Whether or not you “enjoyed” Agustina Bazterrica’s novel, Tender is the Flesh, you cannot deny the author’s talent. Personally, I thought it was a riveting book, and I think about it at least once a week, despite reading it almost three years ago. So I was excited to get my hands on Bazterrica’s collection of … Continue reading Review: Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird, by Agustina Bazterrica (Scribner)
Review: I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home, by Lorrie Moore (Knopf)
It’s safe to say things are not going well for Finn. He has been suspended from his teaching job, his brother is dying in a hospice, and he is pining for his ex, Lily. While Finn is having what could be a final visit with his brother, he gets an urgent call regarding Lily, and … Continue reading Review: I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home, by Lorrie Moore (Knopf)
Review: The Book of Witches, edited by Jonathan Strahan (Harper Voyage)
The Book of Witches is a huge anthology, jam-packed full of wonderful prose and poetry from a diverse range of writers, lovingly edited by Jonathan Strahan. The quality of writing does not wain throughout, but here the following really stood out to me: The collection opens with a moving poem, Seed of Power, by Linda … Continue reading Review: The Book of Witches, edited by Jonathan Strahan (Harper Voyage)
My Month in Reading, May 2023
Oh sweet Jesus, it’s June next week. Once again, I am scrambling, trying to hack away at my pile of ARCs. All of which I willingly requested, or accepted, completely overestimating my capabilities. And today, I got rejected for an ARC I was very excited about, and I’m assuming it’s because I have a backlog … Continue reading My Month in Reading, May 2023
Review: The Salt Grows Heavy, by Cassandra Khaw (Tor Nightfire)
I consider Cassandra Khaw to be the most intelligent horror writer working today. The way she crafts her stories with precision is a gift, and her latest work, The Salt Grows Heavy, is an absolute gem. Our mermaid narrator, and her Plague Doctor companion encounter a strange village, where young people are butchered in the … Continue reading Review: The Salt Grows Heavy, by Cassandra Khaw (Tor Nightfire)
My Week in Reading – May 1st, 2023
Well, hello! Things are pretty mad over at Thompson Towers. I'm entering the last six months of my thirties, which is frankly unbelievable. My career has quite suddenly accelerated, which is very exciting, but a little scary. Anyhoo, there's always time for reading! Only a mere 99 years after publication, I finally read The Home-Maker … Continue reading My Week in Reading – May 1st, 2023
Review: The Haunting of Alejandra, by V. Castro (Del Rey)
I read this last year, and it's finally being released today! The prolific V. Castro is back with a story of generational trauma, misogyny, and La Llorona. Alejandra is a mother of three, in a loveless marriage, she yearns for a better life, but feels trapped by her lack of financial independence, and the societal … Continue reading Review: The Haunting of Alejandra, by V. Castro (Del Rey)
My Week in Reading – April 17th, 2023
Not sure if you saw the whole back and forth last week, but Scholastic booted themselves in the ass by first asking Maggie Tokuda-Hall if they could license her gorgeous book, Love in the Library, but only if she removed the references to racism in the author's note. Anyway, I read the book this week, … Continue reading My Week in Reading – April 17th, 2023
Review: Unquiet, by E. Saxey (Titan Books)
This book isn't out until July, but it's so freaking good I just want to get the hype started! Well, what a wonderful surprise this novel was. Unquiet is the gorgeous, mysterious debut novel from E. Saxey, and is a gothic delight. Judith is rattling around in her family’s huge house in late nineteenth-century London. … Continue reading Review: Unquiet, by E. Saxey (Titan Books)
Review: Mothered, by Zoje Stage (Thomas and Mercer)
Zoje Stage is a vital part of the fiction community. Her books contain seemingly domestic mysteries, but contain just enough delicious weirdness to fit comfortably into the horror category. Mothered, Stage’s pandemic novel, is her most disorientating yet, and captures the uncertainty and strangeness of the period that many would rather forget. Hairstylist Grace finds … Continue reading Review: Mothered, by Zoje Stage (Thomas and Mercer)
California Reading 