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Over the past year (and a bit, to be honest), I've gotten out of the habit of reading new-to-me books. I still read a lot, but it's either comfort reads or fanfic. I want to change that, obviously, but I keep sliding back to comfort reads.
HOWEVER, some books I've recently read that were fantastic:
Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson. A lush gothic romance/horror about Dracula's Brides. This was gorgeous.
Beguiled by Night by Nichole Eigener. Another lush vampire story, with time travel!
I'm in the middle of finally reading The Drowning Girl by Caitlin R. Kiernan, and ooof. It's gorgeous, and really unsettling. I suspect it's more unsettling for those of us who are neurodivergent and occasionally feel like an unreliable narrator for our own life. Or to use a quote from early on in the book: "Which is not to say every word will be factual. Only that every word will be true. Or as true as I can manage."
(I read that line and had to set the book down for a minute while muttering, "G-DDAMMIT CAITLIN". )
I also learned there are audiobooks of Caitlin's work, and I'm trying to decide if I want to terrify myself with the one for Threshold. I love the book (and the sequel, Low Red Moon, and am so-so on the last book of the trilogy, Daughter of Hounds), but it's one of her works that creeps me out everytime I read it.
Oh, and I was a FOOL and reread her first novel, Silk. It's still good, and why oh why did I reread a book with a whoooooole lot of spiders and eldritch spider spirits I am a FOOL. (I was in regular conversational contact with Caitlin back in the day, and when I told her I'd read the book, it was great, it was terrifying, her reply was "Why the FUCK did you read it, Jilli? With your phobia?!" She made a good point.)
HOWEVER, some books I've recently read that were fantastic:
Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson. A lush gothic romance/horror about Dracula's Brides. This was gorgeous.
Beguiled by Night by Nichole Eigener. Another lush vampire story, with time travel!
I'm in the middle of finally reading The Drowning Girl by Caitlin R. Kiernan, and ooof. It's gorgeous, and really unsettling. I suspect it's more unsettling for those of us who are neurodivergent and occasionally feel like an unreliable narrator for our own life. Or to use a quote from early on in the book: "Which is not to say every word will be factual. Only that every word will be true. Or as true as I can manage."
(I read that line and had to set the book down for a minute while muttering, "G-DDAMMIT CAITLIN". )
I also learned there are audiobooks of Caitlin's work, and I'm trying to decide if I want to terrify myself with the one for Threshold. I love the book (and the sequel, Low Red Moon, and am so-so on the last book of the trilogy, Daughter of Hounds), but it's one of her works that creeps me out everytime I read it.
Oh, and I was a FOOL and reread her first novel, Silk. It's still good, and why oh why did I reread a book with a whoooooole lot of spiders and eldritch spider spirits I am a FOOL. (I was in regular conversational contact with Caitlin back in the day, and when I told her I'd read the book, it was great, it was terrifying, her reply was "Why the FUCK did you read it, Jilli? With your phobia?!" She made a good point.)