I’m back with another guest host on my “3 Suggestions on a Saturday Night.” This time it’s with author Andrew Nance, who wrote an excellent thriller called “All the Lovely Children.” Check it out on Goodreads and you can also enter to win a copy of the book over at my review from Monday. Or purchase it now on Amazon.com.
With that, take it away Andrew!
My choice for Saturday night reading is a beast of a book. Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delaney is over 800 pages of small type. I chose it because I started reading it one Saturday night in the late 70s. I’d been alone in my dorm room and there was a knock on my door. I opened it to a new student who’d recently transferred into our coed dormitory. An incredibly intelligent young woman, she had made money for tuition by working as a server at one of the Playboy Clubs for a couple of years. She was beautiful and all the guys had a crush on her. I’d talked to her a few times and our conversations kept veering into weird wonderful books. She handed me Dhalgren, said that few people can get through the book but she thought I would, and then she left. I started reading and was hooked from the first page. I read straight through the weekend, skipped classes on Monday, and finished it that night. I break it out to read every several years. I still have Dhalgren inspired dreams.
I go back to my childhood for a Saturday night movie choice. I spent most Saturday nights watching classic black and white monster movies on Shock Theater with host Dr. Paul Bearer. So I think any of the black and white classics would be a good choice, or maybe something more contemporary and fun like Shaun of the Dead.
I’ll fill in the blank for a third Saturday night choice with a fine whiskey like Knob Creek, or Bulleit, or my standby, Jamesons. We’ll sip it on my back deck that overlooks a Florida marsh, and while listening to the nocturnal marsh animals, we’ll talk about books that changed our lives.
About the Book, All the Lovely Children
In 1959 Charly Bloom was a thirteen-year-old Tomboy full of piss and vinegar. As her father often said, “Calling Charly hardheaded is like calling the sun hot.” Young girls began to disappear in the small mountain town of Temperance, North Carolina. Charly’s natural curiosity, fueled by her love of the Hardy Boys mystery series, inspired her to conduct an investigation of her own. What she learned led to a confrontation with the deranged child snatcher and Charly almost died. Twenty-three years later Charly is a private investigator who recently left the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. When crimes identical to those from 1959 take place again in Temperance, Charly returns to her hometown to help the sheriff stop the abductions and find the lost girls.
Nance has done a marvelous job in creating a well-written, suspenseful novel. His language is crisp and fresh; his world-building, authentic; and his pacing, just fast enough to keep readers at the edge of their seats but slow enough to let them enjoy the ride. He has crafted a compelling, engrossing novel with more than one scene of gritty-realism that will prickle the back of your neck. –Southern Literary Review
Where to Find the Author:
Thanks for featuring Andrew!
I'd enjoy reading this. Sounds intriguing.