The Nocturnal Reader's Subscription Box: Infested and Infected

This month's theme was Infested and Infected... and as per usual, it did not disappoint! We got THREE, count 'em, THREE books this month, as well as a pretty cool King-inspired wearable and only the greatest mug I've ever seen. Let's look at this month's contents...

As always, let's start with the books! I was lucky enough to get a signed book this month - Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones, synopsis is as follows:

"Walking through his own house at night, a fifteen-year-old thinks he sees a person in full Blackfeet regalia step through a doorway. Instead of the people who could be there, his mother or his brother, the figure reminds him of his long-gone father, who died mysteriously before his family left the reservation. When he follows it he discovers his house is bigger and deeper than he knew."

This horror novella sounds pretty good, I'd honestly never heard of it before! The second book was this month's new release, The Grip of It by Jac Jemc, which I've already seen around bookstagram and was definitely intrigued by. Synopsis is as follows:

"Touring their prospective suburban home, Julie and James are stopped by a noise. Deep and vibrating, like throat singing. Ancient, husky, and rasping, but underwater. "That's just the house settling," the real estate agent assures them with a smile. He is wrong. The move - prompted by James's penchant for gambling and his general inability to keep his impulses in check - is quick and seamless; both Julie and James are happy to start afresh. But this house, which sits between a lake and a forest, has its own plans for the unsuspecting couple. As Julie and James try to establish a sense of normalcy, the home and its surrounding terrain become the locus of increasingly strange happenings. The framework - claustrophobic, riddled with hidden rooms within rooms - becomes unrecognisable, decaying before their eyes. Stains are animated on the wall - contracting, expanding - and map themselves onto Julie's body in the form of painful, grisly bruises. Like the house that torments the troubled married couple living within its walls, The Grip of It oozes with palpable terror and skin-prickling dread. Its architect, Jac Jemc, meticuloulsy traces Julie and James's unsettling journey through the depths of their new home as they fight to free themselves from its crushing grip."

Again, that book sounds awesome! Kinda feels like the story might be similar to House of Leaves? We'll see! The last book in the box was This Book is Full of Spiders by David Wong, a sequel to John Dies at the End. JDATE is a book I've wanted to pick up for a while, as my friend Mindi (@gowsy33) has given it rave reviews and she has great taste, so this really gave me the perfect excuse to order it! Synopsis for This Book is Full of Spiders is as follows:

"You will dismiss this as ridiculous fearmongering. Dismissing things as ridiculous fearmongering is, in fact, the first symptom of parasitic spider infection - the creature stimulates skepticism, in order to prevent you from seeking a cure. That's just as well, since the "cure" involves learning what a chainsaw tastes like. You can't feel the spider, because it controls your nerve endings. You won't even feel it when it breeds. And it will breed. Just stay calm, and remember that telling you about the spider situation is not the same as having caused it. I'm just the messenger. Even if I did sort of cause it. Either way, I won't hold it against you if you're upset. I know that's just the spider talking."

It sounds sooooo good! It's meant to be a mixture of horror and comedy, so it should be an interesting read! Now for the rest of the goodies... We got a Captain Trips baseball cap! I generally don't wear hats, but I was considering starting to wear one when I go out for a run, so this one couldn't have arrived at a better time. 

As shown above, we got a lovely cockroach-infested bookmark...which I can't even look at, let alone use! As well as a pin inspired by the Jonathan Maberry book Patient Zero, and it also glows in the dark! I'm obsessed with bathbombs, so I was really excited to get a bathbomb in this month's box - apparently there's a surprise in the centre, I can't wait to try it this weekend. I also received a 'Salem's Lot postcard with the terrifying Barlow on the front. Lastly, my favourite item we've ever received in a nocturnal reader's box... this Exorcist inspired mug!! If you follow my insta at all, you'd know that The Exorcist is one of my favourite books of all time, as well as being my favourite horror movie. And I live for coffee. So combine the two and I'm very happy.

Oh! And here's a closer look at this month's artwork entitled "The Woman Who Never Killed Bugs" by Ally Burke. Pretty pretty pretty cool, huh? (channelling my inner Larry David as always).

I'm majorly excited for next month's box, the theme of which is Monster Mayhem! Cthuhlu is meant to making an appearance... some boxes are still available, and I promise you'll want one! So use my code DRJOBIS15 to save yourself 15%! Until next month...

Johann

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