I’m not usually a fan of short stories, but Malerman is such a great writer I thought this would be worth a shot. Turns out they still aren’t for me. Most of these stories felt too drawn out and I ended up skimming through most of them when they got too slow. I was expecting more horror, but I don’t think this book really delivered on that front.

Spin a Black Yarn by Josh Malerman is a fun, chilling collection of 5 stories all set in one town. Each story is its own and the only link between each is the setting of Samhattan. I happen to love Josh Malerman's writing style so this book is a treat. Perfect for Halloween, especially if you want quick gratification.

Each story focused on a different sub genre of horror. Haunted houses, psychological/serial killer, cosmic horror, familial/domestic horror and even gothic horror. There's something for all readers of the morbid and taboo sure to send shivers down your spine.

My favorite is Half of the House is Haunted because I personally love haunted house stories, and a creepy older sister?? yes please. Each tale was unique and not cliche. I flew through this book in a day because the way Malerman writes is so easy to read.

Josh Malerman is usually an auto buy for me and after his novel, Daphne, I was eager to jump back into the world of Samhattan.

I loved the first 4 stories. I liked the last story, Ergorov, but it seemed to drag on through the middle a bit.

My favorites were, Half This House is Haunted and Argyle.

In Half This House is Haunted an older sister terrorizes her younger brother by constantly scaring him in their large estate. Multiple time lines and from the POV’s of both the brother and the sister. I loved this relationship. I’m a big sister so I really felt this was genuine.

In Argyle, a man on his deathbed starts telling long held secrets which scare his family. Won’t go too deep on this one. Best to read it cold!

Great stories and so nice to visit Samhattan again!

Special thanks to Random House Publishing,Ballantine Books Del Rey and NetGalley for the ARC of this book..

I'm a fan of Josh Malerman and I was so happy to re everyone this book. I just love when authors put out short story books and feel lucky to et this one.

If you like horror that gives you something to think about, this book is definitely for you. I really enjoyed 3 of the 5 stories and if there are only 5 stories that's a winner for me. Some were dragged out.

All in all 3 stars and that's a good rating from me on short stories.

2.5 stars. This was my first taste of Malerman's writing, though I did see the movie adaptation of Bird Box. Based on that film, I expected a lot more suspense and fear/horror components, which I didn't really find in Spin a Black Yarn. I liked some of the stories better than others, but overall this collection fell flat for me. I think this books definitely leans speculative fiction, with a tiny pinch of horror.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

@joshmalerman 🧶🤯

Summary:
This book is a series of 5 chilling novellas. I honestly enjoyed 4 out of the 5 stories. I really like the author’s writing style. I recommend this book to those who love short stories!

#read #spinablackyarn #joshmalerman #readmore #netgalley #netgalleyreads #booklover #bookworm #books #bookstagram #spooky #thriller #bookaddict #booknerdigan #readabook

This review might be a bit biased, as I am quite a big fan of Josh Malerman's works. I discovered him late last year and have been wanting to read more of his works. That's why I cannot thank Netgalley enough for approving the arc of this collection of novellas for me.

It was dark, haunting and otherworldly. The stories took me on rollercoaster rides that made my heart race. Each of the five novellas were unique and the writing style took them to the next level. This collection will scare you, repulse you and make you feel paranoid. Such is the power of the stories it contains.

A full five stars. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is trying to get into Josh Malerman's works or someone who is wanting to read horror which is bit different from the rest of them.

A somewhat meh collection of novellas. I will continue to read everything Malerman writes, but more often than not I am left wanting and expecting more.

Five tales, five wildly different novellas set within Malerman's reoccurring world of Samhattan. Estranged siblings, off-planet excursions, malicious gadgets, deathbed confessions and psychological torture make for thoughtful and unsettling reading. Rather than detailed world-building expositions, readers spend most of their time in the minds of these characters. The horror is largely philosophical here, full of questions about the nature of evil and fear.

The final, longest novella here, "Egorov", gave me serious Edgar Allen Poe vibes. My personal favorite of the stories is "Doug and Judy Buy the House Washer (TM)," because it felt like something out of Love Death and Robots - dark outlandish realism.

I had high hopes for this book but it just fell flat for me. They were more introspective and emotional and less horror or suspenseful which is what I was hoping for. This was my first Malerman book so maybe that is par for the course and he just isn't for me.

The first story was good. It was creepy and atmospheric and had a really cool premise. The second story dragged on and on and on for me. It was very repetitive and the concept could have been told in 20 pages for the same effect. The house washer story also dragged on and was kind of hokey. I liked the Jupiter Drop story maybe the most. The last one again was entirely too long for me but had a more interesting premise and flow.

It just seemed like so much fluff to reach a word count rather than meaningful arrangement. I own a couple of his books and I will definitely give it another go but this one was not a hit for me. I would say Half the House Is Haunted and The Jupiter Drop were 4 stars for me. Doug and Judy Buy the House Washer(TM) was probably a 3 star and the other two were 2 star. That evens out to 3 stars overall.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC

Spin A Black Yarn by Josh Malerman is a collection of five short stories that are all very different. After falling in love with Daphne last year, I was eager to read something else by this author and I am a huge fan of horror short stories so this was a perfect match!

I really enjoyed all the stories in this collection except for the last one. It was just a little too long and drawn out for me. But everything else was either a four and five star. I really found them all fascinating. The story about half of a haunted house was a unique concept. I think The Jupiter Drop was my favorite though. I think the way we were in the mind of someone going through that was really effective.

I would highly recommend this collection if you like short horror that gives you something to think about. Josh Malerman has such a different voice in the genre and I can’t wait to read more by him. .

I loved Bird Box (show and book) so I was eager to read this author's next book. I will say Im not sure i totally "got" some of these novellas. The first for example, I never was really sure about the ending (half the house was haunted) and the next about the man who was glad he didnt' murder everyone in sight was a bit tedious. In all I think you really have to be in the right mood for something this dark and maybe I wasnt in the one you have to be in to enjoy this book. I do think the writing was good and I will definitely check out Malerman's next book.

AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! DID YOU ALL KNOW THAT JOSH MALERMAN IS A FLIPPIN WIZARD?!?!?

Take my word for it because this collection of stories is one for the books! (Pun???) Spin a Black Yarn is set to hit shelves on August 1, 2023 and I'm so thankful to Netgalley, our lovely author, Random House/Ballantine, and PRH Audio for granting me advanced audiobook an digital access. I do think Josh Malerman is a horror wizard, and he's level up with game here with a collection of novellas and short stories that touched upon the paranormal, serial killers, and so many other macabre elements.

WERK KING.

Josh Malerman quickly became one of my favorite authors when I first discovered his writing. I devour his books, and I am always checking for the next / newest one. I recently reviewed another compilation of short stories, and exactly like I wrote in that one, short stories are typically not my go to when I am selecting my next read. Exceptions to that self-imposed rule are: Stephen King, Joe, Hill, and Josh Malerman . . . so I jumped at the chance to give Spin A Black Yarn a go. I was not disappointed! As I have grown to expect when I pick up a Malerman book, I was nearly immediately sucked in. I enjoyed Spin a Black Yarn and will be recommending it to those who are seeking their next great read.

•Half the House is Haunted- 4/5
•Argyle- 4/5
•Doug and Judy Buy the House WasherTM- 3.5/5
•Egorov- 2.5/5

I enjoyed all the books I've read by Josh Malerman before reading this one.

Spin a Black Yarn is a collection of 5 short stories. Each story is different and creepy in their own way. And each story has interesting characters and an intriguing plot. If you are a fan of the author or horror stories, you will enjoy this collection of short stories.

Spin a Black Yarn is a collection of five standalone novellas. Of the five, my favorite was definitely “Argyle.” I would have loved to be a fly on the wall in that room! My least favorite was “The Jupiter Drop.” I’m not sure if it was because it was so short or if I simply didn’t understand it.

A bit uneven for me. Enjoyed the opening novellas, but the ones in the back fell off. Particularly the last, which felt overly long and rambling.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rounded down from 3.5ish


This is a collection of five novellas. Each story was heavy on dialogue and contained a unique and sometimes quite vivid idea.
Because I loved some of the stories but disliked others, I gotta rate each one on its own.

“HALF THE HOUSE IS HAUNTED”: simply put, not for me. 2 stars.

“ARGYLE”: A man on his deathbed tells his family that he is dying a good man because he resisted his lifelong urges to kill people, including his own children.
I would’ve loved to have been in the room for his confessions, especially when he casually said to his children that he obviously had great love for them because he didn’t drown them in the bathtub or cut their toes off to watch their faces scrunch up in pain. Loved it! 5 stars

“DOUG AND JUDY BUY A HOUSE WASHER”: Despicable assholes thriving in a dog-eat-dog world watch trapped in their new gadget as it cleans and confronts them with their secrets and shady past. The ending was deserved, as was the claustrophobic panic that intensifies as the cleaning cycle runs its course. Liked, but didn’t love. 4 stars

“THE JUPITER DROP”: trapped in a clear apartment for two months as it drops through Jupiter with no TV, phone, internet, etc leaves a man with nothing to do but attempt to come to terms with a tragic accident in his past. Liked, but didn’t love. 3.5 stars

“EGOROV”: this one was a drag to get through, but I liked the story. A young man who was a triplet is killed, and his surviving brothers seek revenge. When things were actually happening in the story, it was good. But the dialogue was filled with long-winded monologues that I found myself skimming, then skipping entirely. 2.5 stars.

Posted to Instagram: July 11, 2023
Posted to Goodreads: July 1

My first book by this author and not my last! I loved how the stories were all so different yet I found feel how the author tried to weave feelings and emotions together by digging deep into the heart and horror of reality!