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…
Bookish Bluster – July 31, 2020
On My Read-Ar Two very exciting books were released this week. Laura van den Berg's new collection, I Hold a Wolf by the Ears, described as "an urgent and unsettling collection of women on the verge". Yes please! And I'm incredibly intrigued by Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings. "A beguiling story that proves that gothic delights … Continue reading Bookish Bluster – July 31, 2020
Literary Yammerings – July 17th 2020
My brain is a bit messy at the moment, and this is reflected by the disjointed nature of my reading this week. I bashed through Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, in a matter of days. It's wonderfully written, with a fierce central female character. Lots of oddball characters too. An incredibly engaging story, in a … Continue reading Literary Yammerings – July 17th 2020
Reading Ramblings – June 7th 2020
On My Read-ar (still funny) The Lost Village by Camilla Sten - This was described on NetGalley as a cross between Midsommar and Blair Witch, so I requested that pretty sharpish. And I just found out it's translated from Swedish! Dude. Keep 'em peeled for this. Set My Heart to Five by Simon Stephenson - … Continue reading Reading Ramblings – June 7th 2020
Bookish Brain-Dump – June 26, 2020
Wonderland - Zoje Stage You can read my full review of Zoje Stage's brilliant new book, Wonderland, on Goodreads or NetGalley, but I just want to re-emphasize my love for these weird novels that seem to be infiltrating the mainstream at the moment. I love well-written folk horror, and cosmic horror, and it seems there's … Continue reading Bookish Brain-Dump – June 26, 2020
Book Bumblings- June 18
On My Read-ar (geddit?) Lots of big exciting releases coming up in the next year. Some favorite authors, some new names. Which are you most excited about? Mexican Gothic - Silvia Moreno-Garcia (US release June 30, 2020)Tender is the Flesh - Agustina Bazterrica (US release Aug 4, 2020)Sisters - Daisy Johnson (US release Aug 25, … Continue reading Book Bumblings- June 18
California Reading 