I read women authors year-round, but it's nice to shine some extra light on them for a month. My month was cut short by reading splatterpunk books for half of the month to prepare for my Splatterpunk Awards vote, but I still got a decent amount of reading done for WIHM. 

Here they are, ranked from least liked to most liked: 

5th: Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy by Hailey Piper (Grade: C)

Consistent quality here in this collection; all stories were rated either 3 or 4 stars. Unfortunately, there were more 3-star stories for me. However, "The Burning of the Blueberries" was a highlight.

4th: All the Fabulous Beasts by Priya Sharma (Grade: C)

Sharma's collection was slightly better than Piper's. I absolutely LOVE Priya's novella, Ormeshadow, so I was surprised to find that I wasn't as engaged in her short stories. The British Fantasy Award winning "Fabulous Beasts" was the highlight in this one.

3rd: Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw (Grade: B)

This one won't drop until October 19th 2021 (perfect timing), but you will want to put a reminder on your calendar. A haunting tale. One of the best of recent memory. I will need to remind myself to keep recommending it all year. It's that good.

2nd: The Between by Tananarive Due (Grade: A)

This is my third read from Due (My Soul to Keep and The Good House) and the best. Again, three dimensional characters are key here. The ending is a shocker and screams off of the page. Great writer.

1st: Songbirds and Stray Dogs by Meagan Lucas (Grade: A)

Thoroughly engrossing drama. Like a cross between Kristin Hannah and Tiffany McDaniel. Anyone that knows me knows that is the highest praise that I can give. 

Now go and buy these! 🙂

List by Jason Cavallaro

jcavallaro42[@]gmail[.]com

Twitter: @pinheadspawn