Happy New Year! Rabbit Test and Other Stories, by Samantha Mills (published on 21 April, 2026) Yes, I’m still reading a short story (almost) every day, and this collection of deeply moving tales is a great start to my 2026 efforts. I’m about halfway through this collection and nearly every story has left me in … Continue reading My week in Reading, January 9th, 2026
Review: Incidents Around the House, by Josh Malerman (Del Rey)
First off, Incidents Around the House is an incredible title. I think I’d probably read a book with that title regardless of who wrote it. But the fact that it’s the latest Josh Malerman novel just adds to the excitement. Our narrator is Bela, an eight-year-old girl who lives with her Mommy and Daddo. AND … Continue reading Review: Incidents Around the House, by Josh Malerman (Del Rey)
Review: The Eyes are the Best Part, by Monica Kim (Erewhon)
I think if you choose to read a book called The Eyes are the Best Part, which features a bloodied eyeball held between chopsticks on the cover, you probably have a good idea what you’re in for. Reader, this novel is thrillingly bonkers, gruesome, and incredibly gratifying. Ji-won is having a rough time. Her father … Continue reading Review: The Eyes are the Best Part, by Monica Kim (Erewhon)
Review: Supplication, by Nour Abi-Nakhoul (Strange Light)
Brace yourself, readers! Supplication is an intense, nightmare journey, following our unnamed narrator from one bizarre situation to the next. We join her as she wakes up tied to a chair, but her escape is just the beginning of her troubles. This book is relentless. There is no relief in the myriad of disturbing things … Continue reading Review: Supplication, by Nour Abi-Nakhoul (Strange Light)
Review: Bird Suit, by Sydney Hegel (Invisible Publishing)
There is an understanding in Port Peter, that if someone abandons their baby to the bird women who live on the cliffs, that baby will be cared for. But there are exceptions, like Georgia. Now in her early twenties, Georgia’s life is complicated. She’s in a strange three-way relationship with priest Arlo and his wife, … Continue reading Review: Bird Suit, by Sydney Hegel (Invisible Publishing)
Review: What Kingdom, by Fine Gråbøl, translated by Martin Aitken (Archipelago)
What Kingdom is Dutch poet Fine Gråbøl’s debut novel, translated by Martin Aitken. Our unnamed, young narrator is navigating her life in a psychiatric care facility. Through direct, uncomplicated prose, we meet the fellow residents, follow the drudgery of organizing group meals and grocery shopping, and watch as caregivers come and go. For a book … Continue reading Review: What Kingdom, by Fine Gråbøl, translated by Martin Aitken (Archipelago)
Review: The Haunting of Velkwood, by Gwendolyn Kiste (Saga Press)
The Haunting of Velkwood is compelling from the first page, and does not let go until the very end. The concept of this novel is so clever, yet so simple. Instead of a haunted house, we have a haunted block of homes, which no one can enter, except the three survivors. Our protagonist, Talitha, is … Continue reading Review: The Haunting of Velkwood, by Gwendolyn Kiste (Saga Press)
Some of My Favorite Short Story Collections
I have yet to complete an Instagram monthly challenge. For September 2020, I was determined to post one of my favorite short story collections every day, for Short Story September. But then god laughed, and closed my daughter’s daycare for the better part of a week. But fret not, dear reader! For here is the … Continue reading Some of My Favorite Short Story Collections
Bookish Babblings – May 19 2020
I Have a Problem I've put a self-imposed physical book-buying ban on myself. I'm still working, still parenting, so it's not as though I have extra time to actually read these books. As I run to the door and sweep the packages up in my arms, I hear my myriad unread books weeping. The ban … Continue reading Bookish Babblings – May 19 2020
Book Blatherings – April 2020 Round-Up
Novels So far this year, I've struggled to find novels that truly engage me. I consume audiobooks differently that the written word; it's not exactly passive, but I definitely feel more involved with a book if I'm actively reading the words. It may be to do with the fact that when I read a book, … Continue reading Book Blatherings – April 2020 Round-Up
California Reading 