January 2023
        Welcome to Night Vale ~Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor (2015) novel (401 pgs)
Strange tale of a strange place written in a wonderfully florid and strange style, highly enjoyed this one.
        It Devours! ~ Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor (2017) novel (347 pgs)
A return to Night Vale for more inspired weirdness.
        HP Lovecraft: The Mysterious Man Behind the Darkness ~ Charlotte Montague (2015) biography (187 pgs)
Great concise bio of HPL life, plenty of photos of the man, artwork from his work, and synopsis on every story!
        Road to Mars ~ Eric Idle (1999) science fiction (309 pgs)
Loved the bits from one character about what comedy "is", wish he would have written more about that.

    February 2023
        If You Can’t Live Without Me, Why Aren’t You Dead Yet?! ~ Cynthia Heimel (1991) essays (221 pgs)
Dark humor about people that stays so relentlessly dark and pessimistic that it is less funny than sad.
        The Crusades: Five Centuries of Holy Wars ~ Malcolm Billings (1987) history (232 pgs)
Next time someone tries to tell you religion is only a force for good, say "the crusades".
        The Mouse That Roared ~ Leonard Wibberley (1955) humor (152 pgs)
Tiny country wants to be defeated by US in war so they can get reparations, but things don’t quite go that way.
        The Mouse on the Moon ~ Leonard Wibberley (1962) humor (124 pgs)
They’re back, this time joining the race to be first on the moon using wine-based fuel!

    March 2023
        Senor Vivo and the Coca Lord ~ Louis de Bernieres (1991) novel (331 pgs)
Another wonder of writing and a follow up to his previous, some truly amazing passages. Looking for the third volume!
        How to Talk to Your Cat About Gun Safety ~Zachary Auburn (2016) humor parody (136 pgs)
Getting so crazy out there can no longer parody the nuts. Just repeat what they say, and change "child" to "cat".
        Vassa in the Night ~ Sarah Porter (2016) novel, fantasy (296 pgs)
Some nice weird touches, but too much "why are you doing that?" for character actions, and withholding of info just for plot.
        The Night is Large: Collected Essays, 1938-1995 ~Martin Gardner (1996) essays, everything (565 pgs)
60 years of a brilliant mind that is interested in, and can talk in depth on, just about every subject out there.

    April 2023
        Broken (in the best possible way) ~ Jenny Lawson (2021) essays, humor (285 pgs)
More weirdly wonderful hilarious writing from Lawson on getting through life while a bit askew.
        Shambling Toward Hiroshima ~ James Morrow (2009) science fiction (169 pgs)
Another strange alternate look at the world that only Morrow could produce, great quick read.
        Dog On It ~ Spencer Quinn (2009) mystery (305 pgs)
Fun gimmick having dog doing narration, but just another mystery book, and ending kind of perfunctory.
        Orange World ~ Karen Russell (2019) short stories (271 pgs)
Fantastic collection of stories of worlds just off-center from our own. Russell is great.

    May 2023
        The Reason I Jump ~ Naoki Higashida (2007) essays, autobiography (139 pgs)
Autistic man writing about what it is like to be inside a mind controlled by autism.
        The Library of the Unwritten ~ A. J. Hackwith (2019) fantasy (374 pgs)
Not bad, just not really engaging. Some good moments, but it just never grabbed.
        Archive of the Forgotten ~ A.J. Hackwith (2020) fantasy (352 pgs ~ not finished, 100 pgs)
Tried the second volume, found kept skimming to get to next thing. Just not for me, I guess.