E171: Goth Girl Summer with Rachel Harrison and Stephanie Gagnon from Books in the Freezer

 

Today I welcome two of my favorite people back to the show to help me celebrate my birthday (July 4th) Stephanie Gagnon, from Books in the Freezer and Rachel Harrison join me for this special episode full of Goth Girl Summer book recommendations! 

• Hungerstone by Katt Dun
• Lemon by Kwon Yeo-Sun
• The Seas by Samantha Hunt
• The Lighthouse Witches by CJ Cooke
• The Ruins by Scott Smith
• Ghost Summer: Stories by Tananarive Due
• The Sirens by Emilia Hart
• Diavola by Jennifer Thorne
• Haunted Ever After by Jenn DeLuca
• I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones
• Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss
• A Sunny Place for Shady People by Mariana Enriquez
• Bad Dolls by Rachel Harrison
• Ghost Business by Jenn DeLuca
• Willful Creatures by Aimee Bender (the one we mention with the pumpkin heads story)

E170: Libraries in Books with Jenny Adams and Jocelyn Codner

Today we celebrate Libraries! To do this, I welcomed back Jocelyn Codner and author Jenny Adams whom you all may remember from my Literacy episode last Fall. For the first 20 minutes, we discuss the state of libraries, celebrate a few victories, and share ways you can support your libraries. The rest of the episode is dedicated to book recommendations that feature libraries across genres. I've listed the recommended books below, as well as Jenny Adams' book, with links to my Bookshop. I hope you enjoy the show!

Jenny

The Underground Library - Jennifer Ryan 

Strange the Dreamer - Laini Taylor

The Library of Lost Girls - Kristen Pipps

Overdue - Stephanie Perkins

Jocelyn

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami

Grasshands by Kyle Winkler

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

Agatha

The Librarians by Sherry Thomas

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C. M. Waggoner

The Parliament by Aimee Pokwatka

Funny Story by Emily Henry

E169: Riley Sager and WITH A VENGEANCE

 

Today I welcome Riley Sager back to the show to discuss his new book, WITH A VENGEANCE, a fun midcentury train mystery that was so captivating I couldn’t put it down. We discuss his inspirations for the book, as well as the process. Riley Sager is also on tour right now, so check his website for tour dates in your area. I hope you enjoy the show!

E168: MURDER BALLADS with Katy Horan

 

Today I welcome Katy Horan to the show to discuss her new book, MURDER BALLADS. She painted each powerful illustration in the book and spent years researching these folk songs, which often depict young, beautiful, murdered women floating ethereally down a river. We discuss her process and background and, for my own curiosity, focus on songs by Johnny Cash, PJ Harvey and Nick Cave, and Nirvana’s famous Unplugged performance. Videos for each of these below.

We also mention a nonfiction book she referenced in her research. That link, as well as the link to Katy Horan's book, are also below. 

E167: The Gothic Witch Novels of C.J. Cooke

 

Today I welcome C. J. Cooke to the show to discuss her new book, THE GHOST WOODS, and since I loved this book so much, we discuss books from her backlist too, including THE LIGHTHOUSE WITCHES and THE BOOK OF WITCHING. I’m fascinated by her gothic writing and consistent themes of witches and motherhood. I do want to take a moment to apologize for the way my voice sounds in this episode. I had an issue with my microphone connecting to my new computer, but that issue has been resolved on other recordings. I hope you enjoy the show!

166: Mimi Matthews and RULES FOR RUIN

 

Today I welcome Mimi Matthews to the show to discuss her new book, RULES FOR RUIN. It’s a fantastic historical romance that’s Peaky Blinders meets Great Expectations. I love all of Mimi’s books, but this is my favorite historical romance from her, and it’s one I’ll definitely reread. She gives us revenge, subterfuge, a sexy hero named Gabriel who grew up in the slums of St Giles and rules it with the savvy of Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent and the renown of The Ghost of St. Giles (IYKYK) We also get a weapon wielding heroine named Euphemia who aims to overthrow the patriarchy, setting her boundaries and taking up space in the world. I loved this book, and I hope you enjoy the episode! 

E165: Happy Mermay! Mermaid Books with Desiree M. Niccoli

Today I welcome mermaid aficionado and longtime friend, Desiree M. Niccoli to discuss mermaids across genre fiction. I had her on for a previous MerMay episode a few years ago, soon after the release of her book CALLED TO THE DEEP. Today she created a fun mermaid quiz, which we do at the end of the show, and we discuss the rise in mermaid fiction since our last episode. We also give several book recommendations, listed below and linked to my Bookshop when available

I mentioned in the episode that San Marcos is the "Mermaid Capitol of Texas, and I wanted to link here for more information. 

Photo from City of San Marcos webiste

Titles mentioned or featured on the episode: 

• SKIN OF THE SEA - Natasha Bowen
• THE DEEP - Rivers Solomon
• WITCHFUL THINKING - Celestine Martin
• DAUGHTER OF THE TIDES - Kit Rocha
• THE CAPTIVE MERMAN'S PROMISE - Zoey Castile 
• OCEAN BLEEDS SALTY - Azalea Crowley
• PROVIDENCE GIRLS  - Morgan Dante
• TREACHERY OF WATER - Angela J. Ford
• THE RAKE - Kass O'Shire
• A MAGIC DEEP AND DROWNING - Hester Fox
• UPON A STARLIT TIDE - Kell Woods
• THE SIRENS - Emilia Hart
• THE WOMAN IN THE WAVES - Camille Booker
• A SWEET STING OF SALT - Rose Sutherland