Every year brings tons of new reads, as well as some books that we never quite finish. Each book has a unique reason why it was set aside whether that’s the writing style, plot, or the fact that it was simply started at the wrong time or in the wrong place.
The list below is a mix of all of them, as it often is every year.
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The Haunting of Rookward HouseDarcy Coates is no stranger to tales of haunted houses where the ghosts are the stars of the show. The Haunting of Rookward House by Darcy Coates is no exception. This is a tale of anger, of feeling trapped and alienated, and an obsession so powerful that even death can’t stop it.
Home is Where the Bodies AreJeneva Rose’s 2024 novel Home is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose is a captivating tale of mystery and suspense that will hook readers of literary fiction and family drama from start to finish. The front cover of the hardcover edition perfectly draws readers in—it looks like a VHS tape. However, the contents are not nearly as bloody or horrific as the cover may suggest.
Gannibal, Vol. 1Fans of folk-horror shows and movies may have already heard of Gannibal, a TV show available on Hulu. But have you read the manga this live-action series is based on? Gannibal Vol. 1 by Masaaki Ninomiya is the start of a fantastic series that will have horror readers scrambling for the next volume.
BLAME! Master Edition Volume 2After several years, I’ve finally picked up the second volume of a series I quite enjoyed: BLAME! This is a manga series by Tsutomu Nihei, whose other manga series include fan favorites such as Knights of Sidonia, Aposimz ,and Kaina of the Great Snow Sea, among others. Science fiction rules the day here, with some toes dipped into horror elements.
How to Piss Off MenA coffee table book that’s sure to be a talking point in dull moments, How to Piss Off Men by Kyle Prue is an entertaining read for any lazy afternoon.
Guardian of FukushimaIf you haven’t delved into French graphic novels and manga-styled graphic works, consider this your formal invitation to give them a try. Guardian of Fukushima by Fabien Grolleau is a French graphic novel done in the style of a manga. This nonfiction work explores the life of Naoto, a real person from Fukushima who survived the tsunami and Fukushima nuclear plant leak in 2015.
2024's DNFsWe don’t always finish everything we read. And even the most hyped books in your favorite genre don’t always turn out to be winners. Sometimes, they’re just books picked up at the wrong time. Although, other times, they are books put down forever. In 2024, I encountered both.
Below are all of the books I DNF’d (did not finish) in 2024.
Mosaic2020’s Aberystwyth University Prize for Short Fiction winner Catherine McCarthy incorporates stained glass window repair, long-forgotten churches, and the macabre into one compact tale in her 2023 novella Mosaic. A compelling front cover by Devin Forst draws readers in with its depiction of a woman half-illuminated in the myriad of colors of an unseen stained glass window, that rainbow-colored half portrayed oddly corpse-like.
How Can I Help YouLaura Sim’s How Can I Help You straddles the line between mystery, thriller, and horror all set in a small library in the Midwest. The darker side of human nature is brought to life and had a spotlight shown on it here. Flawed characters, a long game of cat and mouse, and tense situations galore await you in this 2023 release.
Welcome to Looking Glass Reads! We review speculative fiction novels as well as manga, light novels, and graphic novels.
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