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The Country Doctor by Steven Utley (1993)- a short and interesting one about what's unearthed when a graveyard is exhumed

Last Rites and Resurrections by Martin Simpson (1994)- A sad but sweet one about a man who hears the ghosts of roadkill after his son dies

The Ocean and All of Its Devices by William Browning Spencer (1994)- A good, eerie one about a strange holidaying family and their rituals with the ocean.

Definitely self-published so far, with the writing quirks that implies (that it's written in present tense makes for some particularly jarring grammar sometimes)... But it's just fun. Extremely melodramatic and edgy, but in a way that works, even as it edges on campy. Very fast-paced and an interesting world being built.

Thinking how strongly this already reminds of The Tartar Steppe by Dino Buzzati. Turns out, they're both inspired by the same poem; so off to read that.

Now this is good. First thing in a while that's fully meshed with me. Better than Thunderer so far (and Thunderer was really good), and is standing completely alone.

It's fun and somewhat funny (though some jokes get tired much more quickly than they stop being used). But the science is painfully inaccurate. It's in that realm of close enough to being right while still definitely being wrong that's more annoying than just being completely baseless.

So many words, and so little said. We're still in the territory of the blurb.

Oh, God, I'm already done with this writing. I get it she has seven freckles.

After the lines describing her father as "most at home inside his workshop" and being in a cart with "a pile of woodwares," I didn't also need to be told "He is a woodworker, her father."

On this one page there are FIVE whole sentences letting you know this is the first time she's left her home. Ffs

Replacements by Lisa Tuttle (1992)- A story about strange creatures which appear and disgust the male narrator, but seem to fascinate women.

The Diane Arbus Suicide Portfolio (1993)- A story about a crime scene photographer who photographs Diane Arbus' suicide, which leads to strange encounters for those photos

On to new pastures!

It's been about 3 years, so I'm guessing this buddy read I planned with a friend isn't going to happen. So time to restart

Angels in Love by Kathe Koja (1991)- A weird story, about a woman who is aroused and falls in love with the sounds of her neighbours having sex next door, and tries to discover how exactly they're doing it.

The Ice Man by Haruki Murakami (1991)- A short, lightly magical one about a woman who meets an Ice Man at a ski resort and marries him, and their somewhat distant relationship.

The End of the Garden by Michal Ajvas (1991)- A surreal story about a man who encounters a woman attacking a komodo dragon in her bedroom. I'm not sure what the point was, but good imagery and very surreal.

The Dark by Karen Jay Fowler (1991)- A story about a series of events in Yosemite, including disappearences and reports of plague, leading to a musing about the nature of animals in man.

Family by Joyce Carol Oates (1989)- A slyly creep story of a family on ranch, as they go through subtle transformations as the world seems to slowly collapse outside their compound.

His Mouth will Taste of Wormwood by Poppy Z. Brite (1990)- An excellent, gothic tale of two young men seeking decadence in debauchery in New Orleans.

The Boy in the Tree by Elisabeth Hand (1989)- A very weird story, blending sci-fi and fantasy, about an autistic girl who is one of several empaths, who, twisted with drugs and training from childhood, are able to enter other people's dreams, and sometimes take them away as therapy. It's the story of this research institute being investigated (because sometimes the patients die) and of the head researcher's trauma.

The Functions of Dream Sleep by Harlan Ellison (1988)- The story of man, burdened with grief, who wakes up one night to find a maw on his side which closes and disappears. He seeks help through interpreting his dreams.

Worlds that Flourish by Ben Okri (1988)- The story of a man, living in an oppressed city as if in a dream, and the weird events that happen to him before and when he tries to flee.

Hogfoot Right and Bird-hands by Garry Kilworth (1987)- A story about a woman who turns parts of her body into animal pets. Short, but weird and somewhat disturbing.

Shades by Lucius Shepard (1987)- The story of a Vietnam vet returning to Vietnam as a reporter, to see a ghost captured by the Vietnamese of a soldier he knew. Really good- an excellent character portrayal, and examination of different kinds of "shades."