Tag / The Final Girl Support Group

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Prolific Authors – Four Books

It is time once again to take a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, I’m once again on pace to set a new record for books read in a year, so I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through August of this year. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 114 books, so there should be some movement over the past two years.  Without further ado, it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much over the years.  We continue today with the fourteen authors I’ve read two times, up four from two years ago.

Scott Adams

The now-cancelled creator of Dilbert, who can’t seem to help himself from spouting racist takes on Twitter, Adams used his famous character to write a number of humorous business books, the most recent of which I read in 2012.

Suzanne Collins

A return to the world of the Hunger Games brought Collins back to my reading list in 2024.

James Ellroy

The author of the L.A. Quartet, which I finished off with The Big Nowhere in 2014.

Gillian Flynn

The former Entertainment Weekly writer turned into one of my favorite authors, though she still hasn’t written a new full-length work since 2012’s Gone Girl.

The Book of Lost and Found – Lucy Foley

Lucy Foley

A recent favorite, Foley, a New York Times best seller, has shown up annually since 2021 until this year, although there are still five months to go.

Diana G. Gallagher

The author, who passed away in 2021, can credit the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for all four of her entries, the most recent of which I read in 2011.

Lee Goldberg

A writer for the Monk television series who went on to pen a series of tie-in novels about the show.

Megan Goldin

The former Reuters correspondent first appeared on my radar in 2021 with her debut, The Escape Room.

The Blue Hour – Paula Hawkins

Paula Hawkins

The best-selling author of The Girl on the Train, her latest novel was released last year and read in early 2025.

Greer Hendricks

After spending two decades as an editor at Simon & Schuster, she has teamed up with Sarah Pekkanen for four novels, which I’ve read one annually starting in 2020 until this year.

Grady Hendrix

Winner of a 2018 Bram Stoker Award, the horror novelist debuted on my reading list with The Final Girl Support Group in 2021.

Carrie Soto Is Back – Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor Jenkins-Reid

I first came her work thanks to her smash Daisy Jones & The Six.  Her latest is currently on my waitlist at the library, so she will continue to move up this list.

Minka Kent

Two new reads in 2024, The Stillwater Girls and Unmissing, push her up this list.

John Vornholt

Three fourths of his works that I’ve read come from the world of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

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Prolific Authors – 4 Books

Way back in December of 2011 (and again every other December since), we’ve taken a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school. Since I’ve far surpassed my “normal” reading output the last three years, I thought it would be nice to once again take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through the start of October. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 118 books, so there could be some movement over the past two years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span.  We continue today with the ten authors I’ve read four times, an increase of four over the past two years.

Scott Adams

The now-cancelled creator of Dilbert, who can’t seem to help himself from spouting racist takes on Twitter, Adams used his famous character to write a number of humorous business books, the most recent of which I read in 2012.

The Big Nowhere – James Ellroy

James Ellroy

The author of the L.A. Quartet, which I finished off with The Big Nowhere in 2014.

Gillian Flynn

The former Entertainment Weekly writer turned in to one of my favorite authors, though she hasn’t written a new full length work since 2012’s Gone Girl.

Rebecca Forster

One of my first Kindle finds, I’ve read the first four entries in her Witness series.

Diana G. Gallagher

The author, who passed away in 2021, can credit the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for all four of her entries, the most recent of which I read in 2011.

You Are Not Alone – Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

Greer Hendricks

After spending two decades as an editor at Simon & Schuster, she has teamed up with Sarah Pekkanen for four novels, which I’ve read one annually starting in 2020.

Grady Hendrix

Winner of a 2018 Bram Stoker Award, the horror novelist debuts thanks to the four novels I’ve read over the past three years, starting with The Final Girl Support Group in 2021.

Kimberly McCreight – Reconstructing Amelia

Kimberly McCreight

A New York Times bestselling author thanks to her debut novel, Reconstructing Amelia, she has been a steady presence since 2013.

Sarah Pekkanen

She has teamed up with Greer Hendricks for four novels, one of which I’ve read one annually since 2020.

John Vornholt

Three fourths of his works that I’ve read come from the world of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

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Book 25 (of 52) – The Southern Book Club’s Guide To Slaying Vampires

The Southern Book Club’s Guide To Slaying Vampires – Grady Hendrix

Neglected by her husband, Patricia Campbell takes solace in her book club, reading true crime stories to bring excitement to their quiet Southern suburb.  However, when a mysterious new man shows up in town, Patricia starts to think he is responsible for killing black children on the “other” side of town.  Years later, the stranger has intertwined himself into the community, but Patricia continues to be suspicious.  When she comes upon some evidence which proves he may be more dangerous than she even thought, she rallies her book club to do what their husbands and the police won’t.

Released in 2020, The Southern Book Club’s Guide To Slaying Vampires is the second outing I’ve read from Grady Hendrix.  I found it to be a bit of a let down, both compared to his latest book, The Final Girl Support Group, and to the hype that surrounded this one.  Maybe it has been too long since I’ve read a true horror novel, but this one seemed a little off.  The vampire was not quite a vampire, but was certainly some type of supernatural creature.  It’s not that it was a bad story, but maybe just not what I was expecting.  Oh well, you can’t win them all.

 

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Book 37 (of 52) – The Final Girl Support Group

The Final Girl Support Group – Grady Hendrix

Imagine, if you will, a world where slasher films like Halloween, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Scream were not works of fiction, but instead were based on real life events and the final girls, the real life Laurie Strodes and Sydney Prescotts, all travelled to Los Angeles for a monthly group therapy session?  That is the basic premise of The Final Girl Support Group, that latest entry from Grady Hendrix.  When someone starts attacking the remaining Final Girls, all evidence points to it being one of their own, but the truth is even more insidious.

Through the first 2/3’s of this book, I was completely on board.  But, I feel like things went a little off the rails in that last third.  You know going in to a book like this that there is going to a twist or two, but there really wasn’t so much twists as characters jumping back and forth from suspects like crazy.  Still made for an enjoyable read, but I feel like it missed the landing just a little bit.