This fourth reading recommendation is coming courtesy of the teenager, who LOVED this series—Truly Devious, The Vanishing Stair, and The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson. If you love back-to-school antics, cozy mysteries, woodsy New England settings, and perniciously curious teenagers, this series is perfect for you.
Falloween Reading Guide: Day Three
Did anyone else recently re-organize thanks to a particular new show on Netflix? Nah? Just me? Martha Stewart Organizing: The Manual for Bringing Order to Your Life, Home & Routines is a delicious treat. Even if some of the advice can be a bit much (does anyone’s house look like this all the time?) I still enjoyed some of the tips and tricks. Plus, Martha lays out a schedule month by month so you don’t blink and miss all the fun stuff that each season can offer—for fall that means apple picking, pumpkin carving, and some delicious baking.
Fall Reading Guide: Day Two
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
This jewel of a book is so cozy and welcoming and heartfelt that I actually reread the final four chapters over again, just to savor it. If you like magical realism with a touch of whimsy, may I suggest you get to know all the delightful characters here—but especially Lucy, who was my favorite.
Happy Fall! The Falloween Reading Guide is here!
I love fall because it is just magical to me. The changing leaves, the crisp air, the smell of woodsmoke and apples, the cozy sweaters and blankets—all of it is so wonderful. I wanted to make a reading guide with some of my favorites to get you ready for the season—ranging from spooky horror to the most touching love story with magical whimsy—from romance that will have you wanting to bake pumpkin muffins and drink oat milk lattes dusted with cinnamon to gorgeous organizing books that will make you think a pantry overhaul is in order. All this week and next I’ll be posting every day with suggestions and reviews and I hope you’ll stick around to see what’s to come.
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix.
I listend to this on Audible and boy, was I pleasantly surprised. I’m not usually someone who loves horror but something about this book really struck me. The casual racism, sexism, and classism that imbues this quiet Charleston suburb is the perfect formula to attract a confidence man/vampire in the early 1990s. None of the main characters are painted in a flattering light and yet I found myself rooting for them anyways—rooting for them to break free of society’s expectations as much as rooting for them to defeat the monster at their door. Are you feeling the chill in the air and immediately thinking of flickering jack-o-lanterns and dark and stormy nights? Do you enjoy a touch of the ridiculous and macabre in your reading life—or a great audiobook to listen to while raking leaves this weekend? This book is for you.