
First, I hope you are well. Second, I’m pleased with my writing progress this past quarter even though I hit a few speed bumps. And third, these are the books I read the first three months of 2020 along with a one-sentence review for each.
I’ll link the titles to the Amazon e-book page in case you want to take a book for a spin.
Holy time-stuck-at-home, Batman, I just realized how many books I read 1st quarter. Here’s the TLDR version in case you’re in a hurry:
Best scare: Will Haunt You by Brian Kirk, about a haunted book, freaky.
Best anthology: None, why oh why do I insist on reading anthologies when I know I get more satisfaction from longer reads?
Best literary horror: The Boatman’s Daughter by Andy Davidson. I don’t think I’ll find a better lit-horror novel this whole year.
Best palate-cleansing light read: Summer Magic by Marcia Meara (poetry).
Best nonfiction: The Art of Slow Writing by Louise DeSalvo, lots of wisdom and encouragement.
Best short read: Let Go by Michael Patrick Hicks, a zombie novelette that made me cry.
The Binge-Watching Cure II edited by Bill Adler is a horror anthology that starts with a 10-word story and works up to a 24,000-word story, and has only one story I didn’t like (because it came across as political ranting instead of fiction fun).
Adam’s Ladder edited by Michael Bailey and Darren Speegle. This dark science fiction anthology didn’t float my boat even though, as with most anthologies, there are a few clever, scary stories.
Oversight by Michael Bailey is a collection of two novelettes and one short story, all science fiction horror dealing with seeing or not seeing the monstrosities in life, all with passages that can get frustratingly sluggish or intriguingly ambiguous, but ultimately an impressive literary collection.
Widow by Rob Bliss. This imaginative retelling of The Three Little Pigs read like a surrealistic fairy tale with creepy people-pigs, but the omniscient POV was hard to follow at times.
Chosen by R.S. Broadhead. I loved the small town isolation and the occult madness and the scary plot, and while I didn’t love the prose, I suspect Broadhead’s writing style will mature with time.
Kind Nepenthe by Matthew Brockmeyer. This book with its haunted woods, gore, and madness should have been right up my alley, and hundreds of reviewers liked it, but I needed more tension and believable conflict for the story to click with me.
Under the Weather edited by Matthew Cash. This horror anthology uses weather as an antagonist or a support character in every story, and oh how I loved “Red Frost” as a modern Gothic take on vengeance.
Eventide by Mae Clair. The whole Hode’s Hill paranormal suspense trilogy is scary-fun with a feminine vibe, but this third book is the best with a terrifying ghoul, a relatable and likable protagonist in Madison Hewitt, and several despicable humans that keep giving Madison grief.
Stranger Still by Michaelbrent Collings. In this psychological horror story full of torture, blood, and many, many killings, Collings develops the serial killer character so well that a couple of times I caught myself feeling sorry for the killer, ugh!
Tendrils of Passion by Carrie Dalby. Book three in this Southern Gothic, paranormal romance series has a rich, textured setting 100-some years ago near Mobile, Alabama, and a sweet-n-strong protagonist, Magdalene, that you feel good about cheering on.

The Boatman’s Daughter by Andy Davidson. Southern Gothic meets folklore meets horror, all tied up with Davidson’s poetic prose. Davidson’s a freakin’ genius.
The Art of Slow Writing by Louise DeSalvo. God bless DeSalvo for explaining in this super encouraging book with loads of writing advice that it’s okay to make false starts, to explore tangents, and to re-re-re-re-re-rewrite, because I was beginning to think it was just me!
Monkspike by Sarah England. Darn it, a Gothic story I wanted to like but didn’t because the frequent changes in POV were distracting and the non-occult scenes lacked tension. (Still, Monkspike has lots of good reviews. I think this book is a case of different strokes for different folks.)
“The Mysterious Disappearance of Charlene Kerringer” by Marlena Frank is a short story that gets kudos from me for having a scary baby (!) and a hard-boiled PI together in one tale.
Fiona Finch and the Pink Valentine by Teagan Geneviene. This novelette is the cutest, pinkest steampunk love story ever.
Come Closer by Sara Gran. Freaky possession stories scare me witless, especially when they drag you by the ankles through an ordinary woman’s life so that you think the story is plausible!
Plain by D.T. Griffith. Poor Essy is just trying to leave her horrible childhood behind. Rarely is insanity captured so well in a story. Five mad stars. (Okay, that was three sentences, not one, but Plain was worth it!)
That Which Grows Wild by Eric Guignard. I wanted to love this short story horror collection, but Guignard’s neither purple nor minimalist prose comes across lukewarm for me even though I thoroughly enjoyed the desert monsters in “Last Days of the Gunslinger, John Amos” (practically worthwhile buying the collection just for that story).
Let Go by Michael Patrick Hicks. This is the first zombie story that actually made me cry because it addressed those things in life that we all find precious (and that could be destroyed with one zombie bite).

The Haunting of Beacon Hill by Ambrose Ibsen. Crud, I should have enjoyed this Gothic haunted house story, but the prose was too florid for my liking and the omniscient point of view too confusing.
The House on Cold Hill by Peter James. I am the perfect audience for this modern Gothic haunted house story by a talented author with mature writing skills. Five fat stars!
Entanglement by Gerald Kilby. The first book in Kilby’s Belt trilogy is a hard-science fiction book about faster-than-light communications in space with the best part of the book being neither the plot nor the characters but Kilby’s ability to simplify advanced science for ordinary readers. This was a buddy-read with my sweet husband.<3
Entropy by Gerald Kilby. This is book two in Kilby’s Belt trilogy, and now the artificial intelligences are characters themselves, which is cool, but I sure wish the protagonist, Commander Scott, wasn’t so doggone mopey. Another buddy-read with Dear Husband.<3
.666
Will Haunt You by Brian Kirk. This gimmicky, trippy, self-aware story about a haunted book (and monsters) scared me so much I almost stopped reading until I realized I had stopped at exactly .666 of the way through . . . so I HAD to keep going, don’t ya see? I had to keep going.
Critical Decision by Richard Mabry. An easy read, this medical thriller with a Christian slant is the perfect palate cleanser if you’ve been reading too many serial killer novels!
Mr. Sagittarius by M.J. Mallon. The lives of three siblings, one of them dead, are told through episodic stories and poems full of whimsy and wisdom for a short, happy read.
Never Kiss the Dead by Kelly Martin. Told in typical Kelly Martin style (check out Martin’s YT channel if you’re not familiar with her adorable self), this YA horror novel has a fast paced, big stakes plot and a humorous internal dialogue from protagonist Mercy Manning.
Summer Magic by Marcia Meara. A feel-good book of summer poems, delightful!
Miscreations: Gods, Monstrosities & Other Horrors edited by Doug Murano and Michael Bailey. Like a typical anthology, there were stories I didn’t care for (for me, politics takes the fun out of horror), some well-done insanity stories (like Mercedes Yardley’s “The Making of Asylum Ophelia”), and some nail-biters (like Max Booth’s “You Are My Neighbor”).
Nightface by Lydia Peever. I enjoyed this thoughtful, literary approach to vampires with their needs, wealth, and cruelty, and the Ottawa setting descriptions were so good I could almost touch the railings and feel the pebbles and smell the river.
Reaper by Jonathan Pongratz is a fun YA novella with monsters who enter through (where else?) the creepy door in the basement!
The Funeral Birds by Paula Readman. (Doesn’t Readman have the bestest name for a writer?) This murder mystery novella with a paranormal twist kept me turning pages because of the darling, almost-retired private eye and his plucky wife. This is Readman’s debut novella, and it’s a good story, but I think Readman is going to write great stories.
The Lot on Route 6 by Anthony Renfro. What, Christmas tree monsters? Light prose, unique monsters, and a quick pace make this a fun, holiday horror novella.
Angelus Rose by Loren Rhoads and Brian Thomas. I thought the first 30 percent of the book was sluggish, but then this angels-and-demons romance with lots of blood thrown in takes off and throws epic mythology, tantalizing sex, and heady philosophy at you for a satisfying reading experience.
Rigor Morbid: Lest Ye Become edited by Sandra Ruttan is an anthology of gross, creepy, or scary stories, and I thought some were great, but “MRSA Me” was too close to home to read during a pandemic!
Horror Stories: Scare Street Horror Short Stories Book 4 edited by Emma Salam. This anthology is full of mature, polished writing techniques, and while I didn’t enjoy every story (different writing styles will appeal to different readers), I did enjoy the various subjects and the way the authors made me cringe or pause to check over my shoulder.
A Sparge Bag on the Washing Line by Julia Thorley. Written in daily diary style, this is a lighthearted, humorous account of Mr. Thorley’s first year of retirement . . . from Ms. Thorley’s point of view.:-)
All Systems Red by Martha Wells. Who hasn’t heard of the popular Murderbot? He’s a space-based cyborg with emotional scars, the best science fiction protagonist ever! This was yet another buddy-read with the sweet hubster.<3
Pretty Little Dead Girls by Mercedes M. Yardley. A serial killer story told fairy tale style . . . yeah, that weirded me out a little, too, but it is good.
I am thankful for downloadable ebooks which make reading easy when you’re stuck at home.
Be safe, be well.
39 books. Very nice! Some I’ve read, some are on my TBR list, and some I have to check out. Love your reviews and thank you for the cheery pics.
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Thank you, Iseult. I got a few ideas for what to read from YOUR blog.:-) I’m glad you stopped by!
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Aw, thank you 😊
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Holy moly, you are on a roll! So glad you are having such a great year of reading! I’m definitely going to look your list over and check some stuff out.
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I do like to lose myself in a good book. Thanks for commenting, Jonny!
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Always!
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You’ve ready mastered the one sentence review. Great job.👍👍😄😄
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Thank you.:-) I haven’t mastered the fancy emojis in WP, though. I’ll have to Google how to do that. Thanks for commenting!
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Or maybe you do that with your phone? Hmm, I’ll definitely have to Google it!
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Awesome one-sentence reviews, Priscilla! Have three of these on my kindle and moving them up on my TBR. 🙂
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Three of them? That’s awesome. Happy reading, Bette!
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Eventide, Fiona Finch.. and Summer Magic! ❤ You stay well and safe too xo
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Wow, you’re a prolific reader. Good reviews!
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Thank you, JeanMarie. Of course, right now we all have more time at home to read. Thanks for stopping by.:-)
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That’s a lot of books, Priscilla! We’ve read several of the same – Fiona Finch, Let Go, Kind Nepenthe, Reaper, and Eventide. I didn’t cry, but Hicks’s Let Go was probably the most touching zombie story I’ve come across – who knew there were any out there?
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Whoa, we do have a lot of reads in common! Thanks for stopping by, Teri. Hope you have a nice weekend.:-)
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Wow! You have been reading a lot. Thanks for the reviews. And the blossom views!
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It’s easy to read a lot when you’re stuck at home.:-) Here’s wishing you lots of spring blossoms in your area, too!
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I always like getting ideas for something to read. Thanks for the reviews – quite a few I’m sure I’d enjoy.
Love the blossoms! 🙂
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I guess I had two “flower of the day” photos on this post.:-) Thanks for commenting!
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Wow, I didn’t count but it seems like you read A LOT. I’m dying to make time for The Boatman’s Daughter, thanks for reminding me😁
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Well, if you’re stuck at home, there’s extra time for reading! The Boatman’s Daughter was lyrical and dark and even surreal-trippy at times. I loved it! Thanks for commenting, Tammy.:-)
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You must speed read. I’m so much slower, but I appreciate the inspiration!
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I’m actually not a very fast reader. It’s just that with all this extra time stuck in the house I have more time to read. I am SO thankful for e-books I can download without violating any stay-at-home orders from our governor. Thank you for commenting, Crystal.:-)
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I’m still impressed!
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Oh my, what a long list! You’ve been reading like crazy. I started making a mental note of the ones I wanted to read and then the list got too long, so I’m favoriting this post for future reference. Can’t wait to get started. 🙂 Thanks for the recommendations. 🙂
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Well, here in Virginia we are under a stay-at-home order by the governor until June 10th, so might as well read! Thanks for stopping by, Diana.:-)
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That is A LOT of books!
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Eh, several were quite short. And like I told others, if I’m stuck at home I might as well read! Thanks for commenting, Rami!
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You’re welcome.
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An incredible list! Well done.
I enjoyed your random images of cherry blossoms. South Africa’s winters are too cold for planting any up here in Pretoria.
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Thanks, Patricia! Yeah, cherry trees can be fussy winter-wise, but South Africa has those lovely, magnificent Jacaranda trees. I’m glad you popped by.:-)
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Priscilla, I’m always astounded by your reading lists. I’ve always said that I’m not a fast reader, but apparently I sit and wallow in a book. LOL. Thanks for including “Fiona Finch.” When I saw your full review, I was thrilled. It means a lot to me that you enjoyed it so much. Be well, be happy. Hugs on the wing!
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“Fiona Finch” is such a pink and happy read. Actually, it’s even more perfect for reading now than it was at Valentine’s. Hugs on the wing back at ya!
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Great reviews, Priscilla! I loved Eventide as well. There are a couple in your list that look interesting and may have to find a spot on my TBR 😀
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I liked all three books in Ms Clair’s Hode’s HIll series. The monster in the first one was particularly creative! Thanks for commenting, Julie!
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Wow, so many books. I recognized some titles, as well as some of the authors. I’m not a horror reader, but some in that list caught my attention, and your brief sentences had some oomph – a zombie story that made you cry? I’m tempted to read some of the lightest horrors. Summer magic sounds like something I’d like to read as well.
Keep reading and stay safe!
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Summer Magic made me FEEL GOOD when I read it. With everything that’s going on right now, it’s a perfect book to read right now. Thank you for stopping by, Jina.:-)
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Thanks, Priscilla. I know some of the authors you mention (Teagan and Michael Patrick Hicks are big favourites of mine) but haven’t read any of the books on your list yet, so I’ll have to check them out. I agree with you on the advantages of e-books. We don’t need to leave our house to have millions of books to read. Keep safe and keep reading!
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Thank you, Olga. I hope you are safe and well.:-)
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Thanks for sharing, Priscilla. I think I’ll add Widow and Stranger Still to my TBR list.
Keep smiling,
Yawatta
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I think you would like Stranger Still. I liked the first Michaelbrent Collings’ Stranger book, too, but you don’t have to read the first one to understand what’s going on in the second one. Be safe, be well.:-)
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That’s good. I hardly ever read books in order if they’re in a series. Maybe because I’m used to standalones.
Keep smiling,
Yawatta
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Thank you so much for including my little book in your amazing collection. I’m taken back by your comment. Actually I’m left speechless. When I started writing I had no dreams or ambitions to where it might take me. I did it to prove to myself anything is possible if you have enough self-belief. Along the way I have made some amazing friends and received some wonderful encouragement too. Thank you, I hope I can add you to my friendship list too, Priscilla ❤️
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OMGosh, what a sweet comment. You made my day, Paula!
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