Monthly Book List

I have been hard at work on my novel over this past year, and because of this, it’s been difficult to take time to write more short stories. Also, I ran out of prompts from friends.

Just a quick update, though: I am deep into edits for book 1 in a Lovecraft-inspired fairytale series. The first book is called The Cult of Elle, and it’s my take on Cinderella. I also just finished the first draft of a Lovecraft-inspired Jack and the Beanstalk that will be offered as a freebie to all newsletter subscribers. If you want to get added to the freebie list, you can click on this link and scroll down to sign up to the newsletter.

With all that on my plate, do I find time to read? Yes, yes I do.

Because I am a voracious reader, I thought I would share the books that I enjoyed this month here on the blog. I will try to make this a monthly thing. I don’t have affiliate links (I don’t get paid if you click on the link) and I am going to try to link to my local bookstore Powell’s Books instead of Amazon because I can do whatever I want on my own blog.

Also, this is in no way a book review blog. I am just sharing books I enjoyed this month because, well, I enjoyed them. I am not going to share anything I didn’t enjoy or started and didn’t finish. I don’t like leaving bad reviews. I know how much of themselves an author puts into their work.

Here are my top picks this month:

Fingerprints of the Gods The Evidence of Earths Lost Civilization

by Graham Hancock

This book is a fun read, full of theories about ancient civilizations and interesting details about various trips the author went on to visit famous historical sites. This is not my usual type of book (though I do like history) as it gets into speculation. But, a lady in my reading group said it was “what you wish Ancient Aliens had been.” and that piqued my curiosity. Having read the book, I would say her description is pretty accurate. Fingerprints of the Gods also got me interested in Mayan mythology, which may one day inspire a story! So, I am happy I read it.

Trust

by Hernan Diaz

This is another book that I normally wouldn’t have picked up, but someone in my reading group started a discussion about how there were two Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winners, and I thought that was interesting, so I decided on Trust as the book I wanted to read. I thought this book would require some detective work, but there is a throughline that I think anyone could catch if you’re looking for it. It’s basically four books in one. They are all beautifully written, and frankly, the very last sentence of Trust continues to haunt me. My husband is reading this book based on my recommendation, and he is enjoying the excellent writing as well. The story itself is unutterably sad from my perspective, though I am not quite sure it’s supposed to be. It’s one of those books you keep thinking about well after you’ve finished it.

The Merry Dredgers

by Jeremy C. Shipp

I have followed Jeremy on social media for years, and this is the first book of theirs I have read. Now I need to go read all of their other books. You never really know what to expect from someone who consistently posts things like:

And yes, I know that was from 2018, but I deleted my Twitter and Jeremy is far more active there. Anyway… the book. The Merry Dredgers is not at all your standard horror novel. I went in expecting something haunting and creepy, and it was a bit creepy. More than that, though, it was both strange and rather sweet. The setting is incredibly odd, and Jeremy describes it wonderfully. The characters are delightful, and the story leaves you guessing about who’s dangerous and who’s a bit kooky, but completely harmless. Honestly, I got comfortable in the weird setting, which made any twist even more twisty and surprising. I adore this book. I can’t wait to read Jeremy’s other books.

The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale

by Art Spiegelman

I read Maus because I saw that it was banned by a school board in Tennessee and that got my hackles up. I am proud to be the granddaughter of someone who fought on the side of the Allies during WWII. It is difficult for me to read books about the atrocities of that war, because it is hard to imagine how any person could look at another human being and see them as subhuman and worthy of torture, starvation, and summary execution. Books like Maus and The Diary of Anne Frank are vital, in my opinion, because they show us the worst and best sides of humanity, all wrapped in one time period. And they illustrate how those experiences affect people - and teach us how to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.

So, needless to say, I loved this book. I am not fond of graphic novels, but this one was particularly well done. I think it should be required reading in every high school in the U.S. and the world.

Horrorstör

by Grady Hendrix

I have read Horrorstör more than once, and I’m a huge Grady Hendrix fan. This is a book that I categorize as a “comfort book,” meaning I read it and other books in the same category (like World War Z by Max Brooks) when I feel stressed or need to relax but don’t have the energy to read something new. The layout of this book is so fun. It’s set up like an IKEA catalog, and the layout of the physical book definitely adds to the reading experience.

If you have never read anything by Grady Hendrix, my absolute favorite books that he’s written are: The Final Girl Support Group and The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires. I also recently read How to Sell a Haunted House, which is a great book.

That’s it on my “books I read and enjoyed in the month of May” book list. I hope you find one or two books that pique your interest.

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Outside Money by J.S. Douglas

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Never Say Never by J.S. Douglas