Jason Cavallaro's Best and Worst of November

19 books read! Let's begin.

BEST OF THE MONTH

The Women by Kristin Hannah

I kept hearing this is the best book of her career, and while I can't agree with that, it IS one of her best. A story about the Vietnam war, told through the eyes of a combat nurse. It's like a war version of Requiem for a Dream.

WORST OF THE MONTH

The Last 5 Minutes of the Human Race by Michael Allen Rose (writer) and Jim Agpalza (artist)

This is an obscure one from Madness Heart Press. I won it when I got third place at the Gross-Out contest at KillerCon this year. It's sort of a novelty item: 26 flash fiction pieces about the end of humans. Some good art, but I tired of the premise early on.

The rest:

You Like it Darker by Stephen King (collection). Solid collection here, as expected. Favorite story was "Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream." Grade: B

Naomi's Room by Jonathan Aycliffe. Mostly gothic horror, but with an extreme third act. Grade: B

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh. I've come to the conclusion that I like her short stories better. Grade: D

Mr. Higgins Comes Home by Mike Mignola (writer/art). Pick up Hellboy instead. Grade: C

Demon Road by Derek Landy. YA horror. Good premise, but couldn't keep me interested. Grade: C

My Quirky Little Memoir by John R Little. Great non-fiction from a great indie writer. Grade: A

The Wilds by Richard Laymon. I've been saving this one. I sure do miss reading him. Grade: A

Dark Dreamers by Stanley Wiater. Another non-fiction book, another prize from the Gross-Out contest. A who's who of horror. Grade: B

Freakangels by Garth Ennis (writer) and Paul Duffield (art). It isn't bad, but a little convoluted by my tastes. Grade: D

Encyclopedia Sharksploitanica by Susan Snyder. A must-have for shark film fanatics. Grade: B

We Were Liars by E Lockhart. I know this YA book has a huge fanbase, but I tired of the back-and-forth between characters. Grade: D

Roaming by Juillian and Mariko Tamaki (graphic novel). Graphic novels like this always make me think they're inferior versions of Craig Thompson's Blankets. Grade: C

Senseless by Ronald Malfi. It's good, but Ron has written several books that are better. Come With Me is still my fave. Grade: C

Kill Your Darling by Clay McLeod Chapman. Darkest thing I've read from him so far. Grade: B

8114 by Joshua Hull. Nice creepfest from Hull. Will read more of his stuff. Grade: B

Another by Paul Tremblay. Upcoming YA novel from Paul. Odd to read a book from him with little ambiguity. Good though. Grade: B

The Man Who Folded Himself by David Gerrold. Brilliant sf novel, but not so fun to read. Grade: C

Done!

Reviews by Jason Cavallaro
jcavallaro42@gmail.com
Twitter: @pinheadspawn