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ALISON Alison is a lost nature girl wandering through our urban streets. Her dreams are padded with fields of wildflowers and crickets and her eyes see everything in hues of lavender. She talks to animals and sings when the music calls to her. She reads all books and judges them by their covers. If you are looking for her in reality you won't find her but she is always reachable in a day dream if you would like to meet her there. |
One of my favorite settings for a spooky novel is a hospital in the woods. The thought alone can keep you up at night. Add a story like the one Jennifer McMahon braids into the threads of the pages in The Children on the Hill and you are sure to find a reason to carry a flashlight with you in your backyard at night. The story, told in two time periods, weaves itself throughout your lungs and tugs until you gulp for air. Monsters hide in everyone. How do you escape them when you don't know where they are?
Eyes wide and ears perked, Catriona Ward has gotten my attention. Sundial continues to show Ward's ability to write a horror so thrilling and so intrinsically psychological, you won't want the story to stop. I am emotionally terrified and I am begging for more. It is the dental floss in my bleeding gum. The deeper I dig the more I bleed but, I cannot stop, the dig just hurts so good. Sundial just terrorizes so good.....
Bringing the slasher era to the present day, Clown in a Cornfield turns instaclassic. Adam Cesare stays true to the genre AND brings a wow-out-loud turn that is sure to leave a notch in the teen horror classic world. Just some helpful advice, the Clown is terrifying. Grab a buddy to hold on to, you'll need them.
Terrifying. If you think you can read this all alone, in a dark house, I call your bluff. Read it. You'll see what I mean. Stephen Graham Jones writes the stories that become legends.
Scare: v. cause of great fear or nervousness; frighten n. a sudden attack of fright. "The Glassy, Burning Floor of Hell" rips the layers off of the scared horror. I begged for a shock scare because the constant lava flowing through my soul, rolling bubbles of fire filled fear, was too much to handle. Brian Evenson tells us of a future that's far too horrible and rancid to be so near to our reality. Monsters are among us. Monsters hide with us. Monsters hide in us. Reader beware: Are you ready to see your monster?
Your neighbor's secrets are darker than you know. Catriona Ward shows us just how blinding the darkness can get in "The Last House on Needless Street". When you are searching for that classic horror story that keeps your love of the genre alive and still turns your blood to glaciers, stop here. This story keeps your eyes wide and keeps the nightlight on.
Gus Moreno wakes us in the dark corner of grief and wraps us in a lullaby that steals the sleep from our eyes and warms our blood with terror. "This Thing Between Us" crawled into my mind and left a light flickering. What is hidden in the shadows masks the line between what is real and where we get lost in illusion. Moreno plunges us there before we even realize we are submerged.
This tale will haunt you, and in ways that you were least expecting. Masterfully researched, Kate Summerscale presents a story told that delivers. Rich in history and astounding facts, The Haunting of Alma Fielding is a great read for anyone interested in the paranormal and the human condition.
I was in a club once. There was a treehouse and probably some sandwiches. We held one official meeting and then forgot about the club. Once you join the Mary Shelley Club, you'll never forget. Moldavsky joins "The Breakfast Club" and "Scream" together, creating an exhilarating novel that'll make you want to join this club. Don't worry, if you find yourself a target instead, they don't want to hurt you, they just want to hear you scream.
It's 1618, you're a woman, single, independent and resourceful; all ingredients to be broiled into a witch hunt. Rivka Galchen's novel, Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch introduces us to Katharina, a woman who checks all the witchy boxes in a time when being accused can get you killed. Based on true historic people and facts, Galchen takes us on a journey with Katharina, her family, and the village that turns on her one by one. A great examination of how one bitter person can fuel a fire that ignites hate and distrust among many. Listen, there is a sweet cow in this book named Chamomile. I really should have just lead with that.
Astrid Sees All is a party you are pretending to be on the fence about attending but really, no matter the consequences, you'd never turn down this opportunity. It has guest appearances by Warhol and JFK Jr. AND it's 1984 in the late night NYC party scene. Covering all the bases, Natalie Standiford creates a story that somehow makes me long for a seedy un air-conditioned walk up in an artsy section of 1980s New York City. Can you have FOMO for something that happened in the past?
The scars are visible; the wound still festering below the raised imperfection that grows when women are consumed by men. Lisa Taddeo takes us on the journey of the consumed in Animal. The story Taddeo weaves is filled with visceral realities that will bring you to your knees while you pine for our unlikely heroine. This is the narrative of a woman and her many experiences with men from all aspects of life and how those experiences carve her out. The circle of life is ever present in this immersive novel.
Stephen Graham Jones writes as if he's sitting with you and telling you a story. His words peel off the pages and float through the air, commanding your attention. His tales are ones to listen to. My Heart is a Chainsaw reeled me in, widened my eyes and just when it needed to, sucker punched my core. You don't scare me Mr. Jones, you are beyond that. You thrill me. You awaken my chilled soul and horrify my spirit. This story will sit with me. It will haunt me while I digest the ghosts from within the pages. Your horror suppurates deep in the gushing wounds of the truth.
Oh hey Nubia, I see you now and I can never look away. This super hero is fighting the injustices of our time. LL McKinney packed so much into her graphic novel, so much real life. The words are further developed by the incredible illustrations by Robyn Smith. Pick it up and feel inspired. We needed a new hero and Nubia rose to the occasion.
What a perfect story about determination, acceptance, and pure love. Herbert will steal your heart.
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Thank you, Fannie. I have always dreamed about what was going on with the characters that I have carried with me since Fried Green Green Tomatoes. Now I know for sure. With Whistle Stop, it is always a nice visit.
Briony May Smith illuminates our imagination with precious tale of a little girl and her baby unicorn. When Margaret moves to a new place she finds a baby unicorn that was accidentally left behind by its family. This unicorn needs Margaret and it just so happens that Margaret needs him too. The illustrations are oh so endearing and inviting. I want to frolic through the hills with Margaret and her unicorn. Daydreams take flight in this whimsical story of changes and how there can be magic found in them.
Give me a chubby, bow tie wearing, orange tabby bookstore Cat RIGHT NOW!
Truest fictional hollywood memoir novel. Jim Carrey's Memoirs and Misinformation takes us into the world of fame and celebrity like no one has before. This purely fictional true tale invites our imagination to pull out the realness in every line. In a world where even true love is a transaction it is hard to find anyone real, let alone find yourself. Carrey lived in this world, sat at the very top even, yet he never truly gave in to the ridiculousness. This doesn't mean he wasn't wrapped right up in it. It is due to this unique view from the inside out that we are able to relate to the quirky interesting story that sits before you. Pick it up and fall in.
Cover me in my own darkness and let me dig myself out. Show me my ghosts and tell me how they are not mine alone. This is where Laura Van Den Berg leaves you. She speaks in a language that carves itself into your soul and orders you awake.
The beauty in the silence is a secret few are open to discover. David Ouimet's imposing illustrations and muted words share this secret in, "I Go Quiet". Quiet isn't strange. Quiet isn't rude. Quiet is misunderstood. Quiet is taking it all in and treating words as treasures. Let our minds grow wings and let our mouths go silent. That is okay.
The Regrets by Amy Bonnafons takes the ideas of sexual and relationship discovery to a whole new level. Not only does Bonnafons examine female sexual desire and exploration in a way that I have never read before, she also does so while examining the complexity of their partners lives at the same time. When Rachel falls for a dead man, she experiences a relationship she's never had before (obviously). And don't worry, this guy, Thomas, isn't a zombie or an apparition. He is a very human ghost. He lives a day to day life much like the rest of us, only he is waiting to be finally, fully dead. In this novel we see how we can be selfish but how that selfishness isn't only sitting with us, others are selfish too and that is ok! Sometimes we have to be selfish to find out who we are, what we want, and to fully develop into ourselves. Amy Bonnnafons writes about how we can be in control of our own lives even when things get out of control. You should read this book and let it in... even if your self discovery runs a different course, it will surely hit the same points and reflections.
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Stirring. Finishing this novel in bed was a terrible idea that I just couldn't escape. I tried but I couldn't stop reading, unwilling to leave these characters and their stories unfinished. I was up for hours afterward thinking about the pizza girl that I had loved and hated and loved. Jean Kyoung Frazier writes a beautiful narrative. We cannot escape our own minds and sometimes, when we have good things in our lives, we are determined to destroy them. Sometimes we know why. Other times we do not. Sometimes we can fixate on something that we know will never be our reality and sometimes we will let that destroy us. I do not believe anyone is immune from relating to one or all of the players in this story. I know I wasn't.
My dear Sarah Waters, what have you done to me? This novel changed everything. I am not one to be fooled but you got me. Yes, you surprised me. Listen people, if you want to read an exquisitely written timepiece novel, pick up Fingersmith. Read it, let it sink in, and then tell everyone you know to read it. The voices, the plot, the turns, the mysteries, they are all grand. I've already said too much, just read it.
Never would I have expected to enjoy this book so much. I love witches and witchy stories but usually, I am left feeling a little slighted by the author. Of course, this is a situation I never realized until my reading of A Witch in Time by Constance Sayers. I am now concerned about witch novels of my future...how will they add up to this one? Sayers really put everything into this novel. By everything I mean not only witchy witchness but also, demons, romance, time travel, resurrection, soul searching, familial love and dysfunction, friendship, classic Hollywood, art, art history, and there is even a mother daughter seance situation. All of this AND impeccable story lines and character development. This is a fantastic debut from an author that I hope keeps writing! I loved every second of A Witch in Time. Wonderful and visual storytelling. Thank you Constance!
Hi! I am a women on a blue green sphere that's full of dips and dizzies and dust all about. Sometimes, in my neck of the sphere, the dust gets really excited and gathers all of it's dust friends and they have a huge dust conversation and they laugh a lot. Their laughter causes burst of wind so strong that humans have to wait until the dusts end their party to be able to proceed with their lives on the sphere. Jenny Slate, your Little Weirds is a little weird and it's the most immeasurable amount of weird that we need in our world. Thank you.
Hendrix does it again. This guy, his writing, it's just the ultimate. Grady Hendrix's, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires is an elegant horror novel that pays tribute to the housewives and mothers of the 80s, 90s and today. Quiet, kind, obedient, and ready to murder a demon if it threatens their families. No one else could do it. We all know moms are super heroes, Mr. Hendrix makes it his mission to show that women are badasses who are severely underestimated and yet, still handle everything thrown their way and get everyone fed in time for bed. Always anxious to read his next book, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires did not disappoint in my love for all things written by Grady Hendrix. Pick it up. You won't regret it.
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Have you ever found an object in an unlikely spot, allowed your mind to wander to the hows and whys it ended up where it currently is? Maybe you dove deep into the rabbit hole of wonder for a few minutes or so? That is Death in Her Hands. However, where you would stop, Ottessa Moshfegh keeps going, taking us deeper into... disillusion? Reality? I find myself overthinking this beautifully written novel and I'm certain that is what the intention is. It is, isn't it?
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A Cosmology of Monsters is a dysfunctional and honest family story that also packs a monster punch. Just when I thought I was reading a piece of literary fiction, a terrifying scene would unfold as a perfectly placed reminder that horror is present and alive in this novel. Shaun Hamill manages to tug on your emotions, make you reflect on your own family relationships, and make you want to sleep with the lights on.