It was a mid-summer day like any other. The sun was high in the early afternoon sky. The air carried an easy breeze and the temperature was unseasonably mild. A very nice day. There were no indications of my upcoming perils. But be assured, I was tested this day. A test of my mortality and my morality. Apologies in advance, to tell this tale accurately, some unfortunate vulgarities are necessary.

Are you a lucky person? I for one think I am. An incurable ass-disease and spotty beard growth aside, I’ve had a lot of luck in my life. Not being born a dung beetle with a particular palate, a tramplable snake in Trav’s backyard or a redhead in the Harry Potter universe is something I’ll always cherish.

For a huge part of my childhood, I only had an AM radio, so I grew up listening to tons of old time radio as a kid. I loved being able to use my imagination to bring the stories to life. My brother and I would use our old tape recorder to make our own recordings. Now, with the internet, it’s easier than ever to find the best of the best.

I’m sure a lot of you like to read something a little monstrous, or murderous, or spine tingling out there for the spooky season, but you’re caught up on King and Koontz. You’ve worn out Lovecraft and Shelley and Stoker. And Rice and Barker and Poe are all old hat for you now. Hopefully there’s something on this list that’s new to you.

Universe spanning media is on trend right now. I believe there are no less than 790 Marvel movies and TV shows, comics and books, stage musicals and porn parodies (so many porn parodies), that all share their own universes. But Marvel isn’t the only game in town. Many authors create media that shares a universe, even if they sometimes don’t share characters. Here’s a list of some of the authors I believe do it best. This list does not count crossovers (the merging of existing characters into a shared universe), or cameos by characters from other media.

Take it from a fat guy: food is great. It’s no secret that I love to read and have worked in and around kitchens pretty much nonstop for the last two decades. The marriage of the two is almost universally successful for me. So why not dive into a healthy serving of writing guaranteed to get your mouth watering? Don’t know where to start? No worries. I’ve got you covered.

Burgerchamp, the world’s most prolific reader, is back to help you get into some longer, more daunting book series. Follow his lead!

To reference “Zen” or imagine a “Zen master” is something that westerners have co-opted to mean they are “one-with” something. While that’s not far from what the Mahayna Buddhists would tell you Zen actually is (no Mahayana Buddhists were consulted for this writing so technically I have no clue), these references lack nuance and are somewhat misappropriated.

If you wanted some summer reading recommendations, Burgerchamp has you covered. Voracious, prolific, and insane aren't strong enough words to describe the magnitude of reader Burgerchamp is, so understand these are the finest recommendations out of the last 100 books he has read THIS YEAR.

This story was submitted through the Polymedia Writer’s Guild. Visit Polykill’s Patreon to learn more.

By Mr. Mullet Gaming

By Travis Terry

On the final night, I decided I wanted to do something fun but not venture out too far. Everyone else I knew at the conference had already left on earlier flights so I was there to do my own thing. I settled on visiting the Irish Pub just down the street for a few drinks. I had gone there a previous night with friends and made really good pals with the bartenders there who loved talking about college sports. When I came back, they all recognized me, and we got to chatting away and time started to melt.

Our resident speed reader is back with more recommendations based on the first 60 books he’s read already in 2022. That’s right. Look at the date, now read that again, back at the date, here again. Check out the full list of recommendations on Burgerchamp’s goodreads.com list.

By Burgerchamp

Our friend Burgerchamp finished 100 books and lived to list out his favorites.

By Travis Terry

Trav is reading… A LOT! And he has some suggestions

By Michelle

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