Reviews and Comments

I am trying to tittle each review this year with a book-related pun but I can't think of one for The Snail on the Slope. So instead I've gone with something as baffling as the book itself.

Snail is such a funny book while also being a bit of a slog. It goes off on tangents all over the place and not a whole lot happens. That is the point, though, so don't be put off if you are partial to Soviet satire. I think of it as Kafka with a sense of humour.

Excited to read this, because I absolutely love Roadside Picnic... although as I understand it, this was written by the brothers as a series of metaphors that they then forgot what they were supposed to mean. (I'm reading an English translation)

This was alright - it hooked me well enough to read it quickly but it felt more like a creative writing exercise than anything. I think I was a bit bored with the 1700s feminism and the story was pretty simple.

A birthday present from last year. This will be my first book that isn't horror in some time.

Loved the premise and the beginning chapters, but ultimately HSB avoids all possibilities for something insightfully great. Instead, it's all male gaze, breasting boobily and women suffering. Written in 2007 and aged badly. Joe Hill picked the wrong hero.

Maeve works as a Disney Princess at Disneyland, haunts dive bars on the Sunset Strip and lives with her Old Hollywood grandmother. She's cultivating her misanthropic side but it's not quite enough, eventually settling on going the full Patrick Bateman.

I like how CJ Leede writes (I'm talking the phrasing and such, not the subject matter) but this book seemed a couple of drafts away from being finished. There is too much that doesn't add up, too many loose ends and late/improbable reveals. And I'm taking into account the cartoony, turned up to 11 storytelling.

A lot about it was fun, although it was too sadistic and mean-spirited for me. Guess I'm not ready for this anti-hero.

I already know this is going to be much more fun than my last book

Upsetting but well done, this book is great in how it deals with grief, identity and the migrant experience. It's very scary too. Content warning for dog lovers :(

I've been pre-warned this one is going to be a bit upsetting

It's starting to feel like I'm dishing out five star reviews simply because I'm enjoying reading so much. Well here comes another one I very much enjoyed.

Unquiet is a mysterious, gothic, and almost romantic story of a young woman (Judith) faced with the return of her supposedly dead brother-in-law. He (Sam) can't remember what happened and is compelled to stay hidden; Judith is alarmed at the idea of keeping news of his return from her absent sister as well as the impropriety of having a man in her house while her family is away. You see, it's 1893, a woman can be rooned.

Unquiet mixes together folklore, superstition, visual art, ambiguity and a very strong feeling that something isn't quiet right. I loved how it stayed so tense without too much needing to happen. Very deft.

More spooky gothic book

Top tier horror. The story of a troubled teen and a reality TV show depicting her alleged demonic possession, as told by her little sister. One of those books where, upon finishing, you immediately want to go back to the start and read it again.

The name of the tutor cracked me up... not subtle

Gosh I am very excited about this one. My initial thought is: Shirley Jackson inspired character names? Hmm!

Started this a year ago, and left it for a long time before coming back. It's an anthology, so always a mixed bag. The best stories are brilliant - my pick is The Centre by Alison Whittaker. The rest are a mixture of good and great. Some are very contemporary, others told in the familiar style of Dreamtime stories.