Roni Loren's Blog, page 4

It’s been a week, y’all. I shared with you about my grandfather’s passing in Monday’s newsletter. (Thank you for the kind comments and notes many of you sent me.) Well, later that day the teen came home sick with a high fever. Then overnight, the husband got sick and feverish, too. Both got diagnosed with flu, and though, so far, I’ve managed not to get symptoms (*crosses fingers* *burns sage candle* *takes elderberry* *washes hands 1k times*), this means I can’t fly to the funeral and risk getting everyone else sick. I’m heartbroken that I won’t be able to be there with my family. So. Yeah. A week.

Which brings me to my Friday Night In recommendations. When people dismiss certain genre books, movies, and TV shows as silly or fluff or unimportant in some way, I’m reminded of times like these. When you’ve had a loss or the week from hell or you’re sick or taking care of someone who’s sick or even just had a really terrible day, those things some call “fluff” are exactly what you most need to get you through.

This week I needed light, silly things to watch to keep me going and I have two that did the job.

If you’re in need of some laughter or comfort, maybe give these a look.

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A Sweet Holiday Rom-Com with a Non-Hallmark-Friendly Edge Holidate

Rating: TV-MA / Netflix

The setup of this one was fun. Sloane (Emma Roberts) has one of those families who is always riding her about being single, but she had a bad break-up a while ago and she’s just not interested in dating anyone. However, showing up to holiday events with no date is a drag. When her aunt (Kristen Chenowith), who always has a different date at every event, suggests that she get a “holidate”, someone who you just bring to holiday events, Sloane is intrigued.

Jackson, on the other hand, gets invited to family Christmas by a woman he’s only been on three dates yet. When he shows up, she’s acting like they’re a couple and the family is trying to include him in everything like he’s already part of the family. He freaks out and bails.

So when Sloane and Jackson have a chance meeting in the mall after Christmas and share their war stories, they decide to be each other’s “holidate”. Just friends who only meet up on holidays and go to events together.

We then follow Sloane and Jackson through a year of major and minor holidays and the antics that ensue.

The comedy in this one can be over the top, which doesn’t always work for me, but somehow these characters pull it off and make it funny without being ridiculous. The cast is fantastic and the enemies-to-friends-to-lovers trajectory is very satisfying. I also love that it had an edge to it. I enjoy a Hallmark movie as much as the next person, but it’s also nice to watch a Christmas rom-com that has some teeth.

A Goofy Christmas Movie That You Can Watch with Your Whole Family The Family Switch

Rating: PG / Netflix

This movie is what happens when you have a fantastic cast with a could ’ve-been-better script. I am not saying this is an amazing movie. But what I am saying is that it was silly and had its moments and if you’re looking for something light and goofy to watch with the family, this might fit the bill.

The Family Switch takes the age-old tradition of the Freaky Friday body swap and applies it to the whole family—including the baby and dog. (In fact, Pickles the dog acting like the baby probably stole the movie for me.)

One night when the planets literally align while the family is at an observatory and arguing, something cosmic happens when they say something to the effect of “I wish you knew what it was like to be me.” The next morning when they wake up, mom and the teen daughter have switched bodies, dad has switched with the teen son, and Pickles the dog and baby have switched.

Of course, they all have THE BIGGEST DAY OF THEIR LIVES coming up that day. Mom has a big work presentation. Dad has a big band event for his Dad or Alive band (this made me laugh since my husband is in a cover band.) The son has a Yale interview and the daughter has a soccer scout coming to see her play. So now each family member has to try to pull off the impossible. In the meantime, they are also trying to figure out how to switch back.

Like I said, this is silly, goofy fun and it has a sugary sweet ending, but sometimes that’s just the flavor you’re looking for this time of year.

And if you have kids, the dog acting like a baby and the body humor scenes (burping/ farting gags) will probably get them giggling.

Overall, this isn’t going on my rewatch list, but I also didn’t feel like I wasted my time giving it a watch.

That’s all I have for you today! I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Have you watched either of these? What kind of vibe do you look for most in a holiday movie—sweet, silly, action-packed, funny?

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Welcome to another new feature of the newsletter! I hope you’ve been enjoying the changes over the last week. This week I do have a few more things planned, but I found out this morning that my grandfather, the one I’m named after, passed away. :( So, the schedule will probably shift around since I will be traveling to go to the service.

However, more than ever I’m reminded why it’s important to recognize the little things in life that give us a bit of happiness. My grandfather knew how to embrace life and lived a full one, including serving in the Army and National Guard, running for office, and back in the fifties, being a singer in a local rock ‘n roll band. He was also still sharp as hell in his late 80s and could have an interesting conversation with anyone about just about anything. So in his honor, I hope you find something interesting today to bring you a little happiness.

A beautiful wall calendar

If you’ve been around here for a while, you know I love a planner (well, planners. I never have just one.) I’ll be doing a post later in the month to share my planner line-up for 2025, but today I wanted to share a lovely wall calendar for your office.

I’m pretty particular about what I want to look at all year and though I’ve occasionally run across a nice calendar in a store, I usually go to Etsy.

This year, I chose this Shopfront Scenes one by SimplyKatyPrints. It was similar to the one I had this year, which I also loved and will share below, but had brighter colors.

I love that my birthday month is the Bookshop month!

And here’s the Shops & Markets one I’ve used this year from Phoebe and June. I would’ve bought from them again, but next year’s is the same as this year’s and I wanted something different.

A book flight

I got this idea from the Currently Reading podcast years ago. The idea is, like a wine flight, you pull a number of books from your shelves (or virtual shelves) that you might want to read, then sample each. Once you make it through the stack, you see which one calls to you the most and it helps you choose your next read.

Yesterday, I couldn’t decide what mood I was in—winter thriller or Nora Ephron-ish story, so I pulled this stack for my flight.

After reading the first ten or so pages of each, it was really clear that I was feeling You, Again by Kate Goldbeck (Bookshop | Amazon) the most. So that will be my next read! The process really helped because before reading, I would’ve guessed I was going to go with one of the thrillers.

So, if you’re not sure what book you want next, give it a try.

A good pot of beans

The day after Thanksgiving, I put on Instagram that I was looking forward to my most favorite pot of beans of the year—the one that used the leftover ham bone from Thanksgiving’s spiral ham. They did not disappoint. I’m not sure there’s anything more soul-satisfying on a cold day than a steaming bowl of well-seasoned, creamy beans.

Before After - cozy, salty, beany goodness

Now, I know Thanksgiving is past and you may not have a hambone lying around (though you might after Christmas!), but even without the ham, you can make a great pot of beans with this basic recipe.

Slow-Cooker Beans

(you could try this on the stove but I swear by the slow cooker for these)

1 lb of dried beans (white or red), soaked overnight and drained (for this batch I experimented with Rancho Gordo Cabellero beans, which were great, but usually I opt for basic navy or red kidney beans)

1 medium-sized onion, chopped

1 green or yellow bell pepper, chopped

1-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed (depends how garlicky you like it)

1 bay leaf

1 box or 4-6 cups of unsalted chicken broth/stock (or water if you don’t have stock)

1 tsp of cajun seasoning (or more to taste)

Meat of choice for flavoring* (optional) — ham bone or even two slices of bacon

Meat of choice for serving - smoked ham or smoked sausage are my faves. You can also go vegetarian here and not add any.

Salt and pepper to taste

Hot cooked rice for serving

Directions:

Rinse your beans after soaking overnight and then dump them into the slow cooker along with the chopped onion and bell pepper, the garlic, the bay leaf, and any seasoning you want to add. (There are some who say don’t salt your beans before because it toughens them. I haven’t found this to be true. They come out better if you season at the start in my experience.)

*You can also add meat for flavoring at this point if you’re using something like a ham bone or bacon. However, whatever you put in will flavor the beans and lose its own flavor. If you put sausage in at the start, it’s going to flavor the broth but the sausage itself will not taste so great at the end. So for the meat you’re actually going to eat with the beans, save that until the beans are cooked (see below).

Pour in your chicken stock. You want to completely cover the beans with liquid but only by a quarter-inch to a half-inch or so. If you’ve soaked them overnight, they’re not going to expand much, and if you put too much liquid it will be too soupy. If the stock doesn’t fully cover the beans, just add in some water.

Give it a stir and then cook on low in the slow cooker until the beans are tender (easily smashed with a spoon). This will take 6-8 hours, depending on the bean, but these really can’t overcook so don’t worry too much. In fact, they’re even better reheated the next day because they get creamier. Just check occasionally that you don’t need to add a little more water. You can also switch them to the Warm setting if they finish before you’re ready to eat.

Once your beans are tender, you can saute the sausage or cubed ham in a separate pan, drain on a paper towel if greasy, and then add the meat to the pot of beans. (Also, if you used a ham bone, remember to pull that out.)

Feel free to smash a few beans with the back of your service spoon if you want a little creamier consistency.

Serve hot over rice.

Nice things to add on top for an acidic hit: a little hot sauce and/or sliced pickled peppers (I like pepperoncini.)

This makes a big pot but leftovers are great and it also freezes well.

Enjoy!

I hope you’ve found a little something to make your day a little cheerier.

Have a great week!

I’d love to hear something that’s making you feel happy for now. Share in the comments or hit reply on the email.

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Welcome to the inaugural Friday Night In post!

If you missed Wednesday’s post, I encourage you to go back and read that one because I explain the new format of this newsletter and the new free and paid features coming in 2025.

I’m a homebody by nature and Friday Night In posts, one of the new paid subscirber features, will be all about enjoying your time at home on a cozy night in. Does it have to be a Friday? Of course not. But I thought it made the most sense to give you the recommendations at the start of the weekend so you can deploy at will. :) (In fact, for me, my cozy nights at home won’t be on Fridays for a while because the teen is in marching band and the football team has made the playoffs. So it’s Friday Night Lights here for us for a while longer.)

Most of the time, the recommendation will be a movie, but sometimes it may be a TV show or a book. This week you get a movie AND a book!

A Christmas Rom-Com with a Reverse Fake Relationship Trope Happiest Season

I’m not sure how I missed Happiest Season when it first came out in 2020. Oh wait, it was 2020, never mind.

What It’s About

Abby (Kristen Stewart) and Harper (Mackenzie Davis) are in love and have been living together for months. Christmas is coming up, and Harper is planning to go home to visit her big family while Abby, whose parents have passed away, stays behind and does pet-sitting. But when Harper gets swept up in the moment one night, she asks Abby to come home and meet her family.

Abby’s excited and is planning on proposing to Harper over the holiday, but on the way to the family’s house, Harper drops a bomb. She’s never told her family she’s gay and is not out to any of them. Plus, her dad is running for mayor so keeping up appearances as the “perfect” family are VERY important. So she’s going to need Abby to pretend that they’re just friends and roommates. Abby is, of course, horrified and hurt, but they’re already almost there and she agrees to go along with it.

Why I’m Recommending It

As a romance writer, I can’t help but do trope-spotting when I’m watching or reading a romance. But in this case, what I found so interesting and clever was how this setup led to the reverse of an often-used rom-com device—the fake relationship trope. Instead of “let’s pretend we’re together!” it was “let’s pretend we’re just friends!” And that played out in a fresh way.

For instance, instead of the only-one-bed trope often used in fake relationship stories, they planned to share one bed in Harper’s room, but Harper’s mom (Mary Steenburgen) was like, “I’m not going to make two grown women share a bed! Abby, you can stay in the basement room.” So it was a forced two-bed trope, lol.

Also, instead of having to perform “togetherness” like they do in a fake relationship story, they had to fight not to show that kind of affection in front of others and then sneak around (with the ever-present threat of being caught) to share a kiss or have a real conversation.

So what ensued ended up being a funny yet heartfelt story with some real weight to it, even when handled with a light rom-com hand. Also, the cast was stellar. Kristen Stewart plays Abby, and even though Stewart tends to always play a version of herself, I like that vibe, lol. Daniel Levy (from Schitt’s Creek) plays Abby’s best friend and offers comic relief throughout. Harper’s family is weird and funny and dysfunctional, but all the characters also have legitimate character arcs, which is hard to pull off with a big cast.

Overall, I truly enjoyed this movie and wanted to spend more time with these characters. I think it juggled the silly with the serious well and still kept that Christmas movie vibe I was looking for.

So, if you’re looking for a fresh take on a Christmas rom-com, check this one out. It’s currently available on Hulu.

Watch the trailer here.

ICYMI: A Holiday Rom-Com Read with a Groundhog Day Vibe In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren (Bookshop.org | Amazon)

If you’re not in the mood to watch a movie this weekend, how about a book with movie-like vibes, specifically Groundhog Day vibes? Plus, this is a backlist book, so you may be able to grab it from the library with no wait!

I am a sucker for a time-loop story and for a Christina Lauren rom-con, so put the two together and then ALSO add Christmas? Well, I’m done.

I read this one back in 2021 and it’s stuck with me. It also made it onto my keeper shelf, which is hallowed ground. :)

About the book (from the back cover):

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.

But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.

The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe.

Jam-packed with yuletide cheer, an unforgettable cast of characters, and Christina Lauren’s trademark hijinks, this swoon-worthy romantic read will make you believe in the power of wishes and the magic of the holidays.

The reason why I’m pairing this one with Happiest Season is because this one also involves a big family, Christmas traditions, and a sweet romance at its core. But more than that, Harper in Happiest Season and Mae in Holidaze both have journeys that are going to require them to learn to stop caring what everyone else thinks and be themselves.

So, if you missed this one the first time around, add it to your holiday stack!

I hope you have a lovely Friday night. I will be bundled up in many layers and hanging out in a high school football stadium. But on Saturday night, I’ll definitely be cozy on my couch with some fuzzy socks and a blanket for my own night in.

What movies have you added to your holiday watchlist? Do you rewatch old favorites or seek out new movies? A combo? (At my house, a rewatch of Christmas Vacation and Home Alone is always a requirement.)

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*Book links are affiliate links for Bookshop.org and Amazon

Welcome to the first (experimental) edition of the Read ‘Em & Eat feature!

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working on plans for the 2025 version of this newsletter. I always enjoy sharing things with y’all, and I’m so thankful for you being here. So, I was hoping for 2025 I could amp up the time I spend here and the type of content I provide.

I used to love doing book reviews and other types of features on my old blog (R.I.P. Fiction Groupie), but blogs mostly went away once things like Instagram and now TikTok took over. However, I feel like Substack is the closest thing to the old blog vibe that I have found. So, I’m hoping to rekindle that kind of thing here.

My goal is to provide multiple free posts a month and then additional regular weekly features for paid subscribers (which will cost $5/month). This month all posts will be free so that you can get an idea of what things look like and if you’re interested in upgrading your subscription. (If you decide not to upgrade, no worries. You will still get more posts than you have been getting in 2024!)

These are some of the regular features I’m planning (subject to change since I’m still in the experimental phase):

Free posts

Reading Mood Report & Potential TBR (beginning of the month) - This is where I’ll share the reading vibes I’m seeking for that month and then provide some suggestions and potential TBR books that fit that vibe.

Read/Watch/Listen (end of month) - You will continue to get my monthly favorite read, watch, and listen picks each month.

Happy for Now list (weekly) - A list of the things that are making me happy for now or a deep dive on one particular thing. I’m leaving this pretty loose, so the list may include books, TV shows, an item I’m liking, a meal I’m cooking, an article I loved, etc.

Paid subscriber posts

Read ‘Em & Eat - You’ll see one of these today! This will be a book review paired with a cookbook or recipe that I think goes well with the book. I’ve mentioned before that I have a 300+ cookbook library, so I have a lot to choose from!

Bookish posts (weekly) - These will be book reviews/recommendations, a deep dive bookish topic, a book list, or a Read ‘Em & Eat post.

Friday Night In (weekly) - These will mostly be movie recommendations but could occasionally include a book or TV show as well. The focus will be something to keep you entertained for a Friday night in.

Full list of what I’ve read that month, including my DNF (did not finish) list (end of the month) - This will most likely be a paid subscriber bonus at the bottom of the Read/Watch/Listen post.

So, that’s what I have on the agenda for now. I reserve the right to change and tweak it as I see what works well and what y’all enjoy the most. I want it to be fun for me to do and fun for y’all to read.

I’m really excited! I miss talking books with everyone. I hope y’all will be excited too. :)

Look for more details on how to sign up for the paid tier next month, but for now, here’s the first look at a Read ‘Em & Eat post!

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Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliot

Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliot (Bookshop.org | Amazon)

What it’s about

Abby runs a little cafe in a small town in Vermont and has one customer, Seth, who annoys her daily with his cheerful optimism (grumpy/sunshine alert). Abby is fine doing her own thing even though her business is struggling until one of the townspeople decides that they need a winter festival to bring tourists into town. Because all the surrounding towns have cornered the market on Christmas festivals, someone decides that they should have a Hannukah festival instead. And since Abby is one of only two Jewish people in town, they put her in charge (whether she wants the job or not.)

Abby is overwhelmed by being in charge of this project so she decides to try to find help by signing up for a Jewish dating app to see who else is nearby. Of course, the person she matches with is Seth. She asks him for help with the festival. He agrees to hook her up with Jewish food vendors in New York on one condition—he needs her to be his fake girlfriend when he goes home for Hannukah because his family won’t get off his back about not being in a relationship (fake relationship alert).

My thoughts

This definitely had Hallmark holiday movie vibes, and I loved being transported to wintertime in New York and following along with Abby and Seth as they did all kinds of fun holiday-related events with his friends and family. I could absolutely picture this one as a movie. Plus, there were delicious food descriptions throughout. Don’t read this when you’re hungry!

I also loved that I got a peek into Hannukah traditions, which I’m not as familiar with, and I appreciated seeing the holiday through Abby’s eyes as she rediscovered parts of her heritage and traditions that she had let go of because she was estranged from her (terrible) parents.

Seth was a sweet and endearing hero. One thing I wished we’d had in this book is his POV, but the story is told solely from Abby’s POV. I’m not sure I would’ve put up with Abby’s grumpy/meanness early in the book like he did, but he persevered.

Overall, this was a fun holiday romance with a great setting, delicious descriptions, and a couple and family you could root for. Heat level is kisses-only. And the angst-level is pretty low. I’d call the black moment a gray moment. So if you’re looking for something fun and light for the season, pick this one up!

And when you do, maybe make some latkes with it. Which brings me to…

Jew-ish: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch by Jake Cohen

Jew-ish: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch by Jake Cohen (Bookshop.org | Amazon)

I am not Jewish, but I have no less than four Jewish cookbooks on my shelf. Why? The food is FANTASTIC. So, today I’m bringing you one that would pair perfectly with Love You a Latke.

Jew-Ish is a cookbook that isn’t afraid to take the classics and put a spin on them. Jake pulls recipes from his Ashkenazi heritage and his husband’s Persian-Iraqi heritage and then puts modern twists on them. Some are more involved than others. For instance, making babka from scratch or making French onion brisket is gonna take a minute. But then there are also super simple recipes that you could whip up for dinner like Baharat Smashed Potatoes or…Perfect Potato Latkes if you want to stay on theme.

And bonus, it looks like this cookbook is available in Kindle Unlimited right now, so if you want to browse it, there you go!

I have a long list of recipes earmarked in this one to attempt.

However, if you’re not into the cooking, I have one more option for you!

A few years ago when my father-in-law passed away, my husband’s boss at the time sent us the 3-course dinner for 4 from Katz’s Deli in New York. This was not only a very thoughtful gift during a difficult time, it was also freaking delicious. The following year, this is what I asked my husband to order for my birthday.

Katz’s ships anywhere in the U.S. and everything arrived sealed and fresh. There are a number of different packages and gift options, but my favorite is this one. It includes:

1 lb pastrami

1 lb corned beef

2 qts matzo ball soup

1 quart of pickles ( choose: full sour pickles or new pickles)

Half Loaf of seedless rye bread

4 square knishes

1/2 lb mustard

Your Choice of Chocolate or Cinnamon babka ←I haven’t tried the cinnamon but the chocolate was OMG good.

Just looking this up for this post makes me want to order one lol. But if you’re looking for a treat over the holidays or maybe want to treat someone else, this could be a fun option. (Also, I’m not an affiliate on this. I just love it.)

Alright, that’s all I have for you today. I hope you enjoyed the new feature!

Also, I’d love your feedback if you have thoughts on some of the new things. Feel free to leave a comment or hit reply on the email to share with me.

What have you been reading or eating lately that’s been good?

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*Book links are affiliate links from Bookshop.org and Amazon

My reading year has been a weird one, but if there’s one clear theme that’s surfacing, it’s that 2024 has been the year of non-fiction for me.

I’ve always been an avid reader of non-fiction. Memoirs, how-tos, business books, true crime, cookbooks, books on writing, books on philosophy, books about books, books about TV shows…I’m pretty omnivorous. However, this year, my current tally comes out to 68% of the books I’ve read have been non-fiction—and that’s not even counting cookbooks, which I generally don’t record as “read” on my list. So, something’s going on.

Maybe it’s a concentration issue. Non-fiction is easier to consume on audio while I’m doing other things. Maybe it’s because some of the current fiction trends aren’t my personal jam (though, let’s not pretend that I don’t have a hoarder’s level amount of backlist books sitting on my shelves or on my Kindle that this wouldn’t apply to.) Maybe it’s just that I’m #1 Learner and #2 Input on the Clifton Strengths test, and I needed a big injection of Learner/Input fodder.

I don’t know. It’s not a problem per se and I’d like to find my way back to more fiction, but this turn in my reading happens to be good news for Non-Fiction November—I have recs for you!

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Read

The Tenth Muse by Judith Jones

There’s a new book out, The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America by Sara B. Franklin, which I’m very excited about and has been on my wishlist since I heard about. However, I’ve had one of Judith Jones’ memoirs on my shelf for almost 2 years, and I didn’t want to jump into The Editor without first reading a firsthand account from the woman herself.

For those who don’t know, Judith Jones was the famed editor of Julia Child. However, she’s responsible for so many more books than that. For one, she plucked The Diary of Anne Frank from the slushpile and championed it when no one else wanted it. I mean, that alone could make a career. But then she went on to put Julia’s work out and followed that up with a long list of cookbook authors who introduced America to international cuisines and cooking from home that didn’t involve frozen dinners and cream of mushroom soup. It’s not an overstatement to say that she found the voices that changed how and what we eat here.

She wasn’t limited to cookbooks either. She also published Sylvia Plath, Anne Tyler, and John Updike. Her author list is a stunner.

I’m assuming the book The Editor will cover the whole of her career, including the fiction editing part. The Tenth Muse, however, hones in on her career working with cookbook authors as well as her own cooking journey as she learned from these titan authors.

This is solidly a food memoir and Judith’s tone is warm and inviting. Judith passed away at age 93 in 2017, but her voice is alive on the page. You can feel her enthusiasm for the projects she worked on, how much she loved working with the authors (though she was not afraid to take them to task as a good editor does), and you can see how these experiences shaped her own cooking journey.

I read half of this on a plane ride to Indianapolis to watch my kiddo compete in a national marching band competition and I finished the second half on the plane ride home. I was immediately sucked in and didn’t want to put it down. So if you love a food memoir or a story that shows how culture can be shaped by books, give this one a try. Then go watch Julie & Julia again (or the newer Max TV Show Julia) where Judith is a character.

Watch

Speaking of cookbook icons, I watched Martha, the new Martha Stewart documentary on Netflix this month, and I know many people have negative feelings about her, but y’all, my inner perfectionist, straight-A student, #3 Acheiver-strength self is just endlessly fascinated by Martha Stewart and her desire to do ALL the things PERFECTLY (and often pulling that sh*t off, lol.) The competence, man. It gets me right here.

I own almost every cookbook and home/organizing book she’s written. I’ll watch old reruns of her shows for comfort viewing. I know she is probably a nightmare to work for, but like, how many mogul CEOs aren’t? She just gets more flack for it because she’s a woman.

So, I fully enjoyed this documentary which covered her early years, her rise to fame, her “fall” with the stock scandal, and then her resurgence. I feel like the documentary was pretty even-handed, showing both admirable and not-so-admirable things about her. I’ve read that Martha wasn’t happy with the second half of it because it focused too much on the trial/jail time that was only 2 years of her long life, but I also understand why the filmmaker gave that screen time. It’s what a lot of people are interested in. (I was more interested in the other stuff, honestly.)

If Martha annoys you, this probably isn’t the documentary for you, but if you find her interesting and fascinating like I do, then give it a shot. It’s a good thing. ;)

Listen

Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz

If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you know I love a soapy teen show. Give me all the Dawson’s Creek, Felicity, Buffy, Gossip Girl, The Summer I Turned Pretty you can. So of course I used to watch One Tree Hill.

I’d already listened to The Rural Diaries: Love, Livestock, and Big Life Lessons Down on Mischief Farm by Hilarie Burton Morgan (who played Peyton on the show) back in March. I enjoyed that listen and gave it 4 stars. It was mostly a light and fluffy, easy listen.

However, I had no idea that one of the other stars, Bethany Joy Lenz, who played Haley, had an entirely different kind of memoir coming out. One with a cult! For those who haven’t watched the show or haven’t seen it in a while, Haley played the good girl/best friend character for lack of a better term. The not popular, smart, more buttoned-up girl in comparison to the other two “cool girl” female leads. Back when I watched it, she was who I identified with most because I know y’all will all be shocked to know I was the girl studying and not partying. (Still am, lol.)

But I had no idea that Bethany Joy Lenz had a whole dark thing going on in her life while she was filming that show. When living in Hollywood, before she was cast on One Tree Hill, she met a bible study group and was looking for a place to belong. Soon, she was sucked into what she realized too late was a cult. She even eventually marries the son of the leader and has a child with him.

This was a compelling listen but also tough. I’ve realized that something I find really hard to read/listen to is gaslighting in a story, particularly a true story. So many times when listening to this book, I wanted to jump back in time and save her, point out how these people were manipulating her young, impressionable mind. She was such a smart, funny, talented actress, and they drained her of confidence, making her feel dependent on them, trusting them with her finances and decisions. This book will make you angry on her behalf.

She narrates the audiobook herself and some of the One Tree Hill cast members have voice cameos in it. She also occasionally sings. So, if you’re going to check this one out, I’d recommend it in audio.

Alright, I hope you found something in there to keep you entertained for Non-Fiction November!

I’ll be spending the rest of the month combing through my cookbooks to figure out the “perfect” meal to make for Thanksgiving. :)

Happy reading!

Roni

What good things have you been reading, watching, and listening to this month?

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Hi y’all!

Leonard has a mission for you today. He would like you to buy the beautiful new edition of The One You Fight For to add to your shelves so that Mom will stop taking weird photos of him with something he can’t eat.

Why is she doing this? Send help and treats

This is the third book in the series but can be read as a standalone, so feel free to jump in wherever!

About the book

Twelve years ago, tragedy struck a sleepy Texas town. Only a small number of those impacted survived―a group the media dubbed The Ones Who Got Away. This is their story.

NEVER ADMIT THE TRUTH: Taryn Landry was there that awful night Long Acre changed from the name of a town to the title of a national tragedy. Everyone knows she lost her younger sister. No one knows it was all her fault―or the guilt she carries with her every day.

NEVER LOOK BACK: As the older brother of the troubled shooter, Shaw Miller has spent more than a decade dealing with the fallout. After losing everything―his chance at Olympic gold, his family, almost his sanity―he's changed his name, his look, and he's finally starting a new life free from the shadow of the horrible thing his brother did.

Shaw and Taryn weren't meant to meet each other. They weren't meant to fall in love. Now they're left grappling with undeniable feelings, both of them wondering: When the world defines you by a tragedy, how do you defy the odds to build your own happy ending?

By turns heart-wrenching and deeply romantic, this award-winning spicy contemporary romance will challenge the way you see life, love, and happily ever after.

Readers are raving about this white-hot, deeply emotional survival romance:

"Phenomenal. Gets my highest recommendation!"―LORELEI JAMES, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

"Unforgettable… Roni Loren at her best!"―KRISTEN CALLIHAN, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

"Unique, swoony, and lively. The Ones Who Got Away is the best kind of second-chance romance!"―SARINA BOWEN, USA Today bestselling author

"The Ones Who Got Away is EXACTLY what I love in romance; angsty, hot, conflicted, funny! Roni Loren delivers on all of it! Don't let this book get away!"―M. O'KEEFE, USA Today bestselling author

Get the book

This series has always been special to me, and I’m thrilled that Sourcebooks has given it fresh life with these stunning redesigns and new format.

Can I eatz this?

A few things to know about this edition…

All four books are (or will be) reissued and the four book covers together form one complete (super pretty!) design. You can see all of them here!

I’m donating a portion of my earnings from this version to Sandy Hook Promise, an organization that does a number of in-school programs like Start With Hello and Say Something that I think are really fantastic.

This is the first time this book has been available in the larger, trade paperback size, so make sure if you purchase, you choose that size and not the smaller mass market size (because mass market will have the older cover—unless you want the older cover because it’s great too!) Ebook covers should be the new one.

Buy the book:  Bookshop.org | Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Indiebound | Books-A-Million | Google Play

Also available in audiobook: Libro.fm | Recorded Books | Audible

Cannot eatz. Zero stars on Yelp.

If you’ve already read this story, thank you! I’d love it if you could help me spread the word on social media or by leaving a review! I appreciate you so much!

Thanks, everyone! I hope you enjoy Taryn’s and Shaw’s story!

Roni

Happy almost Halloween!

I’d like to say the weather is chilly and the leaves are falling and I’m sipping on a hot drink. However, Texas, as usual, is clinging to its relationship with summer like a stalker ex-boyfriend. So, with highs still reaching the 90s, I’ve had to channel the Halloween mood through TV, movies, and books, and I thought I’d share some of those today.

For those who read last month’s newsletter, you’ll recognize some of these from my horror reading and movie syllabi that I created for myself. Some have been wins and some, not so much.

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If you’re in the mood for some demon-hunting brothers…

Supernatural (2005-2020)

I think I mentioned in a previous newsletter that I’ve recently started watching the TV show Supernatural. I wasn’t hooked immediately, but once I got into the back half of season one, I was all in. I’m now in season 4 and am obsessed.

I love the two leads Dean and Sam and their brotherly bond. (They’re not hard to look at either, just sayin’.) I love that the show isn’t afraid to go dark and straight into the heart of horror but also keeps a wry sense of humor. I can go from feeling wound up and tense in one scene to literally laughing out loud in another. There was one episode with a giant, depressed teddy bear that was so absurd yet somehow pulled off funny, creepy, and entertaining without being dumb. That takes some writing skill. They also do a great job of mixing in monster-of-the-week type episodes with the episodes that speak to the bigger series or season story arc. It’s a good balance.

So if you liked Buffy the Vampire Slayer and like a mix of horror and humor (and somehow missed seeing this show when it first came out like I did) give it a try. But know: it is horror. I asked a horror-averse but suspense-loving friend what she thought of the show (because as a horror-lover, my gauge on what’s scary is skewed) and she declared it “too scary” for her. So know thyself.

Frailty (2001)

Hey, look! Another story of two brothers fighting demons with their dad (or are they?) —but that’s about all this one has in common with Supernatural. There is no humor in Frailty, but there is some stellar acting and some great twists.

The story opens with a man (Matthew McConaughey) walking into an FBI office in Dallas to recount the story of his childhood and how it ties into some recent murders. Much of the movie is told in flashbacks to their childhood when he and his brother were raised by their dad. They had a good childhood up until the point that dear ol’ dad wakes them up one night, telling him God has sent him a message, and now they must kill demons to save the world. One catch, the “demons” are real people in their area that they’re going to have to kill. The younger brother is on board with this plan and believes the mission-from-God narrative, the older brother is basically like “WTF, dad has become a serial killer and I need to stop him!”

This movie did a great job with the slow build of tension and it keeps you guessing. Also, the question it plays with is a favorite story question of mine in horror/thriller movies. I won’t say what it is since it could hint at a spoiler.

I really enjoyed this movie (and remembered, while I was watching, that I had seen it probably when it came out but had forgotten 95% of it. Thanks, crappy memory! I can enjoy movies like I haven’t watched them before, lol.)

What was extra interesting (and unplanned) was watching this movie while I’m in the middle of watching Supernatural because both have the dad and two sons demon-hunting but take the stories in wildly different directions. It ended up being a nice pairing.

The Omen (1976)

Not demon-hunting brothers but demonic children! Somehow in all my horror-watching growing up (and growing up Catholic no less!) I missed watching The Omen. I have fixed that now, but sadly, this one didn’t do it for me.

I can appreciate the mood and imagery, and this probably would’ve been much scarier to me if I’d watched it when I was younger and didn’t already know the story through pop-cultural osmosis, but it came across as dated to me. I like 70s horror movies and many hold up (The Exorcist still freaks me the hell out ←ha, hell), but this one just seemed to take itself SO SERIOUSLY. So instead of feeling scary, it made me roll my eyes. Oh well. I’ve heard the new prequel, The First Omen, is worth watching though.

If you are worried about losing your head…

Spontaneous (2020)

One of my favorite genre mashups is horror/romance, but they can be hard to find, so when I saw this one mentioned on a recommendations list, I thought I’d give it a try.

Spontaneous is about…spontaneous combustion. Mara and Dylan are trying to survive the normal trials of high school when, uh oh, one of their fellow students explodes in class. Like literally. When it turns out that this spontaneous combustion situation is contagious, but seemingly only to teenagers, and more people start exploding, doctors step in to try to help and isolate the teens. While this external thing is happening, Mara and Dylan fall for each other.

My dear romance readers, I’m not going to lead you down a path blindly. Note the subtitle up there. This is a “love story” not a “romance.” You know what that means. I, however, didn’t see that going in, so though I enjoyed many aspects of this movie—the sweetness of the relationship, the dialogue, the ridiculousness of people randomly exploding—I was ultimately disappointed by this one. But if you just want a quirky movie with YA vibes that isn’t scary for Halloween, this could fit the bill.

Heads Will Roll by Josh Winning

And speaking of heads…the title of this book is not a metaphor. :)

Willow is an actress who’s recently been canceled over a tweet, so she’s going to an off-the-grid summer camp for adults to get away for a while. (That sounds like a good idea, right??? No signal. In the woods with random strangers. Totally safe. But if characters didn’t make bad decisions, we wouldn’t have horror novels.) There Willow meets a group of fellow campers who are there for their own reasons (which are kept private upfront so it adds some mystery). There are camp games and therapy-like sessions around the fire, but soon, someone dies and the horror begins. Someone is after their heads, literally, and a summer camp slasher ensues.

This one had a cinematic slasher vibe (so don’t come here looking for deep characterization), but it was a fun time and didn’t take itself too seriously. I also liked that the story tackled some of the issues involved with cancel culture.

If you just want some retro werewolf fun…

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

If you just want some retro horror with a sense of humor, An American Werewolf in London can scratch that itch. This is another classic that I somehow missed, but unlike The Omen, this one didn’t take itself seriously at all yet still retained its horror vibe. (This was directed by John Landis, the director of Animal House, and you can feel those humor roots.)

Two college friends, Jack and David, have gone to the UK to do some hiking. They pop into a pub one night and the locals aren’t welcoming, but they tell them to “stay on the road” when they go back out. Of course, we’re in a horror movie, kids, so what do our characters do? They ignore that advice and are attacked by a werewolf.

Jack dies in the attack (but shows up later in memorable form) and David ends up in the hospital with a pesky full-moon condition. The title tells you what happens next.

This was straight-up delightful. It won the first Oscar for makeup effects ever handed out, and the effects are impressive, especially for 1981. But what I liked most was the tongue-in-cheek humor it held throughout while still being scary. There’s a scene in an X-rated movie theatre that was *chef’s kiss* with the juxtaposition of violence and humor. There was also a mini-romance woven in. So, two thumbs up to this one!

Alright, that’s what I’ve got for you today. I hope you’ve found something to enhance your own Halloween mood!

I’d love to hear what your favorites are to watch or read this time of year. Or, if you’re horror-averse, tell me what your go-to Halloween traditions are instead!

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A few of the books on my horror lit syllabus

Happy October!

It’s still hot here in Texas, but I’m going to pretend it feels like autumn because my spooky season is already in full swing!

If you’ve been following me for a while (thank you!), you might remember that last year, I leaned hard in my nerdiness and decided to make myself a syllabus to study horror fiction and horror film.

I had a ton of fun with the process for the first few weeks and worked my way through several books and movies. However, because of a family crisis that happened a few weeks into the project, my plans got derailed. So, this year, I’m calling for a redo!

I’ve taken my original syllabi, removed the books and movies I completed last year, and replaced them with some new ones. I also changed up a couple of categories (like adding small-town horror for books and animated horror for movies). In addition, I incorporated a “read one short story a week” element instead of tackling short story anthologies as one big read. Horror short stories are a rich tradition and I want to give them their due.

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Otherwise, the structure stayed the same. One book and one film a week that fits the category assigned for that week. For instance, this week was monsters/cryptids, so I watched An American Werewolf in London (which was a delight!)

I’m enormously excited about the project because I adore a deep dive and I love a (flexible) plan. This gives my nerdy heart the structure I crave, gamifies things a bit (I get to highlight things to mark them off as I go), and I get to learn more about a favorite genre in the process. (If you’re a fellow writer, I talked more about how I created templates to review the movies and books to help with the learning in this post.)

Why am I sharing this?

So, why am I sharing this with you? Well, like I mentioned last year, a syllabus can be used for all kinds of fun projects. You can do it as a way to power through your TBR pile. You could set theme weeks for your reading or movie-watching for the last quarter of the year. (I’m thinking a Hallmark movie syllabus could be really fun for December.) You could deep dive into any topic you’re interested in. The sky is the limit, really.

Even the process of putting together the syllabus, doing the research on what to include, organizing it, etc. can be a fun activity for certain personality types. (Hint: If you’re currently thinking, this chick has lost her damn mind, a syllabus may not be your jam and that’s okay! Lol.) But for those who got a shiver at the thought of a crisp, new syllabus on the first day of classes, this may be something worth exploring.

The Book and Film Lists A few of the movies on the film syllabus

However, even if you don’t want to make your own syllabus, perhaps you’re looking for some spooky reads or movies to fill up your October. I can help with that!

Something new I added this year was collecting all the books and movies on my syllabi into lists. I now have a Goodreads list of all the books on my lit syllabus and a Letterboxd list for all the movies on the film one. So, if you’re curious, you can check those out! (Keep in mind, these are not recommendations per se. I have not read or watched most of these yet. These are books and movies I added because I’ve seen them recommended by trusted sources or they represent important works in the genre.)

So, that’s what my spooky season is going to look like. How about yours? Do you do anything special to celebrate October or the Halloween season? What are your favorite horror books or movies? Or do you prefer the cozier fall reads/watches?

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Reading Rainbow Forever <3

One of the most enjoyable processes for me as a reader is choosing my next book to read or the next to add to my To Be Read pile. I know I’m not alone in that! :)

It’s why we browse our favorite bookstores and our local library. It’s why we subscribe to bookish newsletters or listen to bookish podcasts. It’s why we follow bookish accounts or influencers on social media. We want to know what great books are out there!

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However, nothing can be more frustrating than when we pick up one of those books and then it doesn’t give us the kind of story we were looking for. Maybe we were in a rom-com mood so we picked up the newest book with the bright cartoon cover that we saw people talking about online, but this book has a pro sports guy hero and we really don’t like all the sporty scenes. Or the heroine is a Ms. Positivity Sunshine type and we just cannot even right now with all that bubbly personality. (Note: there’s nothing wrong with sporty romances or sunshine heroines, I’m just using them as examples.)

One thing I’ve learned as a reader and as an author is that not every book is for every reader. AND sometimes even if a book would be right for us sometimes, it’s not right for us all the time, particularly if we’re mood readers.

One thing I’ve learned as a reader and as an author is that not every book is for every reader.

So choosing books can sometimes be a frustrating process. What can help, though, is doing a little self-reflection and some close studying of our reading tastes to help refine our ability to pick the right books for ourselves.

This will never be a 100%-satisfaction-guaranteed process—and it shouldn’t be. We need to try things we’re not sure about to see if we like it and to expand our reading worlds. But we can definitely decrease our number of misses by knowing our reading selves better. But how?

The power of microgenres

One way to do this is to embrace the concept of microgenres. A microgenre is what it sounds like. It’s the niche we can drill down into under the bigger heading of genre and subgenre. For instance, Romance is the genre, Romantic Comedy is the subgenre, Sports Romance could be a subgenre of that, and then a microgenre could be Baseball Romances or, even more drilled down, Sporty Romances with an Athlete Heroine.

Think of it like those listings Netflix used to have. I find their categories have gotten more generic as of late, but there used to be groupings like “Slasher Horror Set in the 90s” or “Heartwarming Mother/Daughter Stories”. At times, it was a little freaky how well Netflix knew me (hey there, creepy algorithms) but it also helped me figure out my tastes in a more specific way.

We can do the same with our reading. Start paying attention to what microgenres are consistently successful for you. And I don’t just mean tropes in romance like enemies-to-lovers or fake marriage. You want to dig down a little deeper because those tropes are still pretty broad.

How do you discover your favorite microgenres?

Read a lot and keep track of what you read and how you feel about it.

You can track your reading online with something like Goodreads or StoryGraph or you can do it privately. I use the DayOne app (see below) to keep track of what I read privately (which allows me to say whatever I want in my review, lol) and I also keep a paper reading journal.

When you love something (or hate it), analyze what about it you liked or didn’t.

Do you hate books with untidy endings? (like if a horror novel leaves you wondering if the whole thing was real or supernatural) Do you love books that have a dog as a character? Do you like suspense novels with rich people behaving badly? Do you love slow-burn character-driven mysteries instead of super twisty, high-speed, plot-driven ones? Get specific.

Keep a list of what you like and do some fun bookish research

Yes, this can be fun! There are endless resources out there for bookish recommendations. Do an internet search using your microgenre terms or by using a book as a comparison “books like FAVORITE BOOK TITLE.” So many sites do great bookish lists. I just found a new one this week when I was searching for horror novels called The Lineup that has a Books page with lists titled things like “Horror Books with Unexpected Takes on Demonic Presences” and “8 Captivating Horror Books About TV & Film.” Book Riot is also good for a microgenre list like Novels that Use the 1990s as a Historical Setting (historical, the 90s, pardon me while I pause to weep a little.)

Podcasts are also great for research if you can find the right ones for you.

The key to bookish podcasts is to find the hosts whose tastes align with yours at least on some genres/subgenres/microgenres. This takes a little time and a good bit of listening to find the right fit, but it can still be fun hearing about books that aren’t necessarily your jam.

I’m a big fan and Patreon member of both Sarah’s Bookshelves Live (she even does episodes about favorite microgenres) and Currently Reading. I line up with the hosts on some genres and not for others. I like Books in the Freezer for horror. Fated Mates is fun for romance. I like What Should I Read Next for all kinds of genres because, though my taste doesn’t always align with Anne’s (the host), she has different reader guests each week and so lots of different tastes are represented.

Look for patterns - Don’t rule out a microgenre based on one book or declare it a favorite based on one book

We’re looking for a pattern. Sometimes a particular book wasn’t for us. That doesn’t necessarily mean that microgenre is a no-go. It might’ve just been poorly written or there was some other element that turned you off. But if you try another in that microgenre and get the same result, then maybe you can rule that one out. Same goes for if it was a great book. For instance, many people LOVE Stephen King’s 11/22/63 (great book, btw), but they can’t declare they love Stephen King books because that book was not horror and was very different from his other books.

There are other ways to explore what microgenres are for you, but those are some of the easiest ways to start. I think what’s most helpful in this process of curation is that it gives us more richness in our reading life, more personalized goodness.

I think what’s most helpful in this process of curation is that it gives us more richness in our reading life, more personalized goodness.

We don’t have to just be fed the “big books of whatever season it is” and hope for the best. We don’t just have to pick up the bestsellers that make it into Target because that’s what’s in our face or what everyone is talking about. (Though, I’m not knocking those books. Target, call me whenever you like! ;) )

Some big bestsellers may be perfect for us. The God of the Woods was my favorite book this summer, and it was definitely one of the big bestsellers. However, when we drill down more into our individual tastes, we can also find the undiscovered treasure, the books that don’t have 3-month wait times at the library. We can find backlist books that others have forgotten about or new releases that didn’t get big promo budgets from the publishers or indie books that aren’t on the bookstore shelves. Most of all, we can find more books that fit our personal reading tastes.

However, when we drill down more into our individual tastes, we can also find the undiscovered treasure, the books that don’t have 3-month wait times at the library. We can find backlist books that others have forgotten about or new releases that didn’t get big promo budgets from the publishers or indie books that aren’t on the bookstore shelves.

So, if you find yourself striking out on the books you’re picking up, consider doing a little reading life research and discover what microgenres push your bookish buttons.

Here are some microgenres I’ve discovered over the years that I love: romances that have heroes or heroines with tragic backstories (I write those too!), foodie memoirs but (oddly) not foodie romances, suspense/mystery novels with a podcast element, horror with heroes or heroines that love horror movies/novels, the Groundhog Day trope in any genre, time travel romances, character-driven horror particularly that follows of tight group of friends, college/campus novels that follow a group of friends, non-fiction books about TV shows and movies.

The list goes on, but I’ll stop there. I’m always adding to it as well so that my reading life doesn’t get stale. Finding what your taste is can be great, but it’s also important to try new things and be open-minded. I wasn’t a romance reader growing up, but I’m very glad I tried it in adulthood or who knows what career I’d have right now. :)

So, I’m curious. Have you given this any thought? Do you know what microgenres push your bookish buttons? Have you suffered from “reading the book that everyone else is talking/raving about but hating it” syndrome? Let me know in the comments!

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View from my office window - full moon at sunrise this morning.

Hi there! It’s August. It’s hot. Don’t let the innocent-looking sunrise/moon pic above fool you. Later today it will be hell blazes hot. (The temp dial read 113 in my car yesterday while I melted waited for the kiddo to get out of school.)

But, the good news is that this means it’s the perfect time for a Read/Watch/Listen list so we can stay inside and hide from the heat!

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Read

First up…a little shameless self-promotion. The gorgeous new paperback edition of The One You Can’t Forget, book 2 in The Ones Who Got Away series, is out today!

Rebecca is a survivor with a secret she’s ashamed of. She's also the take-no-prisoners attorney who represented Wes's ex in a bitter divorce and ruined his dreams of owning a restaurant. So when Wes intervenes in a mugging, saving Rebecca, things get complicated. Let the enemies-to-lovers games begin!

Grab your copy!

People seemed to like the book, so maybe you will too! Or maybe you’d like this new version for your shelf if you originally read it in ebook. All four re-issues will create a full picture when lined up next to each other, which is pretty fun.

Thus concludes the shameless self-promotion portion of these proceedings.

I would share what great things I’ve been reading for the last month, but alas, I’ve had a stack of DNFs. Perhaps the reading slump hasn’t fully resolved.

However, I have been feeling the seasonal reading shift happening ever since the kiddo started school. I’m craving campus novels/dark academia and spooky stuff. I used to think I CHOSE seasonal reading, but now I think I’ve ingrained the seasonality into my bones. I started craving Fall books before I fully registered that we’re going into a new season.

So, I don’t have a list of what I’ve read to share, but I can give you what I’ve added to my stack lately.

Book club read

I’m reading Homecoming by Kate Morton for a library book club. I’m only a few pages in, but the writing is lovely. It’s a big chonker though (500+ pages), so we’ll see if I make it through in time for book club. Two timelines (1959 and present), a mystery, and set in Australia. The question that has popped up so far for me is how do other authors know the name of EVERY flower and tree in their scenes? Lol. This is not a writing strength of mine. I’m like, “The trees were thick with leaves.” What kind of trees? Who the hell knows?

Stories for campus vibes…

I’m sure there are nice people at boarding schools who don’t murder each other. But I’m not entirely sure…so I’ve added these books to further investigate. :)

Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison and The Secret Place by Tana French

Stories for spooky vibes…

So Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman is about a little girl who goes around her house and talks to “Other Mommy.” I don’t know how the parents are going to react to this, but I’ve watched enough horror movies that if my kid said there was another mommy in the house, I’m believing them…and setting the house on fire and asking questions later.

I really enjoyed Stephen Graham Jones’ writing in My Heart Is a Chainsaw, so I Was a Teenage Slasher was an autobuy for me. Plus, it’s set in Texas in 1989. Fair warning: he’s a very interior writer. You are deeply, deeply inside the head of his main character. So if you’re not used to lots of streams of consciousness, it can take some getting used to.

Watching what I’m watching (see below) put me in the mood for books that would give that vibe. I found a list of suggestions and Kelly Armstrong’s Omens jumped out at me, so I grabbed it at the library yesterday. The premise caught my attention. A woman who’s adopted finds out her birth parents were serial killers. She goes to the town they were from to find out more and realizes…maybe there’s something else going on and her parents weren’t the bad guys after all.

I have a feeling this spooky pile will continue to grow. I love scary reading season.

Watch

Supernatural on Netflix

Confession: I have never watched Supernatural. I know! How did that happen? I love horror. I love shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Vampire Diaries. I am a WB/CW channel fan girl. This show should’ve been squarely in my wheelhouse. But for some reason, each time I tried it, the initial episodes just didn’t hook me.

I think this was because the early episodes have a monster-of-the-week format that is not my favorite. Buffy started like that too, so I should’ve known to just persevere until I felt connected to the characters. Luckily, I finally got over myself and did that.

I’m now into the beginning of season 2 and I’m loving it. Dean and Sam are fantastic characters (and not hard to look at), and the brotherly dynamics are great. The stories actually do a good job of being scary too, especially considering this was network TV. I’m thrilled to have a new show to watch, especially one with so many seasons!

So, tell me, am I the only one who hasn’t watched this show? :)

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder on Netflix

I really enjoyed the book by Holly Jackson, so I was excited to see them make it into a show. This is a YA suspense that gives strong Serial vibes. A 17-year-old girl decides to make her school project solving a murder in her town because she’s not sure they found the right perpetrator. I binge-watched this over two days and found it compelling. The main character made me yell at her a few times for having no regard for her personal safety (you know like horror movie heroines running up the stairs instead of out the door) but overall, I think this was a solid adaptation.

Listen

Continuing the horror theme, I’m currently listening to Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay and so far, I’m impressed with the high production value of the audio. It’s a full cast recording and there are screenplay elements in it, so they have voice actors reading through the screenplay and you can even hear them flipping the pages like they’re at a table read.

This is about a film that four people put together in 1993 and that has developed a cult following, despite only three scenes of the movie being released. Now the four are coming back together to remake the movie. I love a good cursed film storyline.

Alright, that’s all I have for you today! I hope you found something worth checking out (and by that, I mean, my book.) ;)

Happy reading, watching, and listening!

What are you reading, watching, or listening to? I’d love to hear!

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*Some links are affiliate links but all recommendations are mine.