Summary: Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales by Yoko Ogawa is a collection of interconnected short stories that dive into the complexities of human relationships and the dark aspects of life. The narratives are tied together through recurring characters and subtle connections, creating a lot of psychological suspense and unsettling events. Ogawa's writing explores themes of revenge and obsession. With each story revealing the complexities of the characters' lives and their intertwined fates.
An incredible collection of stories from truly amazing authors, Cursed brings back classic horror literature. Without the possibility of using cheap jump scares or showing mindless gore, like most horror movies today, Cursed shows what horror is about. While horror short stories are becoming fairly popular nowadays, Cursed does the best job of it I’ve seen.
The sequel to the best horror short story book on the market, Twice Cursed was heavily awaited by the many fans of the first book (me). With the return of most of the authors from the first book, such as M. R. Carey, Christina Henry and of course, Neil Gaiman, I was excited for the new stories to be told. After reading the first book, I had high expectations, and this book both met and exceeded them.
The House on Mango Street is about a young Latino girl named Esperanza, navigating through her adolescent through teen life in Chicago. Her house and neighborhood aren't in very good condition, and throughout the book Esperanza talks about how she wants a house of her own in the future where she can be herself. Multiple events are happening in the book that shape her and give her new understanding of the world. However, near the end of the book, she learns an important lesson.
Auggie & Me is a fiction novel written by R.J. Palacio is a sequel to Wonder. The book is focused on 3 of Wonder’s characters, Julian, Christopher and Charlotte. First off, Julian Albans, the main antagonist of Wonder, or Auggie’s bully, is going to his Grandma’s for the summer and during his time there, learns about his family’s past and tries to better himself. Next, is Christoper, Auggie’s old friend where we learn about his struggles in life.
The Reason I Jump, by Naoki Higashida, is a short collection of questions, answers, and a couple short stories that all are written in hopes of showing what life’s like for somebody who is autistic. This collection was written when Higashida was 12 years old and is mainly compiled of the questions that people ask him about certain behaviors based in autism that they consider odd or confusing.
Blackout has a very unique style with contributions from six different authors that each write a romantic fictional short story that all take place during a blackout in New York City. This blackout sparks romantic conflict and tension, and it changes many relationships for the better or worse.
This story is set in 1995 and locations ranging from Colorado to the West side of America, nine teens’ perspectives playing out against a background of missing girls, destructing fires, and a wayward priest. Each of these story’s weave and connect to create a web of amazing romantic, and expressive stories. This story portrays how communities look normal but on the inside are brutal, romantic, and mysterious. Each story is amazing and the way it is spun together makes it even more interesting and fascinating to read.
The Last Girlfriend on Earth: And Other Love Stories by Simon Rich is a collection of eclectic and often surreal short stories centering around love and romance. For the most part, I very much enjoyed this book.
