It seems like my weekly updates have turned into bi-weekly ones. Ugh! I guess that’s what ongoing reading slumps does to a person. However, I am so looking forward to the end of summer and the beginning of my two month long binge, The 31 Books of Halloween! I’ve been saving up my NightWorms books and, on top of my already large collection of spooky titles, I should have more than enough to choose from! Stay tuned!
The Week in Books
On the Hoof by Jesse Alexander McNeil — 4 out of 5 stars
Writing up a review to share here and at MrPinkInk, coming soon!
The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa — 4 out of 5 stars
On an unnamed island, things are disappearing. Not just disappearing physically, but people’s memories are being erased of these items as well. Some people are able to retain their memories, and those who can are subjected to the Memory Police. Wow, I really didn’t know what to expect from this dystopian tale but it truly delivered. I felt it dragged a bit at the beginning, but the characters kept me coming back. And the ending? I’m still thinking about it, several days later. Highly recommend.
The Train Derails in Boston by Jessica McHugh — 3.5 out of 5 stars
Now this was a fucking wild ride. I’ll sum this up as an erotic haunted house horror, but that doesn’t do it justice. Alcoholic Rebecca, her wannabe writer husband, and horny teenage daughter move to a secluded estate. Rebecca finds a haunted mahjong set and things start getting weird…including a whole “evil spirits having sex with humans in nearly every other chapter” storyline. The main horror storyline is good, so if you’re looking for something really different for your Halloween reading (and don’t mind a rewind/fast-forward type of narrative) I’d say give it a try.
Novellas, Short Stories, and Anthologies
South Central Noir edited by Gary Phillips — 3.75/4 out of 5 stars
Another strong addition to the Akashic Noir series. Fourteen stories cover a wide range of timelines and themes, from unsolved murders of young black women near the Dunbar Hotel set in 1935 (The Golden Coffin), the dark secrets at a 1960’s all-girls Catholic high school (The Last Time I Died), to a young girl dealing with life and the early days of Covid (If Found Please Return to Abigail Serna… ). If you haven’t picked up any of the titles in this series, this would be a great place to start.
Stay safe and Happy Reading!