LITTLE PARANOIAS
Sonora Taylor
October 22, 2019
Reviewed by Brian James Lewis
Let me just be upfront. I really hope you’ll read the entire review, but I’ll sum it up for the busy folks right now: Little Paranoias by Sonora Taylor is an excellent book that rates a BIG Five Stars and I definitely recommend that you purchase a copy today. Each story is unique and powerful, offering a bird’s eye view into the author’s imagination. So don’t dilly, or dally. Visit your favorite bookseller today!
Okay, that was the high speed review of Sonora Taylor’s fab new collection Little Paranoias. Now the rest of us who enjoy immersing ourselves in books can get on with it! Sonora grabs our attention right away with “Weary Bones,” a great mix of horror, science fiction, and love. Imagine a horrible rainy night and a lone man watching TV safely inside. Suddenly the doorbell rings. The man gets up wearily, opens the door, and finds himself face to face with a skeleton. Yikes! Right? Nope, not this guy. Instead he opens the door wider and invites it in. Hey, this is kind of different! It’s also a perfect intro to Sonora Taylor’s work and a book that delivers the unexpected again and again.
Another great story in this collection is “Hearts Are Just ‘Likes’.” Social media is HUGE these days. If you can’t be Googled, then for many folks, you might as well not exist. From teenagers to grandmas, everyone has some sort of online presence. There are even professional bloggers who make a living from their blogs. But this sort of career is not without hazards, as Hailey finds out when she gets into a physical relationship with another popular blogger. At first things seem rosy, but then somebody gets greedy. Trouble comes to call and it turns out to be a big fan of Hailey. Chilling!
“SEED” Is a tale that makes you think. What if all the things we take for granted disappeared tomorrow and we had to survive on sheer determination? No electricity, no smartphones, nothing. Just the clothes on your back and whatever foodstuffs you can gather or hunt down. You can die at any time in mysterious ways and disappear overnight. Aidy lost her husband when he went off to Home Depot for gardening supplies and is very lonely and depressed. What’s the worth in pursuing life if you’re going to die any minute? But when she crosses paths with Evan, a unique person who’s doing more than just surviving, she wakes up. Evan makes her laugh, gives her hope, and a reason to live. Love blooms, but how much time is left for them?
And Little Paranoias also contains many more great pieces for you to enjoy. There’s poetry, short stories, and flash fiction that’ll blow your mind! I really dug “Hollow.” Some things are magic, like Mrs. Sassafras – the doll of no judgement. But there are monsters who enjoy ruining special things. Why they do that isn’t always clear. But one thing is: they must be stopped. Awesome reading experience! Five Stars and a current resident on the “Wall of Fame!”
For more information about Sonora Taylor and her other works, visit www.sonorawrites.com.
Thanks for reading!
