What I read in May 2023
May felt really long. Making this list, I couldn’t believe I read some of the earlier titles less than a month ago.
Writing-wise, I wrote three stories:
- a 100-word drama in less than a day (that was the time limit)
- a 3,000-word horror comedy (well, it made me laugh, though that may have been hysteria) in two days (it was a ten-day challenge, but I didn’t have an idea I liked until day eight)
- a 2,000-word ghost story in seven days (this is as relaxed as my writing practice gets, apparently. And yet I used to be the neurotic, irritating student who always started their essays weeks ahead of the deadline?!).
I also read my work at another successful Emotional Madness with Mary-Ann and Mates. If you live too far from Colchester to experience the shows in person, you can now read some of the talented performers’ poetry (and a short story of mine) in the first Emotional Madness anthology zine. £5 from each purchase goes to Autism Anglia.
Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro - 4*
Things We Say in the Dark, by Kirsty Logan - 5*
Shuggie Bain, by Douglas Stuart - 4.5*
Adventures About To Begin, by Allen Therisa - 3.5*
The Last Remains, by Elly Griffiths - 4.5*
Thirty Days of Darkness, by Jenny Lund Madsen, translated by Megan Turney - 4.5*
Lost Signals, edited by Max Booth III and Lori Michelle - some good stories, but overall, too variable. 3*
No Worries If Not, by Soph Galustian - 4.5*
All Systems Red, by Martha Wells - 4*
The Wolf in the Woods, by Dan Brotzel - 3.5*
Hallucinations, by Oliver Sacks - 4.5*
Hogfather, by Terry Pratchett - 5*
Jon Richter’s Dark Fiction - 4*
Looking ahead…
I’ve already started The Fascination, by Essie Fox, and it’s amazing so far.
I tend not to go in for many crime/thriller blog tours as I find them quite challenging to review. However, there are a couple of exceptions to my rule: appealing Orenda titles (You Can’t See Me, by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir), and new books by authors I love (also You Can’t See Me, and Voices of the Dead, by Ambrose Parry). I can’t wait to read these!
I’m also planning to continue my Oliver Sacks and Terry Pratchett journeys with Migraine and Thief of Time.