howlinglibraries's Reviews (1.85k)

Small Horrors is a horror anthology, and anyone who knows me well, knows I love my anthologies! Especially the horror ones. This book was a little unusual for me, though, because instead of a dozen or so short stories, it was fifty stories of a few pages each. That said, I really enjoyed it! I tore through it and most of them were a little cheesy or predictable, but I still really had fun reading them and would recommend them to anyone who loves horror and isn't looking for anything terribly serious.

4.5 stars

I don't even have words for how freaking cute this novella was. I honestly felt super skeptical because I didn't think I'd be into alien romance as a subgenre (this was my first... unless you count weird fanfics I read as a kid), and yeah, I mean, the description of Mitteeku with his scales and spikes and all — well, I wasn't swooning over the visual, but that really doesn't matter because he is so precious and an absolute treasure!

I seriously don't remember the last book that made me laugh out loud this much. Whether it's Mitteeku's struggles with translations and adapting to human life, or his bewilderment at the toddler's "bloodthirst" RE: stuffed animals, or the fact that THE BABY STARTS TO MIMIC HIS GROWLS?? I'm giggling just thinking back on it.

So, if you're open to alien romance, and looking for a hilarious and sweet Christmas novella, I highly recommend this one. I had such a fun time reading it and I can 100% see myself picking up more of Amanda Milo's works in the very near future. Thank you to Sionna for recommending this one to me! ♥♥

This was always one of my absolute favorites in the series, so it's one of the ones I was most excited to reread when I started this series reread, and it definitely lived up to my memories! I must have read it a dozen times as a kid but I still had so much fun watching the mystery of the creepy, evil little camera play out. What a clever idea for a story, and it totally reminded me of why R.L. Stine was my absolute favorite author as a kid.

This was pretty damn cute! It definitely has a lot of insta-love elements, but it's done in a sweet way and I still enjoyed it despite usually not being a big fan of that trope — I guess in short romance formats like this, it just works better. I loved the holiday elements with the Secret Santa games and all, and despite a brief moment of drama/miscommunication, it's a pretty laid-back little story that focuses mainly on the steam.

This was a really sweet, quick read and I dig that all of the characters were Native American or First Nations and the MC is deaf (and the rep felt really nice and thoughtful IMO!). I'll type up a review later!

I liked the premise, but the writing left a lot to be desired, and I wasn't a fan of the ending. I would most likely give this author's other work a try some time, though!

"There are universes we know nothing of, Barrie Anne. Under the water. Beyond the sky. We live in a world of mysteries."

DNF @ pg186

TW: talk of miscarriage/infertility in this review

I am so, so sad to be DNFing this book. I have never 5-starred a DNF review before, but I am with this one.

It's a gorgeously written story and the witches in it are so wonderful. I honestly adore 95% of this book, but the 5% that I personally cannot handle is the only reason I'm putting it down. There are major trigger warnings for stillbirth (not a spoiler, it's mentioned very early in the book). I thought I could handle reading past those points, but every time the narrator remembered her pain, it just sent me into a fit of tears remembering my miscarriage.

I feel awful for not finishing this because I think this author is so tremendously talented and this book would be literally perfect for me if I could work past those sections, but I can't, and even with the baby she finds and adopts in the beginning of the book, the narrator is so scared of losing her that it was sending my anxiety through the roofs thinking about how scared I was of the thought of losing my rainbow baby when he came along. So, yeah, if any of this sounds like something you can't handle, please take care of yourself. ♥ If you can handle those TWs, then please pick this book up and give it the love it deserves.

There's also a content warning for very sad references to a former f/f romance that has been severed due to homophobia and the US' mid-1900s general lack of acceptance for queer relationships.

All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to Redhook for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

That was bewildering, mesmerizing, sensual, gruesome, gay as hell, and flawless. I love Emily Carroll's mind and I need her to never, ever stop producing these bizarre, terrifying graphic novels.

I've been meaning to read this for ages, and since I bought the new Cleaning Sucks journal earlier this month, it felt like time to finally pick this up! I had read snippets on the UfYH website before (enough to know I liked Hoffman's style), but hadn't really sat down to tackle this one cover to cover, and I'm glad I did. While the online resources do offer a lot of great material (for free!), if you can swing a copy of the full text, I recommend pairing them together.

Hoffman has a way of putting things that really makes sense, all while reminding us to be kind to ourselves, to respect the difference between "excuses" and "reasons" (excuses are why you don't want to do something, reasons are why you genuinely can't), and to focus on any level of progress, not just perfectionism. I've never read a self-help book about cleaning and organization that so thoroughly considers the limitations people might have, from physical ailments to mental illnesses to childhood traumas and more. As someone who has ADHD, depression, anxiety, and chronic pain all jumbled together, I can't count how many self-help books have made me feel totally judged or overlooked, and that's not the case here.

She also caters her insights to people who live with others, whether it's a spouse or child, parents, roommates, etc. — thankfully that's not something I have to deal with since my spouse is just as interested in getting our home in order as I am, but I know a lot of people will benefit from these sections!

I think Unfuck Your Habitat is altogether a really solid read for anyone who needs a little help and motivation in getting their surroundings in order, especially if you're feeling overwhelmed or fearing the risk of failure. I highlighted so much in this book and could easily see myself rereading it whenever I need a little kick in the butt or to be reminded that I'm not alone and I can do this.

That was pretty cute. I had some minor issues with it but nothing that was a dealbreaker and they're issues that probably wouldn't bother a lot of other readers. Full review coming soon!

✨ buddy read with Elley!