Like many of us, Mara is drifting through life, trying to figure out what she actually wants to “do”. Sick of sarcastic comments from her family members, she accepts a job from her cousin, working on his TV show, Haunt Sweet Home, where HGTV meets Ghost Hunters. Mara gets stuck with the night shift, creating … Continue reading Review: Haunt Sweet Home, by Sarah Pinsker (Tor Nightfire)
Review: The Night Guest, by Hildur Knútsdóttir, translated by Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor Nightfire)
The Night Guest is a short, sparse story set in Reykjavík, Iceland. Iðunn, our central character, wakes up each morning exhausted and covered in mysterious injuries. It is only when she starts tracking her steps that she realizes she is not only sleepwalking, but covering miles every night. Iðunn also begins an ill-advised relationship with … Continue reading Review: The Night Guest, by Hildur Knútsdóttir, translated by Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor Nightfire)
Review: Ghost Station, by S.A. Barnes (Tor Nightfire)
S.A Barnes made a huge impact with her debut space horror novel, Dead Silence, and now we’re returning to the terrifying void for more terrors with Ghost Station. Psychologist Dr. Ophelia Bray is assigned to work with a small space exploration crew, to study a condition called ERS, which is kind of like whatever Jack … Continue reading Review: Ghost Station, by S.A. Barnes (Tor Nightfire)
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)
Review: Sister, Maiden, Monster, by Lucy A. Snyder (Tor Nightfire)
No matter how awful your experience of COVID-19 was, in Sister, Maiden, Monster, Lucy A. Snyder goes all out to speculate how it could have been so, so much worse. Sister, Maiden, Monster follows the progress of a deadly pandemic, from the perspective of three different women. Erin, recently engaged to Gregory, is quarantined due … Continue reading Review: Sister, Maiden, Monster, by Lucy A. Snyder (Tor Nightfire)
My Favorite Books of 2022
My reading year has been a bit of a strange one. Around September I started to get a bit of reader burnout, and I felt like finishing a book became more important to me than actually enjoying the experience of reading. I don’t actually remember reading some of the books on my Goodreads, but apparently … Continue reading My Favorite Books of 2022
Books to Read in September 2022
Oooooh, it's almost spooky season! Here in Sleepy Hollow, it's a little difficult to embrace the spirits at temperatures pushing 100 degrees. Luckily, there are so many fantastic new horror books flying around! All these books have been generously provided by the publishers via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Short Story … Continue reading Books to Read in September 2022
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)
Alternative Mothers’ Day Books
It is Mothers' Day this coming weekend in the US. And as some marketing emails would suggest, I’m sure there are mothers that do like books with blue covers, with a photo of the back of a woman, staring out to sea. I am not one of those mothers. I have become a different reader … Continue reading Alternative Mothers’ Day Books
California Reading 