Let the Right Book In

One of my reading goals for 2021 is to start working through my 50 States, 50 Horror Books challenge (inspired by lists on NYT and Bustle). For those who haven't heard of these lists, essentially a horror book has been assigned to each state in America depending on where the book has been set. Throughout 2021 I am aiming to tick off 2 states per month. And if others want to take part, then great! You can either follow along with me, or work through the list at your own pace, picking whichever books appeal to you (or inserting some of your own!) I've combined both the NYT and Bustle lists, adding in some suggestions of my own to get started (and thank you to anyone who sent me their suggestions too!) Alabama The Elementals by Michael McDowell Kin by Kealan Patrick Burke   Alaska 30 Days of Night by Steve Niles         Polar Night by Julie Flanders   Arizona The Revelation by Bentley Little   Arkansas Southern Gods by John Hornor Jacobs The Bird Eater by Ania Ahlborn   California

Unfortunately Mexican Gothic was a mixed bag for me, which I’m really sad about because I am OBSESSED with this cover, I love gothic horror and this just sounded so damn good! But alas, it happens! “The world might indeed be a cursed circle; the snake swallowed its tail and there could be no end, only an eternal ruination and endless devouring.” The basic premise is this - Noemí Taboada receives a frantic letter from her newlywed cousin, begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom as she currently resides in a distant house in the Mexican countryside with her new husband’s family. I’ll focus on the positives first - this novel is quite atmospheric, the Doyle family are unusual and unsettling, as is the house itself. Who doesn’t love a creepy house where darkness lures in the corners?! And I do believe that the bare bones of this story is GOOD. Moreno-Garcia really went for it towards the end, it was bizarre and messed-up, and I really did appreciate that she pushed it to the

Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race is a must-read if you are of the opinion that racism is not as much of an issue in the UK as it is in America and further afield. Because it is. The British just prefer to sweep it away under the rug, pretending it doesn’t exist, avoiding conversations about it. “If you are disgusted by what you see, and if you feel the fire coursing through your veins, then it's up to you. You don't have to be the leader of a global movement or a household name. It can be as small scale as chipping away at the warped power relations in your workplace. It can be passing on knowledge and skills to those who wouldn't access them otherwise. It can be creative. It can be informal. It can be your job. It doesn't matter what it is, as long as you're doing something.” In this book, Eddo-Lodge covers a range of topics, beginning with the history of Black people in the UK, before moving onto systemic racism and white privilege, followed by

Purple Hibiscus is a story weighed down with oppression. The oppression of religion. An oppressive father. Oppressive heat. A country under an oppressive regime. But there is also the slightest hint of freedom. “We did that often, asking each other questions whose answers we already knew.” Fifteen-year-old Kambili and her older brother Jaja lead a privileged life in Enugu, Nigeria. But all is not as perfect as it seems in their household. As Nigeria begins to crumble under a military coup, Kambili and Jaja are sent to stay with their aunt and cousins, where laughter freely rings throughout the house. This is my second Adichie novel and although I didn’t love it as much as Americanah, I was still enthralled and moved by this relatively straight forward story. It’s a beautifully touching coming-of-age story told from the perspective of Kambili. Kambili’s father is a man with two very different sides to his personality. He does so much for his community, is looked upon with respect and ad

How is it even possible for me to condense my thoughts on The Stand into one review. I don’t know. But I’ll try! “The place where you made your stand never mattered. Only that you were there...and still on your feet.” Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my reread of The Stand. Revisiting these characters reminded me of reconnecting me with old friends you haven’t seen in a while - you don’t realise how much you’ve missed them until you see them again. And the characters are what make The Stand so epic, for me personally. But... I’ll get this out of the way early - it didn’t break into my top 10 King books. Yes, I love it, but some parts are bloody painful. That first section is mostly fantastic, I love reading about the outbreak of Captain Trips, a deadly flu that kills 99.4% of the population, but some chapters are a real drag. The Trashcan Man, for example. Yes, he is a crucial character, but good god, reading about him in the first section is like pulling teeth. But truly, what would The

In April 1989, a white woman was brutally raped and severely beaten while jogging in Central Park. Five teenagers were quickly apprehended - four Black and one Hispanic. All five confessed, were tried and convicted even though there was no evidence linking them to the victim. Over a decade later, DNA tests linked serial rapist Matias Reyes to the crime, finally exposing the deep-seated race and class divisions in NYC that led to these young boys being accused back in 1989. Having watched When They See Us on Netflix (which is excellent, by the way - if you haven’t seen it, please check it out) and listened to numerous podcasts on the case, I already knew what I was getting into when I picked up this book. And yet my anger and overwhelming empathy and sadness for these boys was as heightened as ever. They were failed on so many levels - they were failed by law enforcement, by the media, by the judicial system. My phone is full of notes that I made while reading. I don’t have the space to

Wow. Wow wow wow. This book blew me away! If you’re a fan of dark, weird, macabre, beautifully written stories, then you need to read Salt Slow, a collection of nine distinct tales about womanhood. But these stories focus on unruly women, the best kind. “The sky is gory with stars, like the insides of a gutted night.” What I love most about these stories is that they are rooted in the mundane, but then Armfield introduces these details that elevate the stories from everyday humdrum scenarios to the weird and unusual. And it’s all executed in such a gorgeously vivid haunting way. I was obsessed from the very first story. Each of the 9 stories are unique and memorable. We have women obsessed with creating the perfect man in the form of a Frankenstein-like monster, a girl who has a wolf as a stepsister, a woman’s girlfriend who claws out of her grave to visit her former lover, an all-female band who’s fans turn violent... the scope and imagination that Armfield demonstrates is amazing! I

Don’t you just love books where a protagonist has to return to their hometown for some reason or other, and they end up staying longer than intended because there’s just SOMETHING they need to get to the bottom of? A very specific trope that I’m a fan of. "It wasn’t as though the farm hadn’t seen death before, and the blowflies didn’t discriminate. To them there was little difference between a carcass and a corpse.” In The Dry, Aaron returns to his hometown to attend the funeral of his childhood friend, Luke, who had been found dead along with his wife and child. The police think it’s a case of murder/suicide, but Aaron, who is a Federal Police investigator, is persuaded by Luke’s parents to get to the bottom of the murders. There’s effectively two mysteries to be solved in this book, the other focuses on Aaron and Luke’s childhood and the death of their friend. Harper efficiently handles the two storylines, tying the narratives together via seamless transitions. A minor gripe is

Ahh, the old October TBR. Every year it’s the same thing – you want MAXIMUM spooky vibes. You don’t want to possibly pick a month of duds and be left disappointed. But don’t worry, I am here to help, with suggestions for numerous subgenres! So there should definitely be a book or two to suit your tastes. Atmospheric These are the books that are perfect to curl up with under a blanket on a rainy day. Coffee included of course. If you’re looking for something atmospheric that celebrates Halloween itself, I’d recommend The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury (sidenote: I am hosting a readalong over on my Instagram!). It’s short and fun, with really cute illustrations. May I also recommend Something Wicked This Way Comes by Bradbury? It’s light on the horror, but heavy on the autumn vibes. Yet another Bradbury option – this man was the epitome of autumn – is The October Country, one of my favourite short story collections. Another beautifully atmospheric book is The Haunting of Hill House by Sh

Oh, boy. Sometimes impulse buys pay off! I cannot remember what prompted me to pick this one up, maybe it was the synopsis about the sweet old lady with the cats, maybe it was that intriguing title... but this was a crazy ride that I thoroughly enjoyed! “To the horror of the police, the watch on the wrist of one of the fresher bodies was still ticking.” In 1988, detectives were called to investigate the disappearance of an elderly man from his last known address, a boarding house for the elderly, homeless and people with mental health problems. The owner was a sweet old lady who cared for stray cats and the rest of society’s castaways. But there were also reports of graves being dug late at night... and guests who had fallen ill and seemingly disappeared... Reading about the life of Dorothea Puente just felt like I was reading fiction. This should be a MOVIE. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any crazier, something else came along. It’s quite a tragic story though, especially what

Last night I had a video call with some friends as we’ve been reading this for our book club. There was an audible gasp when I said that based on two books alone, Sally Rooney is now one of my most favourite authors. She is just THAT impressive to me. Her grasp on human nature is phenomenal, the way she takes what can be seen as relatively “normal” relationships and picks them apart and lays them bare continues to astound me. Her characters are so real and relatable, and her stories are the equivalent of peering in through windows into other people’s lives. Basically I could write an essay on why I love Sally Rooney so much. “Suffering wouldn’t make me special, and pretending not to suffer wouldn’t make me special.” Conversations With Friends follows Frances and the numerous relationships she has in her life. There’s her best friend, and former girlfriend, Bobbi. And then there’s the married couple that they become close friends with, Melissa and Nick. What follows is a complex love re

It’s incredibly clear from the outset that Tananarive Due is a masterful storyteller. Her stories exude heart, emotion, vulnerability and originality. She’ll be an auto-buy author for me from now on! “You know everybody has a turn, and you just try to find something interesting every day to make you glad it hasn’t happened yet.” The stories collected in Ghost Summer are scarily relevant with regards to current events. Not only do the themes of racism and the everyday struggles that Black people face feature in a number of the stories, but there’s also a selection of pandemic-related tales too. As is the case with most short story collections, not every story was a hit for me, but I always expect that so it doesn’t lead to too much disappointment. Some of my favourites in this collection were: - The Knowing, which is about a woman who knows when everyone she meets is going to die and her struggle in how to deal with having that kind of knowledge - Like Daughter, which delves into the hi

White Tears is the definition of a novel of two halves. There was maybe just a little TOO much going on here, leading to confusion and rereading paragraphs to ensure that you’ve followed exactly what is going on. I just don’t like having to work this hard when I’m reading. “On your record deck, you played the sound of the middle passage, the blackest sound. You wanted the suffering you didn’t have, the authority you thought it would bring.”   Seth and Carter are two twenty-something New Yorkers who are obsessed with music. During a trip to a local park, Seth accidentally records an unknown singer and Carter puts it on the internet claiming that it’s a long lost 1920s blues recording. An old collector reaches out to say that this bluesman, as well as their “fake record”, is actually real, leading to the two men spiralling down into America’s musical history. Once again I randomly stumbled upon a book that ended up being incredibly relevant to what’s going on right now. White Tears chall

Stamped is a fantastic starting point for anyone looking to learn more about the history of racism within America. It’s a remix of the comprehensive book Stamped From the Beginning, meaning that the book has been condensed and made more accessible for a younger audience. I fully intend to go back and read Stamped From the Beginning, but this one gave me the foundation I really needed. “But the thing about being Black is that just being can bring bloodshed.” To put it bluntly - this book blew my mind. There was just so much I didn’t know, that I wasn’t even aware of, and Reynolds presents all this information in easily digestible bite-sized chunks. The history of racism is told chronologically, which makes the most sense of course, taking us from the story of the world’s first racist in 1415 up until Obama’s presidency. The most eye-opening chapter for me was the one about the War on Drugs and how it was implemented to target the Black community. This has been referred to in a few podca

First of all, HUGE thank you to @orionbooks for this review copy! Chalk it up now: Tiffany McDaniel is a REAL bonafide talent. The Summer That Melted Everything was not a one-off masterpiece - McDaniel is here to stay. “Boys are like that. Always tryin’ to pretend they’re savin’ girls from somethin’. They never seem to realize, we can save ourselves.” Betty is a coming-of-age tale based upon McDaniel’s mother’s upbringing in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Heavily infused with the stunning storytelling and culture of the Cherokee people, Betty is the story of the Carpenter family. In a nutshell, if you loved TSTME, there’s a great chance you’ll fall head over heels for this story too. Once again Tiffany manages to explore a multitude of heavy themes including rape, incest, sexual abuse, racism, poverty and so forth, through her beautifully poetic prose. But as you can see, there are many trigger warnings for this one! One of my favourite things about McDaniel’s work so far

Me to this book: I will NOT remember you. In fact, I’ve already forgotten quite a lot since I finished this one. Memo to self: please do better at writing reviews soon after finishing a book. “They screamed as loudly as each other when a small hand reached around the corner. Four pale, yellowish fingers appeared, gripping the wood, then disappeared just as quickly.” It’s not a BAD book, don’t get me wrong. It’s actually quite frustrating because the potential is there, but it’s never fully realised. A brief synopsis: three friends go out to an abandoned house in an isolated village in the Icelandic Westfjords to start some renovations. But they might not be alone in this village after all... *eerie music plays* There are two main storylines in I Remember You, one of which focuses on the friends in the village, the other follows a man back on the mainland who lost his son a few years before. The chapters alternate back and forth, which can only really be successful if both narratives ar

In the introduction to this anthology, Bradbury discusses how from the age of 8, he was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe and numerous other authors. He refers to Poe as his “true papa”. But now Bradbury himself has become the father, and this anthology is a family reunion of sorts, full of stories by those who subsequently looked to him as Papa. As he says, linking it back to his own story, The Homecoming, “a family of beautiful creatures - loving, winged uncles, doting telepathic aunts, and fantastic brethren from all over the world - gather to give thanks, of course, on Halloween.” “His name will once more become synonymous with small American towns at Halloween, when the leaves skitter across the sidewalk like frightened birds, or with Mars, or with love.” Here’s the thing - if you’re a Bradbury fan, the Robert McCammon story alone is worth the price of admission. It was simply incredible. In Children of the Bedtime Machine he perfectly encapsulates how Bradbury’s work is timeless. It wi

John Avjide Lindqvist feels a little bit like the Swedish Stephen King. Bodies drained of blood are showing up in a small town in Sweden. At the same time an unlikely friendship forms between a lonely schoolboy and a young girl who only comes out at night... “What he was scared of was not that maybe she was a creature who survived by drinking other people's blood. No, it was that she might push him away.” Let the Right One In is an incredibly dark book - there’s pedophilia, self-harm, child sexual abuse, relentless bullying, murder. The bullying is heartbreaking to read about as is seeing Oskar live such a lonely existence. So when Oskar finds some companionship in Eli, you can’t help but be moved and subsequently root for their friendship. It’s incredibly atmospheric, set in a working class Swedish suburb, which only adds to how bleak it all feels. I also appreciated how disturbing and violent and graphic it was - weird statement, yes, but when I’m seeking out “good” horror someti