The Barnhill is an excellent book club pick. And the Newfoundland book is totally worth the read - it's all about the economics and interpersonal dynamics in small, isolated communities and how those factors intersect with folkloric beliefs about witchcraft. Hot tip: if you've been cursed by a witch, you can break the spell by peeing in a bottle and put it in the oven. Which, ew. But desperate times, I guess?
Based on all the movies I've been watching lately, if you get cursed by a witch, you probably have it coming, heh. I'll look the book up, though, that sounds rad.
Purely based on the title & subtitle, I assumed that Gulp must be a Mary Roach book, so now after Googling I'm feeling VERY smug, lolol. Doesn't take much sometimes. I *still* haven't read that Barnhill, I keep meaning to. Any cool tidbits from the Newfoundland witch book??? From the title alone it sounds fascinating.
THERE you are! It's nice, but tiring, to have traffic up to normal levels, isn't it? This is the first semester in three years that has felt normal ish. I too read a Kingfisher or so (What Moves the Dead). Good to see you again -- and I wish I could show you the little pile of Christopher Pike and similar I've gotten lately!
How did that Kingfisher go for you? I've been loving that I seem to be tripping over new Usher content every time I turn around, but maybe that's just Baader-Meinhof at work. Any highlights in your Pike-esque pile?
And yeah, it's been nice for things to feel so much less weird, but yowza I'd almost forgotten how much higher levels of interaction—we always call it Being ON—can take it out of me?
Yeah it is tiring! I suppose we'll all get used to it again. I loved the Kingfisher, highly recommend, unless you have a phobia about fungus. Do not read it over lunch. I'm looking forward to the sequel!
Let's see, I've got a Pike and a Stine I've never heard of, two Diane Hohs and a couple of Joan Lowery Nixon, and one called Dream Date with the tagline "Sweet dreams... and rest in peace." All have fabulous jaggedy titles in neon colors.
Oh, I've read that Kingfisher and entirely loved it—her author's note (as usual) made me howl, I died when she recounted reading Mexican Gothic partway through writing it and being like GODDAMMIT HOW CAN I COMPETE WITH THIS??? lol. I didn't know there was going to be another one, I'll have to look that up!
DREAM DATE!! I'll have to look that one up as well, hahaha.
I finally got to PRIDE & PREMEDITATION as well! I have been doing catch up reading this summer in case I had to sit a Cybils panel so my reading list is pretty eccentric. I also just read T. Kingfisher's THORNHEDGE and I'm gearing up for A HOUSE WITH GOOD BONES. I love that cover and I trust Ursula as a writer enough to read my first horror novel. (Somehow the title helps; it's subtle enough to let me believe I won't have nightmares, unlike, oh, THE TWISTED ONES, which...no.)
Physically my autoimmune kicked my bum this summer, so sometimes I just lay down and tried audiobooks, but that's still a listening skill I'm trying to learn. Graphic novels work better for cruddy days, and serial webcomics. I started The Innkeeper Chronicles on Tapas and it's so fun...
I'm sorry that the summer was physically rough for you. :(
I will be VERY curious to hear how House with Good Bones goes—I loved it so much. I love it when creators use horror trappings to tell stories about/explore family dynamics and other relationships. (I think avoiding The Twisted Ones for now is a good call on your part—there's some imagery in there that is still definitely with me, woof.)
The only way I can do long-form listening is if I'm walking or crocheting—most everything else, and I find that my mind wanders from either the thing I'm listening to or the thing I'm doing. (Or, with the right reader, I fall asleep, heh.)
Good to have you back! I hope it won't be too much pressure on you if I ask, will there be more posts on or at least a wrap-up of Prom Dress? I was really enjoying that bonkers book. :-)
Good to be back! Short answer: I don't know. Longer answer: Those recaps take a shockingly long time to put together, and when I've lost momentum, it's really tough to get it back—if I finish it (and if I get the urge to do another project like that), I think I'll write everything ahead of time and schedule it to run, rather than write it week-to-week.
M has read a ton of McManus, though she preferred the One of Us Is Lying/etc series to her standalone ones. I randomly picked up A House With Good Bones also and enjoyed it so I'll look for some other Kingfisher. I keep trying to get M to read Maureen Johnson and it doesn't take despite it looking RIGHT up her alley?! Maybe she needs to start out of order too? Is the first one slow or something? My Heart is a Chainsaw wins on title alone. Z is still in dystopian / sci fi / zombie apocalypse / teens with powers / mode which luckily seems to have a never ending supply. I don't have to feed them with books as often now that school started, hah.
Yeah, school really cuts into pleasure reading time (and just having the bandwidth FOR pleasure reading)!
I remember you saying that M didn't take to the Johnson books—maybe it was the alternating timelines? It might have also just not been the right time or day or mood; sometimes I bounce off of something one day, and then devour it a year later. That said, sometimes something just doesn't hit. (I get it, though—when something seems like it should be a good fit and isn't, I always want to figure out WHY!!) I have Suddenly a Murder on deck for after the one I'm currently reading, and it looks like it might be extremely her jam.
YAY Truly Devious!!! I love that series so much
The Barnhill is an excellent book club pick. And the Newfoundland book is totally worth the read - it's all about the economics and interpersonal dynamics in small, isolated communities and how those factors intersect with folkloric beliefs about witchcraft. Hot tip: if you've been cursed by a witch, you can break the spell by peeing in a bottle and put it in the oven. Which, ew. But desperate times, I guess?
Based on all the movies I've been watching lately, if you get cursed by a witch, you probably have it coming, heh. I'll look the book up, though, that sounds rad.
Welcome back! I've read some great nonfiction over the last couple months:
Ducks: Two Years in the Oilsands
Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal
Making Witches: Newfoundland Traditions of Spells and Counterspells
I also finally read Rebecca, and I LOVED Kelly Barnhill's When Women Were Dragons.
Purely based on the title & subtitle, I assumed that Gulp must be a Mary Roach book, so now after Googling I'm feeling VERY smug, lolol. Doesn't take much sometimes. I *still* haven't read that Barnhill, I keep meaning to. Any cool tidbits from the Newfoundland witch book??? From the title alone it sounds fascinating.
THERE you are! It's nice, but tiring, to have traffic up to normal levels, isn't it? This is the first semester in three years that has felt normal ish. I too read a Kingfisher or so (What Moves the Dead). Good to see you again -- and I wish I could show you the little pile of Christopher Pike and similar I've gotten lately!
How did that Kingfisher go for you? I've been loving that I seem to be tripping over new Usher content every time I turn around, but maybe that's just Baader-Meinhof at work. Any highlights in your Pike-esque pile?
And yeah, it's been nice for things to feel so much less weird, but yowza I'd almost forgotten how much higher levels of interaction—we always call it Being ON—can take it out of me?
Yeah it is tiring! I suppose we'll all get used to it again. I loved the Kingfisher, highly recommend, unless you have a phobia about fungus. Do not read it over lunch. I'm looking forward to the sequel!
Let's see, I've got a Pike and a Stine I've never heard of, two Diane Hohs and a couple of Joan Lowery Nixon, and one called Dream Date with the tagline "Sweet dreams... and rest in peace." All have fabulous jaggedy titles in neon colors.
Oh, I've read that Kingfisher and entirely loved it—her author's note (as usual) made me howl, I died when she recounted reading Mexican Gothic partway through writing it and being like GODDAMMIT HOW CAN I COMPETE WITH THIS??? lol. I didn't know there was going to be another one, I'll have to look that up!
DREAM DATE!! I'll have to look that one up as well, hahaha.
Right?? I also loved the Mexican Gothic bit (which is incidentally going to be my spooky October read).
Oooo, I love that one so much, I hope it works for you!
I finally got to PRIDE & PREMEDITATION as well! I have been doing catch up reading this summer in case I had to sit a Cybils panel so my reading list is pretty eccentric. I also just read T. Kingfisher's THORNHEDGE and I'm gearing up for A HOUSE WITH GOOD BONES. I love that cover and I trust Ursula as a writer enough to read my first horror novel. (Somehow the title helps; it's subtle enough to let me believe I won't have nightmares, unlike, oh, THE TWISTED ONES, which...no.)
Physically my autoimmune kicked my bum this summer, so sometimes I just lay down and tried audiobooks, but that's still a listening skill I'm trying to learn. Graphic novels work better for cruddy days, and serial webcomics. I started The Innkeeper Chronicles on Tapas and it's so fun...
Bring on the films!🥰
I'm sorry that the summer was physically rough for you. :(
I will be VERY curious to hear how House with Good Bones goes—I loved it so much. I love it when creators use horror trappings to tell stories about/explore family dynamics and other relationships. (I think avoiding The Twisted Ones for now is a good call on your part—there's some imagery in there that is still definitely with me, woof.)
The only way I can do long-form listening is if I'm walking or crocheting—most everything else, and I find that my mind wanders from either the thing I'm listening to or the thing I'm doing. (Or, with the right reader, I fall asleep, heh.)
Good to have you back! I hope it won't be too much pressure on you if I ask, will there be more posts on or at least a wrap-up of Prom Dress? I was really enjoying that bonkers book. :-)
Good to be back! Short answer: I don't know. Longer answer: Those recaps take a shockingly long time to put together, and when I've lost momentum, it's really tough to get it back—if I finish it (and if I get the urge to do another project like that), I think I'll write everything ahead of time and schedule it to run, rather than write it week-to-week.
That's fair! I know exactly what you mean about momentum -- been there, done that, don't want to do that again. :-)
M has read a ton of McManus, though she preferred the One of Us Is Lying/etc series to her standalone ones. I randomly picked up A House With Good Bones also and enjoyed it so I'll look for some other Kingfisher. I keep trying to get M to read Maureen Johnson and it doesn't take despite it looking RIGHT up her alley?! Maybe she needs to start out of order too? Is the first one slow or something? My Heart is a Chainsaw wins on title alone. Z is still in dystopian / sci fi / zombie apocalypse / teens with powers / mode which luckily seems to have a never ending supply. I don't have to feed them with books as often now that school started, hah.
Yeah, school really cuts into pleasure reading time (and just having the bandwidth FOR pleasure reading)!
I remember you saying that M didn't take to the Johnson books—maybe it was the alternating timelines? It might have also just not been the right time or day or mood; sometimes I bounce off of something one day, and then devour it a year later. That said, sometimes something just doesn't hit. (I get it, though—when something seems like it should be a good fit and isn't, I always want to figure out WHY!!) I have Suddenly a Murder on deck for after the one I'm currently reading, and it looks like it might be extremely her jam.