Little Bandaged Days is the story of a mother’s slow descent into madness. The inevitability of the conclusion just fills the reader with dread throughout the entire book. The mother had issues after her first daughter’s birth. “I didn’t have a job, not anymore. Afterwards, after E was born, afterContinue Reading
Hmmm…Hot Stew is the perfect title for this book. It has two completely different plots that are rubbing uncomfortably together like too tight shoes on bare feet. The first story is a brothel that is fighting gentrification in Soho, London. I liked the strong female prostitutes. There were no victimsContinue Reading
There are twelve Creative Crochet Projects included in this book. They range from practical scarves, cowls and beanies to a whimsical owl wrap. However, the six kid’s projects are the most amusing. Two mufflers convert into hamburgers and hot dogs. A swarm of bees fly over your sleeping baby. EverythingContinue Reading
Four-year-old Penny is found alone in a park by Grace. Grace feels a connection to Penny and eventually adopts her. She appears to be The Perfect Daughter to join Grace’s family of her husband and two older boys. But something is different with Penny, who is ultimately diagnosed with DissociativeContinue Reading
In The Last Thing to Burn, Thanh Dao and her sister Kim-Ly are smuggled into the UK by shipping container from Vietnam. They promised before leaving to pay off their transportation costs over ten years. After that, they would both be free of work obligations. However, after a couple ofContinue Reading
In The Kindred Spirits Supper Club, Sabrina has an unusual talent—she can see ghosts. Luckily, it only occurs in her hometown in the Wisconsin Dells. Unfortunately, after being fired from her Washington D.C. journalism job, she is forced to move back in with her parents. However, things are looking upContinue Reading
When a Stranger Comes to Town nothing good happens, at least in these nineteen varied tales. The book has many familiar names among its authors. Michael Connelly, Joe R. Lansdale, Lisa Unger, Michael Koryta. Alafair Burke and Joe Hill are some of the best known. As with all short storyContinue Reading