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
My Week in Short Stories – March 29th to April 5th
Hello again! Another week, another bundle of stories. 3/29/20 Green Red Orange Mariana Enriquez 3/29/20 Things We Lost in the Fire Mariana Enriquez 3/30/20 Forgotten Journey Silvina Ocampo 3/30/20 Mildly Unhappy, With Moments of Joy Amber Sparks 3/30/20 Birthing Stones Daisy Johnson 3/31/20 The Apple Tree Daphne du Maurier 4/1/20 The Lady Who Plucked Red … Continue reading My Week in Short Stories – March 29th to April 5th
Book Blatherings – March 31st
Book Surprises I got a lovely surprise this week. I finally bought a copy of Rachel Swirsky's collection, How the World Became Quiet. When it arrived, it was an immaculate ex-library book (which sadly looked unread), and when I opened the cover, I saw this: I love it when something secret appears in a used … Continue reading Book Blatherings – March 31st
My Week in Short Stories – March 22nd – March 28th
I suppose I've been reading strange stories this week in an attempt to make the "real" world seem a little more normal. Anyway, onward! 3/22/20 - 3/23/20 Rapture Julia Elliott 3/23/20 Tooth, Tongue, and Claw Damien Angelica Walters 3/24/20 Blood Intan Paramaditha 3/25/20 The Organ Runner Lidia Yuknavitch 3/26/20 Your Clothes a Sepulcher, Your Body … Continue reading My Week in Short Stories – March 22nd – March 28th
California Reading 