Writer and software engineer in the US Midwest. I enjoy poetry, horror, some f/sf, some mystery, some literary fiction (but not the kind where the main character is a professor and nothing happens).
This link opens in a pop-up window
Considered an 'audacious' second novel, GIOVANNI'S ROOM is set in the 1950s Paris of American …
Beautiful music telling us terrible things, to paraphrase Tom Waits. Heartbreaking and lovely. (And if, like me, you get stopped short by the guillotine being used in the 1950s — the last execution by guillotine in France was in 1977.)
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (Hebrew: קיצור תולדות האנושות, [Ḳitsur toldot ha-enoshut]) is a …
When I read a nonfiction book that has points to make, I often find myself in a debate with the author. I bring up counter-examples. I construct parallel tracks of thought, with facts they omit, that lead to contrary conclusions. I point out where their reasoning by analogy breaks down, and I call the word “obviously” a euphemism for “because I say so.” I do this whether I disagree with the author or not. “Sapiens” is a good book to argue with.
Here there be gods and monsters - forged from flesh and stone and vengeance - …
A blend of science fiction, folk horror, and cosmic horror, this collection of stories is hard to classify but well worth reading. The story notes at the end are an entertaining touch. (Tip: read the story before the note. Spoilers.) My favorite pieces here are “Four Hours of a Revolution” and “Quietus,” but there’s not a clunker in the book.
Meet the women writers who defied convention to craft some of literature’s strangest tales, from …
An interesting book in itself, and a good resource to plan your future reading. My TBR list has grown by a few dozen titles. I’m happy that this book starts with Margaret Cavendish, and that it includes Nobel laureate Toni Morrison as a horror writer.
Cursed Bunny is a genre-defying collection of short stories by Korean author Bora Chung. Blurring …
Bora Chung is versatile in her weirdness. Some of these stories might be classed as surrealism, some as horror, some as science fiction or fantasy. Almost always, the characters are relatable no matter how bizarre their circumstances.
Blue skies, empty land—and enough wide-open space to hide a horrifying secret. A woman with …
This novel always has another surprise in store, but the surprises are organic, not gimmicky. It’s a story about racism, sexism, classism, and other isms, but also about personal regrets and second chances. It absolutely nails the landing.
Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath …
Some parts of this book I found profoundly helpful, and some parts seemed very silly; but the parts I found silly might be just what’s needed for some other reader.
Fiction. Surrealist writer and painter Leonora Carrington (1917-2011) was a master of the macabre, of …
As a visual artist, Carrington was unjustly overshadowed by her lover Max Ernst. Her literary works have similarly been underrated. She was one of the greats of surrealism, and these stories are disturbing, funny, confusing, horrifying, poignant, and deeply philosophical, often all at once.
This first of the Discworld novels isn’t the best, but it’s terrific fun.
Contains: Death of Halpin Frayser -- Secret of Macarger's Gulch -- One summer night -- Moonlit road -- Diagnosis of …
Personal and political horror, in which the characters are haunted by a house, England is haunted by fascism, and the world is haunted by England. A lumpy, brutal, brilliant work. The author has content warnings for racism, antisemitism, transphobia, rape, self-harm, and suicide
A book of its time (or maybe of a SLIGHTLY later time), but quite entertaining.
From the publisher---
It is winter in Area X, the mysterious wilderness that has defied explanation for thirty years, rebuffing …
Pennie sometimes reminds me of Stevie Smith, sometimes of Robert Burns, sometimes of Dorothy Parker, but her voice is her own—sometimes raw, often wry, always authentic. Not every poem is a masterpiece, but several are. I would enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone who likes poetry, and to many people who don’t. Note that many of the poems are in Scots, but even if you stick to the English language poems it’s a rewarding read. (I was able to get the gist of the Scots poems, I think, but I’ve seen several of Pennie’s “Scots word of the day” videos.)
