Help me choose which book I feature next for my Director’s Cut Review

Now that I've read this one I feel like I vaguely remember it. I learned a lot about bees! Here are some books involving bees to get buzzing.

Meat Bees by Dane Erbach

Small Favors by Erin A Craig

The Honeys by Ryan La Sala

The Nest by Kenneth Oppel

The Homing by John Saul

It's time to wrap up One Day At Horrorland and kick off Why I'm Afraid of Bees.

I absolutely loved revisiting One Day At Horrorland. It makes me wish there was a horror themed amusement park by me! Maybe one day I'll make it to the Horror Nights at Universal!

You can watch the two part episode here if you haven't already watched it.

WRAP UP

1. What was your favorite ride in Horrorland?

2. Would you visit Horrorland?

KICK OFF

Next up is Why I'm Afraid Of Bees which is one I don't remember reading as a kid. But I can sure say I don't like bees!

Synopsis: Gary Lutz needs a vacation . . . from himself. Bullies are constantly beating him up. His only friend is his computer. Even his little sister doesn't like him.But now Gary's dream is about to come true. He's going to exchange bodies with another kid for a whole week.Gary can't wait to get a new body. Until something horrible happens. And Gary finds out his new body isn't exactly human...

No episode for this one!

Nothing seems to get under my skin as much as bugs. They're gross and get into everything. The below books will be sure to stir up some buzz.

Nestlings by Nat Cassidy--This book made me feel itchy. I felt like I needed to take a Raid bomb and bomb out my house!

Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher-- SO MUCH BUG body horror. Brace yourself near the end!

The Troop by Nick Cutter-- I cannot think about this book without thinking of WORMS.

ITCH! by Gemma Amor-- The ants go crawling one by one hurrah!

Shockwaves by Matt Kurtz--Amusement Parks and giant man-eating bugs! Nuff said.

Cicada by Tanya Pell-- A movie festival, small town ritual, and giant cicadas? HECK YEAH.

There's a reason why this one is one of my all time favorites! I love amusement parks and this one definitely delivers! One Day At Horrorland delivers nonstop scares and action!

Today's book recs feature some twisted amusement parks.

FantasticLand by Mike Bockoven--When a hurricane traps workers in an amusement park for over a month, it turns into a Lord Of The Flies situation.

Hide by Kirsten White-- An abandoned amusement park becomes the site of a killer contest.

Shockwaves by Matt Kurtz--An amusement park gets attacked by giant bugs and creatures in this fight for survival.

Ride or Die by Delilah S. Dawson-- A sleepover at an abandoned amusement park turns into a night of terror in this middle grade novel.

Bennytown by Matt Carter--A Disney like amusement park with a dark history.

Folk horror feels as if it was made for the spring and fall seasons. Reading this subgenre during these months really immerse me in the reads.

Here are a few folk horrors that are perfect for the season of fresh life and fertility.

Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss-- A family's two week vacation to live as if they are in the Iron Age in the woods takes a dark turn when the group encounters a ghost wall.

The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister-- A family that tends a cranberry bog has always been sustained by it. But when the bog fails to provide it's promised "bog wife," the family is left to face an unknown future.

Lost In The Garden by Adam S. Leslie--A dreamlike novel trapped in an endless summer. A group of women travel to the town of Almanby--a town known for disappearances. They say if you go to Almanby, you won't come back.

Itch! by Gemma Amor-- A woman finds a body in a forest. A killer stalks the small town in the present, and some shocking discoveries are unveiled about her past.

Something In The Walls by Daisy Pearce--A young girl claims she's being haunted by a witch. This sparks both the interest of the media, and child psychologist Mina. The more Mina uncovers, the more disturbing she finds the town.

Welcome back to my Director's Cut Reviews! Today I'm diving into Morsel by Carter Keane.

Book: Morsel

Author: Carter Keane

Page Count: 208

Setting: Ohio

Genre: Horror

Subgenre/Themes: Folk, Woods, Workplace, Cults, Survival, Eco, Bugs, Appalachian

Comps: The Blair Witch, The Ritual, The Twisted Ones, Run On Red

Rating: 4 stars

Release Date: 04-14-26

Brief Summary: Lou dedicated her time to her job. But when her mom fell ill, she took a step back in order to take care of her. Now that she's at risk of being fired, she greedily takes the offer her boss gives her: go take some pictures of a property in rural, Appalachian Ohio. When she gets there, a terrifying encounter leads to a sabotaged car. Stranded with her dog Ripley in the woods, Lou must fight to survive both humans and monsters alike.

My Thoughts: I FLEW through this one so fast. IN less than 24 hours I was able to finish this delicious book. Is it perfect? No. But did I have a fantastic, fun time reading it? Absolutely I did. I loved how fast-paced this one was. I was never bored. The plot was always moving. It felt like a true survival horror with twists and turns around each corner.

While I wish there was a little more time in the woods, I loved the setting. The tense atmosphere was definitely conveyed across the page. I also loved that the author tells us that the dog makes it right at the start of the book. Ripley was the bestest girl and while she went through hell, I was glad to know she would come out on top. The culty aspect and jabs at capitalism were also really well done.

Lou was a very complex character. I loved how she adored her dog and would fight tooth and nail to ensure her safety. Both her and her dog are put through the ringer in this book. Lou has a lot of intrusive thoughts that she attributes to her inner goblin. These thoughts progressivly get darker as the novel goes on. We also see that Lou is not scared to defend herself against her attackers, with some pretty gnarly descriptions of body horror and the actions that cause it.

Overall, I loved this book and definitely think it's worth your time.