The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories

This is my third Aspen Words Literary Prize 2023 longlist read. And honestly so far this longlist is next level. All three (this, How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water and The Town of Babylon) so far have been 5-star reads. I wasn’t planning to read the whole longlist this year, but I…

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Night of the Living Rez

This recent release is one that mostly made it onto my TBR list after being offered as an ALC from Libro.fm. Once that got it on my radar, I did see a couple reviews for it pop up here and there, everything really positive, but it just seems like the proverbial publication splash it made…

The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer

This is a super eye-catching cover, with the bright white and gold, and a title that really makes any book nerd really want to see more of what it's about. I had read a few reviews that said this was, at some points, a bit hard to follow (for various reasons), so I waited until I was…

How to Pronounce Knife

I loved the title of this collection from the moment I first read it. I remember, even as a native English speaker, not ever getting a clear explanation for words like knife (or pterodactyl!) and those ridiculously unnecessary silent letters. And then after studying multiple languages throughout college (including Arabic, Russian, Chinese and, of course,…

A House Is a Body

I grabbed this one a few months ago from an online library book sale. I can't say for sure what made me choose it, but I think maybe the title just caught my attention? Anyways, it seems like I am on a roll with randomly picking up backlist titles from authors with new books coming out,…

Milk Blood Heat

I’ve had great luck with short story collections this year, having read and loved The Secret Lives of Church Ladies and The Office of Historical Corrections. And actually, looking at those, let me be even more specific and say that short story collections by Black women authors have rocked my 2021 so far. So really,…

If I Had Two Wings

Here I am with my second-to-last Aspen Words Literary Prize 2021 longlist review. This is also one of the 5 finalists for the prize, which I didn’t get to read until after that shortlist was announced. But better late than never! Also, I had no idea that the author lived in the same town in…

The Office of Historical Corrections

My 10th Aspen Words Literary Prize 2021 longlist read! I’m two thirds of the way there – maybe I will actually make it! Anyways, this one was amaze-balls. As per usual, here's a quick note with reactions for each story, and the closing novella of course, with some final thoughts to wrap it up. The…

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

I’ve seen literally nothing but rave reviews for this collection. Some major bookstagrammers who always have the inside track on great new releases, as well as some smaller ones whose recommendations I’ve come to just really trust will line up with my own appreciations. So naturally I added myself to the library waitlist for this…

What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky

This collection has been on my radar for a while. With a title like that, it’s one that sticks out and sticks with you. But I am not often in the mood for story collections, so it stayed on the periphery for quite some time. However, I have to say, I think I am coming…