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Making Friends
Anna answers an advertisement to find her ideal man. Harry gets more than he expected when he buys a rare bottle of wine. Donny comes up with a plan to get the perfect engagement ring for her girlfriend.
Coming out, coming home or letting go: from the Cheshire Literature Prize-winning author of Spirit Houses, My Glass is Runn and 365 Lies come 25 queer little tales of where we come from, what we hide from and what we love.
“Atmospheric, beautifully written and compelling.”
Rhian Waller (Author of Ship Rats)
“Stunning imagery and nightmarish atmosphere."
Timeworn Literary Journal
“Die Booth’s work possesses an uncanny clarity on life, love, loss, and the things we experience every day, packaged in stunning language and haunting imagery, coming from the mouths of characters like ourselves. We’re not only immersed in another world and thoroughly entertained, we’re delivered a gut-punch of awareness that will stay with us long after we’ve finished reading.”
(Kristi Petersen Schoonover, Editor, 34 Orchard)
Coming out, coming home or letting go: from the Cheshire Literature Prize-winning author of Spirit Houses, My Glass is Runn and 365 Lies come 25 queer little tales of where we come from, what we hide from and what we love.
“Atmospheric, beautifully written and compelling.”
Rhian Waller (Author of Ship Rats)
“Stunning imagery and nightmarish atmosphere."
Timeworn Literary Journal
“Die Booth’s work possesses an uncanny clarity on life, love, loss, and the things we experience every day, packaged in stunning language and haunting imagery, coming from the mouths of characters like ourselves. We’re not only immersed in another world and thoroughly entertained, we’re delivered a gut-punch of awareness that will stay with us long after we’ve finished reading.”
(Kristi Petersen Schoonover, Editor, 34 Orchard)
127 pages, Paperback
First published September 21, 2021
25 people want to read
About the author
Die Booth
52 books42 followersHey. I'm Die and I like wild beaches, exploring dark places and concocting iffy lies that stalk you from the shadows.
My latest book is a cursed novella called 'Cool S'.
You can buy my books online here in ebook and here in print.
You can also find a full list of things I've had published on my website.
I like reviewing books but I don't leave star ratings because I just personally find reviews are far more helpful and nuanced.
My latest book is a cursed novella called 'Cool S'.
You can buy my books online here in ebook and here in print.
You can also find a full list of things I've had published on my website.
I like reviewing books but I don't leave star ratings because I just personally find reviews are far more helpful and nuanced.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 4, 2021
Earlier this year I read the collection Gothic Blue Book VI: A Krampus Carol and Die Booth’s story “When The Leaves Go” was one of my favorites in a collection full of dark little gems. It was whimsical and dreamy and just lovely. I didn’t want to leave that world. This collection, Making Friends, is a mix of whimsical, haunting and dreamy stories featuring characters looking for love, for trouble, for hope, some are dealing with past hurts or strange goings-on. Lots of strange goings-on and glances into dark corners. There’s a good mix of melancholy, adventure and quiet horror and even a little bit of humor which I always appreciate. There are a few longer pieces but quite a few are flash pieces and some of them ended a little abruptly for me. I’m going to focus mainly on the longer stories so I don’t give too much away.
Making Friends
Anna hopes to find her true love but instead finds nothing but a bunch of duds. So when she spots an ad at a bus stop claiming to help her find her love match she figures why not give it a go? Nothing can be worse than the string of losers she’s found on her own. This was one of my favorites and a great way to start things off. The setting feels like a place out of time.
Junk Medicine
In a dirty world, Donny has been saving up for something special, something beautiful for her girlfriend but nothing comes easy in their world.
Things the Sea Brings Us
Mary’s lover left her broken-hearted and now she’s surrounded by gossips spreading poisonous rumors. This one feels otherworldly too.
NIX
Two bored siblings looking for adventure find it in this creature feature! I was worried for them, not gonna lie, but sis is a wily one, haha.
Whole wide world
This is a painfully honest look at the hurt humans thoughtlessly inflict on those they’re supposed to love, support and protect.
Badass
A mishap occurs and it made me laugh for real. I’m not telling you what happens. You’ll have to find out for yourself.
The Headless Army of Charlie Close
This is a creepy tale about a day in the life of a young factory worker who discovers what she’s had a part in creating. Creeptastic!
The Cat In The Window
A man spies a stained glass cat in a window while walking to work and it haunts him. This one is a gem. It creeped me out the same way some of Charles L. Grant’s tales used to creep me out when I was a teen. It’s an understated tale of quiet horror and it will creep under your skin.
The Man Who Sticks His Head Up Petticoats
“I have a friend who sticks his head up petticoats.”
“It’s just the way he lives his life.”
Wtf! Haha, this little story just made me laugh and laugh and sometimes that’s all you need, right?!
I read a few of these stories every night for a week or so and enjoyed spending time in the eerie little worlds the author created.
Making Friends
Anna hopes to find her true love but instead finds nothing but a bunch of duds. So when she spots an ad at a bus stop claiming to help her find her love match she figures why not give it a go? Nothing can be worse than the string of losers she’s found on her own. This was one of my favorites and a great way to start things off. The setting feels like a place out of time.
Junk Medicine
In a dirty world, Donny has been saving up for something special, something beautiful for her girlfriend but nothing comes easy in their world.
Things the Sea Brings Us
Mary’s lover left her broken-hearted and now she’s surrounded by gossips spreading poisonous rumors. This one feels otherworldly too.
NIX
Two bored siblings looking for adventure find it in this creature feature! I was worried for them, not gonna lie, but sis is a wily one, haha.
Whole wide world
This is a painfully honest look at the hurt humans thoughtlessly inflict on those they’re supposed to love, support and protect.
Badass
A mishap occurs and it made me laugh for real. I’m not telling you what happens. You’ll have to find out for yourself.
The Headless Army of Charlie Close
This is a creepy tale about a day in the life of a young factory worker who discovers what she’s had a part in creating. Creeptastic!
The Cat In The Window
A man spies a stained glass cat in a window while walking to work and it haunts him. This one is a gem. It creeped me out the same way some of Charles L. Grant’s tales used to creep me out when I was a teen. It’s an understated tale of quiet horror and it will creep under your skin.
The Man Who Sticks His Head Up Petticoats
“I have a friend who sticks his head up petticoats.”
“It’s just the way he lives his life.”
Wtf! Haha, this little story just made me laugh and laugh and sometimes that’s all you need, right?!
I read a few of these stories every night for a week or so and enjoyed spending time in the eerie little worlds the author created.
June 3, 2024
Making Friends is an especially eclectic spec fic collection. Stories range across genres including contemporary, historic, scifi, fantasy, horror, and paranormal. I tend to prefer themed collections, but I appreciate Booth's range.
With the eclectic nature of the stories, I loved some while others were not for me. A couple tales stood out: Booth had me getting emotional over BREAD CRUST in Still Dawn. Junk Medicine felt like a very cool, bizarre glimpse into an alternate reality.
As far as the writing itself, there's a mix of stories with satisfying endings and those that just...stop. I feel that several stories just play with an idea rather than complete a narrative. This left me wanting more! I would love to see some of these concepts fleshed out.
Thank you so much to Booth for kindly offering an e-copy for free. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.
With the eclectic nature of the stories, I loved some while others were not for me. A couple tales stood out: Booth had me getting emotional over BREAD CRUST in Still Dawn. Junk Medicine felt like a very cool, bizarre glimpse into an alternate reality.
As far as the writing itself, there's a mix of stories with satisfying endings and those that just...stop. I feel that several stories just play with an idea rather than complete a narrative. This left me wanting more! I would love to see some of these concepts fleshed out.
Thank you so much to Booth for kindly offering an e-copy for free. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.
November 16, 2021
Just exquisite.
Here's a Twitter thread of mini-reviews/reactions to the stories which I update when my brain works: https://twitter.com/RhianWaller/statu...
Here's a Twitter thread of mini-reviews/reactions to the stories which I update when my brain works: https://twitter.com/RhianWaller/statu...
October 18, 2021
“ Out of season I chaperone the stitchedtogether fields: I wait and watch for signs of early spring.”
Die’s collection of gothic short stories is haunting and beautiful all at once. Highly recommend!
Die’s collection of gothic short stories is haunting and beautiful all at once. Highly recommend!
December 30, 2021
One of my favorite pastimes (pre-covid) is walking in crowded places and overhearing bits of conversations out of context. I think that's why I love collections like this one. Making Friends (and other fictions) is a gallery of vignettes, snapshots of horror, nostalgia, and the uncanny. The stories are short and the atmosphere is heavy, great for long rides or bedtime.
December 1, 2021
Making Friends is a fantastic collection of short stories. I loved Nix especially, could have happily read a whole book based on this. Still Dawn was so beautifully written (as was the whole collection). Brilliant all round 🙂
February 3, 2023
This is a wonderful short story collection, really highlighting what I love about short fiction: the ability to explore a variety of ideas that perhaps we wouldn't have the courage to in a longer medium. It's a great book to sit down with on a gloomy day (literally or metaphorically) and one I'll come back to time and time again.
My personal favourite stories are The Night Post, Neverburied, and Wine-drowned Sorrows!
My personal favourite stories are The Night Post, Neverburied, and Wine-drowned Sorrows!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews