Darker Times Book Club - October Pick

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Each month Darker Times hosts a members-only monthly horror book club. Over the past couple of months, we've read Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones and The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins. The discussions had have been hilarious, insightful, and strange. If you have been able to participate, thank you! It has been so much fun to meet virtually and just talk about a good horror book.

We are gearing up for our next month's pick and wanted to extend an invitation to people who haven't had a chance to participate! Next month we'll be reading ...

Jackal by Erin E. Adams

A bit about the book from the publisher:

"Liz Rocher is coming home . . . reluctantly. As a Black woman, Liz doesn’t exactly have fond memories of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a predominantly white town. But her best friend is getting married, so she braces herself for a weekend of awkward, passive-aggressive reunions. Liz has grown, though; she can handle whatever awaits her. But on the night of the wedding, somewhere between dancing and dessert, the newlyweds’ daughter, Caroline, disappears—and the only thing left behind is a piece of white fabric covered in blood."

We choose this book in honor of Black Speculative Fiction Month, which is in October. Black Speculative Fiction Month is about honoring Black writers and creators of all types of speculative fiction from horror all the way to romantasy. We could not be more excited to read this book with our subscribers and hear how it impacts, touches, and scares them.

Jackal: A Novel

RECOMMENDED BY GILLIAN FLYNN ON THE TODAY SHOW • A young Black girl goes missing in the woods outside her white rust belt town. But she’s not the first—and she may not be the last. . . .“I read this thriller that is Get Out meets The Vanishing Half in one night.”—BuzzFeed“Extraordinary . . . A terrifying tale of fears and hatreds generated by racism and class inequality.”—Associated PressEDGAR® AWARD FINALIST • BRAM STOKER® AWARD FINALIST • SHIRLEY JACKSON AWARD NOMINEE • PHENOMENAL BOOK CLUB PICKONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Esquire, Vulture, PopSugar, Paste, Publishers Weekly • ONE OF COSMOPOLITAN’S BEST HORROR NOVELS OF ALL TIMEIt’s watching.Liz Rocher is coming home . . . reluctantly. As a Black woman, Liz doesn’t exactly have fond memories of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a predominantly white town. But her best friend is getting married, so she braces herself for a weekend of awkward, passive-aggressive reunions. Liz has grown, though; she can handle whatever awaits her. But on the night of the wedding, somewhere between dancing and dessert, the newlyweds’ daughter, Caroline, disappears—and the only thing left behind is a piece of white fabric covered in blood.It’s taking.As a frantic search begins, with the police combing the trees for Caroline, Liz is the only one who notices a pattern: A summer night. A missing girl. A party in the woods. She’s seen this before. Keisha Woodson, the only other Black girl in Liz’s high school, walked into the woods with a mysterious man and was later found with her chest cavity ripped open and her heart removed. Liz shudders at the thought that it could have been her, and now, with Caroline missing, it can’t be a coincidence. As Liz starts to dig through the town’s history, she uncovers a horrifying secret about the place she once called home. Children have been going missing in these woods for years. All of them Black. All of them girls.It’s your turn.With the evil in the forest creeping closer, Liz knows what she must do: find Caroline, or be entirely consumed by the darkness.

BantamErin E. Adams

So if you weren't able to be a part of last month's book club, now is the time to get in on the fun!

Here's a quick run-down of how the book club works:

Jackal is 352 pages so we’ll be reading roughly 100 pages a week. Then we'll virtually meet to discuss the book. During the week while we’re each being touched and tormented, we can use Discord to chat about our reactions before our meeting.

Want to join?

The Darker Times Book Club is a paid subscriber exclusive. Discussions and communication regarding the book club will be facilitated through Discord, which is another paid subscriber perk!

To join the discussion on Discord, you will need to be a paid subscriber BEFORE the start of next month in order to get the invite link.

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We look forward to reading with you all!