Yes I KNOW it has been six months since I last updated. Blah blah, I am bad at things, I am anxious about writing, and most days by the time I finish thinking about books for my job, I do not have the mental fortitude to write a newsletter about books for fun. Oh well!!
Lucky for you all (maybe?), I am presently bored and realizing that I have read a lot of GREAT books in the past few months, so I herewith present a speed review issue of ye olde newsletter to highlight some v good ones.
Vampire Weekend, by Mike Chen
Protagonist is a punk rock vampire! She was a punk girly in the 70s and now she’s immortal and also a vampire–who just so happened to get to experience punk from the start through the present. NEED I SAY MORE? It’s not scary at all, and has a kinda alternative vampire-world thing going on, but I liked it. Themes include finding your identity, family dynamics, and acceptance. Would recommend if you like horror elements but also want something kinda warm and fuzzy.
The Babysitter Lives, by Stephen Graham Jones
This is only available as an audiobook for some reason. My brain is often too scattered to pay attention to audiobooks, but I listened to this one during my daily mental health walks (irony) and I got lots of steps in because wow, I loved this. It is scary! I actually got creeped out many times! Story is about a babysitter who’s watching two kids on Halloween. House has a sordid past and now is haunted. Terrifying mayhem ensues. SGJ uses, as always, lots of the horror tropes that I love (haunted house, teen babysitter, Halloween as a catalyst), but also has a way of making things entirely his own that is just *chefs kiss.* If you don’t mind audiobooks, I super recommend this one.
Don’t Fear the Reaper, also by Stephen Graham Jones
Yeah yeah, I’m an SGJ stan. This is the sequel to My Heart is a Chainsaw, which I also loved. I think I might even have loved Don’t Fear the Reaper even more? I frickin’ love Jade as a character, and this is another slashery masterpiece in my opinion! Stoked that this is going to be a trilogy, and cannot wait for the third book. I am very thrilled to report that this sequel doesn’t fall into the trap that lots of horror sequels do (ie, it sucks in comparison to the original)--this book was very good and I would def recommend if you liked Chainsaw (would recommend both if you haven’t read them but are a horror/slasher fan!)
What Kind of Mother, by Clay McLeod Chapman
I got an ARC of this and should probably do a longer review at some point? Mentioning it here, in case I never get around to it. This book definitely went in a different direction than I was expecting, but not in a bad way. I was super into it. It is definitely visceral and kind of gross–not for the faint of stomach? Lots of body horror here, gotta warn ya. It’s definitely creepy, and is a really interesting exploration of grief/loss through horror. I really liked it! Publishes in September, so mark your calendars lol. (Major TW for Child death)
Quietly Hostile, by Samantha Irby
I’ve rambled a million times already about how much I love Sam Irby. This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it did not disappoint. I cackled out loud more than once. Sam is hilarious and relatable and an amazing essayist. She is basically the writer I wish I could be: self deprecating, judgemental, snarky, and keenly observant–but all in a funny, lovable way. Anyway, strongly recommended for fans of hilarity and personal essays.
She is a Haunting, by Trang Thanh Tran
This was another of my most anticipated books of the year, and yeah I loved it. Queer main character + a haunted ass house? GIMME. Basically, Jade and Lily are sisters who agree to spend their summer in Vietnam with their (estranged) father, in a big ol’ mansion that he’s restoring. There’s a lot of trauma and resentment in this family, but I won’t spoil any of that. Weird things start to happen in the house. There’s nightmares and BUGS and scary noises. When her family doesn’t believe her, Jade decides to try to stage her own haunting on top of the haunting that she believes is really happening. It all unravels from there. It is genuinely CREEPY, and I loved every second of it. (The jacket copy compares it to Mexican Gothic but I don’t really feel like they are very similar except for that they both include a haunted house and are about colonialism? I guess how you interpret that information will depend on how you felt about Mexican Gothic–personally, I liked She is a Haunting a lot more than MG lol).
okay that is all I’ve got for now!
At some point I will probably write about my travels through Europe, the one year anniversary of moving into my own lil apartment, the fact that I think I am actually and literally approaching a mid-life crisis, and (another one of) my ex(es) marrying the girl he cheated on me with (lmao) (can we tell my therapist has been on vacation????) but for now I leave you with my favorite apt meme as of late:
xoxo,
Amy