REVIEW: Welcome to Your Body: Lessons in Evisceration by Ryan Marie Ketterer

Synopsis

Each limb tells a story. Every organ shares a secret.

A woman saves the leg of her dead child. A man leaps from soul to soul, trying to find a pure heart. Uteri wander, skin peels back, and human bodies liquify all over this world.

Slice into the anatomy of this collection to discover all the unseen horrors the human body can deliver.

Brand new stories from Alex Wolfgang, Ai Jiang, Mary Rajotte, Julie Sevens, Christopher O'Halloran, Sasha Brown, Bridget D. Brave, Taylor Ketterer, Demi-Louise Blackburn, Lindsey Ragsdale, Emma E. Murray, Johnathon Heart, P.L. McMillan, Rachel Searcey, Bryan Young, Kai Delmas, and David Worn, with a foreword from Paula D. Ashe.

Format 234 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication May 28, 2024 by Salt Heart Press

About the Author

Ryan Marie Ketterer is from Malden, Massachusetts. Her work can be found in anthologies from Dark Peninsula Press and Dark Pine Publishing. She’s a fan of the weird and uncanny, and her writing draws most of its influence from the works of Shirley Jackson and Thomas Ligotti. When she isn't writing stories, Ryan is writing code for a software startup in Boston, MA or training for another road race. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram at @RyanMarie47. 

My Thoughts

Welcome to Your Body is a collection of short stories in the "body horror" genre. I did not know that this was a thing! "Body horror" is horror that involves the human body. Anything horrifying, cringe-worthy, or downright disgusting that you can think of that revolves around the human body would be "body horror".

I was reticent going into this and not sure what to expect. I knew I'd read body horror before but didn't realize that it had a special classification and was a "thing". I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

What I found was a girl battling the tooth fairy for her teeth.

How much money did the Tooth Fairy have? Where did it get it? What would it do once I'd surrendered all of my teeth? I imagined going even deeper. Taking my fingers, bone by bone. Maybe it would never be done collecting me.

A mother who keeps the leg of her dead child. A woman who finds her own body decaying. 

A sense of peace overwhelmed Rachel. The idea of dying became petty, a fear born entirely of ego. This was the way of things. Whatever she lay on would be gone soon, but there would remain something else, the writhing mass of insects that would eventually be eaten away by another, then another, then another, transforming it into itself again and again until the endless, hollow march of decay wore it away to nothing.

A man who becomes an Ouroboros. I especially loved this reference since my first tattoo was of an ouroboros, and it's rare that you hear it referenced. If you don't know what an ouroboros is, it is a snake or dragon eating its own tail forming either a circle or a figure 8.

But by far my favorite was Vincent is a Poseur Asshole. Equal amounts irreverent and revolting, this was a great finale for this collection of stories. 

My final word: This is a short story collection, so there are varying writing styles, and there are going to be some stories that you like more than others. It wound up being even better than I'd anticipated. Many of the stories had a real "literary" feel-- well-written, probing, surprisingly developed for some quite brief stories. Overall, I enjoyed this collection and found it adequately creepy and at times thought provoking.

Pre-order Now from the Publisher:

Salt Heart Press

Warnings:

Contains graphic death and decay, sexual references, violence.

My Rating:

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The Cerebral Girl is a middle-aged blogger just digging her way out from under a mountain of books in the deep south of Florida.

I received a copy of this book to review through Book Sirens. I was not financially compensated in any way, and the opinions expressed are my own and based on my observations while reading this novel. The book that I received was an uncorrected proof, and quotes could differ from the final release.  

Spotlight... Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

 

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it's now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They'll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work.

Emma hadn't planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.

It's supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they're suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected–including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?

Format 432 pages, Paperback

Published April 2, 2024 by Forever

ISBN 9781538704431 (ISBN10: 1538704439)

Introducing... I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger

 Introducing books through the first paragraph or so...

Here at the beginning it must be said the End was on everyone's mind.

-- I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger

The List-- May edition

 

This month I'm sharing some of my favorite book covers that I've encountered recently...

1. Ready or Not by Cara Bastone
2. Within Arm's Reach by Ann Napolitano
3. The Waters by Bonnie Jo Campbell
4. Eddie Winston Looking for Love by Marianna Cronin
5. By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult
6. The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan

I mean, look at those colors! They look like they could be artwork hanging on a wall! I added one additional...

I've been drawn to this book since I first saw it, so much so that I went on to buy it. I mean, is there anything cuter than an axolotl?

Kyngodev, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Are there any book covers that you've recently fallen in love with?

What's Releasing (5/1/24 edition)

 

Books that are releasing the week of May 6, 2024:

Long Island by Colm Tobin

From the beloved, critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling author comes a spectacularly moving and intense novel of secrecy, misunderstanding, and love, the story of Eilis Lacey, the complex and enigmatic heroine of Brooklyn, Tóibín’s most popular work twenty years later.

Eilis Lacey is Irish, married to Tony Fiorello, a plumber and one of four Italian American brothers, all of whom live in neighboring houses on a cul-de-sac in Lindenhurst, Long Island, with their wives and children and Tony’s parents, a huge extended family that lives and works, eats and plays together. It is the spring of 1976 and Eilis, now in her forties with two teenage children, has no one to rely on in this still-new country. Though her ties to Ireland remain stronger than those that hold her to her new land and home, she has not returned in decades.

One day, when Tony is at his job and Eilis is in her home office doing her accounting, an Irishman comes to the door asking for her by name. He tells her that his wife is pregnant with Tony’s child and that when the baby is born, he will not raise it but instead deposit it on Eilis’s doorstep. It is what Eilis does—and what she refuses to do—in response to this stunning news that makes Tóibín’s novel so riveting.

Long Island is about longings unfulfilled, even unrecognized. The silences in Eilis’ life are thunderous and dangerous, and there’s no one more deft than Tóibín at giving them language. This is a gorgeous story of a woman alone in a marriage and the deepest bonds she rekindles on her return to the place and people she left behind, to ways of living and loving she thought she’d lost.

Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland

Preorder now and receive the stunning DELUXE LIMITED EDITION while supplies last―featuring gorgeous sprayed edges with stenciled artwork, as well as exclusive endpapers by Juho Choi and special design features such as luxe metallic jacket stock. This breathtaking collectible is only available on a limited first print run, a must-have for any book lover while supplies last in the US and Canada only.

It’s the season

for treason…

The king of Yusan must die.

The five most dangerous liars in the land have been mysteriously summoned to work together for a single objective: to kill the god king Joon.

He has it coming. Under his merciless immortal hand, the nobles flourish, while the poor and innocent are imprisoned, ruined…or sold.

And now each of the five blades will come for him. Each has tasted bitterness—from the hired hit man seeking atonement, a lovely assassin who seeks freedom, or even the prince banished for his cruel crimes. None can resist the sweet, icy lure of vengeance.

They can agree on murder.

They can agree on treachery.

But for these five killers—each versed in deception, lies, and betrayal—it’s not enough to forge an alliance. To survive, they’ll have to find a way to trust each other…but only one can take the crown.

Let the best liar win.

Puddles by Katie McCrary

Winter is coming, and Puddles watches as friends and neighbors prepare to migrate south for warmer weather. There's just one problem- Puddles can't fly! Even worse, what will happen to him if he is left alone?

Join Puddles as he learns the values of trusting himself, asking for help, and learning things in his own time.

Sweet Nightmare by Tracy Wolfe

Preorder now and receive the stunning DELUXE LIMITED EDITION while supplies last―featuring gorgeous sprayed edges, as well as exclusive special design features. This breathtaking collectible is only available on a limited first print run, a must-have for any book lover while supplies last in the US and Canada only.

The scariest school on earth

Is about to experience real fear…

Most schools are about being the best. This school? It’s about being the worst. Calder Academy is where the rogue paranormals go. The ones who break the rules or lose control. And when that happens for vamps, werewolves, witches, and dark fae? It gets pretty freaking scary.

I should know. Because I’m trapped here.

Look, every seventeen-year-old girl thinks their mom is a tyrant. But mine just happens to run Calder Academy, which paints a giant target on my back. The way I make it through these dark halls is by steering clear of the things—and kids—who go bump in the night.

Especially Jude Abernathy-Lee.

But when a freak storm hits our isolated island, I'm stuck without a backup plan. The power is gone. The lights are out. And our worst nightmares are suddenly real—and out for blood.

Now the only way to survive is to align myself with one evil to avoid the other.

And the only thing worse than the idea of getting close to Jude? Secretly loving every minute of it.

One and Only Family by Katherine Applegate

This Barnes & Noble exclusive edition features exciting bonus content!

For more than a decade, readers have been enchanted by the modern classic The One and Only Ivan, a Newbery Award winner and a #1 New York Times bestseller, and by its bestselling sequels, The One and Only Bob and The One and Only Ruby. Powerhouse author Katherine Applegate invites readers back into Ivan’s world for one last adventure—his most exciting yet.

Ivan has been happily living in a wildlife sanctuary, with his friend Ruby next door in the elephant enclosure, frequent visits from his canine friend Bob, and his mate Kinyani by his side. And in the happiest turn of all, Ivan and Kinyani have welcomed a set of twins to their family!

Ivan loves being a papa, even though it can be hard sometimes. But as he navigates the joys and challenges of parenthood, he can’t help but recall his life before the glass walls of the mall circus, his own childhood in the jungle—and his own twin.

In the tradition of timeless classics like Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little, the one and only Katherine Applegate has crafted a poignant, delightful, heartbreaking, unforgettable final foray into the world of Ivan, the world’s favorite silverback.

This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune

A glorious and tantalizing new escape from #1 New York Times bestselling author Carley Fortune.

This summer they’ll keep their promise. This summer they won't give into temptation. This summer will be different.

Lucy is the tourist vacationing at a beach house on Prince Edward Island. Felix is the local who shows her a very good time. The only problem: Lucy doesn’t know he’s her best friend’s younger brother. Lucy and Felix’s chemistry is unreal, but the list of reasons why they need to stay away from each other is long, and they vow to never repeat that electric night again.

It’s easier said than done.

Each year, Lucy escapes to PEI for a big breath of coastal air, fresh oysters and crisp vinho verde with her best friend, Bridget. Every visit begins with a long walk on the beach, beneath soaring red cliffs and a golden sun. And every visit, Lucy promises herself she won’t wind up in Felix’s bed. Again.

If Lucy can’t help being drawn to Felix, at least she’s always kept her heart out of it.

When Bridget suddenly flees Toronto a week before her wedding, Lucy drops everything to follow her to the island. Her mission is to help Bridget through her crisis and resist the one man she’s never been able to. But Felix’s sparkling eyes and flirty quips have been replaced with something new, and Lucy’s beginning to wonder just how safe her heart truly is.

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

Welcome to The Ministry of Time, the exhilaratingly original debut novel by Kaliane Bradley.

In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she’ll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats” from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible—for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time.

She is tasked with working as a “bridge”: living with, assisting, and monitoring the expat known as “1847” or Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, so he’s a little disoriented to be living with an unmarried woman who regularly shows her calves, surrounded by outlandish concepts such as “washing machines,” “Spotify,” and “the collapse of the British Empire.” But with an appetite for discovery, a seven-a-day cigarette habit, and the support of a charming and chaotic cast of fellow expats, he soon adjusts.

Over the next year, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a horrifically uncomfortable roommate dynamic, evolves into something much deeper. By the time the true shape of the Ministry’s project comes to light, the bridge has fallen haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences she never could have imagined. Forced to confront the choices that brought them together, the bridge must finally reckon with how—and whether she believes—what she does next can change the future.

An exquisitely original and feverishly fun fusion of genres and ideas, The Ministry of Time asks: What does it mean to defy history, when history is living in your house? Kaliane Bradley’s answer is a blazing, unforgettable testament to what we owe each other in a changing world.

See a full list of books at Barnes & Noble.