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Category:

books

what I’ve been reading

by Kaylah Stroup April 4, 2024

this post contains affiliate links.

Night’s Edge by Liz Kerin.

“Having a mom like Izzy meant Mia had to grow up fast. No extracurriculars, no inviting friends over, and definitely no dating. The most important rule: Tell no one of Izzy’s hunger – the kind only blood can satisfy.

But Mia is in her twenties now and longs for a life of her own. One where she doesn’t have to worry about anyone discovering their terrible secret, or breathing down her neck. When Mia meets rebellious musician Jade she dares to hope she’s found a way to leave her home – and her mom – behind.”

This was such a fun and totally different vampire book (although, one must note, they’re never specially called ‘vampires’ in the book) It was hard to put down. It was so easy to become involved with the characters and care for them.

Hurry up and grab a copy before the sequel, First Light, comes out later this month. I cannot wait to read it!

Mostrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova.

“Grieving mother Magos cuts out a piece of her deceased eleven-year-old son Santiago’s lung. Acting on fierce maternal instinct and the dubious logic of an old folktale, she nurtures the lung until it gains sentience, growing into the carnivorous little Monstrilio she keeps hidden within the walls of her family’s decaying Mexico City estate. Eventually, Monstrilio begins to resemble the Santiago he once was, but his innate impulses―though curbed by his biological and chosen family’s communal care―threaten to destroy this fragile second chance at life.”

I knew this one would be a heart-breaker. Generally that would scare me away. I don’t really love digging into those feelings on purpose. (I mean, c’mon, I’m a huge horror reader for a reason!) BUT there was just something about this one that drew me in. Maybe it was the cute little critter on the cover.

Y’all, I LOVED this book. I was sad to see it end because I really enjoyed the characters and the story. It was beautiful, original and yeah, heartbreaking. I did a nice little cry at the end.

This feels like an early contender for top 10 of the year!

The Watchers by A.M. Shine.

“You can’t see them. But they can see you.

This forest isn’t charted on any map. Every car breaks down at its treeline. Mina’s is no different. Left stranded, she is forced into the dark woodland only to find a woman shouting, urging Mina to run to a concrete bunker. As the door slams behind her, the building is besieged by screams.”

Look, there’s more to that description of the book but honestly, all I needed to see was ‘you can’t see them. but they can see you.’ paired with the word ‘forest’. SIGN ME UUUUP. Horror stories involving the woods are my favorite.

A little push for you to read it next – it’ll be coming out as a movie directed by M. Night Shyamalan this year. The trailer looks pretty darn good.

Seed by Ania Ahlborn.

“With nothing but the clothes on his back―and something horrific snapping at his heels―Jack Winter fled his rural Georgia home when he was still just a boy. Watching the world he knew vanish in a trucker’s rearview mirror, he thought he was leaving an unspeakable nightmare behind forever. But years later, the bright new future he’s built suddenly turns pitch black, as something fiendishly familiar looms dead ahead.

When Jack, his wife Aimee, and their two small children survive a violent car crash, it seems like a miracle. But Jack knows what he saw on the road that night, and it wasn’t divine intervention. The profound evil from his past won’t let them die…at least not quickly. It’s back, and it’s hungry; ready to make Jack pay for running, to work its malignant magic on his angelic youngest daughter, and to whisper a chilling promise: I’ve always been here, and I’ll never leave.”

After reading (and LOVING) Brother, I’ve been very excited to dive into another Ania Ahlborn book. This one did not disappoint! She builds fantastic atmosphere that makes for one spooky story.

A Sliver of Darkness by C.J. Tudor.

“Time slips. Doomsday scenarios. Killer butterflies. C. J. Tudor’s novels are widely acclaimed for their dark, twisty suspense plots, but with A Sliver of Darkness, she pulls us even further into her dizzying imagination.

In “The Lion at the Gate,” a strange piece of graffiti leads to a terrifying encounter for four school friends. In “Final Course,” the world has descended into darkness, but a group of old friends make time for one last dinner party. In “Runaway Blues,” thwarted love, revenge, and something very nasty stowed in a hat box converge. In “Gloria,” a strange girl at a service station endears herself to a coldhearted killer, but can a leopard really change its spots? And in “I’m Not Ted,” a case of mistaken identity has unforeseen fatal consequences.”

This is the first of two books from C.J. Tudor in this post. I have become quite a big fan of her work over the last year or so. She’s an excellent writer with a dark mind. Her stories are full of twists and turns. If you like to dip your toes into an author’s work before diving into a four hundred plus page book – check this out for sure. She’s got some real winners in here!

I had a hard time putting this collection down. I just kept saying “Ah, one more story!” until I basically had the whole thing done in one sitting.

The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor.

“500 years ago: eight martyrs burned
30 years ago: two teenagers vanished
Two months ago: a vicar died mysteriously

Welcome to Chapel Croft.
For Rev Jack Brooks and teenage daughter Flo it’s a fresh start. New job, new home. But in a close-knit community old superstitions and a mistrust of outsiders mean treading carefully.

Yet right away Jack has more frightening concerns.

Why did no one say the last vicar killed himself? Why is Flo plagued by visions of burning girls? And who is sending them threatening messages?

Old ghosts with scores to settle can never rest. And Jack is standing in their way . . .”

The second C.J. Tudor book in this post! This book was SO GOOD. I genuinely think the less you know about it going into it, the better! Lots of reviews gave away small details I felt were spoilers. I enjoyed every little surprise along the way.

Peruse the ‘books‘ category here on the blog for similar posts. Keep an eye on my instagram stories if you’re looking for even more recommendations!

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what I’ve been reading

by Kaylah Stroup October 23, 2023
Dear Laura book review

Dear Laura by Gemma Amor.

‘Every year, on her birthday, Laura gets a letter from a stranger. That stranger claims to know the whereabouts of her missing friend Bobby, but there’s a catch: he’ll only tell her what he knows in exchange for something…personal.So begins Laura’s sordid relationship with her new penpal, built on a foundation of quid pro quo. Her quest for closure will push her to bizarre acts of humiliation and harm, yet no matter how hard she tries, she cannot escape her correspondent’s demands. The letters keep coming, and as time passes, they have a profound effect on Laura.’

One hundred and nineteen pages that I devoured in one sitting! I couldn’t put it down. I feel like this is a great one if you’re in a reading slump and need a quick push out of your rut. Highly recommended!

the glassy, burning floor of hell book review

The Glassy, Burning Floor of Hell by Brian Evenson.

‘A sentient, murderous prosthetic leg; shadowy creatures lurking behind a shimmering wall; brutal barrow men―of all the terrors that populate The Glassy, Burning Floor of Hell, perhaps the most alarming are the beings who decimated the habitable Earth: humans. In this new short story collection, Brian Evenson envisions a chilling future beyond the Anthropocene that forces excruciating decisions about survival and self-sacrifice in the face of toxic air and a natural world torn between revenge and regeneration. Combining psychological and ecological horror, each tale thrums with Evenson’s award-winning literary craftsmanship, dark humor, and thrilling suspense.’

I’m a quick reader. A lot of the times with anthologies I will read a handful of stories per reading session. This one took me some time to get through though but it’s not what you might be thinking… These stories took time for me to digest. I didn’t want to run to the next one right away, I wanted to keep pondering what I just read. Each story felt like it had so many layers I needed to peel away to really understand what I was reading. I really enjoyed this book. I feel like this would be a fun one to read along with a friend or book club so you can chat about what the heck you just read.

I Found a Circus Tent in the Woods Behind My House by Ben Farthing.

‘Dave and his four-year-old, Jacob, find a circus tent in the woods behind their house. A strange voice invites them through the dark doorway.
When they refuse, the tent swallows them…’

I am generally not frightened by horror books. Ghosts? Whatever. Murders? Meh. This book though? It got me, not even because of clowns! I don’t mind clowns. I just loathe the idea of finding something in the woods that shouldn’t be there. I loved this book. It was fun, tense and totally unique.

Fun little tip; listen to creepy carnival music quietly in the background while you read! I listened to this. It just adds to the atmosphere.

The author also wrote I Found Puppets Living In My Apartment Walls which I absolutely need to pick up as well!

On the theme of finding things in the woods that shouldn’t be there – The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher comes to mind. I loved that book and still think about it while I’m in my woods.

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle.

‘Welcome to Neverton, Montana: home to a God-fearing community with a heart of gold.
Nestled high up in the mountains is Camp Damascus, the self-proclaimed “most effective” gay conversion camp in the country. Here, a life free from sin awaits. But the secret behind that success is anything but holy.
And they’ll scare you straight to hell.’

I’ve followed Chuck Tingle on social media for some time now but had yet to read one of his books until his horror debut, Camp Damascus. Queer horror? Count me in! I loved this book. I even made my husband read it right after I finished. (He enjoyed it too!) It was a quick and easy read!

Hide by Kiersten White.

‘The challenge: Spend a week hiding in an abandoned amusement park and don’t get caught.
The prize: enough money to change everything. Even though everyone is desperate to win—to seize a dream future or escape a haunting past—Mack is sure she can beat her competitors. All she has to do is hide, and she’s an expert at that. It’s the reason she’s alive and her family isn’t. But as the people around her begin disappearing one by one, Mack realizes that this competition is even more sinister than she imagined, and that together might be the only way to survive.Fourteen competitors. Seven days. Everywhere to hide but nowhere to run.
Come out, come out, wherever you are.’

Loved this one. Suspenseful and unique! I’m already looking forward to reading more from Kiersten White based on this book.

The Toll by Cherie Priest.

‘Titus and Melanie Bell are on their honeymoon and have reservations in the Okefenokee Swamp cabins for a canoeing trip. But shortly before they reach their destination, the road narrows into a rickety bridge with old stone pilings, with room for only one car.

Much later, Titus wakes up lying in the middle of the road, no bridge in sight. Melanie is missing. When he calls the police, they tell him there is no such bridge on Route 177…’

Okay, how great does that sound?! LOVE the idea a bridge or area you’ve been to not actually existing. That’s just really unsettling to me. This book was fantastic. I truly enjoyed it. Very atmospheric! You meet a lot of characters but they’re all quite memorable so unlike some books with lots of characters, I had no problem keeping them all straight!

Interestingly enough, a lot of reviews of this book call it out as being one of the author’s weakest books so I am very curious to check out her others if this one was “bad”.

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Peruse the ‘books‘ category here on the blog for similar posts. Keep an eye on my instagram stories if you’re looking for even more recommendations!

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what I’ve been reading

by Kaylah Stroup August 28, 2023
a house with good bones by t. kingfisher

A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher.

‘”Mom seems off.”

Her brother’s words echo in Sam Montgomery’s ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone.

She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam’s excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out.

But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn’t what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she’s the only person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden beneath the magazine-worthy rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above.

To find out what’s got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some secrets are better left buried.’

I’ve read a couple of books by T. Kingfisher at this point and I think one of the things I love the most about her writing is the world building. I find it so easy to visualize every one and every place in her books and I think that’s just wonderful. A House With Good Bones is a solid horror book that I’d feel comfortable recommending to just about anyone who’d listen!*

Also by T. Kingfisher I really enjoyed The Twisted Ones! I made my husband read it after I did. We both loved it. Since reading it I’ve been on the hunt for similar books and still haven’t found anything that scratched the itch.

*That sounds weird and robotic, right? But what I mean is that I read a lot of really icky, uncomfortable, just plain old triggering horror that I feel like pushes limits. This book feels like something that could be enjoyed by everyone, even folks who don’t necessarily love horror.

Abnormal Statistics by Max Booth III.

Abnormal Statistics is a collection of thirteen stories by author Max Booth III, ten of which are reprints, and three are original to this book including a novella called “Indiana Death Song”. First things first, I had never read anything by Max Booth III prior to this but you guys… a tweet of his showed up on my twitter where if you Paypal-ed him money, he’d send you a signed book. That’s how easy it is to hook me. I’d seen his name floating around before in the horror world so I figured why not.

This book was awful. The good kind of awful! The kind of awful you’re reading horror for! Just absolutely unflinching, uncomfortable horror. This is the kind of horror I’m talking about above, it’s not for everyone but for the people who like that stuff? THIS IS A GOOD ONE!

The first 84 pages start with the aforementioned novella which immediately made me a fan of his writing. It was bleak and heartbreaking. (Even more so when you read the story notes in the back of the book and learn it was based heavily on his own childhood. What!!!)

I tore through this book and hopped online as soon as I was done to order another of his books. I look forward to reading everything I can get my hands on now. I highly recommend this book!

OOZE: Little Bursts of Body Horror edited by Ruth Anna Evans.

This was another twitter find. I honestly just really loved the look of the book. It’s so cute and tiny and pink! Don’t let that fool you though. It is disgusting!

Ooze: Little Bursts of Body Horror is a collection of bite sized stories that plunge you into a world where the boundaries of the human body are stretched and distorted in the most grotesque and imaginative ways. It’s a quick read. I couldn’t put it down and ended up finishing it in one sitting.

We Need to Do Something by Max Booth III.

‘A family on the verge of self-destruction finds themselves isolated in their bathroom during a tornado warning.’

I wasn’t really sure what to gather from that very small snippet but after reading Abnormal Statistics I knew I could trust the author to take me on a wild ride. We Need to Do Something is slow-burning and anxiety-inducing.

This book was turned into a movie with the same name in 2021. It has… uh, not the best reviews but, I’ll tell you what, I watched it right after I finished the book and really enjoyed it. I felt like the casting was pretty spot on with what I was imagining too!

I always like when I can watch the movie version right after finishing a book, especially when it’s something like this that I’m still mulling over in my brain.

Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel.

‘The last time Maeve saw her cousin was the night she escaped the cult they were raised in. For the past two decades, Maeve has worked hard to build a normal life in New York City, where she keeps everything―and everyone―at a safe distance.

When Andrea suddenly reappears, Maeve regains the only true friend she’s ever had. Soon she’s spending more time at Andrea’s remote Catskills estate than in her own cramped apartment. Maeve doesn’t even mind that her cousin’s wealthy work friends clearly disapprove of her single lifestyle. After all, Andrea has made her fortune in the fertility industry―baby fever comes with the territory.

The more Maeve immerses herself in Andrea’s world, the more disconnected she feels from her life back in the city; and the cousins’ increasing attachment triggers memories Maeve has fought hard to bury. But confronting the terrors of her childhood may be the only way for Maeve to transcend the nightmare still to come…’

When I finished this book and was thinking about what to write about it here the first word that came to mind was ‘predictable’. I know that sounds bad but hear me out, okay? It’s predictable in the way you can absolutely see what’s coming a mile away and there’s nothing you can do to stop any of the events that are about to happen. You just have to buckle up and hold on tight. It was so fantastically stressful. I loved it!

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Peruse the ‘books‘ category here on the blog for similar posts. Keep an eye on my instagram stories if you’re looking for even more recommendations!

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remaindered books?! // Book Outlet review

by Kaylah Stroup July 25, 2023
Book Outlet review / remaindered books

See all those books up there? Know how much I paid for them? Forty bucks including shipping!! They’re not used either! Forty bucks at the bookstore is getting me two books, maybe not even two if they’re hardcovers! But I was able to grab EIGHT of them for forty dollars.

I love reading and I LOVE collecting books but yikes, it adds up quick!

While reading reviews on Amazon, I came across the word ‘remaindered’. The review wasn’t about the book’s content but the book itself. I hadn’t heard this term before so I hopped over to Google and learned that remaindered books are ones that are already printed and no longer selling well so they’re liquidated. They’ll sometimes be marked by the publisher or bookseller so that they can’t be returned but otherwise, they’re generally in new, unused condition.

Learning this term led to me Book Outlet. They sell remaindered books as well as store returns and special publisher buyouts. All of their books are at least 50% off of retail without any coupons. 50% OFF!!! Sounds too good to be true, right!? Well, spoiler alert, it’s not!

I started browsing their horror section just out of curiosity but soon found myself filling my cart because C’MON how could I resist a deal as good as this?

Book Outlet review / remaindered books
remaindered books

Above are examples of how my books were marked. Out of the eight books in my order, two were completely unmarked and the other six had either a small dot or a line. Seven of the eight looked (aside from tiny marks noted above) and felt brand new. The eighth book has some slight cover damage shown below but honestly, nothing terrible! I would still have purchased it at a bookshop looking like that.

Since the stock is based on books that are remaindered it’s a great place to look for popular books you might not have gotten a chance to grab yet! Some of these were already on my TBR list and others sounded good and had a price I couldn’t resist.

I was so excited about my purchase that I made a second order before the first arrived. All in all, I ended up with fourteen books for eighty dollars which is just bonkers! That’s a little under six bucks per book on average.

I was a bit worried it was too good to be true but all fourteen are something I’d 100% feel comfortable with grabbing from a bookstore in person in the condition they’re in! Aside from the one specifically shown earlier in the post, there was zero visible damage outside of the remaindered mark.

I will one hundred percent be making another purchase… although I’ve already had to tell myself no more browsing for a bit! It’s hard to resist a good deal!

PS! If you purchase through a link in this post you’ll be getting $5 off your first purchase of $25 or more… which makes your books an even better deal. Ahh, how can you resist!?

January 2024 update – Y’all, I STILL love Book Outlet. I’ve made five orders from them thus far and it’s all been lovely! One order was missing a book but they were quick to respond to my email and sent out a replacement immediately. Book Outlet has made building my book collection a breeze. I can’t believe how many great deals I’ve scored.

In all of my orders and time spent on the site, I have realized you can’t hesitate. Books tend to sell out moderately quickly. So, if there’s something you want to read, grab it!

bookoutlet review
book outlet review
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favorite books of 2023 so far!

by Kaylah Stroup July 12, 2023
Favorites books of 2023 so far!

I have been straight murdering books this year.

I’ve read forty-one books so far which is bonkers for me. This is more than the last ten years combined! It feels so good to be back at it.

I definitely plan on doing an end-of-the-year list of everything I’ve read, as well as my top ten or so. BUT! I also thought it would be fun to do a little round-up of my favorite new-to-me reads from the first six months of the year. There have been so many good ‘uns!!

In no order at all, here are my top five of the year so far…

The Book of Accidents. Favorites of 2023.

The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig.

‘Long ago, Nathan lived in a house in the country with his abusive father—and has never told his family what happened there.

Long ago, Maddie was a little girl making dolls in her bedroom when she saw something she shouldn’t have—and is trying to remember that lost trauma by making haunting sculptures.

Long ago, something sinister, something hungry, walked in the tunnels and the mountains and the coal mines of their hometown in rural Pennsylvania.

Now, Nate and Maddie Graves are married, and they have moved back to their hometown with their son, Oliver.

And now what happened long ago is happening again . . . and it is happening to Oliver. He meets a strange boy who becomes his best friend, a boy with secrets of his own and a taste for dark magic.

This dark magic puts them at the heart of a battle of good versus evil and a fight for the soul of the family—and perhaps for all of the world. But the Graves family has a secret weapon in this battle: their love for one another.’

Jeff picked up this book and showed it to me at the book store thinking it sounded interesting. It definitely did but more than that I was super curious to read something from Chuck Wendig. I see this man’s name on practically every book I read so I had a feeling I’d vibe with his work.

I don’t want to give away too much. I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned it before or fully wrote out my thoughts on this but I love going into a book with as little information as possible. I’ll read a book’s blurb when I buy it, it sits on the shelf until I choose it again but at that point, I’ll only skim the blurb. I want to be surprised, like completely! All of that to say, this book has elements that had I known were in there I might not have chosen it but it worked out because it opened a whole new world for me. I want more like it!

It was fun, atmospheric, has excellent horror elements but is also kind of heartwarming! I think about this book a lot! Also feels like something I’ll want to re-read at some point just to soak it all in.

The Mud Ballad - Favorites of 2023

The Mud Ballad by Jo Quenell.

‘In a dying railroad town, a conjoined twin wallows in purgatory for the murder of his brother. A disgraced surgeon goes to desperate ends to reconnect with his lost love. When redemption comes with a dash of black magic, the two enter a world of talking corpses, flesh-eating hogs, rude mimes, and ritualistic violence.’

Duh, this obviously makes the list. Listen, I loved this book so much that it already got its own post here on the blog. Read my review of The Mud Ballad here. Once again, if you’ve liked my book recommendations in the past this is one you’re not going to want to miss!

Brother by Ania Ahlborn.

“Deep in the heart of Appalachia stands a crooked farmhouse miles from any road. The Morrows keep to themselves, and it’s served them well so far. When girls go missing off the side of the highway, the cops don’t knock on their door. Which is a good thing, seeing as to what’s buried in the Morrows’ backyard.

But nineteen-year-old Michael Morrow isn’t like the rest of his family. He doesn’t take pleasure in the screams that echo through the trees. Michael pines for normalcy, and he’s sure that someday he’ll see the world beyond West Virginia. When he meets Alice, a pretty girl working at a record shop in the small nearby town of Dahlia, he’s immediately smitten. For a moment, he nearly forgets about the monster he’s become. But his brother, Rebel, is all too eager to remind Michael of his place…
“

This was one I just kept getting recommended based on the other books I bought. After finishing it, I see why! This feels like essential horror reading. Back when I read this toward the beginning of the year, I called that this would be in the top ten of the year and I’m still feeling that way.

This was a very immersive book. I don’t have the best imagination when it comes to visualizing what I’m reading, it just doesn’t come easy for me. This book though? It played like a movie in my head. Even when I think back on it, I can envision it just like I had watched it!

I happened to see that there are talks of it becoming a movie!? So fingers crossed some day soon I will actually get to watch it for real.

Mary by Nat Cassidy. Favorites of 2023

Mary by Nat Cassidy.

‘Mary is a quiet, middle-aged woman doing her best to blend into the background. Unremarkable. Invisible. Unknown even to herself.

But lately, things have been changing inside Mary. Along with the hot flashes and body aches, she can’t look in a mirror without passing out, and the voices in her head have been urging her to do unspeakable things.

Fired from her job in New York, she moves back to her hometown, hoping to reconnect with her past and inner self. Instead, visions of terrifying, mutilated specters overwhelm her with increasing regularity and she begins auto-writing strange thoughts and phrases. Mary discovers that these experiences are echoes of an infamous serial killer.

Then the killings begin again.

Mary’s definitely going to find herself.’

Mary is a dark and disturbing novel that will stay with you long after you read it. I don’t know what it was but there’s just something about Mary. Heh. Heh. I’m not the best at describing the ~why~ of what makes a book so enjoyable for me but I was hooked from the start.

John Dies at the End

John Dies at the End by Jason Pargin.

Oh goodness, these books are stupid… and I love them! If you’ve read them, you know what I mean but in case you haven’t…

“John Dies at the End is a genre-bending, humorous account of two college drop-outs inadvertently charged with saving their small town–and the world–from a host of supernatural and paranormal invasions.”

John Dies at the End is horror written by someone with the sense of humor of a thirteen-year-old boy. What I’m saying is that it’s perfect for me. This series of books is ludicrous.

Each one had me going “ahhh, maybe just one more chapter” over and over again. After the first book, you definitely have a feel for how absurd things can get but I feel like you can never truly be prepared for what might happen next. I can’t say that they’re perfect for everyone but I was certainly entertained. I’ve read all four of the books and watched the movie (numerous times)! Needless to say, I’m a fan.

favorite books of 2023 so far

Peruse the ‘books‘ category here on the blog for similar posts. Keep an eye on my instagram stories if you’re looking for even more recommendations!

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what I’ve been reading

by Kaylah Stroup May 1, 2023

The Mud Ballad by Jo Quenell.

‘In a dying railroad town, a conjoined twin wallows in purgatory for the murder of his brother. A disgraced surgeon goes to desperate ends to reconnect with his lost love. When redemption comes with a dash of black magic, the two enter a world of talking corpses, flesh-eating hogs, rude mimes, and ritualistic violence.’

Listen, I loved this book so much it already got it’s own post here on the blog. Read my review of The Mud Ballad here. I’m still feeling like this is going to be one of my favorites of the year. Once again, if you’ve liked my book recommendations in the past this is one you’re not going to want to miss!

Tales from the Gas Station Volume One & Volume Two by Jack Townsend.

“Drunk customers. Shoplifting raccoons. Otherworldly visitors. As night shift clerk at the twenty-four-hour gas station at the edge of town, Jack has pretty much seen it all.

That is, until his best friend reveals the body of a local politician hidden in the trunk of a car, setting off a chain of events with apocalyptic potential. Soon, Jack finds himself entangled in a supernatural conspiracy involving monster hunters, sociopaths, doomsday cultists, and… garden gnomes?

Armed with nothing but his wits, sarcasm, and alarming amounts of coffee, can Jack stay alive long enough to see another morning shift? Or will he, too, fall victim to the dark, ancient force infecting the dreams of everyone around him?

One thing’s for sure. He’s not getting paid enough for this.”

I was very excited to start this series based on the fact that lots of reviews call out these books as a must read if you liked John Dies at the End.

Personally, I’m torn. If I am entertained by a book, which I absolutely was with these, then it feels wrong to criticize it. That being said, I feel like these could have been… better. The premise is super fun. I enjoyed the characters and definitely had more than a few laugh out loud moments. BUT there were also quite a few times I had to flip a couple pages back to clarify something confusing. There were also a lot of loose ends that never got tied up. When I finished up the second book and moved on to something completely different I realized how slowly I had been trudging through reading with these two.

Tales from the Gas Station is currently a four part book series. I think I’m happy stopping at two. If you’re into books that mix comedy and horror, maybe check this out! This series has a bit of a cult following and despite my complaints, I did enjoy them. I’m just not positive that I need to read more of them when there are so many other books out there to dive into!

Tales from the Gas Station review

If This Book Exists You’re in the Wrong Universe by Jason Pargin.

Book number four of the John Dies at the End series! …And possibly my favorite of them all?! I loved this whole series.

If you aren’t familiar, these books follow the adventures of David and his friends John and Amy as they investigate paranormal and supernatural phenomena, battling all manner of monsters and otherworldly threats. Some folks may find the childish humor and irreverence of the series off-putting but it’s the perfect blend of horror and comedy for me. I enjoyed all four books immensely and look forward to more. Fingers crossed!

If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe by Jason Pargin review

Bedside Manor by Jack Townsend.

“When Jack’s car breaks down in the middle of a cross-country road trip, the mysterious house at the top of the hill is a beacon of hope. If he can borrow a phone to call for help, he’ll be on his way in no time. But someone – or something – has other plans. Soon, Jack finds himself trapped in a nightmare that defies logic, where a depraved killer on the loose is the least of his problems. Will Jack escape before it’s too late?
A house full of strangers.
An unsolvable mystery.
A night that won’t end.
Welcome to Bedside Manor.
“

This novella was written by the same author as the Tales from the Gas Station series and even includes two of the same characters but you absolutely do not need to read other books to understand this one. It’s a stand-alone.

My hot take? It’s even better than the Gas Station series. I loved this book! It was a quick read that wasn’t at all what I was expecting. The premise was familiar (murder mystery party) but the story itself was really unique and fun. I would love to find more books like this one.

Bedside Manor by Jack Townsend review
Small Horrors by Darcy Coates review

Small Horrors by Darcy Coates.

A collection of fifty creepy stories all jam-packed into 366 pages! I picked this up because I had read and enjoyed one of her other books, The Haunting of Gillespie.

This was such a fun collection of horror shorts. I actually got sunburn from reading it my hammock because I just kept saying “ahhh, one more!” The stories are so short that it’s hard to talk yourself out of just one more. This was a solid collection!

Peruse the ‘books‘ category here on the blog for similar posts. Keep an eye on my instagram stories if you’re looking for even more recommendations!

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book review // the mud ballad

by Kaylah Stroup April 12, 2023
the mud ballad book review

It’s been a very long time since I wrote a post specifically about one single book. I still plan to do my round-ups of all recently read books but sometimes one will stick out that I just need to talk about. That’s where we’re at today.

The Mud Ballad by Jo Quenell! Although it’s been out for three years this April, it has a measly twenty-nine reviews on Amazon and just over one hundred on Goodreads. This book is criminally underrated.

If you’re a long-time Dainty Squid fan who has enjoyed my book recommendations in the past, stop reading right now. Go buy it, go read it!

‘In a dying railroad town, a conjoined twin wallows in purgatory for the murder of his brother. A disgraced surgeon goes to desperate ends to reconnect with his lost love. When redemption comes with a dash of black magic, the two enter a world of talking corpses, flesh-eating hogs, rude mimes, and ritualistic violence.’

The Mud Ballad book review

Jo Quenell’s storytelling puts you right into the book. As someone who doesn’t have the easiest time visualizing characters or settings in books, I felt like I knew exactly how everything and everyone looked. It was like watching a movie in my head as opposed to simply reading.

If you like circus/sideshow themes, books that generally leave you feeling a little bit icky and unsettled, and horror elements so absurd you giggle – this book is for you! It feels like the kind of book that got me interested in reading to begin with.

My only complaint? That it wasn’t longer! (This is basically always my complaint with books I love!) I just wanted to stay in this strange world a little bit longer. I was also saddened to see Jo Quenell hadn’t written more books. I’d love to read more of her work. The Mud Ballad is an absolute gem. I’m over 25 books in and this is easily one of my favorite reads this year so far! xo

Check out my other book posts here!

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what I’ve been reading

by Kaylah Stroup March 30, 2023

What I’ve been reading…

The Trees Grew Because I Bled There by Eric LaRocca.

I only discovered Eric LaRocca a couple of months ago. I read their book We Can Never Leave This Place and was instantly hooked. I bought all of his book and when I saw he had some coming out, I pre-ordered those too!

This new collection of short stories is exactly what I’ve come to expect! These stories are unsettling, grotesque and just really really messed up. Please know that what I just wrote is a compliment. I think Eric LaRocca is an incredibly talented author who knows exactly how to make your stomach turn. I actually read this latest book after marathoning some sillier, more light-hearted horror and WOOF what a punch in the gut. Highly recommended for those who enjoy exploring the darker aspects of the human condition!

Hammers on Bone by Cassandra Khaw.

“John Persons is a private investigator with a distasteful job from an unlikely client. He’s been hired by a ten-year-old to kill the kid’s stepdad, McKinsey. The man in question is abusive, abrasive, and abominable.
He’s also a monster, which makes Persons the perfect thing to hunt him. Over the course of his ancient, arcane existence, he’s hunted gods and demons, and broken them in his teeth.”

This novella is a fast-paced and gripping read. Khaw’s writing style is evocative and atmospheric, with vivid descriptions that make you feel like you’re right in the story. I’ve never been super into noir or detective themes but wow, this makes me see the appeal! I think my biggest complaint is that it wasn’t longer (not because I didn’t feel the story was complete but simply because I wanted MORE!)

I loved Hammers on Bone and am definitely looking forward to picking up the second book in this series, A Song for Quiet.

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix.

“When Louise finds out her parents have died, she dreads going home. She doesn’t want to leave her daughter with her ex and fly to Charleston. She doesn’t want to deal with her family home, stuffed to the rafters with the remnants of her father’s academic career and her mother’s lifelong obsession with puppets and dolls. She doesn’t want to learn how to live without the two people who knew and loved her best in the world.

Most of all, she doesn’t want to deal with her brother, Mark, who never left their hometown, gets fired from one job after another, and resents her success. Unfortunately, she’ll need his help to get the house ready for sale because it’ll take more than some new paint on the walls and clearing out a lifetime of memories to get this place on the market.

But some houses don’t want to be sold, and their home has other plans for both of them…”

I’m really enjoying Grady Hendrix at the moment. I dove straight into this after finishing up The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires. I will admit it took me a little bit of time to get into this one. The siblings in the story bicker quite a bit and honestly, I don’t care. It felt petty and draining BUT once the story really got going, I was IN.

While I do feel the beginning dragged a bit when I think about the book as a whole, I loved it! It was very entertaining. Oh, and I cried happy tears at the end.

My advice? Don’t futz around reading reviews on this book that might spoil what kind of horror it is or what/who is haunting the house.

My next three are part of a four part series (in which I will absolutely be buying #4 too!)

John Dies at the End, This Book is Full of Spiders, and What the Hell Did I Just Read? by Jason Pargin.

Oh goodness, these books are stupid. If you’ve read them, you know what I mean but in case you haven’t…

“John Dies at the End is a genre-bending, humorous account of two college drop-outs inadvertently charged with saving their small town–and the world–from a host of supernatural and paranormal invasions.”

John Dies at the End is horror written by someone with the sense of humor of a thirteen year old boy. What I’m saying is that it’s perfect for me. These three books are ludicrous.

Each one had me going “ahhh, maybe just one more chapter” over and over again. After the first book, you definitely have a feel for how absurd things can get but I feel like you can never truly be prepared for what might happen next. I can’t say that they’re perfect for everyone but I was certainly entertained. I think after spending so much time in this series, I’m going to be really sad to leave this very strange universe.

Peruse the ‘books‘ category here on the blog for similar posts. Keep an eye on my instagram stories if you’re looking for even more recommendations!

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what I’ve been reading

by Kaylah Stroup March 15, 2023

It’s been about ten years since I consistently read and blogged about books. There were a couple of book posts here and there over the years but I was definitely on a bit of a bad reading streak. I just couldn’t concentrate on books. I’d pick something up I thought might interest me but just not be able to get past a chapter or two. I also spent a long time telling myself that if it wasn’t non-fiction, it wasn’t worth reading. What!?! I truly don’t know what that was about either.

Then, one day, my husband picked up Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw for himself while at the bookstore. On the way home, it started raining really really bad. I am a nervous nelly, especially in the passenger seat, so to distract myself I grabbed the book and started reading. I was hooked pretty quickly. It didn’t take long at all for me to remember just how good it feels to get lost in a book.

That was back in October. I’ve been engrossed in one book or another ever since.

So! Guess what though, baby!? I AM BACK, I am reading with a vengeance and I want to tell you allllll about it.

What I’ve been reading…

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix. If somehow you’ve been living under a rock, like me, and have not already read this book – just buy it. Don’t look at what it’s about, the title tells you enough. Truly, I think the description of it on Amazon gives away too much. It’s a really fun, kind of stressful, lighthearted but still serious book that will make you want to pull your hair out at times but also warm your heart. It was a blast!

Grady Hendrix is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors! I just picked up his latest novel, How to Sell a Haunted House. Can’t wait to dive in.

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix. “Lynnette Tarkington is a real-life final girl who survived a massacre. For more than a decade, she’s been meeting with five other final girls and their therapist in a support group for those who survived the unthinkable, working to put their lives back together. Then one woman misses a meeting, and their worst fears are realized—someone knows about the group and is determined to rip their lives apart again, piece by piece.”

I picked this book up at the bookstore a couple of times before I finally decided to buy it. If I’m being honest, slasher is my least favorite kind of horror so I felt like it might now be a good fit for me. I was wrong. I’m sure having a real interest in slasher films would make this book even more fun but even if those don’t float your boat, I can’t imagine you wouldn’t enjoy it! As mentioned above, Grady Hendrix is a wonderful author!

Anybody Home? by Michael J. Seidlinger. Home invasion but from the perspective of the invader! It’s a super dark book that is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Leaves you feeling a bit icky, which I guess is a pretty solid compliment for a horror book!

Brother by Ania Ahlborn. “Deep in the heart of Appalachia stands a crooked farmhouse miles from any road. The Morrows keep to themselves, and it’s served them well so far. When girls go missing off the side of the highway, the cops don’t knock on their door. Which is a good thing, seeing as to what’s buried in the Morrows’ backyard.

But nineteen-year-old Michael Morrow isn’t like the rest of his family. He doesn’t take pleasure in the screams that echo through the trees. Michael pines for normalcy, and he’s sure that someday he’ll see the world beyond West Virginia. When he meets Alice, a pretty girl working at a record shop in the small nearby town of Dahlia, he’s immediately smitten. For a moment, he nearly forgets about the monster he’s become. But his brother, Rebel, is all too eager to remind Michael of his place…
“

This was one I just kept getting recommended based on the other books I bought. After finishing it, I see why! This feels like essential horror reading. This definitely feels like top ten of the year material (and dude, we’re only three months in!)

The Book of the Most Precious Substance by Sara Gran. “After a tragedy too painful to bear, former novelist Lily Albrecht has resigned herself to a dull, sexless life as a rare book dealer. Until she gets a lead on a book that just might turn everything around. The Book of the Most Precious Substance is a 17th century manual on sex magic, rumored to be the most powerful occult book ever written–if it really exists at all. And some of the wealthiest people in the world are willing to pay Lily a fortune to find it-if she can. Her search for the book takes her from New York to New Orleans to Munich to Paris, searching the dark corners of power where the world’s wealthiest people use black magic to fulfill their desires. Will Lily fulfill her own desires, and join them? Or will she lose it all searching for a ghost? The Book of the Most Precious Substance is an addictive erotic thriller about the lengths we’ll go to get what we need-and what we want.”

I bought this book because I really LOVED one of the author’s other books, Come Closer. I guess I was hoping for something similar and this wasn’t quite it. Don’t get me wrong, it was an entertaining book that I read through quite quickly but it didn’t necessarily feel as stressful and exciting as Come Closer. I would absolutely recommend it for folks who maybe don’t like the grittier, ickier, bad-taste-in-your-mouth horror like I do though!

One random note though, the fact it’s touted as an ‘erotic thriller’ was a bit misleading. Like a book about sex magic should be a lot sexier??? Again though, could be just me.

Keep an eye on my instagram stories if you’re looking for more recommendations!

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I'm Kaylah! Renovating a 150-year-old home in Northeast Ohio. Likely found in my garden.

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