Pros: Vivid, melancholy, and beautiful Cons: … Rating: 5 out of 5 Lisa Unger’s novella The Sleep Tight Motel (Dark Corners collection) is hauntingly beautiful. Eve is on the run from her abusive boyfriend Erik after unwillingly helping him to…
Blog Archives
Short Take: “Hannah-Beast,” Jennifer McMahon
Pros: Enthralling Cons: … Rating: 5 out of 5 Jennifer McMahon’s novella Hannah-Beast (Dark Corners collection) tells a short, but engrossing, Halloween story. Amanda won’t let her daughter Erin go out trick-or-treating dressed as “Hannah-Beast,” the local scary legend. Decades…
Short Take: “The Tangled Woods,” Emily Raboteau
Pros: Vivid Cons: Annoying characters; rambling Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Emily Raboteau’s novella The Tangled Woods (Dark Corners collection) follows a man and his wife and child as they go on vacation together. Reginald is a vicious film critic…
Short Take: “The Remedy,” Adam Haslett
Pros: Almost manages to live up to its high aim Cons: Doesn’t quite pull it off Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Adam Haslett’s novella The Remedy (Dark Corners collection) is about a young man who can’t seem to find a…
Short Take: “Oak Avenue,” Brandi Reeds
Pros: Dark and threatening Cons: Hard to read; cuts off a bit early Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Brandi Reeds’s Oak Avenue (Dark Corners collection) is a horror novella about a young family that moves into a historical house in…
Keeping up, oddly enough
I’m a little surprised I’m managing to read and review a bunch of books and keep my grades up, at least so far. Grades obviously come first, but I’m hopeful I’ll be able to keep this up! I may not…
Short Take: “Miao Dao,” Joyce Carol Oates
Pros: Utterly engrossing Cons: … Rating: 5 out of 5 Joyce Carol Oates’s novella Miao Dao (Dark Corners collection) is a surreal story about an adolescent girl who’s having a hard time with her blossoming figure. She tries her best…
Short Take: “There’s a Giant Trapdoor Spider Under Your Bed,” Edgar Cantero
Pros: Hilarious, terrifying, and uniquely imaginative all at the same time Cons: … Rating: 5 out of 5 Edgar Cantero’s There’s a Giant Trapdoor Spider Under Your Bed (Dark Corners collection) is a remarkably short read (took me maybe a…