A quite enjoyable collection of stories about were-creatures beyond the old standard werewolf were all familiar with. From were-rats to were-sharks to were-grapevines (nope, not kidding there), the were-world is greatly expanded here. I got this through a Kickstarter campaign, and it was definitely worth the pledge.

A rather bleak and dismal look at human trafficking in a future where the victims are cybernetically modified on the other side of a trans-dimensional portal. I'm not entirely sure if it was my unfamiliarity with British slang or the author's style, but it took a long time for me to find the rhythm and really get into the book; that, coupled with the near-total lack of joy or any form of happiness, made this one a bit of a slog for me.

Apparently I enjoy pre-apocalyptic stories more than post-apocalyptic stories. This was an enjoyable read, as the teen heroine struggles with family and anxiety as the end of the world approaches. The mystery of the vortexes and what, if anything, lies on the other side had me unsure just how the book would wrap up, and while I'm not entirely sure about the end, I don't find it entirely objectionable, either. Not sure if this will be my final pick, but it was the most enjoyable for me so far (with three of the six nominees read).

Thoroughly enjoyed this one. A collection of stories, most essentially folk tales, all originally from the only other intelligent alien life humanity has encountered. Similar to us in many ways, dissimilar in others, the stories both expose us to the history and culture of this world and comment on its morals and beliefs…and, of course, by doing so, allows us to examine our own. It frequently reminded me of Barry B. Longyear's The Enemy Papers, another collection of stories examining alien history and culture that I very much enjoyed (and now want to re-read, as it's been a long time). Apparently I have a thing for sociological science fiction.

A fun, quick read. In a future where faster than light travel was discovered by an Ecuadorian priest, and Spanglish is the common language used among the seven known intelligent races, a "veterinarian to giants" has to rescue two people from a 200-kilometer wide amoeba. Neat to see a future where Hispanic culture has become prominent, and there's a lot of humor (and one literal laugh-out-loud moment for me).

A throughly enjoyably creepy comic anthology of short horror stories, all set in the Pacific Northwest and by local artists and authors. From a Kickstarter project.