I've just started tackling this novel after reading a Shirley Jackson recommendation at the Too Much Horror Fiction blog. Haven't heard of this blog? Well, it happens to be the only blog dedicated to horror paperbacks that I can find out there. Will started it up just a week or so ago after reading my post where I bitch about the shameful horror paperback vacuum in the blogosphere.
Nothing against movie blogs, music blogs or comic blogs. It's just that there's a surplus of those kind of blogs and a complete absence of blogs devoted to vintage fiction. It kind of surprises me, in a way, because the retro/vintage blogs seem very literate (as for this blog, it sometimes creeps past the sixth grade reading level) - and really, to be truthful, most of the blogs on vintage movies, music and comics are well written and intelligent. (I can't speak on blogs about contemporary topics, because I don't generally visit them.) Thus, you'd think there would be a good number of vintage fiction blogs to meet the demands of such a well-read crowd. Alas, this is not the case.
And I'm not necessarily talking about Steinbeck and Hemingway. Pulp fiction is always a treat. The trashier the better....
The last time I whined about this issue, it took a couple of days to even get a single comment. You could almost hear the crickets chirping. Evidently, it's not a hot topic. However, I feel strongly that books are just as much (if not more) a part of the retro culture as the movies, music, TV shows and comics. Therefore, as a firm believer in "retro preservation", it's important that old books, once again, see the light of day.
I'd start another blog myself, if I had a minute to spare. Unfortunately, I already spend too much time on this one, to even begin thinking of starting another. However, if you are thinking of starting one yourself as Will did with Too Much Horror Fiction, I certainly will be happy to help you promote it. After you've published a few posts, drop me an email or comment, and I'll check it out!
Here's a few more paperback covers from books I plan to read in the next few months. Like I said, they ain't Hemingway.
Note: If you happen to have read any of these, drop me a comment.
