Status Updates From Things Get Ugly: The Best C...

"Boys Will Be Boys" is one of the most disturbing things I've ever read, the more so because it captures a kind of mind that's all too familiar these days. It's always been clear to me why Lansdale and Andrew Vachss were kin, but this piece feels like Vachss's song in Lansdale's voice. You'll wish you could scrub your brain when you're done, but it's worth reading just the same.

I set out to read a couple of stories before bed. It's now 2 a.m. and I'm more than halfway through the book. I have to get up in not enough hours and I'm too old to do well on short sleep. I have no regrets.

"Mr. Bear." Omg, what have I just read? I know genius is next to madness, but this really proves the point - and I love it. Thank heavens I didn't cackle loud enough to wake my kids, because there's no way I'm explaining this to them. The inside of Lansdale's head must be a hell of a place to live.

"Mr. Bear." Omg, what have I just read? I know genius is next to madness, but this really proves the point - and I love it. Thank heavens I didn't cackle loud enough to wake my kids, because there's no way I'm explaining this to them. The inside of Lansdale's head must be a hell of a place to live.

Neither of the two stories I've read thus far are new to me, but it's delightful to visit them again. Driving to Geronimo's Grave is one of my favorites - a gruesome and tense coming-of-age story that is wickedly funny. And that's Lansdale, right? He sees all the dark parts of life and doesn't shy away, but somehow manages to infuse his stories with heart just the same.