Tag: summer reading list

My 2025 Summer Reading List

It’s officially Summer. My life is starting to settle into a new normal, and I’m feeling pretty good.

This post might even be on time for a change.

While others are excited about Summer blockbusters or trips to the beach, I have a different view of what my months of warmth will look like. They include long puppy walks, trips to the park and the pool, and lots of reading.

As luck would have it, four of my favorite authors either have new books out or are releasing new books. And, I went on a bit of a buying spree a few months ago. So I’ve got a stack of new books awaiting me.

Shoutout to Thriftbooks.

Here’s what I’ll be reading this Summer. As always, some of these are re-reads. Some are new, and some are old. Some have been on my list before, but I didn’t get to them so I’m trying again. Some are for horror fans, some for writers, and some for witches. Whoever you are, I hope you find something in here to spark your interest.

Never Flinch by Stephen King

Anyone who follows me on Instagram should know this was coming. Hell, anyone who knows me should know this was coming.

But come on. A book about Holly and Detective Izzy solving cryptic murders and protecting an egotistical feminist icon? Yes, please.

The Bewitching by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia

The latest Moreno-Garcia book is always one of my Summer highlights. And, I mean, anything about witches is going to catch my attention.

I’m vain.

This book is about secrets and witchcraft that reach from Mexico to Massachusetts. And I love Mexican witchcraft almost as much as I love Salem witchcraft. And after reading Silver Nitrate, I know Moreno-Garcia will more than do the magic justice.

It comes out on July 15th. I am counting the days.

Dead Husband’s Cookbook by Danielle Valentine

Coming out in August, Valentine’s latest book is about a celebrity chef who might or might not have killed her husband and indulged in cannibalism. But having read all of her other works, I’m assuming it’s going to be much deeper than that.

I cannot wait to find out.

The House of Quiet by Kiersten White

This one comes out on September 9th. Which is technically still Summer, even though I’ll have already decked out my house in pumpkins by this time. And honestly, it seems like the best sort of book for this liminal time between Summer and Fall.

It’s about a woman who infiltrates a house that claims to be for children undergoing ‘the procedure’. But it turns out to be a place for people with strange powers. Honestly, it sounds like a cross between X-Men and Witchcraft for Wayward Girls and I am here for it.

Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia

I’ve been meaning to re-read this one since I originally listened to it as an audiobook. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just a different experience. And I’m already more than halfway through. I love this book and I’ve talked about it at length. Suffice to say that if you’ve never read a book by this author, start here. You’ll never look back.

Apostate’s Guide to Witchcraft by Moss Matthey

I’m already about halfway through this one as well. But it’s helping me work through some lingering damage from my childhood in a high-control religion. If you’ve suffered something similar, even if you’re not a witch, consider giving this one a read.

Sisters in Hate by Seyward Darby

I’ve been meaning to read this for ages. But I couldn’t find a copy anywhere. So I went ahead and bought one. It’s about white women and the poisonous work we’ve done for white nationalism. I don’t expect it to be a comfortable read.

The Witching Year by Diana Helmuth

Another re-read. But this time I have my own copy, so I can go to town with the highlighter. If witchcraft has been calling to you, read this book.

City Witchery by Lisa Marie Basile

Again, I have read this one before. But there’s so much good content in here that it certainly bears a re-read.

While you might associate witchcraft with something best practiced in forests or by the sea, not all of us live in those environments. Some of us can’t (A house in the woods? In this economy?) Some of us don’t want to. And if you’re in either of those camps, this book will help you feel more spiritual while walking your city streets.

Long Quiet Highway by Natalie Goldberg

I can’t get enough of Goldberg’s writing. Whenever I’m feeling uninspired, I turn to her. And a memoir about America, when I’m feeling this level of concern for our country’s future, is exactly what I need. Don’t worry, there will be a review of this one as soon as I finish it.

Let the Whole Thundering World Come Home by Natalie Goldberg

One of the many things I love about Goldberg’s writing is that each book tells the story of a different chapter of her life. This one is about her and her partner suffering from life-threatening cancer. With the health issues the Darling Husband has been facing, this one’s likely to leave me in tears.

The Magical Writing Grimoire by Lisa Marie Basile

Are we sensing a theme yet? I want to dive deeper into my writing, cutting to the bone and writing about things that truly, deeply matter to me. I did that in Quiet Apocalypse, which is about a haunted apartment building but is also about my deep-seated fear of dying alone. To this date, that is my favorite book I’ve written. I want to reach that height again.

Lucy Undying by Kiersten White

I am rereading this, and I am doing it soon. But it was such a fantastic story. It was the lesbian retelling of Dracula that we all need right now.

Writing on Empty by Natalie Goldberg

As I mentioned, each one of Goldberg’s books is about a chapter in her life. This one is about how she felt isolated during the Covid pandemic, and how it seemed to deprive her of her writing. Which is, let me assure you, its own special kind of hell. I need to know how my mentor dealt with that.

Velvet Was The Night by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia

Why am I re-reading this one? Because I found it at Dollar General of all places and had to rescue a copy. I also straight-up bullied a friend of mine until she bought one as well.

Also, the story is just great. A woman so bored with her life that she steals silly things from her neighbors accidentally finds herself involved in a massive political espionage plot. How is that not the perfect Summer read?

Broke Millennial by Erin Lowry

Finally, Broke Millennial is a book I feel like I need to read. As a writer, I’m probably never going to be overburdened with cash. So I need to manage what little of it I have responsibly if I want to keep eating, having a roof over my head, and occasionally indulging in a glass of damn good wine. And while I have read this one before, it was years ago. I need a refresher.

If you can believe it, that’s not everything on my massive TBR pile. But they’re all the books I think I’ll reasonably have time to read before September 22nd.

So now it’s your turn. What’s on your Summer reading list? Let us know in the comments. And if you want to follow along with my reading journey, you can do so on Goodreads.

Paper Beats World is a labor of love. If you love what I do and want to support the site, you can like or share this post. Or, you can give monetary support on Ko-fi.

Missing Stitches is going wide on June 27th! Check out all the places it will be available here.

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The best books I’ve read in 2024 (so far)

June is nearly done, and we’re heading into the second half of 2024. Somehow I’m not as excited about the latter months as I normally am. It’s almost like something is lurking in November that’s going to suck a whole lot of emotional energy out of my life and cause a bunch of stress.

Strange.

But we don’t have to talk about that today. Today, I want to shine a spotlight on the best books I’ve read this year so far. Sadly, I haven’t read as much as I would have liked. But what I’ve lacked in quantity I have made up for in quality. I have read some very, very good books so far in 2024.

As always, this list is set up from number ten to number one. Some are fiction, some are nonfiction. All were well worth a read.

You Like It Darker by Stephen King

You know this is going to be a good list when the last one, the one that barely got in, is the Stephen King book.

I did a whole review of this book on Haunted MTL so I won’t rehash that here. Suffice it to say, this short collection was great. My favorite story was Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream. It was fantastic.

Ghost Hunters by Ed and Lorraine Warren

This was a fascinating read. The Warrens discuss some of their best-known cases clinically and insightfully. I learned a lot.

The Mighty Goddess by Sally Pomme Clayton and Sophie Herxheimer

This book told some fantastic stories about goddesses. Some I’d heard of before. Some I am very familiar with. Some I’d never heard of before. If mythology and deities are a passion for you, this book is a must-read.

Undoctored by Adam Kay

This is a follow-up to a book we’ll be talking about later in this post. If you haven’t heard of him, and you haven’t read my Christmas Books That Aren’t Romance series, Adam Kay was a doctor in the UK. Now he writes about why he is no longer a doctor in the UK, among other things. This book is a collection of stories about his life as a doctor, and his life after leaving. It is funny, but it’s also incredibly dark. Be warned.

Art Magick by Molly Roberts

This isn’t the sort of book you read cover to cover. It’s a collection of art spells, most of which I’ve completed.

If you are a witch, or just artsy, get this book. The crafts are accessible and fun. The art in the book is so colorful and fantastic. I love everything about this book.

Rift by Cait West

Escaping from a high-demand religion is something I understand. But I had it easy. Cait had it far worse. Her father was a pastor, and she was forced into a special form of purgatory known as being a stay-at-home daughter. Everything in Cait’s life was controlled by her father. This book was harrowing, but it was also inspiring. It seems to say that you can get out. You can live how you want to live. I loved that.

This is going to hurt by Adam Kay

See, I told you we’d get there. This is Going to Hurt is the first book by Adam Kay. It’s a sometimes lighthearted, sometimes dark, always funny look at being a doctor in the UK. I learned some things I didn’t want to know. I heard some stories that stuck with me. I also heard some stories of things being stuck in the human body that should never have been there.

Bone by Jeff Smith

I’ve read Bone before, but it’s been a while. If it’s been a while for you, please go and read it today. It’s a good thing to read in the summer.

Bone, if you haven’t read it, is a wonderful story of an unlikely hero, a hidden princess and dragons. It’s everything you want in a good story. The artwork is funny to look at, and beautiful at the same time.

The Hacienda by Isabel Canas

This book was sold as a cross between Rebecca and Mexican Gothic. This was catnip to me. Realizing one of the main characters was a Catholic priest and a witch was just homemade buttercream icing on the cake.

I did a whole post about why this book works, so I won’t take a lot of time here. But it was a fantastic book that blended a great haunted house story with a sweepingly beautiful picture of Mexico. If you haven’t read it, go read it.

Mister Magic by Kiersten White

This is, by far, the best book I read this year. And it kind of wrecked me for like a month after I read it.

I reviewed this book on Haunted MTL, so again I don’t want to rehash that here. But the clear analogy, like smack you in the face clear, to the religion I was raised in, was almost too much. I bawled while reading this book. If you are healing from the LDS church specifically, but any high control group in general, this book might help you heal. Or it might point out how much healing you have left to do. For me, it did both.

But it’s also a fantastic story. The tale of a group of child stars coming back together for a reunion and recovering not just their scars but also their deep and pure friendships is touching and terrifying. Overall, this is the kind of book I want to be writing. It was perfect.

So that’s it for today. These are the books I have enjoyed the most this year. Will any of them be on my end-of-the-year roundup? Only time will tell.

What is your favorite book that you’ve read this year? Let us know in the comments.

Paper Beats World is a labor of love. If you love what we do here, please like and share this post. You can also support us financially on Ko-fi.

Man in The Woods is now available for preorder on Smashwords!

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