I underestimate how much reading I get done. That said, May is a long-ass month. Anyway, here’s the list!
Five Stars
- The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories Vol. 2, edited by James D. Jenkins
- I can’t fault either this collection or Volume 1. Okay, the stories aren’t all perfect, but the sheer amount of work the guys at Valancourt put in to get these collections is worth at least five stars. Volume 3 soon, please!
- The Talosite, by Rebecca Campbell
- This isn’t unleashed on the world at large until October, so I suggest you brace yourselves. One of my favorites books of the year so far. Breathtaking literary horror.
- Dead Relatives, by Lucie McKnight Hardy
- What an amazing collection. So unbelievably disturbing. McKnight Hardy is a gem.
- The Unfriend, by Steven Moffat
- Currently playing as part of the Chichester Festival, UK, this is a hilarious new play about a British couple who make friends with a brash American. Some fantastic lines.
- My Name is Why, by Lemn Sissay
- Sissay’s devastating memoir of his experiences growing up in foster care, and how vital information was withheld from him. Sissay, a poet, has a gorgeous writing style. I recommend the audiobook, as his voice is wonderful.
Four Stars:
- What Moves the Dead, by T Kingfisher
- The Outcast and the Rite, by Helen de Guerry Simpson
- I Shall Awaken, by Katerina Sardicka
- No One Else, by Kikuo R. Johnson
- The Night Ship, by Jess Kidd
Fine:
- Garden of Earthly Bodies, by Sally Oliver
- Cold Enough for Snow, by Jessica Au
- God Isn’t Here Today, by Francine Cunningham
- The Melting, by Lize Spit
California Reading 