One of my current audio books, narrated by Bronson Pinchot @ 40% and this soft surrealism novella feels like a bit of an acid trip to explain....🙃

One of my reading quirks is that if I read a terrible book, I must immediately follow up with a better book on the same sub-genre. Last night I finished Serafini's “Feeders“, a novel filled with unlikeable characters, heavy reliance on slang & in need of editing. I'll admit that the ending was a bit bonkers, but 400 pages of Main Character Energy from all of the characters gets tiring. It ended up as one of my lowest rated books this (CONT)

After watching some new movies over the past month I have rearranged my top movies of the year, and my top 5* (7) definitely looks different. As of today these are my rankings for movies released in this unholy year (2025):
*Sinners
*Frankenstein
*Weapons
*Eddington
*The Monkey
*Long Walk
*Companion

Today I read the vast majority of this 400 page novel, about young social media influencers, that get sucked into the disturbing app:MonoLife. One aspect that really bugs me is the use of free indirect speech: that is third person POV while allowing the writer liberties of first person. This has been a great device for many years, but Serafini seems to want to have it with all angles: have the MC be a psycho and sympathetic, but pretty much (Cont)

Twins Jack (Jacqueline) & Jill (Jillian) find themselves in a strange land in book 2 of McGuire's Wayward Children Series, read by the author. One decides to stay in a mansion with the master, while the other leaves to learn science. There is a reveal approximately halfway through the novella which I won't spoil, but I feel added an additional sinister layer to what to that point had felt like a fairy tale. I will say that this is a novella (Cont)

I have been using Goodreads for a decade and have never been as gobsmacked by the annual reader choices as this year. No graphic novel/manga category, allowing 3 McFadden nominations in the Mystery/Thriller category..I'm not naive, I know that the GR awards have always been based on reader sales, but this year honestly feels like a total joke. Also, very bizarre as there are tons of sales of manga...why remove this category?!

With as much as I've posted about SK, it's pretty obvious that I'm definitely a Constant Reader, but some of the discourse is just ridiculous. Two of my top 6 favorite movies of the year have been King adaptations. I have yet to watch the new HBO series, one thing I loved when I read the Dark Tower years ago was seeing the connections but recently it's gotten a bit out of hand (see image). Pennywise in the Running Man? Really?! Clickbait!

This is not the cover of the copy of the book I read, but I'm using it as Magritte is a favorite. The tagged book, one of Simenon's Romans Durs, tells of a murdered woman discovered a few blocks away from the title character. As the police interview witnesses, the concierge of the building where Hire lives states she “thinks that maybe“ she let Hire inside the building late the night of the murder. A towel with a few blood spots is found (CONT)

*Setting out of office notifications on outlook (So satisfying)
*The support received on here with what my brother recently experienced, truly means so much 💙
*Finding that there's an audio book of the tagged read by Bronson Pinchot
*Books
*Hats for days when I have to wake ungodly early that read: Born to read books, forced to read emails
@debinhawaii #5joysfriday

I feel serious deja vu looking at this cover.... first book that springs to mind is the truly excellent Ghost Variations by Brockmeier, but I feel that there's others

As someone who greatly respects Robbie, including her role in the recent adaptation of Emma, & who loved Elordi as the creature in Del Toro's Frankenstein, my two word response to the Wuthering Heights trailer?: No, thanks. Ew. (Okay, that was 3, but this is my favorite Bronte book & as many others have pointed out, it is not a love story)

Late posting, but I love this question: the long friendship between Sam Mesur and Sadie Green. Also can't forget their loyal friend Marx. Also adding: Frodo Baggins and Samwise (I love the theory of Samwise being the true hero of LoTr). Sherlock & Watson, the Losers Club in IT, several great friendships in French's DMS series & finally: Jon Snow & Samwell from ASOIAF.
@bookmarktavern

It's been a few years since I read the first Wayward Children book, I noticed that volume 2 was available via Libby and thought it would be perfect for #novellanovember Narrated by McGuire, who is a fantastic audio narrator, I'm so glad I checked this out. Audio book plans from now through the end of next week: finish the McGuire, the Lucy Rose and listen to the Running Man. On top of regular physical books.

A man finds himself in Hell's waiting room after dying in a car accident. Baffled, as he was convinced that he would be going to a heavenly afterlife due to his Mormon beliefs, he discovers that there is one true religion it just doesn't happen to be Mormonism (the reveal of the religion made me chuckle). He is then dispatched to a Hell that seems especially suited for him as someone who loved reading while alive. Based on Borges' story (CONT)

Two more days and my full week of PTO will be brought to life ⚡🔌 Books, movies, restaurants I haven't visited in a hot minute, books, books, late nights doing whatever I want.. it's going to be glorious.... I'll be like Frankenstein's creature enjoying a smoke 🚬
#weirdwords #PTO
@cbee

Incoming rant: questioning humanity when brother tells me that a customer says something along the lines of, “No wonder there was a shooting, when you can't fill a prescription on time“ JFC. Thankfully this particular beam of sunshine was banned. *Note, there's a 24 hour location literally 15 minutes away.It costs *so* little to be decent to one another, yet seems to be the biggest struggle for some.

I had previously read So Late In the Day, Keegan's story collection & was honestly a bit underwhelmed. Small Things etc was the exact opposite experience. To say I loved it is an understatement. One of the greatest novellas I've ever read. I do have to say that the discourse on it makes it seem like a seasonal book & while the experience is probably enhanced by reading it during the fall/,winter, the underlying message of religious (CONT)

Current audio book. Still have 5 plus hours, but it's pretty intriguing so far.

#10beforetheend update:
I read, & very much enjoyed Botchan. Considered a classic in Japan, it made me laugh & although it is not a point for point comparison to Catcher in the Rye, it had not a phoney vibes.
Will definitely be listening to The Running Man on audio this week.
Planning to slot the Highsmith in during murder Holidays.
Definitely want to read the Clark story collection (loved Penance) & ideally I will finish the Indian Lake (Cont)

I have not seen the adaptation, nor is this technically a song selection for #tuesdaytunes but rather a post to encourage you to read this incredible portrait of what warfare is really like. I think that it's very unfair to cast it as anti-war, as it is a realistic portrait of WWI trench warfare told in prose so evocative that it could have been published today. Magnificent!
PS-if you need a smile then watch the independent YouTube video (Cont)

Despite the temperature dropping into the 30s & coffee chains releasing their winter menu, I refuse to let fall go 🍁 My reading forecast for the week is A Short Stay in Hell and The Running Man on audio (listening w/ both earbuds on & looking annoyed when someone has tried to talk to me at work has proved v effective!) Physically will start Downing's Too Old For This, continue Mrs Dalloway & dip into the latest Datlow. Might (CONT)

Vercher's novel opens with our narrator experiencing a very convincing, crippling panic attack on the way to his teenage son's funeral. Soon after the funeral he receives a notice that a sizable portion of land has legally passed to him, as it was meant to be given to his son when he reached adulthood. The narrator travels there with the intent of quickly selling it & moving on but things soon become complicated. Vercher's novel has shades (CONT)

I've read a couple of Hard Case Crime books recently (including a lost novel by James Cain!);and the tagged book, from the author of the source material of Hitchcock's masterpiece, is most likely going to end up on my best of the year list. An existential, intriguing, crime story that had me hooked from the first page! I currently have 3 Hard Case books checked out that look very reliable, including one with a Tarantino blurb. Will update!

Set in an alternate UK in the 80's, we follow Charlie & Miranda after the purchase of an AI-Adam. They each set half of Adam's personality which sets up an interesting dynamic for the rest of the book. This is alternative history exactly as I like it, where there are certain real events present but on a different timeline from our own history, or some events occur with a different outcome (ie Alan Turing is alive & very much a celebrity). (CONT)

I want to thank everyone who commented/reached out after I posted about the workplace shooting that my brother went through last Thursday. I don't really want to go through too many specifics online, as that's not my place. Needless to say there were a few times Friday that when I started thinking about it too much I felt extremely nauseated. Again, thanks to everyone who posted comments. I hope that this leads to some meaningful changes.

This was a random library find & I'm glad I picked it up. Aliens is one of my favorite horror franchises & this medieval spin does not disappoint. Set in the world of Ataegina, there are several holds with their own customs, politics, gender dynamics & religions. Groups of runners (usually 3) are sent on missions between the holds to trade info & goods. This is a highly dangerous position as the demons (xenomorphs) are roaming free. There's (Cont)

Published by Aardvark & featured as one of the October selections, the eight stories are all by authors that Aardvark has previously included in their monthly picks. I felt somewhat indifferent about the first 3, but the rest were all solid. Favorites were by Harrison, Leede and the title story by SG Jones.

A text received from my brother this afternoon at his work place....a block away from my work place. Said fatality results in active shooting evacuation, employee fatality and police stand off. America, stay classy 😡🤬

I lived in lofts (literally named The Library Lofts) shortly after the downtown KC library opened with its now famous wall of book spines. My apartment was a mere block away, so needless to say I spent a lot of time there. I have since read a few of the selected books for the display, & they have become favorites, however Rachel Carson's groundbreaking Silent Spring remains on my TBR. #earthy @eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

My #weirdwords of the day is the title of Dickens' novel. Legislation was recently passed in my R state that at the end of the calendar year, PTO exceeding 40 hrs will be automatically deposited into the company FML account. Problem is: several employees (including myself) maxed out their FML account years ago, but as we all know Rs don't want to interfere im business 🤬 Anywho, as difficult as it was to find a FULL week off the week before (CONT)

Have read 50 pages (about 1/4) of this gem....& highly suspect it's going to be a new favorite of all-time. Just... speechless

I just posted about*not* seeing Florence & the Machines, however I was extremely fortunate to attend a reading of Saunders the week he won the Booker for Lincoln etc. Saunders is the modern age Vonnegut, chronicling our #twilight with the attendant absurdity and humor it deserves. The tagged book, aside from featuring one of the more humorous and topical, titles in years is a good starting place & showcase of his absurdities/wonders.

My #tuesdaytunes is the entire new Florence & the Machines album: Everybody Scream. In 2011 I was living in MN, that August I attended an incredible 2 day music festival featuring: Devotchka, The New Pornographers, Okkervil River, Flaming Lips and more. The following year promised to top it & I immediately bought tickets, sadly it was cancelled due to lack of sales. I do recall Jane's Addiction, Weezer and Florence and the Machines (CONT)

It feels so bizarre going online and championing B&N, knowing their history in the pricing wars with many indie bookstores but sadly for many communities they are one of the only brick and mortar book retail spaces. The film adaptation of Die, My Love is being released this weekend and the book is not available anywhere except my local B&N. I'm NGL, if my local B&n closed the closest bookstore would be around 20 minutes away. While that (CONT)

Bar owner Jimmy is retiring & planning on selling Lillies, a spot for hipsters and the well off in the now trendy, but once crime ridden Red Hook. Bartender Erin is hoping to buy the bar but Jimmy refuses to sell & tells Erin an unusual story. This is labeled as a short story but with the audio clocking in at 2 hours it's more of a novelette. This is a careful what you wish for story. Pick!

What am I #grateful for? Every year at Thanksgiving we take turns saying one thing we are thankful for & for many years now my answer has been: books. It is of course, the characters, entertainment & wisdom that they have provided. Friends, really 💙 Also, all the wonderful connections I have made in the nearly decade (!!) I have been on Litsy, the best social media site for talking about books.
@alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs

Valente has been on my book radar since joining Litsy, I have yet to read one of her works, torn between Comfort Me With #apples and Radiance. Anyone have a favorite Valente?
@alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs

Starring Jeremy Irons, among others, this upcoming movie tells of the 36-39 British colonial rule of Palestine. This set the stage for other violent occupations. Netanyahu is a war criminal and a thug who should be arrested. Hamas is definitely not an organization to admire. However, there's clear war crimes being committed in Palestine at the moment and you can hardly blame the population for their lack of good leadership. If that was the (Cont)

Tryon's The Other is one of my favorite creepy NYRB titles and I've heard rave reviews about #harvest home I highly recommend the other, but will definitely be checking out Tryon's other work
@alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs

Halfway through & the Rachel Harrison story is definitely my favorite so far:
“Maybe,“ he'd said, failing to effectively conceal his disappointment. Travis had a scientific mind & a strong moral code. If we'd live in ancient Greece, he would have been a great thinker, a philosopher. But we lived in the twenty-first century, so he he worked in software development...

I read this underhyped gem early last month & if you plan on participating in #novellanovember I def recommend this one, which clocks in at 176 pages & can be read in one sitting. A pandemic has swept the world: if people make eye contact with one another they become homicidal. Yes, def echoes of Bird Box but I honestly feel like Moraine (& I do love Malerman) pulls off this concept much better, as the reader is (CONT)

The opening chapter of Sigurdardottir's The Legacy had my heart in my throat. While her husband is away at a medical conference, Elisa is woken up in the middle of the night by her daughter Margret who tells her that she saw a man sitting in the living room. This kicks off one of the best scandi crime books I have read in a very long time with twisted crimes, great characters, a propulsive plot & thoughtful commentary on social issues. Loved it!

November Aardvark selections are live. This is what I picked. What did you choose?

I feel like Wylding Hall is one of the ultimate Rorschach books. I listened to the full cast audio (highly recommend) and all day I have been going back & forth on my opinion. Ambiguous in the way that the best Tremblay/ Jackson books were. If Daisy Jones & the 6 had to record their new album in a strange possibility haunted English countryside house and Daisy went missing afterwards, this is Hand's book. A head scratcher, ambiguous pick! Loved!!

It's been a couple of years since I've participated in NF Nov, I'm going to attempt to do so this year. Here's my pile of possibilities. I will consider it a success if I read 3
*We Wish To Inform You That You Will Be Killed With Your Families
*Sacco: Palestine
*Dench: Shakespeare -The Man Who Pays the Rent
*Flanders -The Invention of Murder
*“When the Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day
*Feeding Ghosts
“Ducks-Beaton
*Keefe-Snakehead

One of the biggest, and greatest, changes in my reading life this year has been incorporating fiction audio books. I'd previously only been able to concentrate on NF audio, but made a real effort this year to incorporate fiction audio & some of my best reading experiences have been via this media: from my first read of the yr Haynes' Stoneblind to Annie bot to the epic Book of Longing & now thanks to audio I'm going to be able to squeeze (Cont)

Library therapy wins over retail therapy imo (gentler on the wallet). Swallows is the new one by Kirino, author of Out

Question, Littens: I loved Tommy Orange's There There. If you felt the same & have also read Wandering Stars, do you recommend WS? So many books, etc etc. Thanks for your input!

I made a Halloween playlist. Creepy 2025, check it out if you feel inclined:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6fDiwwg2xG94zEuibqjE61
#tuesdaytunes @tiedyedude

Draculas is an interesting horror novel co-written by 4 (that's right 4) authors: Jeff Strand, Blake Crouch, Jack Kilborn & F. Paul Wilson. Millionaire & eccentric collector Moorecock shows up at the ER with convulsions, after placing the elongated teeth of a skull bought from Romania against his neck. Chaos quickly ensues in the hospital as a vampire (or as they are referred here) dracula outbreak ensues. Told from multiple POVs, what this (CONT)