Book recs! (And me shamelessly plugging my friend's books) (Patreon)

Some of these are older, some I'm reading RIGHT NOW, and some are freshly exorcised from my mountain-like TBR pile.

First up is In Nightfall, by Young. I'm just cracking into this one now and it isn't out yet. (2023) I will also be up front and say that Suzanne is a friend. (I try to always be very up front when I'm recommending a friend's book.) Which means I'm horribly biased in her favor. However, even if Suzanne and I were mortal enemies, I would be tempted to pick up this book. I'm sorry, but Lost Boys meets Buffy? *throws money at Suzanne*

Next up is The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Bannen. I had no idea what I was getting into when I picked up this book. The summary did not prepare me. This book is wonderfully, delightfully weird. Whimsy grounded in the realities of life. It has demigods, death rituals, possessed bodies, a drunken, foul-mouthed rabbit messenger, family dynamics, and characters I would die for. Mercy's family standout as people who are flawed, acknowledge their mistakes, and apologize and make them right, even though they know that they love each other no matter what. A delightful enemies to lovers with a side of possessed corpses. I laughed and also cried while reading this book. Absolutely loved.

I can't if I've talked about Wonderbook by Vandermeer on here before. (I've probably mentioned it? I'm too lazy to go back and check.) It bears repeating anyway how much I love this book. If you're interested at all in world building or writing, take a gander at this one. It's not like any craft book I've ever seen--it's very art heavy--and I couldn't read it all the way through. I tend to skip around to the subjects I want to read. But it contains a ton of essays by different writers. Worth a look.

Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Thompson--As someone who is both a true crime nerd and who spent their early dating years impersonating a cactus, this book really hit for me. Following along as Phoebe navigated reconnecting with friends and family, losing her father, writing her thesis, and learning to be vulnerable to the people she loved was just a real joy. Bonus points for lots of discussion of true crime and for making me actually laugh out loud many, many times.

Dig Two Graves by McNeil--again, Gretchen is a friend and I would definitely both make and hide a dead body for her. Luckily, I also love her books. (#murdertrending is a DELIGHT.) One thing I love about Gretchen is her love of old films, and this book definitely makes use of that. Dig Two Graves is a young adult take on Strangers on a Train. When Noir-film fan Neve ends up at a leadership camp for young women (called GLAM!) she doesn't want to be there. Vulnerable and friendless, she quickly falls for Diane's charm...and someone ends up dead because of it. I've long enjoyed Gretchen's books--I love how funny, awkward, and realistically messy her teen characters are, and Dig Two Graves doesn't disappoint. I burned through this slow-boil mystery.

To Catch A Thief by Brockenbrough--This book comes out in 2023 as well and is a middle grade reader. I just started reading it with Smalls, who is eight now. Martha is another friend and I will neither confirm nor deny how many bodies I've hid for her. One thing I appreciate about Martha is her ability to write books for younger kids that don't talk down to them, that resonate, but are also enjoyable for adults. This one is basically a cozy mystery for kids, and we're just really enjoying it. I love all of the mystery references--like the title, and the character's last name being MacGuffin!--and Smalls is just enjoying a fun mystery. Can't wait to read more chapters!

And last but not least, The Kaiju Preservation Society by Scalzi. Somehow I've never read a book by Scalzi? I'll read more now. Kaiju Preservation Society is exactly what it says on the package--a funny, weird, entertaining book about Kaiju (Godzilla like mega-creatures, for those that don't know the term) and the scientists fascinated by them. Also Jamie, who's just there to lift things for said scientists. It was the kind of book that I automatically thought of several people who would love it--including my partner, who isn't much of a reader, but can do audiobooks, and I'm told Will Wheaton does a bang up job on the audio. For those that have read a lot of Scalzi, friends have told me this is more streamlined and sparely written than his usual fare, without a lot of subplots and such. (This is not a criticism, friends. Sometimes you want to read a book that zooms by.) Tons of fun and I laughed a lot.

That's it for now. If you're reading something fun or enjoyable, post in the comments. We all want to be crushed to death by out TBRs. (And I'm always, always here for book suggestions.)

-Lish