Mark Schiffer

Absolutely impeccable gothic mystery, packed with secrets and incidents. A Swedish caregiver stays with a family which is SCREWED. UP.

The pacing and characterization are perfect, the prose is rich in imagery and horror. I'm grateful for the reading experiences I've been getting from Rendell and her Vines.

Deeply, deeply upsetting!

I was a huge fan of the Almodovar film when I was in college so I had put off reading the Gold Dagger-winning novel till now simply because I thought I was familiar with the story. What a mistake! Notes From the Underground as a psychological thriller. As insular and horrific a mainstream suspense as I've read. Claustrophobic and disorienting. Remarkable.

Scary! Some really great plot turns, managed to pull me out of a reading slump which I always appreciate.

CW: assault, abuse (psych/physical), narcotic use

Made me cry at work.

Made me cry at work.

Readable and informative, though I woulda liked more detail in the back half!

A bit repetitive, but as a lover of the show I found this to be a lot of fun. Also the audiobook is a must, so many original people read on it.

Didn't, like, rock my world, but this Japanese mystery novel from 1962 had a cool setting and some great plot moments. Just felt a bit needlessly convoluted.

A bit overextended at first but really built up a good head of steam as it went on. Totally worth a read, especially if you like somewhat subversive subversive and accessible fantasy written for adults.

A queer American grad student in Scotland - with Satan and nested narratives!

Top-notch psychological horror!

Cw for assault/abuse and suicide - SUPER dark read

ICONIC

Really dug this earthy, goofy sci-fi road novel. Felt super influenced by Pynchon, Dick, Brautigan, Vonnegut, and the like while still feeling contemporary.

ICONIC

As usual with Jason, super elusive but also super charming.

Breezy and informative, haven't read much of Hornby's nonfic before but this definitely inspired me to do so.

Ghoulish and unputownable. I mean I say it all the time, but this one's really killer. Possessiveness, furniture construction, and a cellar filling with cement and bodies!

Read it in a day, couldn't put it down.

Kinda weak series starter, but I don't doubt that the Wexfords get better.

Super dark, and a bit tangled. Child murderer plots turn my stomach. But Rendell doesn't seem to miss very much, there's some power to this story. Another solid portrait of a Bleak British Block.

Darrrrk British domestic crime comic. Great black ink artwork, very “Eddie Campbell”-esque.

Been feeling pretty Blergh, this was super zippy and well paced. Loved every page of it, informative and a must read for like every 2000s kid I know.

Kinda left me cold at first but those last few essays were really insightful glances at his literary history, which was basically what I was hoping for.

I love examinations of online communities.

Tore through this queer riff on Eugene Onegin. So much fun.

Picked this one up on a friend's recommendation and was pleasantly surprised. Remarkable Creatures was dripping in blustery atmosphere and philosophical discussions of geological history and religion. Really enjoyed learning about this cluster of fossil hunters. I read the majority of it in one long go on a slow rainy night at the library.