Any Moment Called Now

Alice returns - First play report

I know this is a book blog but it's my book blog and since this is at least remotely literately related I say it goes. It works wonderfully with my Autumnal Horror Theme as well because I've played horror games and watched horror games being played and this is actually among the scarier. So, what am I talking about in this horridly roundabout way? Well Alice: Madness Returns of course.

Alice and the Cheshire Cat, gothic (and creepy) version

Take the classic story about Alice who follows the rabbit and falls into Wonderland and add some gothic themes, horror and mindtwisters, mix it with some traditional platform action and presdo, one creepy game with awesome costumes and scary monsters with dollfaces and also deadly foes with oversized forks.

It is well known that I suck at platform games but this I can manage because when I fall down, and I do - frequently - I won't get knocked back too far and there are ways to save oneself from falling too. And the fighting is similar, it's not easy but you won't get punished too severely if you make a mistake and die. So it fits me.

I'm not even done with the first chapter yet but so far I am loving it. And I have to know how it ends, always a good motivator for both books and games.

On the reading side I am now on George R R Martin's steamboat vampire tale and I am delighted at the classic way he is handling the bloodsuckers.

I've also decided what my next themes here on the blog will be. Some hints: Winter is coming and Steam Springs Eternal.

Låt den rätte komma in - John Ajvide Lindkvist

Låt den rätte komma in by John Ajvide Lindqvist
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I know I said I would write in Swedish about Swedish books but as this one has been something of an international success, at least the movie, I will take it in English because really, any fan of writing that creeps under your skin, clings to your back as a child sized nighttime monster and sticks in your chest like a pole through the heart needs to be read.

I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to read this, it might be a side-effect of my dislike for Swedish movies or maybe something left over from when I was that scared pre-teen girl. In any case I am kind of glad I did because now the setting of this book is just a metro trip away and that makes it just a bit more real. A bit more scary.

One interesting part is that if you were to take out the supernatural elements of this story I wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole. It would be wallowing in real life and misery and that really isn’t my cup of tea. Unless there are vampires apparently. Because the clever addition of a classical monster in a very untraditional guise makes the misery stand out so much more, makes my heart ache for Oscar and the others. Makes it a better book in my point of view.

Maybe it’s different when you grew up in the same world, in the same country. I remember the 80’s in Sweden; I remember many of the things mentioned in passing. If someone who didn’t grow up in the same environment read this book they probably won’t get the same experience. But they on the other hand will get the faint exoticism I get when reading books set in England or USA. In the end I think a good book is worth to read regardless. And this is a very good book.


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Skräckhöst! (The Autumnal Horror Theme)

The wind is near howling outside and darkness in creeping in closer. Let's ignore the dying breaths of summer and get immersed in the gothic horror of autumn not to very far from the frigid north. I am launching my first theme here on the blog and it is, as you dear reader might already have guessed, a theme of horror.

The goal is to read as much of the horror books I've either missed in my misspent youth as a scaredy cat or just haven't had time to pick up. In fact I've already started, I am almost finished with Peter Straub's lost girl lost boy and it's so good I just wanna read more by him!


Other books that have risen to the top of my rather large to-read list are It, Bag of Bones, The Stand and Carrie all of course by the King himself. I also got the Necronomicon as a birthday gift yesterday so there will be some classic Mythos-stories in-between the other books because much as I love H.P Lovecraft his writing can be rather heavy at times.

A rather unexpected addition to the theme is a book the darling husband picked up at sf-bokhandeln yesterday, Fevre Dream. It's written by George R.R Martin and I tempts me with vampires and steamboats. Add Mr Martin's wont to be surprising in his storytelling and I for one is sold.

I have 12 more books to read to beat the challenge I set up early this year and with this theme I don't think it will be hard. The question might just be how many I go over with.

One thing you can trust, there won't be a glittering pseudovampire in sight! I am happy to take recommendation of anything creepy, gory or just plain scary though!

Skräckfika!

(Will be taking this in Swedish as it is again very local and such, sorry. Do come back soon for a post about my upcoming autumnal horror extravaganza though!)

Att försöka sammanfatta allt vi hann diskutera under det två timmar långa skräckfikat på Muffinsfabriken på söndagen vore helt omöjligt. Vi åt gigantiska muffins, drack kaffe av olika sort och avhandlade allt mellan himmel och jord. Det blev mycket skratt, många rekommendationer och jag blev ivrigt påhejjad att starta projektet skräckhöst här på bloggen (se senare inlägg).
 Det som från början var ett generellt bloggfika blev av en slump förvandlat till skräckfika när de som kom var stora delar av mörkerelitistbokklubben och så jag och Ett hem utan böcker-Martina som båda gillar mörk och krypande fantastik. Så skräckfika blev det, och roligt var det.

Helena har också skrivit om fikat och mycket mer verbalt och genomtänkt än mig som just kommit hem från en lång dag av shopping och trevligheter. Gå och läs hennes bloggpost! Jag måste säga att fikan och möten som detta är bland det bästa med att ha flyttat till Stockholm. Att mötas i verkligheten ger verkligen konversationerna ett lyft även om internetprat också är trevligt.

Bloggare i fyra nyanser av goth

Men, nu ska jag nog sova och imorgon blir det inlägg om den stundande Skräckhösten! (och kanske lite om böckerna jag fått/köpt/fått maken att köpa, vad sägs om George RR Martin + Vampyrer + Ångdrivna flodbåtar?)