Month: December 2023

The best books of 2023

Christmas is over. 2023 is basically over. And it has been a hell of a year. There have been some wonderful moments. Book launches, conventions, birthdays and holidays. But there have been some not-so-great things as well. Mostly the world is still on fire.

But that’s not what we’re here to talk about. Today, we’re here to talk about the best books I’ve read this year.

And it’s been a good year for books, let me tell you. I’ve discovered several new authors that I am in love with. And I can’t wait to share my list with you.

Some of these books I reviewed on Haunted MTL. If you’re interested in reading them, I’ll include links.

Dread Nation/Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland

I talked about these books in my mid-year check-in, and I’m still just not over how good they are. If you like historical fiction, zombies, or just great storytelling, you should read these books.

Cord Magic by Brandy Williams

This is the only nonfiction book to make it onto my list. But it deserves the position. I learned so much from this book about magic. It is wonderful.

Silver Nitrate By Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Moreno-Garcia is one of my favorite authors, but I wasn’t as thrilled with her last book, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. So the fact that Silver Nitrate was such a fantastic book was honestly a relief.

It’s also got sort of a Christmas vibe. So if you’re not done with egg nog and fruit cake yet, it’s not a bad time to read it.

Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

This book was so much fun. Again, I did a whole review on Haunted MTL. As a fan of slasher flicks who also understands that they’re a bit shallow and exploitative, this book felt tailor-made for me.

Holly by Stephen King

I was looking forward to this book before it was even written, I’m pretty sure. Holly is such a pure, wonderful character. And this book was super fun.

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

If you loved Frankenstein, but always felt like Victor’s story was a little suspicious, this is the story for you. It’s dark, it’s thought-provoking, and it’s terrific.

Hide by Kiersten White

I picked up this book because I wanted a fun, scary romp through an abandoned amusement park. And I got that. But I also got a deep look at the terrors of inheritance and the lengths people will go to for privilege. This book is a wild ride, is what I’m saying.

Kind of like an amusement park ride.

Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine

I did not shut up about this book on Haunted MTL. I talked about it when I reviewed it. I talked about it when I was looking forward to the next season of American Horror Story. I talked about it the whole time I was reviewing American Horror Story. And I’ll probably still be talking about it when I review the second part of the latest American Horror Story season.

Go read this book, it’s awesome.

How to sell a haunted house by Grady Hendrix

I read this book in one day. It was amazing and sent me seeking every other book I could get my hands on by this author.

Again, I thought this book was going to be funny. I thought it was going to be a light romp through a haunted house while a haggard person tried to sell it. I was not expecting an introspective look at how we can pass down emotional trauma in a family while never even talking about it.

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

I told my therapist about this book because I was literally crying over this book and kind of being mean to my husband about it. I was angry at the male gender reading this book. But it was fantastic.

I loved this book more than most books I’ve read in the last five years. It was funny. It was sad. It hit every one of my real-world fear buttons before we even got to the vampire antagonist. This book was, in short, perfect.

So that’s the top ten best books I read in 2023. Now I want to hear what you think. What were your favorite reads this year? What are you looking forward to reading next year? Let us know in the comments. And I’ll see you next year.

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The books I’m reading this winter

Winter starts next week. So it’s time for my quarterly reading goals.

I wear a lot of hats in my life. I’m a writer, blogger, critic, and witch. What do all these things have in common? They demand lots and lots of reading. As such, every year my Goodreads goal gets bigger. And I would like to read something now and again just because it’s fun.

I can’t remember the last time I did a why it works post here.

In the hopes of being more intentional, which is my word of the year, I’m trying to make sure I’m hitting all my bases. So here are the twelve books I intend to read before spring. If you’re a writer, maybe you want to read some of these with me. If you’re a witch (or witch curious) you might find some fun books here. And if you just love reading, I’m sure there are some suggestions here.

Art Magick by Molly Roberts

Molly Roberts is such a wonderful, uplifting soul. I’ve been wanting to read this since it came out. It’s a collection of art magic spells, and I can’t wait to try some out.

The Witching Year by Diana Helmuth

I’m kind of cheating here because I already started this one before Christmas started and I began reading all Christmas books all the time. But so far it’s an incredible journey through the first year of witchcraft. And it feels very much like my first year of witchcraft.

This is going to hurt by Adam Kay

Every year I read Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas. And every year I say I’m going to read the proceeding book. And every year I forget. Well this year, I’m going to be intentional (see that word of the year in there?) and read it early.

Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty

I fell in love with Mur Lafferty listening to her podcast Ditch Diggers. And I’ve been meaning to read her book forever. I’m finally getting around to it this year, so help me.

Let the whole Thundering world come down by Natalie Goldberg

We know I love Natalie Goldberg. So when I found a memoir of hers that I hadn’t read yet, I had to add it to my list.

Where the gods left off by Sara Razteresen

Razteresen is a fellow Christian witch, and I’m fascinated to hear what she has to say about it. This book appears to be about other deities and their relationships with Christian witchcraft.

The Hacienda by Isabel Canas

Someone on Instagram described this book as Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca. And honestly, that’s all I needed. Oh, and there’s a witch priest.

New Moon Magic by Risa Dickens and Amy Torok

This cover grabbed my attention, and I love moon magic. So this was as well a no-brainer.

Welcome to Nightvale by Joseph Fink

While I’ve never listened to Welcome to Nightvale, I did listen to Alice Isn’t Dead. Then I read the book Alice Isn’t Dead because I loved it that much. I know that Welcome to Nightvale is his better-known podcast. So I’m excited to explore it.

Self Publishers Legal Handbook by Helen Sedwick

I know nothing about the legal aspects of self-publishing. I’ve self-published six novels. I should maybe learn about the legal side of self-publishing.

Save The Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody

Look, I don’t know what to tell you. I thought I should have read this one before now too. It’s a well-loved writing manual, and it’s past time I knew what the hell it has to say.

A Tea Witch’s Grimoire by S.M Harlow

I don’t want to say that tea is a gateway to witchcraft. But it was sure my gateway to herbs, and witchcraft.

I already have a few personal recipes for magical tea. But I could sure learn a ton more. It’s an incredibly complex subject.

So, that’s my winter reading list. Now, I want to hear from you. What are you planning to read this winter? Have you picked out your word for 2024, if you do words of the year? Let us know in the comments.

And I do want to let you know that I won’t be posting next week, as I’m taking some time off for the holiday. I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas, Yule, Hannukah (last night), or anything else that you’re celebrating. I’ll see you back here on the 29th.

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How I won Nanowrimo this year

We’re a week into December now, and most of us have put Nanowrimo aside for the year. And I have as well. I’m thrilled to be able to say that I did win this year.

Especially because last year I didn’t win. And I have to be honest, that kind of messed with me.

It really messed with me.

See, I always win Nano. I mean, I’ve been doing Nanowrimo or Nanoedmo every year since I started this blog. But last year, in addition to losing Nano, I turned 36. This year, I turned 37. And ever since last November, there’s been a little voice in the back of my mind, suggesting that I might be getting past my prime.

I might be slowing down.

All this to say, my confidence took a hit. And I’ve spent the past year trying to get that confidence back. Now that I won Nano, I’m feeling a lot better.

Winning Nanowrimo was a challenge. It required me to work in a way that I’d never done before. I disregarded all of my usual advice. Here’s what I did instead.

I just focused on hitting par every day.

In the past, I’ve tried to write more than 1,667 words at the start of November. And because of that, I got ahead of schedule.

And then I got cocky. And frankly, a little worn out. So I skipped a day or two. And that’s when I’d lose momentum.

This year, I focused on hitting par every day. Actually, I tried to hit 1,700 every day. This was manageable and sustainable. At least for a month. So I wasn’t feeling as burned out by writing 4,000 words in a day, and then expecting my brain to function creatively the next day.

I didn’t participate in a lot of online groups.

Well, that’s not entirely true. I did join a new writing group. But I wasn’t all that active. I’d jump on to commiserate or celebrate with other writers only after I’d reached my word count for the day.

Before, I was jumping into my groups and getting discouraged by all the people who were not getting their word counts in. Worse, I was irritated by anyone who was getting their words in. Were they better than me? Were they younger? Was I just lazy? No, it’s not that one, laziness doesn’t exist.

Was I just old?

Of course, it wasn’t any of those things. It was just that I was struggling. My struggle didn’t have anything to do with my fellow writers. And rather than letting them inspire me, I let their success condemn me.

This year, I wasn’t competing with anyone but me. It was just me and my word count, come hell or high water.

I didn’t attend write-ins

Write-ins are fun if you’ve got the time for them. They’re a great place to meet other writers and network.

And meeting other writers is a wonderful thing.

I’ve attended write-ins, study halls, and group work hours in the past. But I don’t do a lot of writing at them. At least not as much as if I were to just take the same amount of time to just write as I was taking to get to the event, do all the meet and greet events, and get settled into the location.

Plus, I used to have a little touch of social anxiety. Now, after Covid shutdowns working from home and generally not interacting with anyone for more than three minutes at a time, I have a lot of social anxiety. So when I try to write around other people, I’m focusing on all the wrong things. Are people looking at me? Does my shirt smell like cat pee? Is my lipstick smudged? Do I look like an introspective writer, working away at her project? Or do I look like a hunchbacked old woman trying to fit in with a bunch of kids?

None of this is helping me get words on the page. So I skipped the live events.

I didn’t write out in public, except for on the last day.

This point is similar to the last one. The year before I was making time to write in coffee shops, diners, and libraries. And yes, that is sometimes wonderful. But when I’m in crunch time, that is not the time to be writing in public. Writing at the library or my favorite coffee shop is for days when I’m lacking motivation or need a treat. It’s not the place to be if I need to get a significant amount of words on the page.

I did write at a coffee shop on the last day of November. And it was fantastic.

If you didn’t win, you’re no less of a writer and you can still do hard things

Now I told you all this not to make you feel bad if you didn’t win Nanowrimo this year. I told you all this to inspire you to win next time. Or, not. Maybe this will just inspire you to not be down on yourself if you didn’t make it. Because there are a lot of reasons to not succeed at something we want to do, no matter how much we want to do it.

I think it’s only now as I write this that I’m realizing something important. Last November was not a good mental health time for me. And despite the stereotype of the tortured writer, a bad place emotionally isn’t a good place to write from. It’s not a place to do anything but to heal. I needed to heal so that I could do hard things again.

Just because we fail at one hard thing doesn’t mean we can’t do other hard things. Just because we don’t achieve what we want, doesn’t mean we will never achieve it again.

Sometimes we just need to rethink our approach.

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Holiday books that aren’t romance, part three

Holiday books are one of my favorite parts of the season. I love reading next to my electric fire with a cup of tea.

The problem is, I hate romance novels. I hate those meet-cute stories where people hate each other and then fall predictably in love. And I hate that so many holiday books are just these fluffy, vapid meet-cutes with some strategically placed Christmas trees.

Hunting holiday books that aren’t romance has become a festive pastime. I’m sad to say, that if you read the last two installments of this series, I only have one new book that I’ve read. But, I do have three new books that have piqued my interest. So today, I thought I’d share with you my Christmas reading wishlist. These are books that I want to read. If you want to read them with me, I’d love to hear what you think about them.

By the way, here is part one, and part two of this series.

Miracle on 34th Street by Valentine Davis

This one I actually did read last year. And I was surprised to find out that the book came after the well-loved movies.

Just on the off chance you’ve never seen the movie, either the original from 1947 or the remake in 1994, Miracle on 34th Street is about an overworked single mom named Doris. She’s overseeing the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade when she realizes that the guy they have playing Santa is drunk. Fortunately, an elderly gentleman named Chris is there to save the day and take over the role. He does such a good job that Doris hires Chris to be Santa in the Macy’s store.

Chris is doing a great job until it comes to light that he thinks he really is Santa.

A soul as cold as frost by Jennifer Kropf

What if St. Nicholas was really a young, mad trickster and you had the one thing he wanted? What if the only person who agreed to protect you from him had a dark past of letting those he’s meant to protect die? What if one day you’re walking in the city and suddenly you can see a whole other world tucked into the cracks of your own?

That’s the description of this book from Amazon. I stumbled upon it while browsing Instagram. I can’t wait to read it. I love that several people have compared it to Chronicles of Narnia.

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett

This is literally a book about a bunch of gods getting together to bump off another god, Santa Claus. Oh, and for a while Death has to be Santa because he’s too important to not be around. What’s not to love about this?

Jacob T. Marley by R. William Bennett

I started reading this book already, because it asks a very interesting question. Why did Jacob Marley get to come back and save his friend Ebenezer? And why didn’t he get the chance to be saved by the three spirits himself?

I can’t wait to find the answer. I also apparently can’t get enough of this story, short as it is.

As always, if you have a holiday book I should add to my TBR, please let me know. I’m always looking for new holiday tales. Happy holiday reading, everyone.

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