whatsleahreading

  In the small Pennsylvania town of Harrow, something sinister is stirring in Dan Paxson's apple orchard. With autumn upon him, Dan more than ever needs an apple harvest that will set him apart from other farmers; one that'll get him out from underneath the overdue bills and the looming cost of Calla's college tuition.  Almost like magic, an apple so red it's nearly black appears on Dan Paxson's apple trees. As the town slowly but surely gives the "Ruby Slipper" apple a try, something dark begins to surface within it. People are changing in Harrow, something lurks within the orchard. You see, these are far from ordinary apples--these apples will make you different.  Chuck Wendig has an uncanny ability to deliver a horror novel unlike anything I've ever read: first with his epic masterpiece "Wanderers" then later with the fall book of the season "The Book of Accidents." Not unlike its predecessors, "Black River Orchard" mak...

  Dawn Schiff and Natalie Farrell couldn't be more different from one another. Dawn is orderly, perhaps a little too orderly; social graces don't come easily to her, and she finds the company she enjoys most of all is her own. Natalie is, for all intents and purposes, the reigning queen of their office--every bit as glamorous as she is successful.  And both women have a secret.  What starts out as an ordinary day at work ends in turmoil as Dawn fails to show up for her prompt 8:45am start time. Natalie thinks nothing of it as Dawn's cubicle phone continues to ring in her absence, but when she finally answers one of the calls, a faint voice answers her on the other end of the line, "Help me."  And just like that, Freida McFadden--otherwise known as the sensation who gave us "The Housemaid" and "The Housemaid's Secret" is back--but unfortunately, she is far from better than ever. From first to final page, "The Coworker" read like an...

  In my time chasing after the inimitable after-effects of novels like "Babel," "The Secret History," and "If We Were Villains," I've found that true dark academia is both commonly-attempted and commonly-fumbled. As so many short story collections tend to be, "In These Hallowed Halls" is an intriguing package of both the noteworthy and the (mostly) unexceptional. As such, I find it best to review its parts rather than its whole and worthwhile to mention that its noteworthy dark academia names (Rio, Fargo, and especially Blake) fell utterly flat for me, while names I didn't hold high hopes for soared to new heights.  Beguiling and sinister not so much, "In These Hallowed Halls" is further testament to the fact that I simply might not be the right audience for short stories. I always find them, dare I say it, too short, and I long for a connection to their characters that they simply can't offer.  1000 Ships, Kate Weinberg, 3 ...