The Orphanarium by S.T. Cartledge Rating 9/10 Let me start by saying this is not a casual read for a lazy Saturday afternoon. Reading The Orphanarium is an experience. S.T. Cartledge presents us with a story that couldn’t be told in any medium outside print. It’s hard to classify. The closest I can manage would … Continue reading Book Review: THE ORPHANARIUM
reading
3 Authors’ Favorite Bizarre Books
This blog is full of writers and books I admire and love, but I thought I’d switch things up. I asked three authors what bizarre books and authors they would recommend. Here’s what they had for me: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut Recommended by John Wayne Comunale, author of As Seen on T.V. Amongst my … Continue reading 3 Authors’ Favorite Bizarre Books
5 Favorite (Bizarre) Books Spring 2019
I know every time I post one of these, I say “I read some great books this _____” but this spring takes the prize. It had some of the best bizarre books I’ve read this year. Normally, I rank them from 1 to 5. But these first three books tied for first, all spectacular. I … Continue reading 5 Favorite (Bizarre) Books Spring 2019
Book Review: F*CK HAPPINESS
Rating 10/10 I grew up loving the children’s books “The Berenstein Bears.” Only … that’s not what they’re called. Apparently they’ve always been known as the “Berenstain Bears.” I could have sworn it was “stein,” and so do a lot of other people. This phenomenon is known as the Mandela Effect. Imagine this on a … Continue reading Book Review: F*CK HAPPINESS
How I Discovered Bizarro Fiction
We’ve all had those life-changing discoveries, those moments where we find things we could never imagine living without. Mine came with an obscure, underground small-press genre called bizarro fiction. In the summer of ’06, I visited Prague with my mother. My reading and writing at the time revolved around fantasy with bits of literary fiction … Continue reading How I Discovered Bizarro Fiction
Book Review: ALL HAIL THE HOUSE GODS
Rating 8/10. The spectrum of bizarro fiction goes from “kinda weird” to” 4-plus-wacko-bananas.” Andrew J. Stone’s novella All Hail the House Gods is definitely in bananas territory. Still, he manages to pull off a believable and engaging story that rivets you to the page. I’ve read it twice now and I’m so glad I did. … Continue reading Book Review: ALL HAIL THE HOUSE GODS
4 Great Books by Italo Calvino
Gore Vidal described Italo Calvino as “the only great writer of my time.” And while I may not go that far, Calvino is certainly my favorite author. As a postmodernist and a fabulist, his works possess that “bizarreness” I love. At the time of his passing, Italo Calvino (1923-1985) was the most translated modern Italian … Continue reading 4 Great Books by Italo Calvino
