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Category:

books

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. 50% OFF!!! Sounds too good to be true, right!?

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

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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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The Dead Moms Club – a book review

by Kaylah Stroup November 21, 2019
Dead Moms Club review

It has been SO long since my last blog post about books. It’s one of the most popular post requests I get. The thing is, I just have not been reading very much lately... at all.

I have to be in the mood to read and on top of that one bad read will set in motion months of not reading. So, that’s how it’s been lately. Read some crummy books a while back and just haven’t picked up one since. BUT I have been feeling the urge to find a book about grief. (Please don’t stop reading, I swear this book could be beneficial even to those who haven’t lost yet!)

It was one of the first things I did once I stopped crying every second of the day – look for a book that would help me through this terrible time. I was specifically on the hunt for something secular, no mention of religion, spirituality, of my mom being in a ‘better place’, etc. I also didn’t want a self-help book that was essentially just going to tell me to do yoga and volunteer. I read tons of reviews but came up empty-handed.

I had basically given up on it when I got a DM on Instagram recommending The Dead Moms Club by Kate Spencer. The name really struck me, I looked it up immediately.

‘Kate Spencer lost her mom to cancer when she was 27. In The Dead Moms Club, she walks readers through her experience of stumbling through grief and loss, and helps them to get through it, too. This isn’t a weepy, sentimental story, but rather a frank, up-front look at what it means to go through gruesome grief and come out on the other side.’

Honestly, the name alone made me want to buy it but after seeing she lost her mom at 27, I had to buy it. I felt like maybe she could offer some nuggets of wisdom for me since we lost our mothers at a similar age.

Dead Moms Club review
my mom’s plant that I rescued from near-death

I feel like this is a really weird place in my life to lose my mom. There’s obviously no great time but as the great Britney Spears once said: “I am not a girl, not yet a woman.” (LOL) For real though, I’m married and have been out of the house for 11 years at this point but I still depended on my mom for so much. At her funeral someone said to me “Kaylah, now you have to take care of your dad.” and it completely blindsided me because I’m the baby! Who takes care of me? Grief brings up ugly selfish feelings and I just hoped that The Dead Moms Club could help me understand and deal with those. Spoiler – it didn’t solve everything but it certainly helped!

I was merely a couple of pages in before I knew it was the book for me! I want to say ‘I tore through this book’ but honestly, it was too relatable. I could barely read a chapter each night and most of the time I needed a couple of days in between each of those. I sobbed through it. There were times I had to quit midchapter because I couldn’t see. But… it felt good! I laughed. I cried (A LOT!) and most importantly, I felt understood. I realized some universal truths (wow, that sounds dramatic) and dealt with some shitty feelings.

Grief is super lonely. At some point, you’re going to lose someone important to you so these are feelings that everyone feels, perhaps in slightly different ways but still! In the depths of it though, you can’t imagine that anyone has ever felt that way too. Reading a book by someone who has gone through the same thing is so helpful.

Being able to pick up this book and put it down as I pleased was just what I needed. Talking to a real live human is obviously ideal but sometimes I don’t want to talk about it, and other times maybe I do but don’t want to unload like that on my husband. This was almost like a workbook for me. Reading it in small doses gave me time to think about and process what she had written.

Dead Moms Club review

I don’t know that this is the book for everyone because I recognize that we all go through and deal with grief differently. The Dead Moms Club was 100% what I needed though. I can’t recommend it highly enough!

xoxo

More posts on grief, my mom and loss in general –

▴ my mother’s plants ▴ grief & road trips ▴ I cry over four leaf clovers ▴ grieving in the digital age ▴ the greatest loss ▴ six months / things I want to tell you

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About Me

About Me

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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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Finally biked the abandoned PA turnpike again over Finally biked the abandoned PA turnpike again over the weekend. 🚲✨ My first time was just shy of ten years ago. I had been on a bike maybe twice at that point so it wasn’t an easy ride for me. This visit was SO much more fun. We biked, picnicked outside a tunnel and had a grand ole time. Highly recommend making a visit if you’re anywhere nearby!! 

Ps My husband made a whole video about it which you can find over on his channel - climbing the fence. I’ll throw a link in my stories too! 🖤
happy first official day of spooky season!!! 🎃🖤🦇💀
10/10 recommend growing on an arch so you can walk 10/10 recommend growing on an arch so you can walk under your plants. It’s so magical. 😍 

Both my loofahs and beans were off to such a slow start this spring that I felt like it was a lost cause. I just needed to be a bit more patient because look at these babies!!!!
I finished laying the floor in here this week but I finished laying the floor in here this week but wanted to share this picture (and those other ones too!!!) before I do a floor reveal (💁🏼‍♀️) just to celebrate how far it’s come.

Renovations take so much SO much time, money, effort, knowledge, passion, etc etc etc so you’re dang right I’m proud. 

With the floor done, my last big hurdle is hanging a whole bunch of custom trim in here. I can’t believe it’s almost done! 😊

paint color is Secluded Woods, wallpaper by @xwallcolors 🖤

#stroupmansion
Maurice has risen! ✨🖤💀🏚️ (Also if you Maurice has risen! ✨🖤💀🏚️ (Also if you need more Halloween content - there’s a full decorate with me video over on the website where you’d post full length videos. 😉😉😉)
pumpkin tunnel update ✨🎃 it’s looking so go pumpkin tunnel update ✨🎃 it’s looking so good! I walk through it approximately 900 times a day. 💁🏼‍♀️
ready to fight anyone who doesn’t think pollen p ready to fight anyone who doesn’t think pollen pants are precious! 🐝👊🏻✨
Ohhhh just a tiny bit of half bath progress. 😉 Ohhhh just a tiny bit of half bath progress. 😉 Absolutely tickled pink with this wallpaper from @xwallcolors (gifted) It’s so beautiful. The texture is just 🤤🫠🖤! I shared with them my dimensions and they sent me nine perfectly sized panels making my job of installation 900000x easier. 

Ps if you prefer longer form video of just didn’t get a good enough look at how incredibly ridiculous my bathroom is looking so far - YouTube, baby! I’m back!!!

#stroupmansion
an accurate representation how quickly it feels th an accurate representation how quickly it feels the last THREE years have gone. ✨ Three years ago, Jeff and I became the official owners (and caregivers! ❤️🏚️) to this big spooky place. Best decision ever. 

Here’s to many many more! 🥂
just a little now vs then (then being 2020 when we just a little now vs then (then being 2020 when we bought!) I still plan to refinish these floors some day but to be honest, I really enjoy how they look currently. ☺️

#stroupmansion

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