What Strange Stars and Skies by Avram Davidson
A collection of Davidson's short stories. He's very adept at writing how people speak or what they say for various parts of the world. He's one of those writers that knew so much information and could play with it in his stories. This particular collection of stories were either humorous and fun or very dark. If you haven't read his short stories you must! 8/10
The Cipher by Kathe Koja
A reread for me. Basically a nothing guy and his sometimes lover find a hole in the storage closet of his building. Light shining into it reveals nothing, its just there. Obviously things happen involving "The Fun Hole." Koja is one of my favorite writers. Her stories and characters are enthralling; the writing is insanely good. This book is all about horror. 9.5/10 Here's a quote from the book I typed up for my quote file:
“Gone as usual in the morning, and me left behind and naked, inner thighs lightly scaled with the dried spoor of our lovemaking: she liked to stay on top afterward and let the juice run down, and I liked whatever she liked. Imagining in the shower that I could smell her still, the angular scent of those secret bones, had she always smelled so fierce and good? Recalling those gone times, old memories lit by the fire of the new, I did not this time wonder how long it would last; I was too smart for that now. Take what you get, and don't think. Of course it could never be that easy, but there were moments, like now, that I could successfully pretend that it was, and I had no inclination to try to peer past those moments. I'm not one who wants to know the future: at the best it spoils the present, with longing or dismay, and at the worst, well. Who really wants to find out how tight the sling is, for your very own personal ass, who wants to know how deep the shit will really be? Not you. Not me either. Because its rarely ever bliss saved up, is it, when you finally get there. I'll take my now, waking with a lover's scent still on me, around me, take my hopes before they're maybe tragedy; a good morning, even if it leads to apocalypse at night.”
---Kathe Koja The Cipher