Turkey Tales & Giveaway: Carolyn from Book Chick City

Welcome to the second day of Turkey Tales!  Everyday this week, some of my favorite bloggers will be sharing some of their worst reads with us in the first Turkey Tales event. 

Another blogger is adding her Turkey Tale to the table. Her choice reminds me all too much of my number one turkey tale and the thought of two books out there as repugnant as the one I read actually makes me nauseous.  What doesn’t make me nauseous (how’s that for a segue?) is my favorite across the pond blogger: Carolyn from Book Chick City.  FYI, that is her real hair color.  Be sure to leave a comment if you want to win the giveaway.  Details below

Carolyn from Book Chick City

When Abigail asked if I would like to be a part of her Turkey Tales, not only was I very happy to accept, but I instantly knew which book I was going to talk about: 'Beware!' by Richard Laymon.

I read ‘Beware!’ for my All Hallows Eve event, which I run each October, and I pretty much hated it. I love a good horror novel, I’m not easily shocked, I’m not grossed out by oodles of blood, I can withstand high amounts of tension and psychological torment – nothing really gets to me, except this book did…a lot.

The story isn’t bad, it’s quite a good idea actually. The writing isn’t great but I’ve read worse. The characters are a bit flat but it was a short novel and I got what I wanted from them, for the most part, to keep the story alive and moving along at a good pace. But there were a couple of aspects to the story that I hated to the point I wanted to throw the book violently across the room, stomp on it, rip it to shreds; I wanted to burn it to. a. crisp!

Of course I didn’t – I’m a reader who doesn’t usually give up on books, it has been known, but even though this book was absolutely disgusting it was somehow compelling me to read it, it was like it had me in a dark magical spell and I just couldn’t put the book down.

‘Beware’ is a brutal psychological horror where a small town shop is thought to be haunted. People are murdered and cut up into pieces, there are detailed orgies, and lots of repetitive rape – and that was only in the first thirty pages!

The female protagonist is Lacey Allen, a reporter who lives in the small-town. She decides to look into the haunting with a few of the other town folk. Unfortunately, it’s not a ghost they encounter but something much worse.

Meet Hoffman. He’s evil. He’s also one of the most repugnant, vile and deeply offensive characters I have ever come across in fiction. I understand that Laymon wrote him this way on purpose – he’s the villain of the story - and normally I would understand that and just deal with it, but this time I couldn’t as all that evil was directed at women.

Hoffman savagely rapes and bludgeons women to death - his actions and language are just so abhorrent that he had my skin crawling and reading some of the scenes in this book actually had me feeling slightly nauseous. He views women as sexual objects and to use at his whim to free his depraved sexual desires, whether the women are alive, or dead. *shudders*

But it wasn’t just Hoffman that had me wanting to throw this book across the room – it was also Lacey. After such agonizing torture and rape, and while in hiding from Hoffman, she meets Scott.

Now I understand that emotions can be heightened in times of stress but for Lacey to be physically attracted to Scott, to get turned on when he touches her and then to have sex with him just a few days after being raped, when her bruises hadn’t even turned yellow yet, was just too much for me to bear. I mean, really??

This book is full of the typical sexist tropes where women are just sexual playthings - that Lacey could jump straight back into bed with someone was utterly ridiculous. This book affected me in a way that doesn’t usually happen – when I read the last page, the spell was broken and I closed the book with utter relief.

‘Beware’ is without doubt my number one ‘Turkey’ read of the year – be thankful you didn’t read it! ;)

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Thanks so much Carolyn!  And check back tomorrow for another Turkey Tale from Jackie from Literary Escapism

Giveaway

5 winners will get to pick 1 of the books from the list below that I’m truly thankful for this year:

5/5 bat reviews: Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews Soulless by Gail Carriger Double Cross by Carolyn Crane The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting Nightshade by Andrea Cremer Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel The Greyfriar by Clay & Susan Griffith City of Ghosts by Stacia Kane Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning Hunted By The Others by Jess Haines

You can comment once a day on each Turkey Tales post (any post with the Turkey Tales graphic) for up to six entries.  On Nov 26th, I’ll add up the entries and choose five winners to pick one of the 5 bat! Reviewed titles above to win. 

Giveaway Guidelines

1. Open Internationally (wherever The Book Depository ships)
2. Leave a comment that includes:
   1. Tell Carolyn what you think about her Turkey Tale choice
   2. A way to contact you if you win
3. Winners will be announced on Nov 26th