug the part about the kids (not a school by the way, a research facility). I hated the cop.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Ha! I guess we all react differently to the books we read
@dustintbrproblems
Жыл бұрын
Just a heads up, Owl Goingback is a man. This seems like it was an interesting experiment, though you had to really slog through a lot of not great reads, it seems.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Oh! Thank you, I had no idea why I thought he was a woman!
@william3onfire
Жыл бұрын
Good-reads awards are pathetic. King all the time... 24 hours - yuck.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Yeah it's a bit ridiculous
@thespaminator
Жыл бұрын
Easy explanation. Common taste is wrong. There. Go forth! And read what everyone else says is shite!
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
That's definitely a way to go
@darkfaetarot
Жыл бұрын
“… I didn’t like this one either…” 😂 needs to be the title of this video. I didn’t like Firestarter either. I watched the whole of this video because you’ve read the whole of those books 😅. I want to read Mexican Gothic for ages … another horror book tuber also recommended it. I’m glad it was a Collab, at least you weren’t alone 👯
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Mexican Gothic is definitely the one to read! And yeah I did end up saying that so much!
@LauraBCReyna
Жыл бұрын
Super interesting. I'm also subscribed to bookslikewhoa and Mara did her mega review on mystery thrillers which is my fave genre. Stephen King shows up a lot on her list & it was not an enjoyable experience either. Gonna go check out other channels participating in this project.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Mara's video was so great - I actually think she got better Kings than I did - I liked the ones she read by him a fair bit more than she did.
@paulflint6254
Жыл бұрын
I like Goodreads, i'm on there. It has a friendly community, I have friends there too.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
I’ve not really explored the community aspect of it too much. I probably should
@LiteratureScienceAlliance
Жыл бұрын
Loved watching your break down and find your channel thru this collab!
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Thank you! And same. It’s been great to meet new folks I’d never come across before
@M-J
Жыл бұрын
I hope you received a certificate for this massive project. 😀 King/Koontz - You know what they say…location, location, location. - MJ
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Ha! Very true
@grimviolins
Жыл бұрын
I didn’t know Ararat won the Bram Stoker award.. that’s uh.. surprising.. lol. I just read it last month and really wasn’t a big fan of it.. 😬 It’s not awful.. I thought it was.. just okay.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
I may not rush to read it then!
@dianak.5412
Жыл бұрын
Would have been interesting to know about the average rating and your rating of the book. Plus a „read this instead“ part.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
That would have been a good idea!
@kevinjudge8406
Жыл бұрын
Maybe you should do the Olly's as an award in future. You are pretty trustworthy in that it is clear that you have read the books and, more importantly, you have read a range of titles in the genre. It feels like a commendation from Olly would be a thing that readers/viewers would acknowledge. Enough of the praise - I also want to identify that with the Stoker awards, if you go back far enough the King problem is there too. And, in 2000 old Richard Laymon won the award but I think they renamed it to the Stroker awards on that occasion! Ahh, that was cheap!
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
😂😂😂😂 Stroker awards.
@ammalyrical5646
Жыл бұрын
I've watched several of those videos now (I think this one was the 5th or 6th) and I feel like this was the most interesting one even though I barely read horror. It doesn't really appeal to me and when I try regular horror it often misses the mark. Same goes for thrillers (except I like detective thrillers when done well). I really like Mexican Gothic too and I also like how Silvia Moreno-Garcia used the inspiration of The Yellow Wallpaper in the book. I read that short story after the novel. I've since areas some more from Moreno Garcia and all books I've tried by her have some kind of really satisfying eerie element to them even if I don't like the books. I like horror set in settings like the one in Mexican Gothic btw, the atmosphere just invites the bit of a possible paranormal twist I enjoy. Hence my enjoyment of the Fred, The VAmpire Accountant books (which is a fantasy horror comedy). I was wondering if you've read The Ritual by Adam Nevill? I read that one, needed several tries and the audiobook to finish it and afterward I felt like it felt flat. I didn't care for the characters or the mystery. The atmosphere missed the mark totally (the movie did it better, but I only watched it for maybe 20 minutes because I wasn't done with the book yet). In hindsight I think it was what he was trying to do with the writing. It was something he wasn't very skilled in. It's like that for me with Scott Lynch as well: his writing doesn't work for me, but the massive difference that that man actually has the skill to pull off what is trying to do. At least in my opinion. Still think he overwrights and leaves too little to the imagination though. Same happened in The Ritual: it's overwritten but in a style the author didn't pull off that well. Anyway. I hope this makes sense. I find it interesting to find the horror one the most interesting video even though I still haven't found out what exactly I like in the genre (except the paranormal fantasy stuff) and avoid it because the premises don't really appeal to me much. Hmm... Interesting thing your are, my brain...
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Hi! Thanks so much, I'm really glad that you enjoyed the video. I'm going to be reading The Yellow Wallpaper soon so will see what I think! I've not read The Ritual (or any Neville books) but am trying him soon!
@ammalyrical5646
Жыл бұрын
@CriminOllyBlog I'm curious what you'll think. Let me know? I'm trying to limit by KZitem time because I need more time to apply for jobs and it takes a lot of effort to find ones that suit me.
@mattrance208
Жыл бұрын
Just found your channel and loving it. Have you read The Cormorant by Stephen Gregory or anything by Simon Maginn. Would love to hear your opinion.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
I haven't read The Cormorant but have heard good things about it. I've read Sheep by Maginn and liked it quite a bit - genuinely creepy
@rosiealma4276
Жыл бұрын
A second vote for reading The Cormorant.
@richardgill1309
Жыл бұрын
Well done trimming down the video if only Stephen King could follow your example. I think you deserve a medal for reading all the Odd Thomas books. Something like the Order of the Flowery Bollocks would be ideal for anyone putting themselves through a Koontz ordeal. I salute you .
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Ha ha thanks Richard.
@Michael_Wertenberg
9 ай бұрын
Blood Kin, I really liked. One of my favourite villains of all time in the snake handling preacher. (But grain of salt, because I loved Doctor Sleep)
@danielmarlett1421
Жыл бұрын
So many of these books I wouldn't even qualify as "horror"
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Yeah, agree!
@wouterl5316
7 ай бұрын
Seems like there weren't a lot of books you actually liked.
@CriminOllyBlog
7 ай бұрын
Yep!
@cylesteblue
Жыл бұрын
I’m so glad you were involved in this project! I thought it was crazy that three of my favorite booktubers posted this kind of video on the same day 😂
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
LOL yeah it was a really fun thing to be part of - I loved it!
@Feelings..519
Жыл бұрын
Do you Like blood meridian and if it is, can you do a review, and i love content
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
I do, and I did! I think it was a double header review with another western. Glad you’re enjoying the channel!
@horrorandinconvenience5036
Жыл бұрын
I know our tastes diverge in some crucial ways, but I am BEGGING you to read books 2 and 3 of the Vampire Chronicles. They’re narrated by Lestat and far more unhinged than Interview with the Vampire. I want to know your opinion on Queen of the Damned, because it is genuinely one of the strangest books I’ve ever read. Please. PLEASE!
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Hmmmm.... maybe!
@horrorandinconvenience5036
Жыл бұрын
@@CriminOllyBlog it can’t possibly be worse than the experience of reading even one Odd Thomas book
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
@@horrorandinconvenience5036 well that's true....
@Lara-mx4cd
Жыл бұрын
I wish that they put out the list earlier in the year or actually on the last days of december and then hold the votings a few months later, so that people could have a decent chance to read the books.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Yeah that would be better
@kevinjones4808
28 күн бұрын
The Institute is warmed-over Bentley Little and Billy Summers is straight up a Woke Jack Reacher. I should mention that he is my favorite horror author.
@leandropaulo2921
8 ай бұрын
Do you know what would be interesting? Reading the winners of the Bram Stoker Awards from the last 10 years, but I loved the idea of your video. I believe that most of these winners (goodreads choice Awards) only won because of hype and/or the author's fame, rather than the quality of the horror. I recently discovered your channel and I'm absolutely obsessed with your videos, I'm loving your work.
@BookwormAdventureGirl
Жыл бұрын
This is a really interesting project. From the list I’ve only read Elevation and Mexican Gothic. I did not enjoy Mexican Gothic as much as you did. The Institute is on my TBR. Too bad you didn’t care for it. 😊💙
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Thanks Jolene - hope you like The Institute more than I did
@heidifogelberg3544
Жыл бұрын
Isn't it excellent that different people can read the same book - or watch the same film - and have different responses? Maybe The Institute will speak more to you, and that will be great! Secret: Olly doesn't love the film Blade Runner as much as I do, though I hear from a very reliable source that he doesn't hate it. But I still really like his content and I get a lot of enjoyment from his channel, so it's all a win. Keep participating and have fun with all of us!
@Topdoggie7
Жыл бұрын
I really wanted to like Hidden Pictures, too bad it's extremely transphobic and very right-wing propaganda trying to turn your opinion on things that are just "not normal" according to a Republican. Honestly the book sounded like everything I would enjoy and then it took that turn.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Yeah I was fairly appalled by it in the end. And surprised by some of the authors who had blurbed it
@Topdoggie7
Жыл бұрын
@@CriminOllyBlog It was everything I enjoy reading in a potato chip horror, then I realized what it was and felt absolutely betrayed.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
@@Topdoggie7 agree - nasty and manipulative
@knitwitch914
8 ай бұрын
Your review on Doctor Sleep was exactly as I felt. I wish I never read it and I knew going in he was going to blow this sequel. Did he even have any intention to have a sequel to the Shining? Outside of King writing about Danny’s addiction, the rest of the book was a story of whatever cartoonish garbage he could come up with to make something “safe” his new audience could emotionally handle. It misses all the depth and brilliance we were privileged to have experienced. I loved Abra’s character outside the lazy relationship he wrote with her backstory. I really wish he could have reenergized that older self to work a better story around Danny and Abra. I’m really afraid his politics and the years away from his leaner times just infect his newer writings.
@andshereadstoo7809
Жыл бұрын
Elevation winning that year is wild to me, I did not like that book AT ALL and I like King I dont know, was that really the best horror book of the year? Also, isn't it more of a sci-fi/speculative rather than horror? King stans are going wild on goodreads 💀💀
@linahill7341
Жыл бұрын
I appreciate the facts and humor in your videos!
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Thanks Lina :)
@ChrissyM
6 ай бұрын
There's so many people on Goodreads that refuse to rate anything less than 3 stars because "writing a book is hard" lol. Can't trust it these days.
@katherineeaster5799
Жыл бұрын
I liked the movie Doctor Sleep, but had not read the book. Stephen King, and every author I'm about to mention, is very hit or miss for me. I'm a big fan of the Odd Thomas series. The plots get more outlandish as you go, but the character is so good that I didn't mind following him through it. As far as Grady Hendricks, I really enjoyed My Best Friend's Exorcism (way better than the movie) and Horrostor has a really unique concept, but I didn't make it far into Final Girls Support Group.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
I'm actually reading Hendrix's latest book now and really enjoying it!
@davebrzeski
Жыл бұрын
I'm a big fan of Mike Carey's work, but I don't even have a copy of that one. I'll be interested to see if I agree with you when I do get a copy, or not. Coincidentally, Mike has a new SF novel comic from PS Publishing in a few months, and I believe it's another 500+ page book. So that's going to be interesting. As I think you know, I generally tend to prefer shorter works, by which I mean novellas, not short stories as such. I'm wondering now if I should apologise for my two comments being longer than usual. I definitely need a cup of coffee! 🙂
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
I'm definitely interested to try more of his work. I think I have one of the Flexi Castor books somewhere
@jimsbooksreadingandstuff
Жыл бұрын
I haven't read much of Stephen King since 2000, I read a lot in the 1980s. I did read Cell and felt King's mojo is waning, the Goodreads awards do seem like a popularity contest. The last three years has seen Sarah J Maas win the fantasy genre....there are plenty of other good fantasy writers out there.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Yeah Maas seems to be huge at the moment, Which having read some of her books, I don't really get
@rubyjreads7503
Жыл бұрын
I only use Goodreads just to get book recs in general that's pretty much it. I don't look at the GCA because it seems biased for one author. There are so many new authors that never make the list. It's too mainstream for me.
@im1ru122
Жыл бұрын
Goodreads Choice Awards. Ugh. The nominees are usually tepid. ... 'Doctor Sleep'. I actually read it. Ugh.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Ugh indeed!
@meghanlaue7964
Жыл бұрын
Have a coffee on me and keep it up! Loving the content….
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Thank you so much! That’s very kind of you
@SheilaTheGrate
Жыл бұрын
The Dr. Sleep movie was quite good (I didn't read the book because I'm laaaaazy). :D I thought the acting was incredible. The script was OK, but I feel like the story was better as a movie.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Lots of people have said that - I definitely need to see the movie
@johnnythepillpopper1974
Жыл бұрын
There should be a Stephen King award…picked by the King himself, every year for best horror novel.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Or just best Stephen King novel
@johnnythepillpopper1974
Жыл бұрын
@@CriminOllyBlog no , different authors. I believe he’s the BStoker of our time. Here in America, he’s referred to as Americas boogeyman . He should pick a winner every year, he was the one who embraced Clive Barker as the future if horror. But he’s a painter now….I wish he would drop the brush and pick up a pen.oh well…
@georgeparkes3863
Жыл бұрын
Great video. The trouble with Stephen King is he gets an idea, starts and gets bored quickly! Can’t stand Anne Rice but loved Carey’s ‘Girl with all the gifts’ I guess it’s all personal taste at the end of the day! The other trouble with following lists is my pile of shame keeps growing so thanks for that! 😃
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Sorry about your pile of shame! I do wonder sometimes if King has an idea and then just tosses a coin to decide if it will be a short story or an 800 page novel
@allgirlreview433
Жыл бұрын
While I quite liked, The Girl With All the Gifts, I agree with everything you said. Plus I felt like it was more like a movie script than a novel.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
That’s a really good way of describing it!
@heidifogelberg3544
Жыл бұрын
I haven't read this title, but I did read the short story it's based on, called Iphigenia in Aulis (sp?) which was tight and crisp and mean. Maybe Carey should have stopped there with this idea.
@fiberartsyreads
Жыл бұрын
I think you may be on to something regarding Koontz. This was so interesting to see. I definitely don’t put a lot of stock into goodreads awards because it seems like a popularity contest.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Thanks Crystal, it was a fun project to be part of
@kevinjudge8406
Жыл бұрын
I think both the awards suffer from the problem of popularity; the winners/nominations get all very samey samey closer to present date. The recurrence of Tremblay, Katsu, Graham Jones, and Wendig is a bit problematic (I checked out winners and nominations). Not saying Tremblay or Katsu are bad, but from experience I would only buy a second hand Graham Jones book and I will never read anything of Wendig. Interested by Blood Kin and I have a copy of Ararat. Sounds like Mexican Gothic is a must read - lots of positive reviews. Feel for Dacre Stoker in 2018, coming runner up with a surname like that must be hard to take!
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Ha ha well to be fair I suspect that book wouldn’t have gotten published at all if his name had been anything but Stoker
@FullyBookedMelissa
Жыл бұрын
Very interesting to see the difference with the stoker. I also loved The Only Good Indians but DNFed My Heart is a Chainsaw. Will have to try it again sometime.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Sorry you didn't like MHIAC more! I thought it was pretty great
@Set666Abominae
Жыл бұрын
When I read them both, I significantly enjoyed Final Girl Support Group more than My Heart is a Chainsaw, but in the time that’s passed the latter has stuck with me much more. At the time I wasn’t a fan of MHiaC’s protagonist, but the more I thought about it, the more her struggle with trauma and systemic discrimination dug deeper into me. It also helps that the supporting cast are much more fleshed out than the rather cardboard cutout ones in FGSG. Out of curiosity, have you read Grady Hendrix’s earlier novel ‘Horrorstör’? I completed that one recently and whilst it’s not perfect, I preferred it to FGSG.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Yeah agree - I thought Jade was a really great character. And yes I have read Horrorstor - I didn't like it as much as some of his other books, but it definitely ranks above FGSG for me
@ruplayinggame3080
Жыл бұрын
I just found you through this project and I gotta say, it is always satisfying for me to hear someone criticize Hidden Pictures, damn that was sooo bad, I just viscerally hated the ending and also the rest of the book was completely boring, while the most interesting part was the first chapter (or was it a prologue?) with the study the character participates in, but the author seemed to want to do nothing with that? I also quite liked Mexican Gothic and disliked The Final Girl Support Group. My Heart Is a Chainsaw (and Don't Fear the Reaper, which I read last week and LOVED) is much better on the film reference stuff. And I don't want to read that much Stephen King anymore, I would prefer to read everything Stephen Graham Jones has ever written. Thanks for your sacrifice in reading alll of that for this project!
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Yeah that prologue was intriguing and ended up being completely irrelevant LOL I think the sacrifice was worth it, it was an interesting experience at least. SGJ is so good - I can't wait to read Reaper
@carolinesconcertvids860
Жыл бұрын
I also loved The Shining, but I did DNF Doctor Sleep. The Girl With All The Gifts I picked up in a charity shop for £1. Haven't read it yet and not sure if I would've picked it up if I had to pay full price
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
I think that’s how I got my copy of Girl with all the Gifts as well!
@DDB168
Жыл бұрын
I LOVE your letter K hypotheses. One way to test it - Kriminolly 🤣 2 out of 10 😭
@heidifogelberg3544
Жыл бұрын
Accidents while browsing. Sometimes they work out, and sometimes Dean Koontz ...
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
LOL
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
hahahah!
@odothedoll2738
Жыл бұрын
The only book of these I read is Mexican gothic it’s a lot of pulpy fun but I feel like it has a lot of wasted potential which soured me on it. I thought it could’ve actually explored Mexican culture more and there’s some weird plot holes.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Yeah it's not perfect, but there is a lot to enjoy there
@paulaj7860
Жыл бұрын
I’m still a King fan. Joe Hill is an amazing writer, but the Fireman wasn’t my favorite of his books. Another great video, Ollie.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Thank you! I definitely need to read more Hill
@readandre-read
Жыл бұрын
I actually liked The Institute but it did have a weirdly long first portion. Loved The Fireman. I still haven't figured out what to make of Elevation.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Yeah Elevation really was quite weird
@jennawhite1277
Жыл бұрын
"the best thing I can say about it is that it's short" is exactly how I felt about Elevation! I did like the concept about what was happening to him, but yikes to all the rest. White guy has to have lesbian couples' struggles pointed out to him, grudgingly accept them, and be their hero. It felt really condescending.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Yeah it was all really uncomfortable
@pucksandpaperbacks
Жыл бұрын
I really enjoyed Mexican Gothic. I picked it up in October, but things got in th way and I haven't finished it. This just reminded me!
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Hope you enjoy the end!
@javelin60
Жыл бұрын
My partner gave me How To sell A Haunted House for Valentine’s ( not sure what to make of that😎) but so far I literally could not put it down. Looking forward to hear your opinion on other Grady Hendrix books.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
I just started it actually and I'm really enjoying it. I did do a review of Horrorstor here a while back
@debbiestuckey2239
Жыл бұрын
I read a couple of Joe Hill’s books and it might as well been written by his father. The characters, the description of things, the attributes of each character could have been taken from a Stephen King book. Joe even has the dry and boring portions followed by interesting portions just like his father.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
The ones I have read by him I've enjoyed, but yes you can definitely see the paternal influence
@WhatRyansReading
Жыл бұрын
Kudos on getting through all those! I thought about doing this myself but decided instead to start a project to read all of the Stoker winners and it seems like it's been a much more rewarding experience. Though it's also quite a bit of King (and a shocking amount of Peter Straub).
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Yeah the Stokers would be a much more rewarding experience I think
@Robbo_C
Жыл бұрын
This is great. I love the longer videos! As for Elevation, I really didn't care for it at all, and I would say that it is my least favorite King book. It seemed to me like a cheapjack version of Matheson's The Shrinking Man.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
That’s a great point re The Shrinking Man. That book is SOOO much better.
@Anthingll
Жыл бұрын
Well done Ollie for getting through that lot, I don’t think I’d have had the patience. You mentioned Ararat, I very recently read that, I thought it was okay but it was too much of an adventure style story, not a bad book but probably not right for my taste. I’ve had a bit of a horror set on mountains thing recently, by far my favourite was The White Road by Sarah Lotz, I’d highly recommend that one. Both creepy and had an emotional punch. I also read Echo by Thomas Olde Heuvelt which was…I’m still not sure. It was a lot, about four books worth of story crammed into one long book.
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
I've heard good things about Sarah Lotz - need to check her out. Thanks for watching!
@JoshsBookishVoyage
Жыл бұрын
Great video and discussion. A few years ago I decided to branch out in my horror reading bc I had only really read King. I used the stoker and Jackson awards to find new authors, and many of them did not dissapoint
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
Yeah I think those are much more reliable sources than GR
@lisahoshowsky4251
Жыл бұрын
I came here after Rachel (comedy) said someone had to read a bunch of Stephen king😅 I love him as a whole but I can imagine that might have been a bit * waves hands randomly-insert your favourite adjective here * to get though😆
@CriminOllyBlog
Жыл бұрын
That's exactly what it was like! And I love him too!
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