dimensionaltales

For 2024, I’m doing something different. Instead of telling you every story I’ve read each month, I will tell you my top five favorites. So! While I have read eighteen books for June, here are my Top 5 favorites.

For 2024, I’m doing something different. Instead of telling you every story I’ve read each month, I will tell you my top five favorites. So! While I have read twenty-eight books for May, here are my Top 5 favorites.

The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs

An oldie but a goodie. The only story on this list that I had to read with my students. Good thing, too, because they loved it. I think next year I’ll teach them how to create suspense around an object which I know will yield wonderful results. I think this is the only story of W.W. Jacobs so that should be my homework for this month.

The Killing Floor by Lee Child

Last time, I read Bad Luck and Fortune because it was the first one I saw; I couldn’t find the first one. Then, I finally found the debut novel and got to work on it after finishing the previous book. I absolutely loved it and it inspired me to try my hand at the genre…later, though.

Exposed: The Ashley Madison Hack by Sophie Elmhirst & Maria Luisa Tucker

The scandal that I knew nothing about Hell, I didn’t even know that the site existed. Strike that, I learned a site like that existed – common sense and all that, but I didn’t know the name or anything about it. But learning about its conception, rise, inevitable fall, and intriguing rebirth was a welcoming treat for me. The questions that the audiobook proposed made a lot of sense and thought-provoking.

Invasive Procedures by Orson Scott Card

One of the few Hard Science Fiction stories that has been my favorite – usually I’m a soft SF kinda guy. Maybe it’s the thriller part of the book or perhaps it’s because of its embodying themes that speaks to me. Either way, this book has me coming back. God, I hope someone turns it into an audio drama of sorts.

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

This was actually one of my freshman books during my high school years. However, the name didn’t appeal to me so I never read it – big mistake, I know. So, now that I’m in my 30s, I finally read it and just smiled. Another feel-good book where you can literally walk a mile in someone else’s shoes through their memories. Better late than never I suppose.

For 2024, I’m doing something different. Instead of telling you every story I’ve read each month, I will tell you my top five favorites for each month. So! While I have read twenty books for March, here are my Top 5 favorites.

 

The Sins of the Fathers by Zukiswa Wanner

To read a story about how trauma affects the relationships of a generation is something I haven’t come across in such a long time. The abuse of one man affects the abuse his son receives in his relationship is actually pure genius. This is why this story is so compelling. It is a must-listen because the cycle of abuse-victim is all too real in our community.

There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury

So! How do you make your reader empathize with a house? Well…that’s why I love this story. I had to read it for one class; I think it was my Fiction Fundamentals class. Before that, I remembered reading it when I was an undergrad though I don’t think it was for class. Still, I’m glad I did because it’s the perfect teaching tool for characterization.

Beyond the Door by Philip K. Dick

Before there was R.L. Stine’s Cuckoo Clock of Doom, it was this little gem from one of the most brilliant science fiction writers. I love stories that create suspension over the most mundane items. It’s a true testament to a writer’s ability to build suspense. Plus, it’s always delightful to see another bully take down a couple of pegs…maybe not death, though…but it was the 1950s so it’s to be expected.

Examination Day by Henry Slesar

I saw the Twilight Zone of this story when I was young; it was the first revival of the TV series. The episode was great and it really resonated with me and my worries about the government keeping us “dumb” out of fear. So! Imagine my surprise when I learned that was originally a short story. Of course, I had to read it. And…of course, it’s just as horrifying as the TV episode – or vice versa.

Harrison Bergeron by Kut Vonnegut Jr.

I remember reading this story in my undergraduate years for my first English class. It was part of a greater collection of sci-fi short stories. So, when I had to take my Fiction Fundamental course, I was so happy that this story was on the list. Everybody wants to be equal, right? Well…be careful what you wish for…