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)
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)
Review: Dark Stars, edited by John F. D. Taff (Tor Nightfire)
You know me, I love a spooky anthology. And Tor Nightfire are dominating the horror game with their consistently awesome releases. So Dark Stars ticked so many of my boxes, and is chock-full of superb stories from the best modern horror writers. The stories in this collection are incredibly varied, but all succeed in reaching … Continue reading Review: Dark Stars, edited by John F. D. Taff (Tor Nightfire)
Review – Nothing But Blackened Teeth, by Cassandra Khaw (Macmillan Audio/Nightfire)
Look at that title! You basically know what you’re getting into with a title like that, right? I love a good audacious title. If you are a horror aficionado, you will be shaking your head in despair right from the start of Nothing But Blackened Teeth. Five friends meet up in Japan, to celebrate the … Continue reading Review – Nothing But Blackened Teeth, by Cassandra Khaw (Macmillan Audio/Nightfire)
Review – When Things Get Dark: Stories Inspired by Shirley Jackson, edited by Ellen Datlow (Titan Books)
I am so excited to be able to finally share my love of this incredible anthology! When Things Get Dark is easily one of the best, and most consistent anthologies I’ve read in years. Each writer has brought their A-Game in Shirley’s name. Comparisons to Jackson’s work are a dime-a-dozen, and often completely unwarranted. But … Continue reading Review – When Things Get Dark: Stories Inspired by Shirley Jackson, edited by Ellen Datlow (Titan Books)
“It rubs the lotion on its skin…”
WARNING: This post contains teeny-weeny plot details for The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward, and Near the Bone by Christina Henry. I didn’t mean to read two books with themes of abduction and abuse back-to-back, but I did. Here are my highly scientific findings: I finally read The Last House on Needless … Continue reading “It rubs the lotion on its skin…”
Beware the reading slump…
March has been rough. My brain flat-out gave up, and refused to participate. I found reading extremely difficult because I couldn’t focus. Maybe it was because it had been a year since the COVID crisis really blew up in Los Angeles, and I subconsciously wanted to mark the occasion with a bout of mental stillness? … Continue reading Beware the reading slump…
Book Review – The Last Good Man, by Thomas McMullan (Bloomsbury)
I am an absolute sucker for unsettling tales set in weird little pockets of England, as I am from a very odd bit of northern England. I particularly enjoy stories of weird rituals, or backwards societies, similar to The Wicker Man, or Midsommar. Stories that are slightly unnerving, because they are dangerously on the cusp … Continue reading Book Review – The Last Good Man, by Thomas McMullan (Bloomsbury)
My 2021 Book Picks
Well, this is all very exciting, isn't it? New page design, new domain name, same bookish content! Welcome, if we've never met before. Lovely to meet you. Let's get right to it. I spent a lot of 2020 reading, in order to block out the nonsense. And given how the first week of January is … Continue reading My 2021 Book Picks
When Autumn Leaves…
It's not autumn/fall here in Southern California. The only visible reddish hues are from the wildfires. Ideally, one day I'll have a house in Vermont in which I can spend these autumnal months, so I can live in a sweater, tea in one hand, book in the other. But for now, it's hazy LA days, … Continue reading When Autumn Leaves…
California Reading 