Category Archives: 2020

Little Eyes, by Samanta Schweblin

Posted on June 18, 2020 by Thistle

Translated from Spanish by Megan McDowell Take Furbis, cross them with Alexas, and make them live-streaming to a single audience, then you have what’s known in this book as a kentuki: a robot “pet” that one person chooses to “keep” … Continue reading →

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Home Before Dark, by Riley Sager

Posted on June 16, 2020 by Thistle

Maggie has grown up in the shadow of her father’s book, the one that claims that – true story! – their family lived in a haunted house for three weeks when she was five. The book is utter nonsense, she … Continue reading →

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The Broken Girls, by Simone St. James

Posted on May 18, 2020 by Thistle

Idlewild Hall was once a boarding school for wayward girls. Haunted by the ghost of Mary Hand, the school is plagued with troubles and eventually closes for good. Now, however, someone has bought the property with the intent to restore … Continue reading →

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The Sun Down Motel, by Simone St. James

Posted on May 6, 2020 by Thistle

In the late 70s and early 80s, there were a string of murdered/missing girls from a small town in New York called Fell. In late 1982, Viv is working the night shift at the Sun Down Motel, putting together details … Continue reading →

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Finding Georgina, by Colleen Faulkner

Posted on March 30, 2020 by Thistle

When Georgina is a toddler, she’s kidnapped out of her stroller at a Mardi Gras parade. Fourteen years later, her mother spots her working at a coffee shop. Harper has never given up hope, but this seems unbelievable. The police … Continue reading →

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Nothing to Lose, by Alex Flinn

Posted on March 23, 2020 by Thistle

Michael ran away a year ago and has been working with a traveling carnival ever since. Now he’s back in his home town, hoping no one recognizes him. Unfortunately, his mother is on trial for killing her abusive husband, Michael’s … Continue reading →

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Caffeine, by Michael Pollan (audio)

Posted on February 28, 2020 by Thistle

Well this is apropos, listening to a book on the history and science of caffeine while doing my own experiments with the stuff. This short book – what’s the novella equivalent of nonfiction? – discusses how the human race discovered … Continue reading →

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A Beginning at the End, by Mike Chen

Posted on February 13, 2020 by Thistle

Six years after the End of the World – a virulent strain of flu wiping out most of the world’s population – the world is in shambles. There are tentative pockets of humanity clustered together with the loosest attempts at … Continue reading →

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The First Girl Child, by Amy Harmon (audio)

Posted on January 31, 2020 by Thistle

From Goodreads: Bayr of Saylok, bastard son of a powerful and jealous chieftain, is haunted by the curse once leveled by his dying mother. Bartered, abandoned, and rarely loved, she plagued the land with her words: From this day forward, … Continue reading →

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The Hand on the Wall, by Maureen Johnson (audio)

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Thistle

Note: This is the third and final book of the Truly Devious series, following Truly Devious and The Vanishing Stair. This review will contain spoilers for books 1 and 2 but not for The Hand on the Wall. From Goodreads: … Continue reading →

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