Sassy Sarah Reads > Recent Status Updates

The Turkish Pirates and the Abe's- 3.5 Often too rushed and way too many parts at the end.
The Devil's Toxin- 3 stars Why are the angelic characters blonde and the evil characters brunette?

All I Want for Christmas is to Eat Out My Christmas Tree- Introducing my partner to the beauty that is Chuck Tingle is a treat. We were crying laughing. So much fun to read aloud together.

The Son of General De Jarjayes Appeareath?!- 3 stars Not a bad story, but not nearly as fun or entertaining compared to the other two LouLou stories I've read.

Due and Malerman's essays were standouts.

LouLou and the Doll She Came With- 4 stars I am a fan of LouLou.

Beauty Is... 3 stars- This was a... lot. It's hard to describe.

The first novella in this collection is absolutely stellar. Super dark, macabre, and haunting!

A Meditation on the Existence of Certain Cutlery (There is No Spoon) by S.A. Barnes- 4 stars I love a space colonization story, and this was a dark and metaphysical exploration in philosophy.
One Bad Night by Stephen Graham Jones- 5 stars This story is so damn dark. HOLY SHIT. What a story!!!!

47 Pineview Way by Jennifer Thorne- 4 stars This ending pissed me off because it was a cop out. If she had committed to seeing the ending through, this would've been a 5-star story because the concept is amazing.

Red Tide by C.J. Leede- 3.5 stars I love the ending for this one. It helped boost my overall feelings toward the plot.

Lady Jawbone by Kylie Lee Baker- 4 stars I loved the setting for this one. I think I need to pick up Baker's fantasy as well.
A Necromancer's Guide to Reconnecting with an Ex by Rachel Harrison - 3 stars This is my least favorite story in the entire collection. I liked the writing, but the plot was unfulfilled, and she was cheating with a ghost, like WTF?

My Lithopedia by Del Sandeen- 4 stars WHAT A TERRIFYING CONCEPT. I already feel so much dread when thinking about becoming pregnant and having my life forced sucked out of me by a child, but one dying inside you and becoming stone. HELL NO!!!!!!

Two Observers of the Slaughter Rites on Gannet Island by Kay Chromister- 4.5 stars I love a good anthropology story gone wrong. What a nice twist as well. Impressed by this one, especially because this is a new author for me.

The Many Sins of Clara Greenstone- 4 stars I loved the ambiance of this one, and the vibes were so good. This one, however, did not stick the landing.

Autotomy- 4.5 stars I loved the idea of of this one so much and thought it was so terrifying.
The Turning- 4 stars Turning into pterosaurs? Hell yeah!
We Who Hold the Median- 2 stars Least favorite story easily in the collection so far. Not a fan

This book is so much more than I could expect, and I’m obsessed. Is it possible will have 2 new favorite books this year? 🤯

Magical Girls Child Crusader Squad- 4 stars I love magical girl stories, and I love that this is 1) a trans magical girl 2) looking at the horror of putting children in situations where they are saving the world, and they are CHILDREN!

The Wrong Man- 2 stars Good plot twist, but it does feel very sloppy.
Freedom- 4 stars Interesting to be stuck in this man's head, but I love the commentary on an abandoned woman haunting a man.
Sanctuary- 2.5 stars The story that Larsen was accused of plagiarizing, which led to her receiving rejections before she never wrote again. I hated the dialect she wrote in for this story.

Hopscotch for Keeps- 4.5 stars I loved how eerie this was. It felt like a NoSleep Reddit story, and I loved that vibe. Honestly, I would be down to read a longer novella set with this game continuing to be played. I don't love Dear Laura, but I think if Hailey Piper approached this story in the same way with a character grappling with PTSD it would be so interesting.

I am going out of order and reading Passing first since I am assigning it for winter break to my AP students. I want to have it fresh in my head.

Without a Face- 3 stars I had more questions about the characterization and the motivation that led to the ending/buildup.
Last Leaf on an Ursine Tree- 4 stars A world where bears show up when women/girls have periods. The metaphors and symbolism explored here are brilliant. Hailey Piper continues to be the only author in memory who is writing about homelessness. Wish it was longer.

The Man Who Sold Braces- 3 stars Not as disturbing as its predecessor, but a nice callback to the story all about the torture museum.

The Last Hour of the Bengal Tiger- 2 stars No thoughts.
Tomatoes and the Full Moon- 3 stars I wanted the ending of this to be more fleshed out, but dang does this woman pop up in almost every story. Is she Yoko Ogawa?
Poison Plants- 2 stars I listened to this, and nothing stuck with me.

Why We Keep Exploding- 5 stars This is a perfectly executed short story.
Unkindly Girls- 4 stars This is predictable, but I loved the way it was written.
The Long Flesh of the Law- 3 stars I didn't hate this. I liked it, but don't ask me to tell you the plot because I can't explain it.
Thagomizer- 4 stars Grief horror from a mom? Check. Dinosaur horror? Check, and check.

Sewing for the Heart- 4.5 stars This has a wild ending, but I wanted more. It was such a good buildup.
Welcome to the Museum of Torture-5 stars The way the tone changed in this one was such a good bait-and-switch. I definitely took the bait. LOL

Spicy- 1.5 stars Better than the middle story, but still not impressed.

The Little Dustman- 3.5 Very sad, and made me tear up a bit while driving.
Lab Coats- 5 stars This was an amazing short story, and the color blind quote is such a good twist. The ending was a 10/10.

Sour- 1 star This was a poor short story. I have so many issues with it.

Sweet- 2.5 stars This made me really miss my dog, but the plot was all over the place.

Reread "Afternoon at the Bakery" I lowered my rating to a 4-star because this one didn't stick with me on a second read.
"Fruitjuice" was a strange one, but I loved how it connected back to the first story, so that bumped it up to 3.5 stars.
"Old Mrs. J" 5 stars What a good plot twist and the implications. Obsessed! One of Ogawa's best and it reminds me of many of the chapters of The Memory Police. Same haunting vibe