3.5 stars. Solid, tense tale about Swedish documentary filmmakers in an abandoned village rich in secrets. Interesting themes about neurodiversity & mental health. Blair Witch & "Horror Movie" by Paul Tremblay comparisons hard to avoid though. #suspense #strongmood #international

Happy Holiday adventuring! #lfl

Current read. Fun. She was also very nice when she signed my copy at the Merrimack Valley Halloween Festival. #amreading #ghosts

My publisher sent me the best book mail! "Specters & Spells," my new collection of flash fiction, arrived yesterday. Still happy dancing in my study., #excited #bookmail #newcollection

Sock mail! Out of Print US makes the best bookish socks! I had to replace Nancy Drew socks that I lost, so I splurged on these. Giving my sister a pair for Xmas. #bookishgifts

Silent vampire classic with a small orchestra was an eerie & fun Halloween treat. The skilled silent filmmakers ripped off Stoker back in the day, but it made my husband want to read Stoker's classic, which he's seen me read twice. #film #vampire #Dracula

Listening to "The Stand" as a reread to refresh my memory of details as I start to read "End of The World As We Know It," a tribute anthology. Once again, I love King's world-building! #horror #StephenKing #audiobook

HWA Showcase XII-wow. Put a post-it on all the poems that particularly moved me-it's half the book! My poem snuck in, so can't review it objectively, but Stephanie W & co are amazing company! #newcollection #darkpoetry #honored

Disturbing & brilliant. At once a portrait of a whole NJ community & a well-crafted look at sexual abuse to rival Lolita. Really! Gave me a bad dream but hypnotic prose by one of the best American writers. #triggerwarning

Enjoying these fabulist spec fic stories. Broken hand makes audiobooks crucial!

Bad news days call for new, used books for the teens on tweens on my street. America's in trouble, but I can share books. #lfl #read #middlegrade #ya

Support & coping strategies that help. Classic for a reason. A resource to visit & revisit. #5stars #support #coping #resilience

Very, very short stories masterfully catching moments in time. Vivid & evocative pieces from skilled writers in good literary magazines. #microfiction #flashfiction #veryshort #emotional

A creepy, Satanic short horror listen that kept me under its spell. Strong voice. Stronger demon. Well narrated. it‘s a hard look at one NY professional woman‘s possession & bloody unraveling. #horrorfiction #demons #murderouswomen #audiobooks

Stephen‘s daughter dies & gets caught in a bizarre, well-crafted nightmare world. Can he get her back from a Hellish ice cream man? Fans of “It” will enjoy this. Trigger warning: suicide of secondary character. #horror #5stars

My kid won an award for most practice hours logged at the ES strings concert. Old-school Mom nagging for the win! #GenXmom

Am reading. Dolly Cat is moral support. #horror #novel #fiction #womenwriters

Cute, fun picture book about a little girl finding the bravery to help her grandma & to live “Aloha.” Sweet read or read-along for ages 3-7 for AANHPI heritage month! #kidlit #aanhpiauthors

Nightmares are real. Secrets, violence, parental neglect & sibling rivalry unspool in a black family. Racism makes the terrible more terrifying. And dark humor keeps the reader laughing at unexpected times. 4.5 stars for this scary, funny horror novel & sibling drama. #horror #familydrama

Grateful I got to hear Tananarive Due speak about her personal journey writing “The Reformatory” and her thoughts on Jim Crow horror, as well as the Salem Horror Festival‘s theme of “the horror within” as it applies to her work. Loved her terrifying & thought-provoking novel! #horror #racism #ghosts

Suspenseful story (I listened to the audiobook) featuring layers of family secrets. Recommend to dark mystery and thriller fans. Tarot card readings a bonus. Good narration, too. #secrets #audiobooks

Indie bookstore day special editions to gift. Including The Cheese of cheese-touch fame!! #bookhaul #indiebookstoreday

Easter is about hope. May we all find moments of hope in these dark times. Happy Easter to those who celebrate! #happyeaster

Enjoying this audiobook I got from Libby with my library card. Had a fever yesterday, & the upside was I could nap & listen... gotta love checking out a good audiobook with your library card for free! #amlistening #audiobooks

Good read in the "Who Was" series for kids 9-11 who enjoy books like "Charlie and The Chocolate Factory." Dahl had an adventurous life, made a comment or 2 he rightfully had to apologize for, and lost family members to illness/accidents. This is explained in kid-friendly ways, but too complicated for kids under 9. 4.5 stars. #kidlit #roalddahl

Had to buy it used, but Pandito is excited for another volume of Calef Brown poetry! Pandito loves to celebrate poetry month by reading the wonderfully weird poems of Calef Brown! #poetry #kidlit

Can't wait to spend time with Vera later this month! #newin #mysteries

Whether you peacefully march, call & write letters to Congress, boycott, educate, donate to civil rights groups &/or provide childcare, thank you for however you resist, American bookworms! #handsofflibraries #handsoffschools #resist

Happy We Need Diverse Books Day! Panda & Red Wolf have a few suggested reads for kids. ("Ada Twist, Scientist," also great, is somewhere in basement, lol.) #kidlit #kidsneeddiversebooks

This is not a drill, America. Call congress today & demand staff at IMLS be reinstated. Hands off public libraries! #callCongress #defendlibraries

She treasured expressive words as "some girls might have treasured jewels." I'm taking a course to hone the skills to add line editing to my developmental editing service for fiction writers. My prof. suggested we read this book. #writing #editing

📚Americans: Please contact Congress. Even if you think your reps. support libraries, they need reminders to stay strong against the bullies in our gov. Readers across America thank you! 📚#librarymagic #resist

Americans, please take 5 min to take a stand for our wonderful, crucial libraries: https://app.oneclickpolitics.com/campaign-page?cid=9CyapZUB9sorxFLO4J0c&lang=en #protectlibraryfunding

Am reading. #womenwriters #weekendreading

Time to reread & then share Atwood's all-too-relevant classic in our LFL... #Atwood #womenwriters #lfl

Thank you, American teachers & school librarians! I stand with you and Moms Rising to oppose cuts to public education. Parents & Moms Rising appreciate you! Learn more: https://www.momsrising.org #fundeducation #protectourkids #thankyouteachers

👁️Sunglasses & sleep mask needed after reading this Stoker-award-nominated chiller about a Korean-American college student trapped between racist, chauvinistic men and her growing hunger for eyeballs. Unique, clever, scary read during my work trip to Hawaii. I am now afraid of eyeballs. 👁️ #horror #unique #clever #diversebooks

Not for book group or black history month, but he's local and damn it's good! Dolly Cat & I were up late reading... #creepy #great #currentread

Inspiring true story of an African girl who is adopted by an American and works hard to become a ballerina. Great illustrations. White dance teachers try to get her to quit ballet and dance jazz or hip-hop, but she never gives up on her dreams. This true story includes a positive portrayal of international, transracial adoption, so if that offends you, ok, pass on this one. #blackhistory #blackauthors #kidlit

Inventive, character driven, classic soft sci-fi. A woman loses her family & most of humanity to war and is forced to start again amongst a strange race of alien "traders." #5stars #scifi #blackauthors

Classic for a reason. Survival & impossible hope. Stayed in my heart & mind for 20 years. #readthisnow #5stars #blackauthors

Read & learn while those in power intentionally spread confusion. (Pic via Insta Thief of Memory.) #reading

"You must praise the mutilated world..." Trying to find beauty amidst the bleak... for at least four years... #poetry #hope

Friendship. Destruction. Demons of the storm & sea. If Stand by Me were set in Puerto Rico during a hurricane...and there was a monster. One of the best books I read this year! #noir #horror #friendship

Great gift haul from my local indie bookstore, Copper Dog Books, on this small business Saturday! All set for family gifts and my contribution to my book group‘s Holiday Wishes family. #givebooks

Privilege of quiet by the fire at my sister‘s house. Time to dive in to the dark promise of intense noir.

Who went overboard at the Friends of the Library used book sale? Def not me! It‘s all for the library, right? 😉

Laundry or reading horror and fantasy stories? Dolly Cat votes reading. #catlady

It‘s another great day to buy spec fic by African-American authors. #shortfiction #blackauthors

Dolly Cat encourages Americans to vote! Local gov and School Board elections matter too, to support libraries & oppose book bans. Yay, democracy! #pleasevote