I have always loved the cultural notes and explanations in the back, and right now I'm enjoying those more than the actual manga because this arc has been going on for far too loooooooooong...

Can we all just make up and be best friends again?! Hang out? Laugh and joke around? Jeebus.

The Kahless story was a little confusing for me. The Quark, Rom and Moogie story was the best. The Trill story was intriguing. Hooray for DS9 aliens!

3.5 stars for the book that started the haunted house craze in the early '70s. This was the story that inspired The Shining and The Amityville Horror and many many more stories of families that stay in the house/hotel/rental home they paid so much money for and can't afford to leave and risk their lives. During times like then and now when housing prices are crazy high and even if something is trying to kill you, moving out is also a financial death sentence.

In other words: I'm with Marian. A super nice house that is exactly what I dreamed for? Take my money, my family and my life! WORTH IT.

TW: rape.

4.5 stars but I'll round up because it was so fun and sweet to listen to! <3 So many things to love about it, but first, and foremost, were the characters. You'll fall in love with each and every one of them! Well, except Marty...

Hmmm, I'm not sure how I feel about this book. There are some aspects to it that are a bit dated and didn't age well. Also, my level of sourthern is being near northern Kentucky, so a lot of this book's southern-ness was lost on me. Is it horror? Sure, in a vague sense. It's not any ghosts or demons haunting the house, more like an un-named, nebulous evil that preys upon the occupants (and involved neighbors') weaknesses. I guess that counts as a haunted house?

Spoiler

What made me laugh was that in 3 of the 4 hauntings, the "scary" revealed weakness was infidelity. Southern baptists and catholics I'm sure were horrified!

If you, like me, are just trying to read a bunch of different haunted house fiction books, then add this to your list. If you are looking for something really terrifying and want a real good haunted house book, you could probably pass this one up.

Spoiler

Also, I feel the main character was really lucky, maybe even too lucky, to have the spouse that she did. Sure, the house and the ruination of each couple that moved into the house slowly wore on her, but having the husband that she did, Colquitt seemed to be able to bounce back pretty quick from a lot of stuff with some encouraging words from him and a good boink. Honestly, I think Walter is the hero of this story!

I'm glad that sci-fi and space horror is becoming more prevalent, and S.A. Barnes is at the forefront! Nothing can make you feel more isolated and claustrophobic than space, space shuttles, cryogenic pods, unknown planets, space suits, or mysteriously evacuated space stations. I was a little up and down with the MC Ophelia, but in the end I was cheering for her and really enjoyed her character development. I'm also always a big fan of creepy things getting under your skin-literally!

DNF. Maybe it was the audio book. Maybe it was all the jumping around in time. Maybe it was because I just wasn't really liking any of the characters. Either way, I couldn't get into this one. Sorry Schwab. I love your other stuff though!

This was a decent manga that did its best to teach the reader about the wide spectrum of asexuality. But it's more of a teaching tool than a dramatic manga with complex characters (for that I really recommend I Want to be a Wall). The MC Chika is kinda blank and bland and a bit daft. She'll spout weird dialogue or exclamations that feel stilted or repetitive. Like, "Oh! You mean a person can be asexual but still want intimacy with someone they have an emotional bond with and it's called demisexual? Wow! I never knew that! I really want to learn more about others!" *not an actual quote but my approximation to something Chika would say*
So anyway, maybe 2.75 stars and a recommendation to read this for more information about asexuality and then reading Want to be a Wall for a good, engaging, character-driven manga with an ace character.