After teasing us with some beautiful sunshine last week, Mother Nature brought the snow back, reminding us all there is still a few weeks of winter left.  Thankfully I don’t have to travel in it, giving me plenty of time for books and channel surfing…

–What I’ve Been Reading–

Three-Smile Mile by Chad Lutzke — 4 out of 5 stars

The latest Lutzke is in the house!  This new offering goes in a different direction from Lutzke’s usual style.  Described as a “cat-and-mouse crime thriller,” we meet Cake, a line cook at a small diner.  A snap decision has him on the road with an attractive older woman, driving a classic car filled with stolen money.  An angry husband and murderous criminals round out the characters in this fast-paced, dark, bleak story.  I kept getting True Romance vibes while reading this one.  Great way to spend an afternoon.

Full Immersion by Gemma Amor — 4 out of 5 stars

One of my February TBR selections.  Imagine finding your own dead body on a riverbank, then walking through your memories with a familiar stranger.  Is this a sort of purgatory, or something more sinister?  This latest from Amor is a real trip, and had me guessing up to the end.  There is also a heavy theme of post-partum depression, as Amor mentions in her foreward.  I’m not one to need trigger/content warnings, but I have to say, there were a couple of sentences that brought back the emotions I felt when I went through my own struggles with PPD years ago.  A wild ride, highly recommend.

No Gods For Drowning by Hailey Piper — 3 out of 5 stars

One of my February TBR selections.  Set in a sort of alternate reality, this is a tale of old gods who abandoned humankind, leaving them to become prey to ancient monsters of the sea.  Throw in a serial killer, and that pretty much sums it up.  But it’s not as simple as that.  There is A LOT to digest, and so much is just thrown at the reader quickly and early on, that I found myself wondering if I should keep going or not.  I did finish it, and yeah, in the end it was worth it.  The story itself is truly imaginative, I just had issues with the delivery.

Novellas, Short Stories, and Anthologies

Tales of Sley House 2022 —3.5 out of 5 stars

One of my February TBR selections.   A lot of new-to-me authors and a wide variety of themes, including tales of aliens, golems, ghosts, and more.  As with most anthologies, I found some stories more to my liking than others, but overall a great way to discover new authors.

Festival by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon — 3 out of 5 stars

A music festival that commemorates an ancient Viking massacre, set at the very same spot where the slaughter took place?  Gee, don’t know what could go wrong with that.   This quick read was pretty entertaining, but I just felt like something was missing, either with the characters or the origin story (maybe both?).  While not my favorite from these authors, still a pretty good way to spend a snowy day.

–What I’ve Been Watching–

Nothing beats a good sitcom to brighten up dark, cold days, so over the past couple of weeks I’ve been catching up on season two of Abbott Elementary and Ghosts.  I just love these shows, they’re light fun that always put a smile on my face!

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Stay safe, and Happy Reading!