Ghost Camera by Darcy Coates

Title: Ghost Camera

Author: Darcy Coates

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press 2024

Genre: Horror

Pages: 352

Rating: /5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Library

When Jenine finds an abandoned polaroid camera, she playfully snaps a photo without a second thought. But there's something wrong with the image: a ghostly figure stands in the background, watching her.

Fixated on her.

Moving one step closer with every picture she takes.

Desperate, Jenine shares her secret with her best friend, Bree. Together they realize the camera captures unsettling impressions of the dead. But now the ghosts seem to be following the two friends. And with each new photo taken, a terrible danger grows ever clearer…

This is actually a reimagined version of one of Coates’ first stories. Ghost Camera is the novella included in this otherwise collection of short stories. Short story collections are not usually my favorite as they tend to be very uneven. This one isn’t an exception, but I still did enjoy most of the stories included. Ghost Camera is the stand out featuring a few very creepy scenes. I loved using the camera as a device to explore the creepy otherworld. Loved it.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Never Whistle at Night

Title: Never Whistle at Night

Author: Various

Publisher: Vintage 2023

Genre: Short Story Horror

Pages: 400

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Indigenous Culture; Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Library

Many Indigenous people believe that one should never whistle at night. This belief takes many forms: for instance, Native Hawaiians believe it summons the Hukai’po, the spirits of ancient warriors, and Native Mexicans say it calls Lechuza, a witch that can transform into an owl. But what all these legends hold in common is the certainty that whistling at night can cause evil spirits to appear—and even follow you home.

These wholly original and shiver-inducing tales introduce readers to ghosts, curses, hauntings, monstrous creatures, complex family legacies, desperate deeds, and chilling acts of revenge. Introduced and contextualized by bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones, these stories are a celebration of Indigenous peoples’ survival and imagination, and a glorious reveling in all the things an ill-advised whistle might summon.

Randomly found this collection of horror filled stories at the library and knew that I needed to read it. Like every short story collection, some stories are outstanding, while some are not-so-great. Thankfully this collection erred on the better side. I found myself actually a bit creeped out by many of the stories included. I especially loved the ones that incoprotated folklore and mythology into the horror. The ones that were much more based on the horror of current life didn’t work as well for me. I’m not as much of a real-life horror fan. I like the weird, the strange, and the supernatural. Overall, this was a good collection and shared a lot about indigenous life.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Magician by Rebecca Serle

Title: The Magician

Author: Rebecca Serle

Publisher: Amazon 2023

Genre: Speculative Fiction

Pages: 25

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club.- Magical Realism

A mother-to-be is awed by her own mother’s chaotic and unknowable approach to life and its natural mysteries in a smart, witty, and whimsical story by the New York Times bestselling author of One Italian Summer.

Growing up with an eccentric but loving mother who levitates for a living, Charlie always wondered, How does she do it? Defying gravity is no easy trick. Neither is motherhood. Now that her mother is leaving New York for bigger skies in New Mexico, it’s a new stage in life for both of them in an ever-evolving relationship that reveals the true magic of being a mother.

I was not a fan of the previous Serle book that I had read, but was intrigued by the summary of this one. Should have listened to my gut reaction and left this one unborrowed. Despite the magical realism, this is really a story of a mother and daughter going their separate ways. I didn’t love the ending and the (in my opinion) shoe-horned in magic. It just didn’t do it for me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Miss Kane's Christmas by Caroline Mickelson

Title: Miss Kane’s Christmas (Christmas Central #1)

Author: Caroline Mickelson

Publisher: Bon Accord Press 2012

Genre: Holiday Romance

Pages: 154

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Spice Meter: 1

With Christmas only three days away, Carol Claus agrees to her father’s request that she leave the North Pole on a mission to help save Christmas. Joining single father Ben Hanson and his children for the holidays seems an easy enough task until Santa informs her that Ben is the man behind the disturbing new book ‘Beyond Bah Humbug: Why Lying to Your Children about Santa Claus is a Bad Idea’. Posing as Miss Kane, the children’s new nanny, Carol pulls out all the stops to show Ben how fun Christmas can be, all the while struggling to understand how one man could hate the holidays so much. How could she, Santa’s only daughter, be so attracted to a man who refuses to believe her father exists? **Please note - this book was formerly titled 'Carol's Christmas'.

Cute little Christmas romance, but I must say that this one was just a little too cutesy for my tastes. We didn’t get enough setup and exploration of the characters for me to really love this one. Carol is fine, but she was much too much of a 2D character. Fine for an afternoon’s reading, but that’s it.

Christmas Central

• #1 Miss Kane’s Christmas

• #2 Mrs. Saint Nick

• #3 The Return of Kris Kringle

• #4 The North Pole Prize

• #5 The Christmas Makeover

• #6 Eve’s Christmas Wedding

• #7 A Very Marisol Christmas

Next up on the TBR pile:

White Lie Christmas by Karla Doyle

Title: White Lie Christmas (Colorado Christmas #2; Hope Harbor)

Author: Karla Doyle

Publisher: Karla Doyle 2022

Genre: Holiday Romance

Pages: 74

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Spice Meter: 5

When her friends choose skiing in Colorado for their annual girls’ holiday trip, Krista has to think on her feet to avoid setting foot on the mountaintop. What can a girl who’s afraid of heights do to ensure she stays put in the lodge? Fake a broken leg, of course. There’s plenty to do inside—such as making some very merry memories with the hot guy at the bar. When one night stretches into every night, their fling feels like it could be the start of something bigger than the Rocky Mountains, except Hayden is a ski instructor, and Krista has been telling a white lie this Christmas…

This read a bit more like a Penthouse letter than a romantic holiday story. The problem is that the timeline is so short that we rush into sex and ultimately an engagement!?!?!?!?! all in the space of three days. We don’t get to learn enough about the main characters. Oh well, it was a decently fun story.

Colorado Christmas

• #1 Roman Holiday by Kylie Marcus

• #2 White Lie Christmas by Karla Doyle

• #3 Mountain Lane by Andie Fenichal

• #4 Gingerbread House of Lies by Shyla Colt

• #5 Snow Candy Christmas by Silke Campion

• #6 Humbug Hang Up by Layne Daniels

Next up on the TBR pile:

Randomize by Andy Weir

Title: Randomize (Forward #6)

Author: Andy Weir

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories 2019

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 28

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER

In the near future, if Vegas games are ingeniously scam-proof, then the heists have to be too, in this imaginative and whip-smart story by the New York Times bestselling author of The Martian.

An IT whiz at the Babylon Casino is enlisted to upgrade security for the game of keno and its random-number generator. The new quantum computer system is foolproof. But someone on the inside is no fool. For once the odds may not favor the house—unless human ingenuity isn’t entirelya thing of the past.

Decent story that hinges on gambling and quantum computing. Thank goodness I watched a long video explaining quantum computers a few months back. That really helped me understand where Weir was going with this story. The actual plot is pretty predictable, but I enjoyed where we went in just a few pages.

Forward

• #1 Ark by Veronica Roth

• #2 Summer Frost by Blake Crouch

• #3 Emergency Skin by NK Jemisin

• #4 You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles

• #5 The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay

• #6 Randomize by Andy Weir

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay

Title: The Last Conversation (Forward #5)

Author: Paul Tremblay

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories 2019

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 56

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER

What’s more frightening: Not knowing who you are? Or finding out? A Bram Stoker Award–winning author explores the answer in a chilling story about identity and human consciousness.

Imagine you’ve woken up in an unfamiliar room with no memory of who you are, how you got there, or where you were before. All you have is the disconnected voice of an attentive caretaker. Dr. Kuhn is there to help you—physically, emotionally, and psychologically. She’ll help you remember everything. She’ll make sure you reclaim your lost identity. Now answer one question: Are you sure you want to?

Surprisingly, this was my other favorite out of the collection. I have not been a huge fan of Tremblay’s writing, but this story was spot on. We get a bit of horror-tinged science fiction in this short, fairly ambiguous story. I loved how details are slowly revealed through the pages until we get to quite a gasp-inducing ending. So good.

Forward

• #1 Ark by Veronica Roth

• #2 Summer Frost by Blake Crouch

• #3 Emergency Skin by NK Jemisin

• #4 You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles

• #5 The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay

• #6 Randomize by Andy Weir

Next up on the TBR pile:

You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles

Title: You Have Arrived at Your Destination (Forward #4)

Author: Amor Towles

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories 2019

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 54

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER

Nature or nurture? Neither. Discover a bold new way to raise a child in this unsettling story of the near future by the New York Times bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow.

When Sam’s wife first tells him about Vitek, a twenty-first-century fertility lab, he sees it as the natural next step in trying to help their future child get a “leg up” in a competitive world. But the more Sam considers the lives that his child could lead, the more he begins to question his own relationships and the choices he has made in his life.

I absolutely adored A Gentleman in Moscow, but this story just didn’t quite intrigue me enough. There is a beginning of a larger story in here along with some interesting background world building. The problem is that it just doesn’t go anywhere for me. Oh well.

Forward

• #1 Ark by Veronica Roth

• #2 Summer Frost by Blake Crouch

• #3 Emergency Skin by NK Jemisin

• #4 You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles

• #5 The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay

• #6 Randomize by Andy Weir

Next up on the TBR pile:

Emergency Skin by NK Jemisin

Title: Emergency Skin (Forward #3)

Author: NK Jemisin

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories 2019

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 38

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER

What will become of our self-destructed planet? The answer shatters all expectations in this subversive speculation from the Hugo Award–winning author of the Broken Earth trilogy.

An explorer returns to gather information from a climate-ravaged Earth that his ancestors, and others among the planet’s finest, fled centuries ago. The mission comes with a warning: a graveyard world awaits him. But so do those left behind—hopeless and unbeautiful wastes of humanity who should have died out ages ago. After all this time, there’s no telling how they’ve devolved. Steel yourself, soldier. Get in. Get out. And try not to stare.

My favorite story from this collection! Jemisin is a master at dropping the reader into new worlds but not overwhelming you with confusion. We learn about the world as we need to, adding layer and layer to the story being told. In this case, when the characters name the resource the traveler needs to retrieve, I gasped out loud. Jemisin manages to connect this fantastical story directly to our current world with a commentary on social justice and environmental responsibility. She packs a punch in this very short story.

Forward

• #1 Ark by Veronica Roth

• #2 Summer Frost by Blake Crouch

• #3 Emergency Skin by NK Jemisin

• #4 You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles

• #5 The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay

• #6 Randomize by Andy Weir

Next up on the TBR pile:

Summer Frost by Blake Crouch

Title: Summer Frost (Forward #2)

Author: Black Crouch

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories 2019

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 75

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR; COYER

A video game developer becomes obsessed with a willful character in her new project, in a mind-bending exploration of what it means to be human by the New York Times bestselling author of Recursion.

Maxine was made to do one thing: die. Except the minor non-player character in the world Riley is building makes her own impossible decision—veering wildly off course and exploring the boundaries of the map. When the curious Riley extracts her code for closer examination, an emotional relationship develops between them. Soon Riley has all new plans for her spontaneous AI, including bringing Max into the real world. But what if Max has real-world plans of her own?

While the story is fine, it’s one that I have read many times from previous authors. I guessed the ending about one page into the story. From there, it was just pretty boring for me. If I try to step outside of my own experience, the story is good. The progression is nicely paced and the questions raised are interesting. I just have read it before.

Forward

• #1 Ark by Veronica Roth

• #2 Summer Frost by Blake Crouch

• #3 Emergency Skin by NK Jemisin

• #4 You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles

• #5 The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay

• #6 Randomize by Andy Weir

Next up on the TBR pile:

Ark by Veronica Roth

Title: Ark (Forward #1)

Author: Veronica Roth

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories 2019

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 45

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR; COYER

On the eve of Earth’s destruction, a young scientist discovers something too precious to lose, in a story of cataclysm and hope by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Divergent trilogy.

It’s only two weeks before an asteroid turns home to dust. Though most of Earth has already been evacuated, it’s Samantha’s job to catalog plant samples for the survivors’ unknowable journey beyond. Preparing to stay behind and watch the world end, she makes a final human connection.

As certain doom hurtles nearer, the unexpected and beautiful potential for the future begins to flower.

An introspective little story with a science fiction backdrop. This one was less about technology and more about people. While I don’t think it quite fit with most of the other stories in this collection, I enjoyed the quiet story about plants and beauty. This is super quick, but a good story.

Forward

• #1 Ark by Veronica Roth

• #2 Summer Frost by Blake Crouch

• #3 Emergency Skin by NK Jemisin

• #4 You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles

• #5 The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay

• #6 Randomize by Andy Weir

Next up on the TBR pile:

Goblin by Josh Malerman

Title: Goblin

Author: Josh Malerman

Publisher: Del Rey 2021

Genre: Horror

Pages: 416

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Goblin seems like any other ordinary small town. But with the master storyteller Josh Malerman as your tour guide, you’ll discover the secrets that hide behind its closed doors. These six novellas tell the story of a place where the rain is always falling, nighttime is always near, and your darkest fears and desires await. Welcome to Goblin:

A Man in Slices: A man proves his “legendary love” to his girlfriend with a sacrifice even more daring than Vincent van Gogh’s—and sends her more than his heart.

Kamp: Walter Kamp is afraid of everything, but most afraid of being scared to death. As he sets traps around his home to catch the ghosts that haunt him, he learns that nothing is more terrifying than fear itself.

Happy Birthday, Hunter!: A famed big-game hunter is determined to capture—and kill—the ultimate prey: the mythic Great Owl who lives in Goblin’s dark forests. But this mysterious creature is not the only secret the woods are keeping.

Presto: All Peter wants is to be like his hero, Roman Emperor, the greatest magician in the world. When the famous magician comes to Goblin, Peter discovers that not all magic is just an illusion.

A Mix-Up at the Zoo: The new zookeeper feels a mysterious kinship with the animals in his care . . . and finds that his work is freeing dark forces inside him.

The Hedges: When his wife dies, a man builds a hedge maze so elaborate no one ever solves it—until a little girl resolves to be the first to find the mysteries that wait at its heart.

A collection of loosely collected short stories that wasn’t my favorite. I have really enjoyed a few of Malerman’s longer novels, but this one just do it for me. The stories were too much without a point and full of terrible people. I was intrigued b the prologue and the beginnings of a few of the stories, but most o the time, I wanted more. Short stories are never really my thing…

Next up on the TBR pile:

Don't Turn Out the Lights

Title: Don't Turn Out the Lights: A Tribute to Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Author: Various

Publisher: HarperCollins 2020

Genre: MG Horror

Pages: 398

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer Reading Challenge

Flesh-hungry ogres? Brains full of spiders? Haunted houses you can’t escape? This collection of 35 terrifying stories from the Horror Writers Association has it all, including ghastly illustrations from Iris Compiet that will absolutely chill readers to the bone.

So turn off your lamps, click on your flashlights, and prepare—if you dare—to be utterly spooked

I grew up in the 80s and 90s obsessed with Alvin Schwartz’s story collection. I most definitely had to grab this volume off the library and immediately devour it. This collection definitely pays homage to the original stories in their set-ups and payoffs. We get a seemingly normal setting that quickly takes a turn. Many of the stories are urban legends redone, but that’s what makes them so satisfying. We know how the story is going to end and yet still keep reading to find out. This stories are mostly short and sweet giving you a one-two punch in just a few pages. I loved a majority of them. A few didn’t work for me, but that’s usual within a short story collection. Overall, this was a great palate cleanser book between more serious pieces.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The End and Other Beginnings by Veronica Roth

Title: The End and Other Beginnings: Stories from the Future

Author: Veronica Roth

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books 2019

Genre: SciFi Short Stories

Pages: 262

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR; 52 Book Club - Time in the Title

No world is like the other. Within this masterful collection, each setting is more strange and wonderful than the last, brimming with new technologies and beings. And yet, for all the advances in these futuristic lands, the people still must confront deeply human problems.

In these six stories, Veronica Roth reaches into the unknown and draws forth something startlingly familiar and profoundly beautiful.

With tales of friendship and revenge, plus two new stories from the Carve the Mark universe, this collection has something for new and old fans alike. Each story begins with a hope for a better end, but always end with a better understanding of the beginning.

With beautifully intricate black-and-white interior illustrations and a uniquely designed package, this is the perfect gift for book lovers.

A collection of science fiction short stories isn’t usually a winner and this volume was no exception. I usually find a few stories that really interest me, but often the stories are dull or uninspired. This one dives into the future featuring a few dystopian worlds and a few alien worlds. I preferred the dystopian worlds to the alien worlds. I liked when the stories stuck to simplicity. When authors try to cram too much world-building into short stories, they do not really work. Oh well. Stories can’t always be winners.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Once Upon a Curse: 17 Dark Faerie Tales

Title: Once Upon a Curse: 17 Dark Faerie Tales (Once Upon #1)

Author:

Publisher: Fiddlehead Press 2016

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 360

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Seventeen magical stories from NY Times and USA Today bestsellers and award-winning authors that will entice you to the darker side of faerie tales. More Grimm than Disney, in this collection you’ll find twists on Snow White, Hansel & Gretel, Rumpelstiltskin, The Snow Queen, Cinderella, The Pied Piper, Alice in Wonderland, and Red Riding Hood, plus new tales paying homage to the old traditions. Shadows cannot exist without light, however, and you’ll find enough happily-ever-afters to lift your spirits in this anthology full of adventure, dark powers, and ultimately the enduring power of true love.

YARROW, STURDY AND BRIGHT by Devon Monk – Sweet music cannot hide a wicked heart…
FAE HORSE by Anthea Sharp – Faerie bargains can grant any desire, but be careful what you wish for.
THE QUEEN OF FROST AND DARKNESS by Christine Pope - Her heart is the only thing colder than a Russian winter….
BONES by Yasmine Galenorn - Sometimes, your most cherished dream can turn out to be a nightmare.
MAGIC AFTER MIDNIGHT by C. Gockel – The Wicked Stepmother is about to meet her match…
DANCE WITH THE DEVIL by Donna Augustine - When the devil makes a deal with a dancer, he gets more than he bargained for.
NO GIFT OF WORDS by Annie Bellet - Never steal from a witch...
THE GRIM BROTHER by Audrey Faye – Not all walks in the wood end well…
BEAST INSIDE BEAUTY by Danielle Monsch - Happily Ever After ain't guaranteed when Once Upon a Time is here.
FAESCORNED by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson - The Morrigan, Celtic goddess of war and strife, must relive a painful memory that reminds her of what she can never have.
DRAWN TO THE BRINK by Tara Maya - Sajiana's job is to hunt down monsters brought alive from paintings. She never expected to meet one so handsome... or to need his help.
THE VARIANCE COURT by Alexia Purdy - Anna, a struggling college student, discovers a mysterious ring that turns her quiet life chaotic when the ring's magic doesn't do what it's told.
THE MORRIGAN by Phaedra Weldon – A young man discovers he has leprechaun blood – and is wanted by dark faerie forces.
ALICE by Julia Crane - A twisted tale of Alice and Wonderland. Facing madness and an ominous prophecy, Alice chooses to follow her heart despite knowing her world is about to change forever.
STILL RED by Sabrina Locke – When the Hunters come, can there be any escape?
THE FINAL STRAW by Jennifer Blackstream - To banish a gold-spinning demon, first you must guess his name...
THE UNICORN HUNTER by Alethea Kontis – Only Snow White knows what really happened in the forest…

I was scrolling through my Kindle app (boy is that a colossal mess!) and stumbled upon this collection I bought a few years back. I wanted something light but spooky and this seemed like the perfect choice. Like with every short story collection, this one is a mixed bag. But overall, I really enjoyed these short snippets and takes on new and old fairy tales. Some definitely fall on the horror side of things while others were more light-hearted and only slightly spooky. Decent collection that I’m sure I got for nearly free during some sale.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Wonderland edited by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane

Title: Wonderland

Edited by: Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane

Publisher: Titan Books 2019

Genre: Fantasy Short Stories

Pages: 384

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer TBR

Join Alice as she is thrown into the whirlwind of Wonderland

Within these pages you'll find myriad approaches to Alice, from horror to historical, taking us from the nightmarish reaches of the imagination to tales that will shock, surprise and tug on the heart-strings. So, it's time now to go down the rabbit hole, or through the looking-glass or... But no, wait. By picking up this book and starting to read it you're already there, can't you see?

As with all short story collections, this volume was a mixed bag, but overall I liked it better than most. It’s no secret that Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorite books. Having a collection of Wonderland related stories as the connecting factor gives this collection an extra star in my book. We get a wide variety of styles and genres within these pages. My favorites were the stories that leaned into the horror of Wonderland. Those seemed to me as the most likely if there really was a Wonderland. I especially loved “There were No Birds to Fly” by MR Carey, “The White Queen’s Pawn” by Genevieve Cogman, and “The Hunting of the Jabberwock” by Jonathan Green. I had picked this up on whim, but so glad that I did.

Next up on the TBR pile:

High Spirits by Camille Gomera-Tavarez

Title: High Spirits

Author: Camille Gomera-Tavarez

Publisher: Levine Querido 2022

Genre: YA Short Stories

Pages: 224

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

High Spirits is a collection of eleven interconnected short stories from the Dominican diaspora, from debut author Camille Gomera-Tavarez.

It is a book centered on one extended family – the Beléns – across multiple generations.

It is set in the fictional small town of Hidalpa – and Santo Domingo and Paterson and San Juan and Washington Heights too.

It is told in a style both utterly real and distinctly magical – and its stories explore machismo, mental health, family, and identity.

Surprise surprise, I ended up giving a short story collection 3 stars. This seems to be very much a given rating for me. I just don’t really enjoy short story collections. I much prefer to immerse myself completely into a book and really dive in. This collection’s premise of interconnected stories focused on on Dominican family though generations intrigued me. I had also heard a plug for this one on my favorite reading podcast, so I grabbed it from the library. Unfortunately, the collection didn’t completely draw me in. We get snippets or vignettes of lives throughout the Belen family, but enough enough of any of them. I wanted to read an big family saga and instead I only get to catch glimpses of these characters. And so many of the stories ended so incredibly abruptly that I was very much not wanted to keep reading. This may be a good collection for someone else, but I did not love it at all.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Roar by Cecelia Ahern

Title: Roar

Author: Cecelia Ahern

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing 2019

Genre: Short Story Collection

Pages: 289

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

In this singular and imaginative story collection, Cecelia Ahern explores the endless ways in which women blaze through adversity with wit, resourcefulness, and compassion. Ahern takes the familiar aspects of women's lives—the routines, the embarrassments, the desires—and elevates these moments to the outlandish and hilarious with her astute blend of magical realism and social insight.

One woman is tortured by sinister bite marks that appear on her skin; another is swallowed up by the floor during a mortifying presentation; yet another resolves to return and exchange her boring husband at the store where she originally acquired him. The women at the center of this curious universe learn that their reality is shaped not only by how others perceive them, but also how they perceive the power within themselves.

By turns sly, whimsical, and affecting, these thirty short stories are a dynamic examination of what it means to be a woman in this very moment. Like women themselves, each story can stand alone; yet together, they have a combined power to shift consciousness, inspire others, and create a multi-voiced Roar that will not be ignored.

My goodness, what a disappointment. This was chosen for a big buddy read that I was participating in. I was hoping for interesting stories that illuminated the various perspectives and experiences of women. Instead, we get very cliched and simplistic magical realism stories that fail to give any insight. I felt like I was reading a Women’s Studies 101 text. If I had read this at 15 before my study of gender studies or experiencing adult life, I think I would have really enjoyed it. As it is, I have a degree in women’s studies and am a woman approaching middle age. This stories were just the tiny tiny tip of the iceberg of various issues. For that, I could have forgiven the book and given it 3 stars (not for me, but not a terrible book). My biggest issue was that every story I read ended with the woman somehow picking herself up and “solving” the problem. For instance, in the story “The Woman Who Found Bite Marks on Her Skin” the woman in question realizes that her guilt of not being able to be all things to everyone in her life and family is manifesting as bite marks. Okay. We are approaching a very real issue of being “President of Everything” and the work/life balance. I myself have often felt that I am letting down someone in my life and/or that I am putting myself in too small of a box identity wise. This is a very complicated problem facing many people, especially women, today. The solution in the story: the woman “lets go of the guilt” and all the bite marks disappear. If only it was that fucking easy. Every “solution” that I read involving the woman in the story fixing everything herself. Not one story that I read addressed the effects of the patriarchy or the various obstacles in our ways. We got no discussions about race and class creating hurdles or complications. Apparently, if we just think we can have a better life, it will come. I call bullshit. And for that I give this one 2 stars.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Cursed

Title: Cursed

Edited by: Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane

Publisher: Titan Books 2020

Genre: Fantasy Short Stories

Pages: 272

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

It's a prick of blood, the bite of an apple, the evil eye, a wedding ring or a pair of red shoes. Curses come in all shapes and sizes, and they can happen to anyone, not just those of us with unpopular stepparents...

Here you'll find unique twists on curses, from fairy tale classics to brand-new hexes of the modern world - expect new monsters and mythologies as well as twists on well-loved fables. Stories to shock and stories of warning, stories of monsters and stories of magic.

All the dark fairy tales! I am here for this collection of stories. I love how some of the stories are direct descendants of the classic stories, while others are very new and imaginative. Unlike many short stories collections, I enjoyed every story in this one. My favorite may actually be the first actual story in the collection “As Red As Blood, As White As Snow” by Christina Henry. Oh so good!

Next up on the TBR pile:

His Christmas Princess by Kathleen O'Brien

Title: His Christmas Princess (Princess Brides #2)

Author: Kathleen O’Brien

Publisher: Tule 2017

Genre: Romance

Pages: 181

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Willow Arden adores her life as the coronation planner in the Vicenza palace. The tiny island kingdom is the perfect place to raise her baby daughter. But when Emory, the sexy heir to the throne and her almost lover, comes home after a year-long hiatus, her perfect life is shaken to its core.

Emory's spent his whole life putting Vicenza's interests over his own. After taking a year off to live the kind of life he always wanted, he's returned and he's committed to the throne.

But when Willow and Emory meet again, the attraction between them ignites, as white-hot and hopeless as ever. Emory can't betray his commitments, and Willow must protect her heart at all costs. One way or another, one of them will lose everything.

The sequel to His Defiant Princess was so much better. I immediately fell for both Emory and Willow in the first story and couldn’t wait to read their romance in the second. These two are much more interesting and multi-dimensional adults with real problems and obstacles. Brenna and Ronan got in their own ways toward romance. Willow and Emory have to deal with actual obstacles and responsibilities. I loved it! I was rooting for them throughout the book, but really wanted them to have those tough conversations being moving forward. Thankfully we get some of those. A delightful little read for this week.

Princess Brides

• #1 His Defiant Princess

• #2 His Christmas Princess

Next up on the TBR pile: