Mindy's Book Journey

Title: Spin a Black Yarn Author: Josh Malerman Genre: Horror/Speculative Fiction Published: August 15, 2023 by Random House I received a copy for review through NetGalley.   Spin a Black Yarn is a collection of 5 novellas that have memorable new spins on common genre norms. Malerman takes on a haunted house, a serial killer, space travel, dangers of AI, and revenge. These are very familiar yet his stories are wholly unique and surprising as these themes are turned on their head. These are novellas I will not soon forget. Half the House is Haunted explores a brother and sister's relationship growing up in a house that was half haunted. What does that mean? Which half? 4 stars Argyle follows a dying man's confessions of dark twisted desires that he never acted on. This was really disturbing and effective story despite his lack of actual murder. 5 stars Jupiter Drop is about a man dealing with a tragic accident that decides to take a vacation to Jupiter where he will be able to...

  Title: Nine of Swords Series: Fynneas Fog Book 1 Author: Brooklyn Quintana Genre: Fantasy  Published: May 15, 2021 Thank you to Brooklyn Quintana for providing a copy for review.  Nine of Swords is the first book in the Fynneas Fog series about a prince who is destined to defend his house in the military. He faces a tragedy before being sent to Morancy Academy of Military Arts.   Nine of Swords is a fantasy with a lot of heart and unforgettable characters. It is so wonderful to watch the relationships between all the students at the academy grow to found family status throughout the book. The plot moves quickly, and feels like a fast read despite its length. The world where a few characters have magic, but most do not. There are magical creatures around the academy, but not throughout the rest of the world. If you are a sucker for fantasy books with school settings and the chosen one trope done right than the Fynneas Fog series is certainly one to check ou...

  Title: Thanks for the Memory Author: James Flynn Genre: Science Fiction Published: October 1, 2023 Thank you to James Flynn for providing a copy for review. Thanks for the Memory follows Reed Blagden, a stand up comedian, who uploads a sexually explicit memory on a new social media platform to revive his career. It works, but then he finds out the price of posting your life on social media.  This novella tackles the issues of social media addiction, and the trouble with posting everything in your life for the world to see. The new social media in this story, NeuroStar, is a fascinating concept that people can upload the memories straight from their brains using brain sensors. The story is written as a first hand story from the mouth of Reed, the main character. The story is told in a very meta way as he speaks to the reader personally. As a comedian, it is also told in a really humorous way. This narration style along with the social media ideas to ponder was made this n...

  Title: Bridge Author: Lauren Beukes Genre: Thriller/Speculative Fiction Published: 8/8/23 by Mulholland Books I received a copy for review through NetGalley. Bridge is mourning the loss of her mother Jo to brain cancer. She is working on cleaning out her mom's house when she finds a "dreamworm", a drug that can help you visit alternate realities. This starts Bridge figuring out the mystery of dreamworm, and her mother's obsession with it. However, there are other  dangerous people searching for the dreamworm as well. Bridge's biggest strength was its' amazing premise. The mixture of speculative fiction elements within the thriller was very compelling. Bridge, Jo, and Dom were all great characters. Dom, Bridge's best friend, supports her on her path to discovery. The middle of the book felt a bit long with the best thriller moments not happening until about 70% in. Other than this issue with pacing this is one fascinating book. I would recommend this ...