Category:

all the posts!

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!

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.

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!

portrai.me review

by Kaylah Stroup April 18, 2023

Have you ever heard of Portrai Me?

Portrai Me is a visual art project that creates ‘portraits’ of people’s personalities through the various motifs in their lives.

Each piece is created in collaboration with the client who orders the Portrai Me. After ordering, you receive a form to customize the artwork. You can then provide a list of words and attach images you would like to be represented on the piece. After you submit your info, they create a custom drawings entirely based on the submitted lists and images.

They’re available in black and white or color, as well as a variety of different sizes.

I think if you know anything about me at this point, you know that I’m obsessed with my house… so, of course, my Portrai Me piece is all about the house.

My list included my office fireplace, a metal detector, daffodils, the wallpaper with the hidden writing underneath, a black snake (because of this incident!), the clawfoot tub, the art we found buried in the woods, tomatoes, a toad, black berries, the gorgeous hardware I restored & of course, the pets.

For full transparency, I provided photos and posted about it on my instagram in return for my own custom portrait. That was over a year ago at this point. I’m under no obligation to write this post or share anything else about it. I just wanted to post about it here too because I’M OBSESSED with it.

The first year and a half of living here was such a blur. It just felt like going from zero to a hundred in a millisecond. Everything was new and exciting. I love this portrait because it really sums up some of my favorite things that happened during that period. I feel like if I were to get another one now, the same items probably wouldn’t be included and that’s what makes this so special. It’s a snapshot into our first year as homeowners.

I also have to note that just a few weeks after originally getting this piece our dog Klaus passed away so I’m so happy to have him included in this. It makes it even more special. He may not be with us anymore but he was a huge piece of our lives here. One of my biggest goals in life was to buy that pup a yard of his own and by golly, we did it! Now I’m sobbing.

All of that to say, this piece is very sentimental.

shown above : the original wallpaper from our home that inspired the piece in the art.

A custom piece from Portrai Me is an absolutely killer idea for a new homeowner or anyone just going through a new phase in life! It’s also the sweetest thing you could get a loved one (think little pictures of shared memories or inside jokes!) I love my picture and highly highly recommend snagging one for yourself! xo

my ‘new’ very old curiosity cabinet

by Kaylah Stroup April 17, 2023

I scored my dream curiosity cabinet.

I do not use Facebook marketplace regularly. I mean, I browse it A LOT but I’m not huge on meeting up with strangers. Buuuut when I find a dream piece I make exceptions. By “exceptions” I mean that I nicely ask my husband to pretty please call them and come with me to pick it up.

This piece that looked great on it’s listing was ten times better in person. When I walked into the room full of boxes this dude had and spotted the cabinet in the center of the room, I couldn’t shove my money in his hand fast enough. No, dude, you don’t have to hype it to me. I know that I neeeeed it.

I spent the ride back from picking it up sweating bullets. The piece weighs next to nothing which means that glass is thiiiin. I was convinced we’d hit a pot hole and it’d just explode into a thousand tiny pieces. It just felt too good to be true.

She made it home in one piece though! Stunning curved glass, nice and wide, just around one hundred years old! I literally can’t imagine a piece more perfect for my oddities in this house.

If you recall, when we bought the house the previous owner left behind an Ikea cabinet that I really liked. I immediately knew it’d hold my oddities. You can get a peek of that here. The more time I spent in this house though, the more I felt like Ikea furniture was not a great fit. When I re-did our living room, the Ikea cabinet full of oddities got moved into Jeff’s office ‘temporarily’ (meaning it would stay there nearly a year while I tried to figure out what my plan was.)

Please don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Ikea but I do feel like my one hundred and fifty year old house needs at least some time appropriate furniture. I will never be a restoration purist. My house will most likely always have a mix of new and old furniture. I think you should do whatever floats your boat. I will tell you one thing though, this cabinet? MADE FOR THIS HOUSE. Made for my weird crap! The age, the condition, the piece in general? PERFECTION.

oil portrait painting collection + antique curiosity cabinet

oddities, jar full of dentures, anatomical models

I am just tickled pink over this. I rearranged the paintings on the wall and went through all my boxes still left in the attic to find the perfect pieces to display inside the cabinet.

You know what else is rad? It still has the key to lock the cabinet. To be honest, I didn’t realize it was a key. I excitedly showed my dad my excellent new score and he said “Ah, you’re lucky it still has the key!” Confused I responded “Nah, that’s just the knob.” He pulled it out of the lock, I screamed!

Like many folks, I have always thought old keys were neat-o. I’ve owned quite a few but none that actually went to something! That was just the icing on the cake to this purchase.

Maybe I should be giving FB marketplace more of try! xo

fire pit makeover

by Kaylah Stroup April 16, 2023

I wish I could start this post with a really great before photo but what’s above is as good as it’s going to get. Our fire pit area has never been cute. Believe me, it’s a lot cuter than when we bought. Even though we improved on it, by making the pit smaller, building benches, and adding a cool curved woodpile, it’s still not an area I’d have ever gone out of my way to photograph. It was ugly and muddy.

Even though I’ve enjoyed having fires out here, it always gave off more camping vibes than cozy home vibes. Does that make sense?

Well, as luck would have it, the materials needed to give the fire pit a whole new look were already all over our property. There are piles of bricks here, piles of bricks there. Oh yeah, and we discovered a whole brick patio under the grass back in 2021.

It took us two Saturday afternoons get this done. One to dig it out and the second to haul and lay bricks. It came together so quickly. An immediately gratifying project, the kind where after the first few bricks you had a really good idea of how rad it’d end up.

It’s still settling so we’re sweeping sand and small rocks into the cracks every couple of days. I can’t wait to get grass planted around the outside and see how it looks fully cleaned up. Even like this, a little dirty, it’s still a million times better than what we had before. I’ve already found myself spending more time out here than normal.

This was such a satisfying project Jeff and I have already decided to tackle another brick project. Next up? My garden! xo

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by kaylah 💀 (@thedaintysquid)

book review // the mud ballad

by Kaylah Stroup April 12, 2023

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!

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!

2023 bouquets // pt. 1

by Kaylah Stroup April 11, 2023

Each year I try to take on some sort of year long project. In the past there have multiple years I did Project 365. In 2023? I am going to take a photo of every single flower arrangement I make!

For years and years, I always said one of my life goals was to live somewhere that I can grow flowers just for the sole purpose of picking and enjoying indoors. In 2021 I made that goal a reality by starting one heck of an awesome garden! The first year I wasn’t so great at cutting my flowers. I just wanted to enjoy them in the garden. I am definitely getting more and more comfortable stealing stems though. It’ll be even easier if I make it into a little photo project too, right?

So, here we go! The first six arrangements of 2023.

Clearly, right now the only thing I have blooming is daffodils. I almost backed out of this project thinking it might be silly if I’m just making arrangements from the same flowers over and over again. BUT I actually think, with time, that will be what makes it really fun. Throughout the series you’ll be able to see what I’ve got growing during a specific period and the main colors and flowers in my bouquets will slowly evolve. xo

metal detecting finds pt1

by Kaylah Stroup April 5, 2023

I originally wrote this post in the fall of 2021 and it’s been sitting in my drafts since. I still think these are some really rad finds, and I’d love to actually start this series now that I’m blogging again. So, here’s we go!

Jeff and I have been back to metal detecting our yard like mad again! We were super into it when we first moved in but it’s easy to forget about when there are so many other house tasks to tackle. Last week, he randomly suggested we get back at it and wouldn’t you know it, we’re hooked all over again.

The past two or three times out we’ve found some neat things. I even made a cute little reel with some of the finds. There’s always lots of trash, mostly nails and pop cans. Even the trash is fun to find though. You’ll have to remind me I said that after five pop cans in a row. There’s just something very exciting about unearthing something that’s been hidden underground for who knows how long.

After our last evening spent metal detecting I realized I needed to start a blog series to highlight some of the cool stuff. So, what was so neat that it inspired me to start a series? This ring!

It’s just costume jewelry. We didn’t actually find a solid gold ring in our yard. At least not yet. Fingers crossed. But wow! The feeling of finding this? INCREDIBLE.

It was a great signal on the metal detector but I was already ready to be done. I think we both presumed it’d be a coin which is always great. When you’re hangry though? Meh, coin smoin. I was ready to head inside and get some food in my belly. The second Jeff flipped over the dirt plug I screamed, we met eyes and I yelped “Stop! I have to get my phone!” I was no longer weak with hunger. I darted into the house to grab my phone and camera. I recorded him removing it from the dirt and then took about nine billion photos of the ring.

Of course, it’d be way cooler if it were real gold. We certainly wouldn’t sell it but it’d be neat to know that it was worth something. At the risk of sounding super cheesy though, I think it might be worth just as much to us even though it is fake. We had metal detected a handful of times before moving to this house but it definitely became kind of like a date night activity here. I love wandering around the yard with Jeff looking for treasures. We find lots of trash but all of it feels like we’re discovering more about our home and its past.

another find from the day – an axe head.

Above – All the finds from the day. Mostly junk, as you can see but every piece of junk is one less signal which means if there is anything actually cool, it’ll just be easier to spot next time!

Our equipment – metal detector ▴ pinpointer

I highly recommend both! The metal detector is a great brand and this is a solid model. Easy enough for beginners to start with but good enough for enthusiasts as well! Personally, I think a pinpointer is a must. It and the metal detector go hand in hand. You’re going to have a much better time looking for treasures if you have the pinpointer’s help!

custom book embosser review

by Kaylah Stroup April 4, 2023

I recently thrifted a book that had a custom embossed design on one of the pages. Immediately after spotting it I KNEW I needed one of my own. I wasn’t sure if it would be something I’d have to save for or not. I just knew that I needed one.

I did a quick bit of research, realized they were totally affordable and filed the thought away as ‘Christmas gift idea for Jeff!’ I ended up buying him both a custom stamp* and a custom embosser because I couldn’t decide which I thought was more cute.

*The custom stamp was from RuskinSketch on etsy. Highly recommend them if you want to go the stamp route!

When the embosser arrived, I gave it a test run just to make sure it wasn’t a dud. I felt like for the price, it might very well be too good to be true. I ended up buying one for myself the same day though.

LOOK HOW CUTE!

I ordered my custom book embosser here from Pickled Stamps. They’re customizable. Don’t just look at the few pictures in the listing either. Once you hit “customize now” over where you’d press add to cart, you get the full run down on all your different options!

It’s super easy to use. Just pick a page, squeeze the embosser and gently smooth with your hand.

100+ books later and I’m still as charmed as I was by the first one. It just feels so fancy! If you’re a book lover or you know a book lover – this is a must have! xo

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!

Newer Posts

Older Posts