Wayward Children As I mentioned last week, I finally started Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series. I am not a big series reader at all, but I love the concept of children finding random doors to other worlds, and then having to essentially go to rehab to deal with how awful the real world is in … Continue reading My Week in Reading – Jan. 23rd, 2023
Review: The Wishing Pool and Other Stories, by Tananarive Due (Akashic)
New Tananarive Due book klaxon!! Okay, some of these stories have already been published elsewhere, but any new work from Due is cause for celebration. Due has broken this work into sections; Wishes, The Gracetown Stories, The Nayima Stories, and Future Shock. The Wishes section contains my favorite stories; tales with a hint of the … Continue reading Review: The Wishing Pool and Other Stories, by Tananarive Due (Akashic)
My Week in Reading – Jan. 16th, 2023
I had two cracking finds in my local library bookstore this week. Will found the first one. I’ve wanged on previously about how Roald Dahl’s short story The Hitchhiker opened me up to the wonderful world of short stories. Strangely, I don’t see too many of his books “out in the wild”, so I was … Continue reading My Week in Reading – Jan. 16th, 2023
Review: Sea Change, by Gina Chung (Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor)
Sea Change is a surprising little gem of a book. I was drawn in by the promise of octopus friendship, but I stayed for the incredibly relatable (human) protagonist. Ro is floundering. Her boyfriend has left to embark on a literal mission to Mars, she is still mourning her missing-presumed-dead father, her mother is “difficult”, … Continue reading Review: Sea Change, by Gina Chung (Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor)
Review: Liar, Dreamer, Thief, by Maria Dong (Grand Central Publishing)
Maria Dong’s debut novel, Liar, Dreamer, Thief is a weird and thrilling modern mystery story, guaranteed to keep you guessing until the mind-bending conclusion. Our protagonist Katrina has a lot of issues. She has been disowned by her parents, is frequently late to a job she hates, displays OCD tendencies, and is stalking one of … Continue reading Review: Liar, Dreamer, Thief, by Maria Dong (Grand Central Publishing)
Listen for the Screams – My Favorite Free Audio Horror
If you're anything like me, you need something to block out the voices in your head as you go about your daily business. Luckily for you, I've sourced the best in free, quality horror to replace your internal monologue with unsettling tales. The Hotel - Daisy Johnson I think about Daisy Johnson's debut novel, Everything … Continue reading Listen for the Screams – My Favorite Free Audio Horror
Review: The Spite House, by Johnny Compton (Tor Nightfire)
There are so many delicious things in the plot synopsis for The Spite House, that I found it completely impossible to resist. A man fleeing his life under mysterious circumstances with his two daughters in tow - check! A job offer to stay in an old house with “pronounced paranormal activity” - big check! An … Continue reading Review: The Spite House, by Johnny Compton (Tor Nightfire)
My Favorite Books of 2022
My reading year has been a bit of a strange one. Around September I started to get a bit of reader burnout, and I felt like finishing a book became more important to me than actually enjoying the experience of reading. I don’t actually remember reading some of the books on my Goodreads, but apparently … Continue reading My Favorite Books of 2022
Books to Read in October 2022
Hello from the Hollow! For the last two days I've woken up to a layer of mist, and the halloween decorations in the neighborhood are starting to scare my daughter. I bloody love October! So many amazing books to get your claws into, so I'll stop rambling, shall I? Click the book titles to go … Continue reading Books to Read in October 2022
Review: BBC National Short Story Award 2022
Woohoo! It’s one of the highlights of my literary year once again. The best in British short story-writing talent is celebrated, and shared with the world. I was so, so chuffed that Laura from the amazing Comma Press sent over a copy of these stories, as it doesn’t even appear to be available in the … Continue reading Review: BBC National Short Story Award 2022
California Reading 