Have you found your weirdos yet? 🫶🏻 + My 9 August reads
About a year ago, I joined a two-hour writing class. It was a cold, grey Saturday afternoon, and I was praying that the class's 12-2 PM time block would result in a full nap for the youngest member of my household so I didn’t have to log out of the class early.
During these two hours, the instructor recommended connecting with other writers and forming accountability groups. "Give yourself the parameters of having to check in with other people," he said, "people doing the same thing you're doing." This can help keep your butt in the seat, energize you to grind on your project, etc.
Who would have thought that one-time, relatively unhelpful course would put four other weirdos just like me into my life. Weirdos who also wanted to find a beautiful place in the mountains to write all day.
Someone told me once they're surprised about how much money I'm willing to spend on the writing process (classes, conferences, retreats, cool gear, etc.). I can think of far more expensive hobbies, but, sure, OK.
I also think there may be a misconception that because creative writing can be a bit...ummmm...hard (or is painful a reasonable word?) sometimes, it's not enjoyable.
To the contrary.
Consider this: while it's not my cup of tea to risk life and limb climbing up freezing cold mountains, I understand that people really get a lot of pleasure and enjoyment from it anyway. And spend a lot of money to do it as noted above.
It's certainly true that you can be a writer by parking your butt in front of a piece of paper or a word processor, keep it solo, never see anybody or even hear anybody. Having tried to just hole myself and write, I can tell you doing full-hermit is crazy-making. One of the only reasons I've made big leaps in my output and also in the quality of my writing is because I'm regularly interacting with other writers.
Plus it's hard as an adult to meet people who think a lot like you do, who like the same things.
And so...drumroll please!
Enter stage left my own cast of other weirdos (four plus me to be exact)–a group of women somewhere in their late 20's to early 60's–all working on different projects, coming from different background, and having different goals. Yet we have the important, central things in common: we all love to read, we all love to write, and we love to talk about both of those things.
Our group formed in a very ad hoc way, when one of our members reached out to a larger group taking the previously-mentioned two-hour writing workshop.
"Is anyone interested in a writing accountability group?" my brave friend posed to the whole audience of attendees.
About 10 of us signed up from there, and 5 of us showed up, and other than the cost of the two-hour course, the time we spend together comes at no cost. In fact, I've reaped incalculable benefits. Not only have they made me better as a writer, they've made me look like a cool person who can make real friends! At almost 40? Wow!
The moral of this story is to go find your own weirdos! They are out there. And don't let people tell you that your hobby is weird.
Should they persist in this discourse, ask them to explain why they like their own hobby so much and the cracks of their own weirdness will start to show–that I can promise you.
Book Reviews!
Here is just a rundown of my August book list–it was a good'n, guys.
The Knight and the Moth, by Rachel Gillig
Rating: DNF
Genre & Vibes: Romantasy qua romantasy
Super Short Synopsis: An orphan joins a kind of convent where said orphans are used as mediums/oracles to interpret omens from the Invisible. She and the others must be physically drowned to do their oracling. A hot knight arrives with the new king and a bunch of other dudes. Shenanigans ensue.
Review: I think Rachel Gillig is a real talent, and this book is good. But I could intuit each turn the story was going to take and with my new mantra of "so little books, so little time" I've been quick to DNF things that don't grip me or present something new/exotic. That isn't to say I didn't like it. The world Gillig built is interesting, the main character is independent, fierce, spunky (and you know I love my women when they're bad-a$$), but my TBR calls, so I had to abandon this one. Might return one day.
Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng, by Kylie Lee Baker
Rating: 5/5
Squick Factor: 4/5
Genre & Vibes: Literary Horror/Mental health + sister d(t)ra(u)ma + COVID lockdown
Super Short Synopsis: Cora Zeng works for a crime-scene cleanup crew. She's been abandoned by a lot of people, save her half-sister and her great aunt. Her aunt tries to convince her to burn special paper during the month of September. Burning the paper is believed to sate hungry ghosts, keep them away. Cora does not burn the paper. Uh oh. Shenanigans ensue.
Review: If you like horror, you'll like this book. We're talking maximum tension throughout. I appreciate the unreliability of our titular narrator Cora Zeng; but also Cora is, herself, a stone-cold bad-a$$. You will really like her friends too–a whole lot. Also, her aunt! Lady, can you be MY aunt please? Because you are a QUEEN.
I think everyone should read this book, actually, because the writing and beats are excellent. The problem is the book is squick-y (in a way I love, but others may not). Some of the crime scene stuff is 🤯. Let's just say it's...creative. So, I have to be reasonable and not try to shove this novel into the hands of every person I know. In any case, I would set this comfortably into the subgenre of LITERARY horror for sure.
Rest Stop, by Nat Cassidy
Rating: 3/5
Squick Factor: 5/5
Genre & Vibes: Horror/Terrifying + blood and gutz
Super Short Synopsis: A guy goes into a rest stop for a quick pee, only to find he's locked inside the bathroom. Then a bunch of creepy-crawly creatures fall out of the ceiling onto him. Believe it or not, that is the least gross and scary part. Shenanigans ensue.
Review: I definitely enjoyed this, because something isn't quite snapped together right in my brain. It is very gross. I wouldn't call it full splatterpunk or anything, but it's pretty gnarly. Nat Cassidy is just a great horror writer, so he's on my auto-read list. It's short (a novella) and the ending is...woof. But yes, you need to be a regular reader of the ick to enjoy this book, so steer clear otherwise.
We Spread, by Iain Reid
Rating: 3.5/5
Squick Factor: 1.5
Genre & Vibes: Literary Horror/Loneliness in aging
Super Short Synopsis: An elderly woman is forced into an old folk's home after she endures a fall. Why? Well her very dead partner (who's been dead awhile) said so (via his estate documents), and also some dude who manages the woman's apartment complex said so. The Director of the old folks' home is a big weirdo. Something about the residents is...off. Something about the whole place is also off. Shenanigans ensue.
Review: After the magnificence of I'm Thinking of Ending Things and Foe, I will admit this one didn't hit me like those two did, but Iain Reid's third novel stays on the radar, for sure. We Spread is a solid piece of fiction, and absolutely worth the read. I love that the POV is entirely from a strong woman in her '70s; sure she's succumbing to the natural effects of aging, but she's no pushover. Reid treats her, and his other characters at the old folks' home, with a lot of respect, love, and care. I'm impressed Reid didn't do the cheap thing and draw elderly caricatures. He gives these characters agency, they are interesting people with interesting lives.
As noted, the woman running the place is tres bizarre. And then everything else gets pretty wacky in the last 20%. As with I'm Thinking of Ending Things, Reid's ending in We Spread is up for interpretation, but I think that's the right way to go and I'm happy for the head-scratcher.
The Last One At the Wedding, by Jason Rekulak
Rating: 3.5/5
Squick Factor: 1/5
Genre & Vibes: Family Thriller/Rich people behaving badly
Super Short Synopsis: A Boomer Dad is invited to his estranged daughter's wedding to an ultra-wealthy heir of some tech fortune. The Dad is, at first, elated just to hear from her. Then he meets the future husband. And then the future husband's family. And then the Boomer Dad goes to their weird rich-people compound. Uh oh. Shenanigans ensue.
Review: Our protagonist is a blue-collar guy who has worked hard in his life, but is, let's say, a bit cantankerous. He often doesn't "see what all the fuss is about" and what not. I didn't think I'd enjoy a novel voiced by a male Boomer who lives alone, but Rekulak hits only the high notes, avoiding cheap hits like making cracks about "how nobody wants to work anymore" or something boring.
Instead, Jason Rekulak uses the boomer's POV to show how 'apart' the narrator/dad is from the mega-wealthy people that he's inheriting by marriage (like, Jeff Bezos level).
As we move through the mystery with Dad, we learn more about what's lurking beneath the idyllic life of this weird-as-hell family. And maybe there's more going on with the daughter than we previously thought. If you like books like Lucy Foley's The Guest List or anything by Tana French or Ruth Ware, this is the book for you.
A Resistance of Witches, by Morgan Ryan
Rating: 4.5/5
Genre & Vibes: Historical Spec Fiction/Nazi killin'
See review here!
Human Rites (Book 3 of Her Majesty's Royal Coven), by Juno Dawson
Rating: 5/5
Genre & Vibes: Millennial Spec Witch Fiction/For the girls and gays
Super Short Synopsis: As mentioned in the last edition, I was nearing completion of this one and damnit if the story didn't just get better. This final installment of the series is EPIC. We follow our fave gurlz as they begin their ultimate showdown with Lucifer, Leviathan, and Satanis, who want to destroy humanity. There are a lot of surprises, and the book is very fresh. Shenanigans ensue.
Review: An absolute romp. Real stakes. Real consequences. Brave, bad-a$$ women. And time loops! I mean, I cannot express well enough how much fun this series was, I was gasping in surprise every few dozen pages or so. If you haven't started with Book 1, definitely start there–I actually think this last book is the best one, but you'll have to let me know if you disagree.
Bird Box, by Josh Malerman
Rating: 5/5
Squick Factor: 0/5
Genre & Vibes: SCARY AS SH!T
Super Short Synopsis: The apocalypse came, thanks to the arrival of creatures who turn people homicidal/suidical if they look upon said creatures for even a moment. One mom must navigate a boat on a river with her two four-year-olds to find what might be left of humanity. And they must do with this blindfolds on.
Review: I read this in 24 hours, I couldn't put it down. I guess I shouldn't be surprised because I also inhaled Malerman's Incidents Around the House, which was also scary as sh!t, though in more of a haunted house way.
Bird Box is full of ratcheting tension. Malerman draws the main character Malorie so well–she's not so perfect, guys. This is one woman in a doomsday scenario that isn't exactly unwavering in her values. Malorie makes bad choices sometimes, but damn it, girlfriend is a survivor. She's trained her children to live in this awful new world, to be able to hear every single thing so they can safely navigate it. All with the goal of getting out of the house she's basically been trapped in for five years, and the children have spent their entire lives up to that point.
I mean seriously I was screaming in the middle of the night hiding under my covers reading this book. And there is NO squick. It's just tension and dreaddddd. If you watched the movie, but haven't read the book, I still highly recommend the reading experience.
A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping, by Sangu Mandanna
Rating: 4/5
Genre: Spec Witch Fiction/Cozy cottagecore
Super Short Synopsis: Sera Swan loses all of her powers, oopsie (but did she tho?). She cares for her teenage cousin and bad-a$$ great aunt, and they run an charming inn full of oddballs. A handsome stranger comes to town. What could go wrong? Of course, shenanigans ensue!
Review: Sometimes you think "I'll read this because it looks so KEWT" and then it's MORE than kewt, it totally exceeds your expectations for the genre, still surprises you. This is one of those times. It's fun and quick and snappy, but also delivers on some heavy, meaningful themes. And the found family...😭. The. Sweetest. There is a great bad guy, some great sort-of-bad-guys that get their shit together in the end, and oh yeah–a swoon-worthy romance. Not to mention a talking fox. 🦊
Well that's it! As usual, thanks for sticking through with me to the end. I've been getting some really kind feedback on this newsletter and it feels so darn nice. So thank you, THANK YOU for that and continuing to read!
Have a great week, and read banned books.
ILSYM,
Charlotte
Author Site: charlottechamberswriter.com
IG: having.written
BlueSky: having-written.bsky.social
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