Month: June 2026

Who’s on my Insta-Buy list?

Do you have an Insta Buy list? This is to say, a list of authors whose books you buy without even reading the description.

Am I on your list?

All joking aside, I think we all have those writers we just can’t get enough of. The favorites, who can write no wrong book in our eyes. So today, I thought it would be fun to share with you the authors on my Insta Buy list.

Now, I’m not picky. I love a good story, and am easily smitten. So I really only have two rules for adding someone to my list. I have to have read and loved at least two of their books. Preferably, not two books in a series, but either two separate books or two separate series. So, for example, I love Suzanne Collins. But she isn’t on my list because I’ve never read anything from her other than Hunger Games. And the author has to still be alive and writing.

I also will not be counting books that are just at the start of the series, even though I’m patiently waiting (and checking monthly) for news about their latest books. Though they might be added to my list later.

I’ll be sharing the first book I read from each author, upcoming titles if they have any, and my favorite book to date. And as one final note, there are a few authors on this list who are not retired, but are certainly taking their sweet time getting out new content.

Grady Hendrix

The book that got me: How To Sell A Haunted House

My favorite book so far: The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires.

Upcoming title(s): Hendrix has an unnamed book coming out in Summer 2027. But he is also publishing a novella called The Rednexorcist under a pen name (Frank Sloane, in July.)

Stephen King

The book that got me: Pet Semetary

My favorite book so far: Hearts in Atlantis

Upcoming title(s): Other Worlds Than These

Danielle Valentine

The book that got me: Delicate Condition

My favorite book so far: Two Sides to Every Murder

Upcoming title(s): Deadly Little Lessons

Sylvia Moreno-Garcia

The book that got me: Mexican Gothic

My favorite book so far: The Bewitching

Upcoming title(s): The Intrigue

Kirsten White

The book that got me: Hide

My favorite book so far: Mister Magic

Upcoming title(s): Hide, the graphic novel. Also, Wilde and Wicked. (Disclaimer! Ironically, I probably will give this one a pass as it’s a YA paranormal romance, and romance novels give me the ick. If you like them, check it out and let me know what you think.)

Paul Tremblay

The book that got me: Horror Movie

My favorite book so far: Also Horror Movie.

Upcoming title(s): Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep. Which should be in my grubby little hands by the end of the month.

Tamora Pierce

The book that got me: The Circle of Magic series

My favorite book so far: Terrier

Upcoming title(s): The Exile’s Gift. (Which keeps getting pushed back. Book one, Tempest and Slaughter, came out in 2018. I promise, the last Station 86 book will not take over nine years. Yes, I know it’s already been two.)

Natalie Goldberg

The book that got me: Wild Mind

My favorite book so far: Thunder and Lightning

Upcoming title(s): None that I know of.

Marcus Kliewer

The book that got me:

My favorite book so far:

Upcoming title(s):

While I could leave things at that, I have to tell you that there are three authors who are probably joining this list. They are Nat Cassidy, Tananarive Due, and Tamika Thompson. All of these authors are new discoveries for me. So stay tuned for more about them.

Alright, now it’s your turn. Who’s on your Insta Buy list? Let me know in the comments.

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My 2026 Summer reading list

I am really trying so hard to get into Summer this year. I got a pool and a hammock. I made a Summer playlist. I’m making ribs and pasta salad for Litha. I’m really, honestly, super excited to experience the next 73 days.

Yes, I’m counting.

But alright, we’re here. It’s Summer. And since I can’t speed it up, I’m going to do what I do best.

Read. In as many places as possible.

So, of course, I’m starting the season out by sharing my reading list. Some of these are coming out this summer. Some are nostalgic re-reads. Some I just found out about during Nebula Con. All of them should help me enjoy the sunny season.

Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep By Paul Tremblay

I know, this one was on my Spring reading list. But that’s because I somehow didn’t realize it launched on June 30, not May 30th. And it still looks awesome! Digging into the morality of bodily autonomy in a dark science fiction novel? Of course, I want to read that.

The Intrigue By Sylvia Moreno-Garcia

I’ll be honest, I didn’t even read the description of this one before I pre-ordered it. That’s because Moreno-Garcia is on my Insta Buy list. And this one is about a Casanova thief who’s apparently going to run into some supernatural trouble. I can’t wait.

Also, I love that her books come out so regularly that they’re basically a Summer staple for me.

Deadly Little Lessons By Danielle Valentine

Another author you’ve probably heard me sing the praises of. I’ve yet to read a book of hers that isn’t fantastic.

This one is about a girl who ends up in a school where most of the students won’t survive the classes. So, fun!

The Reformatory By Tananarive Due

I found out about this book, and the next one on the list, during a Nebula Con panel about horror writing as resistance. I ordered these two books before the panel was even over.

The Reformatory is about a young boy named Robbie who’s put in a correctional facility for doing something that sounds like it needed to be done. Of course, the facility turns out to be terribly haunted.

The Curse of Hester Gardens By Tamika Thompson

The second book purchase, inspired by the panel, The Curse of Hester Gardens, is about a neighborhood haunted by gang violence, drugs, and the unquiet dead. It’s about a mother trying to protect her children, who may have made a terrible decision.

Fright Time Books by various authors

Alright, this one might sound strange. But Fright Time books were a big favorite of mine as a child. I recently did a whole nostalgic review of Shivers over at Weird Wyrlds, and thought it might be fun to do the same for Fright Time.

It’s also just a great reason to revisit some of my horror roots.

Not With A Bang By Temi Oh

This is an arc I’m expecting from Saga Press. It’s a fascinating-sounding book about the end of the world and how people respond to it. I am super excited to get my hands on it and tell you all about it.

SCION By James Islington

Another Saga Press arc, this one is about an assassin who’s never had any qualms about their job, until this most recent one. And, of course, he lives in a world where the rich can literally live forever.

Small detail.

The Children By Melissa Albert

Funny story. This is a late addition to this list, because I literally learned about it while checking Goodreads for book information.

Thanks, Goodreads.

This book is about a woman and her brother who had their childhoods kind of ruined by their mom’s invasive storytelling. Now, there’s something dark and terrible haunting them. The cover doesn’t seem to reflect the horrors that the reviews promise.

I need like five more sets of eyes to read all the books I want to right now. But I also want to hear from you! What are you reading this Summer? Are you loving the Summer weather or counting the days to fall like me? Let me know in the comments.

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Why We Hexed the Moon works

Do you remember a few years ago, when some young witches on TikTok decided they were going to hex the moon? I remember mostly shaking my head at silly kids doing silly things because they were cooped up during Covid. Being a practicing witch myself and quite fond of the moon, I was mildly irritated. But in the end, I didn’t think the moon really cared that much.

Someone else remembered the moon hexing. That someone was Mollyhall Seeley. And rather than just shaking her head, she asked the question I think more of us should have asked.

What if the hex had actually worked?

We Hexed The Moon launched just a few days ago, on June 9th. I received an arc early from Saga Press. Unfortunately, Spring and Summer being what they are, I didn’t get to it when I meant to. But when I did get there, it was well worth the wait.

We Hexed the Moon is the story of four girls who have just graduated from high school. They’re looking down the barrel of the rest of their lives, and getting ready to go their separate ways come September. During a bored, hazy sleepover, they decide to hex the moon. Not for any reason except for something to do. And the Moon, well, she takes that personally. So she comes down to confront the girls.

Because that’s a normal thing to happen.

So today, let’s break down We Hexed The Moon, and see why it works.

Do you remember when your friends were the only family that mattered? When there were people in your life who were simply yours? Not related by blood, but related in every way that mattered?

Adults move away from that. We get married. We move away from our hometowns. We have kids. Life gets in the way. And suddenly we realize it’s been months or even years since we talked to the people who we used to see every day.

We Hexed The Moon is, before anything else, the story of four girls who are facing that down. Who love each other enough to not want to let go, but are realistic enough to realize they probably won’t have a choice. Hexing the moon is, to these girls, just another memory they’re trying to make together before life tears them apart. And if that isn’t relatable as Hell, I don’t know what is.

Of course, the real inciting incident of the story is when the Moon decides to come down to Earth and not go back. She appears, personified, in Jen’s bedroom.

And she’s funny as hell.

The Moon character is so bitingly sarcastic. She knows everything about everyone, because of course, everyone tells their secrets to the moon.

She also has a touching maternal streak for, honestly, everyone. We see this the most when she’s confronted with the dead body of a young woman who had a drug addiction. She reacts with such tenderness for this person; it’s heartbreaking.

One thing I was a bit unsure of about We Hexed The Moon was the utter lack of punctuation. No one’s dialogue is in parentheses. And sometimes this run-on story structure made it a bit hard to tell who the hell was talking.

However, it also felt more like a story someone was telling you, rather than a book you’re reading. Like you’re sitting in a booth at the diner with Jen, Maycie, Goldie, and Harding, just one of them for just as long as it takes you to finish the story. So while I don’t entirely love the lack of proper sentence structure, it makes sense. Much like Incidents Around The House, it’s hard to see the story being told any other way.

In the end, I feel like this is the sort of book that captures a specific moment. A place in time we all had our own version of. It’s the friends we all had, that we all knew we were going to lose, no matter how much we assured each other that we’d be friends forever, going on one last amazing adventure.

Paper Beats World is a labor of love. You can support us by liking this post, sharing it and commenting. You can also support us on Ko-fi.

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