So if you’ve been subscribed to the newsletter for a while now you know that I occasionally like to break up the weekly books recs to talk about something horror-related, or horror reading–related in this case — that has caught my attention. This week it’s reader burnout, finding your niche(s) in the genre, and having that be okay. Horror is a massive genre. We have the full complement of sub-genres, and our sub-genres have sub-genres/categories/things....

About Us: Essays from the Disability Series of The New York Times, edited by Peter Catapano and Rosemarie Garland-Thomson (September 3, 2019 from Liveright Publishing) The title of this collection comes from the phrase “Nothing about us without us,” which is a motto that has been adopted by many disability rights groups. It is comprised of essays published in the NYT from writers like Rivers Solomon, Emily Rapp Black, and Andrew Solomon, to name a few, about a wide variety of disabilities, issues related to disability rights, and more generally about living with a disability—falling in love, relationships, family, accessibility, and work....

Alice Lesperance and Samantha Puc are the two brains behind Fatventure, a space where fat folx of all shapes, backgrounds, abilities, sexualities (both Lesperance and Pac are lesbians), and gender identities can talk about their experiences without any fear or worry about diet culture or weight loss appearing in the conversation. More specifically, they wanted to give space for talking about fitness and activity — two things that, as a fat woman myself, has been an area I’ve never felt comfortable talking about or taking up space in because of how quickly those conversations can devolve into something wholly unhealthy....

I still remember, with a little shame, my first childhood reading of Anne Frank’s diary. Our teachers wanted us to focus on the injustices stomping their furious feet just outside Anne’s door, I was swept up in the minutiae of family life and squabbles, even if those squabbles happened in an attic. “For a long time we ate nothing but endive. Endive with sand, endive without sand, endive with mashed potatoes, endive and mashed potato casserole....

I’ll admit this weakness is completely narcissistic – and a fantasy. I’m a sucker for books that both reflect my former trade (I was a news hound for nine years) in all its pomp, pretension and amphetamine-pace and allows my mind to race into places this profession could have taken me, but–thanks to my desire to maintain relationships, innate cowardice, love of a functioning liver, and position as arts correspondent–never did....

Whether you’re new to witchy books or are looking to add some more great options to your TBR, let’s dive into some outstanding new books that have hit shelves this year. Don’t like especially scary books or want more sweet witch stories? Never fear. Those are well represented here, too. Bonus: Tirzah highlighted a ton more YA witch books publishing this year, and I’ve not repeated any below. Twice the witchy goodness!...

Popular science books are written for the average person. They are usually written by scientists who study the topic, but can also be written by science journalists or other writers who find themselves drawn to a particular facet of the world. I’ve come to love popular science books over the last few years, and it’s given me a new appreciation for the world and nature and animals and my body and just, everything....

Since 1996, Binc has provided over $6.9 million in financial assistance and scholarships (for both higher education and industry events) to 7,600 families. You may have heard of their largest annual fundraiser, Bank on Booksellers, which has been postponed due to the ongoing public health emergency. Their latest campaign, #SaveIndieBookstores, has provided over $200,000 in financial assistance to help booksellers impacted by the crisis. There are ten sock designs available, including socks from Jane Mount (Ideal Bookshelf), Jeffrey Brown (Jedi Academy), and Out of Print....

Not all jobs are at an office (especially right now), so I’m expanding the term “office romance” to include general workplace romance, because the whole thing about an office romance is the work environment, the forced proximity, and the dynamic that this specific environment creates. Working side-by-side during long hours, “hating” your co-worker because they are just as good as you on a task, or even partnering up on a project together — any of these aspects can lead to a beautiful love story....

“A daring tightrope walk of a novel.”- AJ Finn, author of the #1 NYT Bestselling The Woman in the Window Told from the perspectives of a mother and daughter separated by distance but united by an unbreakable bond, Freefall by Jessica Barry is a riveting debut written with the intensity of Luckiest Girl Alive and Before the Fall, about two tenacious women overcoming unimaginable obstacles to protect themselves and those they love....

As a successful reporter, Susie Cruise was used to reporting the news not becoming it, but when a careless driver mows down her little girl that is exactly what happened. Grief-stricken, Susie and her husband, Roy, turn to the law for justice, but when the system fails them, grief soon turns to hate. Three years later, a chance encounter at a mountain vacation offers the tantalising prospect of retribution, but at what cost?...

Something has gone terribly wrong at the Banks wedding. A man is dead. Four different women rush to offer confessions, each insisting that they committed the crime—alone. Ginger’s life is coming apart at the seams, and this wedding weekend is not the fabulous getaway she anticipated. Kate has enough money to buy her way out of anything. Well, almost anything. Emily can’t shake her reputation or her memories, and she’s planning to drown this whole vacation in a bottle....

And of course I also really enjoyed writing about some translated board books (translated from another language into English I mean) I found during my hunt, so I recommend those for your reading pleasure as well. However, I could still use more. I was surprised that not only is there a lot of choice out there, but not all of it is up to my personal standards. After reading about new board books for 2022, I now have a slightly better idea of why so I encourage you to read that piece as well....

I am new to the Washington, D.C. area and one of the reasons I was excited about the move was the sakura. According to The Smithsonian’s article “Significance of Sakura: Cherry Blossom Traditions in Japan”, “Cherry blossoms are a symbolic flower of the spring, a time of renewal, and the fleeting nature of life. Their life is very short. After their beauty peaks around two weeks, the blossoms start to fall....

Mary Robinette Kowal won for best novel with The Calculating Stars, which also won the Nebula Award. That makes it the 25th novel to win both since 1966. It’s a feminist, alternate history of a 1950s affected by climate change, where Elma joins the International Aerospace Coalition to help its efforts to colonize space before humanity is wiped out. It’s the first book in a series. Kowal was presented the award by ACTUAL LADY ASTRONAUT JEANETTE J....

As a book lover, it can be easy to give gifts to other book lovers. What’s better than purchasing a book on their long TBR? Or buying them one of your favorites? (Okay, sometimes it can be hard when you or the receiver is in a reading slump, but you understand, right?) With that said, we all have a variety of interests. I may love books, but I’m also very interested in traveling and art....

Putting together a list of horror mangaka, though? That’s tricky. What one reader considers scary might not even register on the radar for another. Some horror mangaka may create work that may not seem terrifying on an individual panel basis but in context and as a whole, will make you shudder. To that end, this list considers different styles and categories. I like to include many options to suit all tastes and preferences, after all....

And, really, the appeal of the sub-genre isn’t that strange when you think about it. There’s nothing that makes you appreciate the control of your body more than watching a fictional character struggle, and sometimes fail, to regain theirs. I think the sub-genre is definitely wider-encompassing, too. It’s not just demons and exorcisms, though plots like that do still feature heavily. But, think of the body takeover in The Fly, the parasites of Puppet Masters, the thing in The Thing....