Tavern of Terror: Volume 8; David Longhorn, Sara Clancy, Ian Fortey, Chris Clarke, Ron Ripley, and Simon Cluett. Edited by Street. ScareStreet.com, 2023

I loved pretty much all of this story collection- which is unusual for me. An epic prank, a sleep disorder, bats, a serial killer, horrifying body horror, and, my favorite, a ghost tour. And many ( Read more... )

Thornhedge, by T. Kingfisher. Tor Books, 2023

Shades of fractured fairy tales! Kingfisher has taken the tale of the sleeping maiden in the tower, surrounded by brambles and briar roses, and humanized - albeit by using a not entirely human protagonist.

When a baby is born to the ruler of a tiny backwater kingdom, a fairy steps in. Within minutes of ( Read more... )

Made-Up: A True Story of Beauty Culture Under Late Capitalism, by Daphne B.; translated by Alex Manley. Coach House Books, 2022

This book turned out to be not quite what I expected; a collection of essays, it’s not just about beauty culture but a condemnation of capitalism in general. Now, this is not an angry screed that ‘others’ the people who ( Read more... )

The Hedge, The Ribbon, by Carol Orlock. Broken Moon Press, 1993

This is a biography told in stages- although it’s not apparent at the beginning. An unnamed caregiver comes to the home of aged, bedridden Angela Maxwell. She suggests telling stories to her charge, and so the tales begin, along with her giving Angela a red ribbon to hold as a sort of ( Read more... )

Last night and today were not my finest hours. I miscalculated how much insulin for my dinner, and before I got out of the living room I was falling on the floor and losing control of my limbs (I know, nothing new there, but this was an extreme case). I checked my sugar and it was 45 or something. I grabbed a bag of Reeses Minis and attacked the ( Read more... )

It’s Hard to Look Cool When Your Car’s Full of Sheep, by Roger Pond. Pine Forest Publishing, 1989

This is an anthology of the syndicated columns of Pond, a former extension agent. They are amusing, in the same vein as All Creatures Great and Small; obstreperous animals, eccentric farmers, and other strange rural happenings. Not a book for ( Read more... )

Tavern of Terror: Volume 6, Sare Clancy, Ian Fortey, Simon Cluett, Chris Clarke, Nick Efstathiou, Ron Ripley, and David Longhorn. ScareStreet, 2023

Another fine collection of horror stories, and this is my favorite volume so far. For one thing, some of the stories actually involve the tavern- Hannigan’s- of the title. Hannigan’s is slowly being ( Read more... )

After months of procrastinating, I finally pulled enough energy to dye my hair yesterday evening. It’s bright as f*** red; of course, it’ll fade drastically over the next few days. When I went out to work in the garden, a couple of hummingbirds came and buzzed around me, checking me out (I was also wearing bright red lipstick).  I assured them I ( Read more... )

Smart Exercise: Burning Fat, Getting Fit, by Covert Bailey. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1994

My doctor recommended this book to me, because I’m having problems with too much visceral fat. Written 30 years ago, I suspect it was cutting edge back then, but today much is fairly common knowledge. Still, for someone who has not paid attention to health ( Read more... )

A Man & His Cat, book 8, by Umi Sakurai. Square Enix Co Ltd.

In volume 8, we finally meet Mr. Kanda’s two children, both grown up (or almost grown up; I never did figure out their exact ages) and home for a visit- not realizing that their father has houseguests now, both human and feline. With his own cat, his cat’s sister, and the box full of ( Read more... )