Hello, again my friends! I have doozies for you today.
Let’s bury our secrets with Eric LaRocca, tune in to our favorite TV show with Jason Nickey, lose a memory or two with Naomi Salman, and watch the world burn with Kyle Starks.
A little something for everyone so let’s get into them!
AT NIGHT, I BECOME LOATHSOME
By: Eric LaRocca
Release: 1/28/25
Page count: 175
KU: No Hoopla: No
Synopsis: Ashley is working through a death or two by helping others see the beauty and gift that is life… after he buries them in a coffin. But one client will test his limits and humanity.
First line: “At dark, I become loathsome.”
Favorite lines: “Sometimes pain is earned.”
“Children lose their innocence when they realize that adults
can hurt them.”
Thoughts: As with every LaRocca story, it’s an emotional read. (Especially for parents.) Somehow, LaRocca finds the humanity in the darkness while pulling back the uncomfortable curtains on grief, loneliness, and impure minds. Are we an Ashley or Ashley’s clients?
Rating: 5/5
Other recommendations: YOU’VE LOST A LOT OF BLOOD, WE CAN NEVER LEAVE THIS PLACE
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CHANNELS
By: Jason Nickey
Release: 1/3/25
Page count: 171
KU: Yes Hoopla: No
Synopsis: In Nickey’s newest collection, he treats up to EMP disruptions, assholes that deserve to die, a Christmas ghost story and so many more.
First line: “Waking to the sound of the engine running, I sat straight up with a gasp thinking I had fallen asleep while driving.”
Favorite line: “Did I just get Rick Roll’ed by a ghost?”
Thoughts: I always say this but this is Nickey’s best collection to date. Readers can see the progression in his collections and he just keeps getting better. I can tell you now, this is the benchmark for collections this year. Authors: I would definitely take notes.
Rating: 6/5
Other recommendations: WRECKAGE, SLUSH PILE
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NOTHING BUT THE RAIN
By: Naomi Salman
Release: 3/14/23
Page count: 93
KU: No Hoopla: Yes
Synopsis: What happens when the rain washes away memories but not your sins? Will anyone in the community survive when memories cannot be trusted?
First line: “Found a notebook at long last.”
Favorite line: “If you don’t know every single detail of your own life, how can you be sure you know anything at all?”
Thoughts: Post-apocalyptic, epistolary, forgiveness, and loneliness abound in this novella. You will learn more about yourself in it than you ever thought possible. Bring the Kleenexes because it’s going to rain from your eyeholes.
Rating: 6/5
Other recommendations: none at the time
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MARS ATTACKS!
By: Kyle Starks
Illustrated by: Chris Schweitzer
What do you do when Mars Attacks? Reminiscent of the film (but not like it, really) we follow Spencer and his far as they try to dip, duck, and dodge these crazy alien menaces. Spencer tries to come to terms with being a failure in his father’s eyes. With a loose plan, a wheelbarrow, and an ounce of hope, will the aliens end humanity or will humanity fight back?
Rating: 4.5/5
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