Julia ☕️

Can't ddcide between 2.75 or 3 stars 🥴
Okay...this was a swing and an overall miss for me. A good chunk of this story dragged for me. The final 100 pages (or so) were fantastic, but I felt like I had to cut through a lot to get there. I also wasn't a huge fan of the way it was written. The semi-stream of consciousness/2nd person narration didn't really work for me, except for in the last 2 sections.
I loved the creepy elements, lore, and the building sense of dread, but was completely pulled out by the sheer amount of basketball that was being played and described in the novel. I think I understand what Jones was trying to do, but it didn't land for me at all.

Where to even begin with this novel!! It's a story of haunted people, a haunted city, and a time of personal and collective reckoning.
Louise Erdrich is brilliant. Her writing is gorgeous, masterful, and poignant - I just want to love on and squeeze every single one of the characters in this novel. If I hadn't been in public while finishing this, I would've been a mess of tears. 
I haven't fully processed my thoughts and feelings about the novel yet, but dammit I love it so much. Erdrich is totally becoming one of my favorite authors!

I'm not even sure if I can accurately summarize this novel without regurgitating what the jacket said. If you're looking for a “whodunnit” story, this isn't it. If you're looking for a story about the ripple effect of tragedy and trauma, this is what you're looking for.  The writing was beautiful and flowed smoothly. The translator did an incredible job of bringing the gorgeous prose the author wrote to life in English. I appreciated the footnotes when there wasn't a direct translation; it added a lot of color and life to the language on the page.  The story itself was just okay - totally middle of the road for me. I found it a bit difficult to figure out what character we were following in each chapter until the very end. The novel also felt a little too short and I wanted to know a little bit more about certain characters. Overall, it was a quick, heavy, and beautifully translated read so if you're in the mood for that, Lemon is for you!

I enjoyed this listen! It was only a little over 8 hours so it felt really digestible and quick to get through. For me, none of the information presented in the book was really new to me and it felt like surface level analysis of a topic with a lot of depth. I was expecting and wanted more of a deep dive into cultish language and culture. If you want to dip your toes into nonfiction, this is a good gateway, but if you want more in-depth analysis, I'd recommend looking for something a little different.

This is James Baldwin's first work of fiction that I've read and I am wrecked. Not “ugly sobbing at 1am” wrecked, but a much deeper subconscious feeling. When I finished this last night, I had to stare at the ceiling for a little while. Tish and Fonny will stay with me for a long, long time. Part of me wishes this story was longer, but right now, I'm content with it being as long as it is.

This novella feels like something I would've liked to read in my high school AP Lit class or a lit class in college! There's so much to pull out of this story - symbols, motifs, themes - and so many ways to frame the characters and the relationships between the unnamed narrator, Michael, Mom, and Father. The narrator is wise beyond her years and that comes across clearly in this story. This is a quick bite that's unsettling and strange but stays with you - I haven't stopped thinking about it all day! 
As always, I recommend reading the content warnings before picking this up.

I love stories about hauntings - houses, people, nature - if it's haunted, I will read it. She Is A Haunting is a beautifully written story about colonialism, self-discovery, and trauma and how it manifests in a physical structure, but also in the people that occupy it. The author does a great job of meshing past and present together to create a vivid and moving novel. I really, really enjoyed this and found the supernatural elements to be just right. After reading Piñata and being disappointed, I needed something good and I'm so glad that I picked up She Is A Haunting! If you like haunted place stories, this is for you.

Y'all... this story is so beautiful. And beautiful doesn't even feel like the right word. I haven't completely processed this story but I immediately want to read it again. The last 30 or so pages are full of the most gut-wrenching things I've ever read. I ugly cried for a while after finishing this and the last time this happened was when I read The Green Mile last year. 

Another day, another Eric Larocca book I'm not sure if I enjoyed ✨
*Edit to add star reviews to each story. The average of the 3 ratings equals the overall star rating!

The first story I found extremely unnerving and by the end, I felt like I needed to take at least 3 showers to wash off the feeling of reading that story.  4/5 ⭐️

The second story had so much potential to really disturb me, but I was so let down by the direction the story took and the way it ended. 1/5 ⭐️

The final story I found too short to really make a huge impact on me like the title story. I get the direction where they were going, but I wanted a little more of a slow burn. 2/5 ⭐️

6 months later and this short story collection is finished 🎉 Four Past Midnight is a short story/novella collection that includes 4 stories - “The Langoliers,” “Secret Window, Secret Garden,” “The Library Policeman,” and The “Sun Dog.” Secret Window, Secret Garden was my favorite story in this collection while The Library Policeman was the most chilling. I found The Sun Dog to be a bit of a slog even for it being so short, but the story was quite good, especially if you like the Castle Rock stories. The Langoliers is wacky, weird, creepy, and may make you rethink boarding a flight. King always surprises me in some way with everything of his that I've read. It feels very fitting that I finished this last nights after coming home from Bangor. 

The Round House is an unflinching look at trauma and it's effect on family and community. I loved the way Erdrich used a first-person adult narrator recounting events that happened in his youth. I found that it brought another level of reflection to an already mature character. Most of this novel was a gut punch, but it's had moments of hilarity and joy that you could truly feel. I loved the way that memory and storytelling from elders was woven into the narrative - if you know me, I'm a SUCKER for when that device is used and used extremely well, much like in this story.
I really enjoyed this novel and I can't wait to read her other works!
Please read the CW before starting this novel. There isn't too much graphic content, but it could be triggering for some. Also, there aren't any quotation marks denoting conversations or lines of dialogue, so that may took a few pages to get used to. 

I love a gothic horror story but I love a gothic horror story that includes fungi! This was my first time reading T. Kingfisher and this story felt like a wonderful introduction into her work. What Moves the Dead is creepy, funny, and an all-around beautiful. I love the way the author uses language to describe the manor, nature, and characters. My only criticism with the novella is that the ending felt a little bit rushed, given how short it is. Overall, I highly enjoyed this quick read and if you like anything gothic, I recommend it!
I honestly can't remember if I've read Fall of the House of Usher, but I'm totally going to add it to my list. 

I don't know how to rate this, so I'm leaving it blank for now.

This novella feels like House of Leaves but easier to understand and also sort of like an episode of Hannibal. I'm not sure what the “point” of this work was, but it's intriguing to say the least. Eric LaRocca is an extremely effective writer and they use language in ways that bring the story to life. And in ways that really grossed me out at times. I typically don't get squeamish easily when reading, but some of the body horror in this made me a little queasy and cringe. This novella is really strange and dark. I implore anyone to read the content warning before reading this. I listened to this on audio and, at times, I was reading the physical copy 
I also don't think I've ever said this before, but I think a lot of the material in this novella would work effectively as a short film. I doubt I'd watch it, but I think some folks may enjoy it.

A small, rural Anishinaabe community in northern Canada is cut off from the grid and the rest of the world during the collapse of society. The novel follows the community as they try and survive the impending winter. Everything is going smoothly until a white man shows up...
Ooooooh this is a slow burn apocalypse novel and it checks all of the boxes for me!! I loved the way the author built tension and the feeling of impending doom. It was palpable throughout the entire novel, which I really enjoyed. I also felt really connected to the characters, which doesn't always happen for me with short novels, but I felt very invested in Evan and his family and community. Overall, a fantastic read! I think I'll definitely be purchasing a copy in the future. 

This short story collection will take you on a wild ride. These stories are a mix of horror, magical realism, and fantasy and if you aren't a fan of those elements, you may not enjoy this collection. These stories are beautifully written and Machado creates gorgeous tapestries from her writing and characters. I think this is a collection I'll revisit in the future.
Notable stories: “Real Women Have Bodies,” “The Resident,” “Difficult at Parties” 

Borne is a dystopian science fiction novel that follows Rachel, a scavenger, who is surviving in a city that was destroyed and being ravaged by biotechnology created by the Company. One day, she finds a squishy, beautiful creature that smells like the sea she names Borne. The story follows Rachel, Wick, and Borne as they navigate daily survival in a volatile city and as Rachel learns what it means to be a caretaker.

I'm not selling this well, but oh man this was an unexpected love! I didn't expect to feel so attached to a biotech creature, but here we are. Because the novel is written from a first-person perspective, the reader really feels like they're experiencing this world alongside Rachel and Wick, which I loved. VanderMeer has a way of writing and setting the scene that helps you to understand just how bad things are for these characters and how much the Company destroyed the city. It's a beautiful story about relationships, love, and being a parent but it's also a cautionary tale about the dangers of biotechnology, experimentation, and the practical and ethical implications of it.

It took me almost 2 months to finish this which is probably the longest it's taken me to finish a book since reading the A Song of Ice and Fire series a few years back. I almost returned it to the library before finishing, but I'm glad I stuck with it to the end! I enjoyed the story - even though there's a lot of walking - and how it set up the next books in the series. I'm looking forward to following Frodo and Sam on their next adventure!

book 4/30 ✅
How to Sell A Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
3/5 ⭐️

How To Sell A Haunted house tells the story of Louise and Mark, a pair of estranged siblings who have never really seen eye-to-eye about things, and what happens after the death of their parents.

Okay - y'all, I almost didn't finish this book. I had a tough time getting into this because of the author's writing style, which is part of the reason why I think I didn't like Final Girl Support Group. The novel had its moments - fast-paced action, suspense, and tenderness. For me, I felt like I had to power through a lot for things to “get good,” but once things picked up, it was a wild ride to the finish. 

book 3/30
Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott

Man, I LOVED this!! The story follows the Yaga siblings as they grapple with a mysterious gift from a far away relative. The mysterious gift may or may not be ‘cursed'... The novel explores love, loss, and trauma through folktales.
I absolutely loved this, especially the latter half. I want to say so much more, but I don't want to give too much away because it feels so special. You just have to read it!

book 2/30  Black Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin 3.5/5 
I read one of Heaberlin's other novels We Are All the Same in the Dark last year and absolutely LOVED it! Black Eyed Susans was good, but I didn't love any of the characters like I loved the protagonist in the former. 
Black Eyed Susans is a thriller following Tessa, who was kidnapped and found buried alive with bones and body of other girls who were killed in rural texas as a teenager. The story flashes between present-day Tessa who is trying to get the man convicted off death row and 15/16 year old Tessie who is recounting her harrowing experience to her therapist before the trial. It's slower to start, but about 65% of the way through it really picks up speed to a crashing finale. 

book 1/30  The Changeling by Victor Lavalle
First book of 2023 is complete! The Changeling is a story of, as the title suggests, ancient magic that brings changelings to our world. The story starts off a little slow, but picks up FAST about halfway through. I finished the last half of the story in a few hours (including into the wee hours of the morning today)
I really enjoyed this novel! I love magic and folklore in books and this novel had the right mix of it all for me. 

Not liking how the author is the narrator. Will be picking this up in print - the story is so compelling, but I can't get past how untrained the author is with narration. 

my library wouldn't let me renew it so I had to return it :( 
Will be requesting another copy ASAP!

Fell off this after not listening for a while. I'll probably revisit in the future, but I'm not sure 🤷‍♀️

First story was amazing!! Second story was a little confusing but narrated by Vico Ortiz so that was a redeeming factor for me because I love them. Got about halfway through that story.
Didn't even start the final story. 

Interest fell off :/ 
Will be taking out the audiobook again in the future! (Iykyk)