Sigh. Not a lot new to be gleaned from this book but perhaps bc the wound that is the ‘24 election is still fresh. I hope years from now it shows a true inflection point for the US. Only time will tell.

Finishing this makes my yearly total 94. Not bad by any means, even if it is short of my 💯 Goal.

Happy New Year, Litsy pals. I hope the year ahead is kind to us all. We deserve it.

Solid police procedural thriller - set in a fictional future version of NYC. I haven‘t read anything else in this In Death universe and this is book #58 - so clearly a lot of character connection that I arguably missed not reading the others, but the author does a decent job of giving you the gist even if you‘re coming in cold. I definitely walked away enjoying Eve…and hunky Roarke.

It gave me The Closer vibes. 🥹 #AuthorAMonth

Slow Sunday morning made complete with iced (La Colombe Peppermint Mocha!) latte in bed and attempting to finish my #AuthorAMonth pick. 🙌🏻

Wasnt planning for the tagged to most likely be my Christmas week read but when your library hold comes in, you gotta answer the call 🤷🏻‍♀️

This was a short story that could have benefitted from being a full length instead to provide more twists and character development. A hit woman runs afoul of her employer during Christmas time. Plot is a lil undercooked and predictable.

This short book is as close to perfect as it gets for me for horror. Wildly dark and disturbing with literally a “wow” moment on almost every page but also tonally hilarious and witty.

Im so curious if they‘ll be able to pull off a film version. The tone here will be a bit of a tightrope.

A Christmas classic for horror nerds.

Want or Need? The answer is Yes.

Spied this during my bookstore run today. I didn‘t get it but I think I should have. 😅

Started this one today and it‘s as unhinged as I was expecting and then some. 😵‍💫

Baby‘s first Hazelwood!

I get why this author is so popular - I enjoyed this novella/short story more than I was expecting to. It‘s definitely Tropey McTropesville but the writing itself does a lot of heavy lifting. A solid 3.5/5 stars from this Grinchy Anti-Hallmark girlie. 🤭

I grabbed this for #RiseUpReads (although a few weeks late 😅) but still the timing of this book‘s message was right on target. It‘s willful optimism with each sentence and don‘t we need that right now? It also serves a pleasant reminder how a gift economy should focus on the relationships between parties rather than simply disposable consumer goods. I loved this and can‘t wait to refer it to so many friends & fam.

My December Aardvark box arrived! This is quickly surpassing Book of the Month for me in terms of their fun, weird choices.

Plus the tagged was signed by the author!

Why did I wait so long to read this?!?! 😭

This was gory, painful, sometimes quite funny, mostly tense. It follows four friends terrible choice ten years ago…and the accountability that comes with it.

I‘ve read a lot of SGJ at this point. This is officially my 2nd fave after My Heart Is A Chainsaw.

If animal death triggers you, this is not a book for you.

Im headed to see Wicked Part 2 today — finally! 🤪

Pink & Green stack in honor of this occasion — all from my TBR. Where should I start?

Reading has been slow for me this week as I had friends & family visiting for an early Christmas holiday. 🤪

Ornament was a gift from a coworker - it‘s too perfect, lol

Finished this ARC right under the wire - it‘s published today!

Twisty, quick-read thriller set in 80‘s Atlanta where a teenage boy teams up with his pulp fiction writer hero and a drag queen to uncover a secret Russian spy mission. Despite being funny, it also has a lot of heart with really great minor characters who could easily have their own spinoffs — namely Jackie Demure & Sylvia Weaver.

Today is a travel day for me back to normalcy. Planning on finishing all my current reads on the train.

Also just launched a #bookstagram so if you‘re interested in more in depth thoughts, etc — I‘m at lgc.reads on Instagram! 💖

Was unsure of where to start for this month‘s #AuthorAMonth and this was available on Spotify so I started today. Pleasantly surprised to find this essay collection is narrated by actor Maya Hawke, as we‘re in rewatch prep mode for the new season of Stranger Things. 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

Decent twisty thriller. This author reminds me a bit of Simone St James or Lisa Jewell - super quick and readable, not dense in detail. I read a lot in this genre - and guessed all the twists (meh) - but I think she‘d be another solid author option if looking for a fast paced thriller.

Cute little short story that was funnier than I was expecting. Shows the power of community.

This book really spells out just how much the cards are stacked against all women. Enraging, important, upsetting, tear-inducing.

Pertinent.

A soft pick. Ideal for fans of reinventions of the mythos of Persephone and Eurydice.

Lyrically written love story that follows goddess Matilda and mortal man Vincent. A prequel to Ross‘s ‘Divine Rivals‘ duology. While the first book of that remains the strongest to me, this was lovely.

I hope Ross writes a book for Bade & Adria‘s story - theirs was largely off page here but was more sadly romantic to me.

I‘m slowly realizing that #romantasy only works for me it‘s filled with slow burn yearning and both parties have their own plots to lead independently.

This one is humming along quite nicely in that regard.

Free short story available on Amazon.

Clever blending of genre - one part familiar fairytale moral of the Grimm variety, one part modern dystopia postulating on what our future may hold. Arguable metaphors for transphobia. Well crafted, gives you a lot to think about.

Current goal is to fly through my remaining #BOTM backlog this month so I have a chance at completing their annual book challenge.

Even the table of contents is pretty for this one! I have high hopes for this Divine Rivals prequel. 🥰

Reading this as an audiobook in little chunks because anything more than a chapter a day makes me angry, tbh.

Wild how little regard is paid to 50% of the global population. 😖

Tone-wise, this was a mixed bag. Quick read, cozy humorous feel despite being quite a gory thriller mystery. Most of the characters other than Kirby are totally one dimensional. 🤷🏻‍♀️

It felt a bit like a new “I Know What You Did Last Summer” but with a group text chat (that was a bit pointless tbh).

My thanks to NetGalley & Gallery Books for this ARC - it‘s out in December. Odd bc it def feels like a beach type read to me. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Too real. 😱🤔

This lil collection of horror (or rather horrifying) shorts was pretty fun. Some were better than others but it introduced me to some exciting authors like Del Sandeen, CJ Leeds, Jennifer Thorne, and S.A. Barnes (above excerpt).

So-So bc the tone felt confused. The majority felt causticly sarcastic a la Willy Wonka or Scooby Doo, but the stakes are serious…basically this book felt unsure if it was horror or a dark comedy. 🤷🏻‍♀️

A group of writers are invited to the manor of a legendary peer after his death to hear his will. A deadly escape room ensues. #OUABC #OnceUponABooKClub

“The body‘s been stripped of skin, muscle, hair — but its skull still sits cockeyed on a broken, mangled neck, its mouth ajar like its screaming.”

Second gift was this too pretty to burn candle!!! *My* mouth is ajar. This is gorgeous.

#OUABC #OnceUponABookClub

Got to open my first two of four gifts in my #OUABC box today!

Points for creative packaging for the first gift: a coral liquid lipstick akin to a shade one of the character‘s wears - but in knife packaging?!? Too cool.

“Stained with the shade Coral Number Two, Winnie‘s lips are the most dangerous weapon of retribution.”

#OnceUponABookClub

A moment for spooky meets quirky sprayed edges! 🤭 #onceuponabookclub #ouabc

A wholesome look at the Scream film franchise with input from the creatives & cast. Especially loved the chapters dedicated to Wes Craven‘s memory. 👻

She‘s arrived! I‘m trying something new by gifting myself #OnceUponABookClub‘s Nightmare box. Will probably start in tomorrow.

The box includes bookish gifts that you open once you reach certain page markers. I‘ll post photos throughout - should I do so with spoiler blocks? 🤔

Listening to this while doing errands and perusing Spirit Halloween 🎃

Already learned quite a bit about the ‘Scream‘ franchise but my fave tidbit so far was writer Kevin Williamson was also a Sondheim/‘Into the Woods‘ nerd (like yours truly) and wrote ‘Scream‘ to deconstruct horror like Sondheim did with fairy tales in that musical. 🎭

Currently three stories in and loving it so far!

This book is a bonkers fever dream. A husband cheats on his lawyer wife, and the mistress is found dead in his bed. He says he didn‘t do it. The only next logical leap is for his wife to represent him at his murder trial, right? 🤣🤷🏻‍♀️

Truly bananas with twists a mile a minute. Some you see coming from the state line. Some whack you in the forehead for better or worse.

Absurd? Sure. But the pages fly. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤣

Starting in on the most obviously Halloween-appropriate-looking book on my TBR shelf. 😂 Happy to report (maybe?) no odd looks while commuting to work today.

Count on Octavia to offer a unique take on (toxic) fantasy romance with a heaping dose biting reality subtly mixed in. Doro is a mysterious being, power-hungry in an attempt at playing God. Anyanwu is a healer who can shapeshift into any being she touches. Both can potentially live forever. The power struggle continues.

The whole time, I desperately hoped Anyanwu got away. 🥺 #AuthorAMonth

Had to read some King for #SpookySzn.

I‘d never read this before or seen the film all the way through. As a kid, I lumped it in with ‘Leprechaun‘ or ‘Nightmare on Elm Street‘ - gory camp that at the right time of day was unsettling. Reading this now as an adult, it‘s much more upsetting than I gave it credit for.

Did a ton of reorganizing yesterday. Now my body hurts but my brand new bookshelf for my TBR is done! 😂🤷🏻‍♀️

There‘s not a lot to this little coffee table book, based on an essay by the Great one. But as a person deeply affected by her Parable duology and how both upsetting and comforting it was reading it in this intense political moment, it serves as a solid reminder. #AuthorAMonth

This was *so* much deeper than the haunted house book it was advertised to be. At times, I do think the author bit off more than could be chewed - dabbling in complicated relationships, familial & romantic, implied judgements without any internal accountability, childhood trauma…. all wrapped up in a flippant catty tone and FMC who is an unlikable fashion influencer. It‘s drama and it makes for a quick read. 🐁🔥🚪🐍👿

I wasn‘t expecting a feminist-bent “believe women” undertone in this mostly vague haunted house book - but I‘m not hating on the double meaning here. 💁🏻‍♀️

Come thru, tone 😂🤷🏻‍♀️

I‘ve only read one of Rachel Harrison‘s books before but her snark was greatly appreciated then. Let‘s go.

Let the Halloween TBR officially commence! 🎃

Well.

I was so charmed by the first book that a part of me refuses to believe the aRC I have is the true final version. This felt like an extended epilogue to the first book. So many characters we met and loved in the first book were ignored in favor of a new character who isn‘t really explained. The plot itself took half the book to get going and the climax didn‘t feel earned. This is out in November - maybe the final version will be different.

What a cute book! Whimsical spooky but with actual stakes, a diverse cast of funny magical kids, and the main character has just been diagnosed with diabetes. Inclusive without feeling preachy or like it‘s attempting to check boxes for boxes sake. Fun for the middle school readers & their parents too. Jumping into the ARC for its sequel now.

Had the privilege of meeting Mona Awad tonight at the B&N Poured Over podcast taping. Looking forward to hearing the final product bc audience questions were sourced & asked separately afterward. I submitted a question about the status of a potential ‘Bunny‘ movie or TV show…

One of my favorites for variety of reasons. She mentioned she‘s begun work on a new project: a take on ‘Twelfth Night‘ (a la other novel ‘All‘s Well‘). 💖

I have lots of spooky reads on deck for October, so in the run up to that, I‘m reading the tagged Middle Grade book and the eARC of its sequel (which is out on shelves in November!). Loving it so far - very Halloweentown wholesome. 🧙🏻‍♀️ 🎃

Neighborhood‘s already starting to get into the holiday spirit. 🥰