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The Seep is unlike any apocalyptic alien invasion you’ve ever heard of. Earth has become a strange utopian fever dream - one where you can have a cat's tongue if you really want it and where you can be born again as a child if you just ask. This is the unfortunate truth for Trina, a 50-year old trans woman with a notoriously traditional outlook, when her wife decides she would like to be re-birthed. Alone and ever-more scrupulous of the new world, Trina meets a boy from a commune where The Seep has been admonished. Determined to rescue him (from what she’s not entirely sure) she embarks upon a journey that may change her in ways she cannot even imagine.
-Tianna
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May is an orphan, penniless and alone. Worse, she’s just been condemned to the life of a sin eater for her crime of stealing bread. Unseen, unheard, sin eaters are pariahs, their only purpose to abjure the dying of their sins by eating foods that correspond to their wrongdoings. When May is called upon to eat for two ailing royals she could not imagine that it would be the beginning of a perilous journey - one of sinister plots, cat and mouse games, and choices where her life hangs in the balance. May’s story is that of finding one's place in a broken world and standing up for what you believe in, even if it means you'll never be the same.
-Tianna
Augusten Burroughs is a witch and I’m a newly converted believer. The mere mastery of his writing and its eerily compulsive nature could have alone convinced me of this. Yet, as it is, we are lucky enough to have a glimpse into the life of a sickeningly interesting individual with the publication of his second memoir. As one who often dismisses biographical content with the notion, “What could be so interesting in this person's life that I would be compelled to read about it?” I can tell you, when it comes to Burroughs, a lot. Moreover, it’s wickedly fun to read. To say Toil & Trouble is a magical work of nonfiction would not only be an awful pun but a gross understatement.
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Curious Toys wraps you in the buttery warmth of summer in 1915’s Chicago while maintaining a frigidly suspenseful atmosphere. Pin, a gender-fluid street child of the carnaval underground, spends her days scrounging for food, getting into trouble, and delivering reefer. When two individuals enter a dark ride and only one appears at the exit, it is up to her and an eclectic vagrant to uncover the mystery behind a serial killer few know exist. Elizabeth Hand delivers a juicy, original mystery sure to shock even the most astute sleuths of the genre.
-Tiana
Here is the island: there are four children, six pigs, a pack of ravenously cruel adults, and all the trash in the world. The kids work, the adults party, the pigs eat the garbage that’s fed to them. What is to be done when a boy washes ashore? What about a man who is unaware of the strange and visceral order of the island, its dangerous waters, its animalistic inhabitants? Pigs asks the ethical questions of our generation while maintaining a surreal beauty. A hidden gem and an instant classic, this novel will be spoken of for years to come.
-Tianna
Imaginary Friend has, in my humble opinion, already earned its spot on the top shelf of classic horrors. Reminiscent of Stephen King’s IT and Neil Gaiman's Coraline, it is one of the most compulsively terrifying, eerily uncanny novels of our time. Once you pick up this book you won’t put it down until you’ve devoured it whole (or, should I say, until it has devoured you), and once finished you will feel the dangerous urge to turn to the first page and start all over again. It is an utterly original masterpiece of fear. Thank you, Stephen Chbosky, for the lost sleep and the goosebumps! Signed, a hard-to-scare horror fanatic.
-Tianna
Who are you, Calvin Bledsoe? is an outrageously triumphant exercise in the lengths one painfully boring man will go to in order to uncover the truth of his being. Having just buried his world-renowned Calvinist mother, a pellet stove blogger finds himself gobsmacked in the middle of Europe at the request of his Aunt Beatrice, an aunt he previously had no idea existed. What follows is a whirlwind of theft, kidnapping, illegal parking, trysts with a “possibly” undercover Interpol agent, and the unraveling of everything Calvin knows to be true about his mother and himself. Calvin Bledsoe’s journey is unexpected, hilarious, and beautifully uplifting. It should not be missed!
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To describe The Chestnut Man as heart pounding would be a travesty. When the fingerprint of a prime minister’s daughter - previously presumed dead - appears at the crime scene of an especially brutal murder, two at-odds detectives must face their incredulous department and the blood-thirsty media in order to uncover the truth behind not only the serial murder assigned to them but the high-octane kidnapping case that was closed nearly a year before. Sveistrup masterfully weaves a propulsive, incomprehensibly thrilling novel that is impossible to put down. The Chestnut Man will have you waiting with bated breath for his next move and Sveistrup will have you flipping through pages faster than you knew possible.
-Tianna
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Something isn’t right, Molly can feel it in her gut. It isn’t just that strange things have been appearing in The Pit: an Altoids tin with odd dimensions, a Coca-Cola bottle with script tilted in the wrong direction, the dubiously edited Bible. Innocuous individuals incite in her a raging suspicion, shadows are predatory. Her children are in danger; she’s sure of it, isn’t she? Or, is it something different altogether? A powerful commentary on the toil of motherhood and a wholly original thriller, The Need will summon within you an ethereal sense of what may be beyond the border of our reality and leave you wondering just how much a mother can take before she breaks.
-Tianna
Hollow Kingdom is raucously funny, starkly poignant and unlike anything you have read before. Follow S.T., a wry and highly intelligent domesticated crow, as he finds himself in a quickly deteriorating Seattle amidst the end of the human race. As mother nature reclaims the world, S.T. must find a way to consolidate his two natures - crow and human - in order to survive the impending animal-centered world war. A mix of humor, adventure, and a love-letter to nature, Buxton creates an exhilarating, genre-bending experience that you simply cannot miss.
-Tianna
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John Glynn paints a gregarious and sun-crisped portrait of self-discovery in his account of one summer in a communal party house. Wholeheartedly authentic and dazzlingly ubiquitous in a way that few other memoirs could manage, Out East will make you laugh, cry, and consider buying a timeshare. Glynn pulls you into Montauk’s boiling pot of camaraderie, alcohol, and hedonism so expertly that you'll never want to leave.
-Tianna
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Free of mitigation, Rabbits for Food is a visceral narrative about the reality of mental illness and the beige monotony of institutionalization. Following a public outburst, Bunny- a naturally sardonic author- is committed to a psych ward where she struggles with the backwards nature of psychological rehabilitation and the unstable state of her depressive mind. As humorous as it is austere, Bunny’s story unapologetically demystifies the harsh realities of stigmatization and the taboo subject of mental health.
- Tianna
I have been holding off on writing a review for Shout simply because I am at a loss for words that could possibly explain how this memoir has affected me. As someone who read Speak in their Freshman year of high school and then went on to experience the truth of the novel, it was an empowering yet melancholy experience. Anderson's life story is unique as well ubiquitous. Her prose is beautiful as well as heartbreaking. Shout is an anthem to the scared and abused, urging them to break their silence and join together in strength. Now is our time to shout.
-Tianna
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Witty and endearing, Stay up with Hugo Best is a rare example of a novel that will be ubiquitously loved. A nontraditional bildungsroman, a complicated story of admiration, and an insider’s look at the lucrative business of late-night television, every facet of it is unexpected and wonderful. Somers is an expert at influencing the emotions of her readers, and by the time you turn the last page, you will feel as if you, too, have spent the weekend with Hugo Best.
-Tianna
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Perversely entertaining and intensely vivid, You Know You Want This lives up to its title. Roupenian gifts us a strange and at times frightening insight into the darkest recesses of the human condition; every story is as eerily familiar as it is shockingly strange. From demented fairy tales to real-life horror stories, you know you want to read it!
-Tianna
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Looker by Laura Sims is the deeply engrossing and fast-paced tale of a woman losing her grip on reality. Driven by an obsession with her renowned neighbor, referred to only as “the actress,” our spiraling protagonist loses control of her life and becomes more and more a danger to herself and those around her. Fast-paced, suspenseful, and beautifully written, Laura Sims weaves the delicate and complicated consciousness of a woman who has nothing left to lose.
-Tianna
What starts as a prompt from one of her devout fans leads a renowned poet to detail the intricacies of her mysterious and troubled life as well as reveal the truth behind some of her most infamous works. The Last Romantics is a beautifully written account of one family's struggle to stay together in the face of adversity and grief, with characters you will feel close to almost immediately and prose that will put a deep-seated warmth into your heart.
-Tianna
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That Time I Loved You by Carianne Leung paints a diverse and vivid portrait of 1970s
Toronto. The compilation of interwoven short stories masterfully depicts the impact a
series of unexpected suicides has on a close-knit suburban community, as well as
detailing the interlocking secrets of its inhabitants. Each section gives us an intimate
look at a refreshingly original character’s story as it pieces together the complicated
reality of suburbia, complete with an assortment of difficult social issues. Graceful,
succinct, and wholly entertaining, That Time I Loved You is a must-read for the new
year!-Tianna
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This novel is a triumph; a testament to Jen Beagin’s masterful ability to depict the struggles of a widely downtrodden generation in all its crass defiant beauty. Mona is a poignant and obscurely hilarious protagonist who struggles with a messy past, bad relationships, obscene thoughts, and a disassembled life. Her cutting humor makes it OK to not be OK and her stark realism brings the absurdities of adulthood into vivid focus. Vacuum in the Dark is a love letter to those who are the misfits of their own life. It will make you laugh loud, cry hard, and otherwise occupy any hole left in you to fill.
- Tianna
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Samanta Schweblin set a high standard with her translated debut novel Fever Dream, a standard she has now miraculously surpassed with an ever-more unnerving collection of short stories. A must-read for anyone who doubts the written word's ability to touch reality – Mouthful of Birds will rattle your bones, infiltrate your mind and engulf you in a surreal dream-state of bewilderment and ferocity that will have you fearing to turn the page even as you beg for more.
- Tianna
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Three sisters bound by love, three sisters bound by isolation, kept from men, kept from the world; three sisters tortured viciously to strengthen their feeble female bodies, three sisters trapped without realizing, three sisters betrayed by the only ones they know. Set in a dream-like dystopian world, Grace, Lia and Sky have only ever known one man - King, their father and protector. Now King is dead, leaving Mother and the girls to fend for themselves on the isolated landscape he had carved out for them; the place where, in the girls youth, damaged women, their bodies destroyed by the perniciousness of men, came from the mainland to be healed. Deeply engrossing, raucously unsettling, The Water Cure is a Yorgos Lanthimos film in novel form and is a must-read for anyone looking to be shaken to their core.
- Tianna
Frances Jellico spent most of her life as a fly on the wall; she spoke only when spoken to, cared for her crazed mother devoutly, and never knew the bond of true friendship. Now, for the first time in her thirty years of life, Frances is alone and working in a secluded manor outside of London. She meets Peter and Cara - magnetic, beautiful, hedonistic and soon Franny is brought into a world of guiltless pleasure previously only conjured in her wildest of dreams. Little does she know that her new compatriots will change the outcome of her life’s story in ways she could never have imagined. Mysterious, vividly personal, and strikingly tense, Bitter Orange will bring you into a whirlwind of searingly raw human interaction that you may never escape.
- Tianna
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Describing Vox as frightening would be a gross understatement. Maddening, haunting, revolution-invoking, eye-opening – those are more appropriate adjectives, though they still do little to convey the ferocity of emotion this novel breeds. In a world where you can only speak 100 words a day, how would you revolt? How would you protect your children? How would you maintain your singularity? Think about this, because if you don’t speak now, you may not have a choice to in the future. Christina Dalcher has not only conveyed the severe repercussions of complacency in a succinct and relatable narrative, but she’s done it in such a way that it will inspire you to fight for your future, for your daughter’s future, and for your daughter’s daughter’s future. Vox should be spread like the Bible; every woman - every woman - should have this novel put in their hands at least once.
- Tianna
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Startlingly relevant and endlessly entertaining, Chuck Palahniuk’s Adjustment Day will have you gasping, weeping, shaking in your booties and clenching the arms of your chair in anticipation. It is present-day America and things are bleak. A youth bulge - an influx of young males saturating the population - is making lawmakers and high-standing government officials nervous. Volatile and hungry for glory, youth bulges have been responsible for every economic downfall, bloody revolution, and mass tragedy in the history of the world. In an effort to cull this dangerous demographic, WWIII will be signed into existence right under the noses of the general public and bevies of young men will be sent to their bloody deaths. Little does the government know that a book has been circulating, “Adjustment Day,” and that it’s inciting anger and rebellion in the very youth they plan to massacre. Soon, Adjustment Day will be upon them, and there is nothing they can do to stop it.
- TIANNA
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There are three things you need to know about Paul Davis. Firstly, he was brutally attacked by his friend - a friend he caught in the dead of night attempting to dispose of two mutilated bodies. Secondly, Paul has been hearing noises – noises that he shouldn’t be hearing, noises that no one else hears, noises that have no reasonable explanation. Lastly, nothing in his life is as it seems – not the murders that landed his colleague in jail and him in a therapist's office; not the typewriter his wife gave him as a gift to inspire him; not even the chronic memory problems he’s experienced since he was knocked out. Worse even, there’s a possibility he may never find out. Linwood Barclay’s A Noise Downstairs will have you guessing until the very last page just what is haunting the life of our broken protagonist.
- Tianna
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Emotionally striking, heartbreaking, and equally as heart-warming, Joe Dunthorne's The Adulterants gives an insightful look into the intimacies of modern-day marriage and the flawed coping mechanisms of a pitifully dark-humored husband. We live through a series of breakneck stages - false security, uncertainty, fear, denial, mania - as Ray Morris unwittingly sabotages his own marriage, all the while remaining self-defyingly indifferent. The perfect example of a fairytale-gone-awry, The Adulterants will have you rooting for the resurrection of Ray’s seemingly brain-dead life, remaining dumbly optimistic as you watch his relationship become the public disaster he and his wife so often commiserated.
- Tianna
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Billie Jean Fontaine is the new world’s Caddy Compson and, likewise, Heartbreaker a sparkling, modern vision of William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury. Fiery, courageous, flawed; Billie is a wildly enigmatic and untamed feminine power that whirlpools the adoration, hatred, and awe of all those who cross her flaming path. Now she’s missing. Once known as the only woman to arrive on “the territory” - a small utopian township founded by a reclusive cult leader and frozen in the year of 1985 - she is now the only woman to have ever left as well. Told from three hypnotically vivid points of view, Heartbreaker will have you immersed in not only the strangeness of the town off the north highway but in the captivating personalities- and secrets- that inhabit it.
- Tianna
Samanta Schweblin has created what I can only call the singularly most silently unnerving, psychologically daunting novel I have had the pleasure of reading to date. Amanda is laying in a rural hospital bed with a young boy sitting beside her. He says his name is David. Something about him is strange, isn't it? But what is it? How did she get here? Who is he? Where is her daughter? Follow Amanda on a strange journey into her own psyche and watch in horror as she relives every grueling second leading up to the moment it all went wrong. Reading Fever Dream is like watching a nightmare in full consciousness; you can't stop it, you can't explain it, but you know there is something deathly wrong waiting for you. Fever Dream will instill in you a sense of helplessness so intense that it will take you weeks to shake it off.
- Tianna
Alice has done everything in her power to bury her horrifying past, and now it’s barreling towards her with the force of a thousand suns, threatening to consume the little normalcy she has fought so hard to construct. Brutally attacked when she was fourteen, she's haunted by “Mister Tender,” a fictional creation of her father’s, and by the catastrophic mess he left in his path. Now, years later, the demonic pop-culture character has returned, and once again is threatening her sanity and well-being. Mister Tender’s Girl will stop your heart dead in your chest and will have you questioning the motives of those close to you long after you turn the last page.
- Tianna
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Bicho Raro is a sacred and mystical place; there you will find the Soria family, capable of performing miracles which manifest your darkest fears into tangible adversaries, and pilgrims, those who travel from miles around to have the Soria miracle performed upon them in the hopes that they will be able to conquer their inner turmoil once and for all. These two vastly different groups are not permitted to speak, lest a Soria’s darkness be brought upon them all by attempting to aid a pilgrim. However, when young Daniel Soria falls in love with a woman who bares her shame in the form of wet butterflies, he is unable to keep himself from running to her aid. When his darkness falls upon him it is left to the inhabitants of Bicho Raro to work together and find a way to conquer the ultimate taboo once and for all.
- Tianna