What I'm Reading Wednesday: Tales of Suspense

Welcome to this week's edition of What I'm Reading. Admittedly I'm a bit behind on my reading lately, as we spent the past week in West Virginia with family. However, the weather in Georgia has fallen from the 80s to the 60s seemingly overnight, so I'm more than ready to curl up with a cup of pumpkin spice coffee, a blanket, and one of the books from my library stack. 

This week I'd like to share with you three suspenseful tales I've read recently that are perfect for the spooky month of October! I'd also love to have you join our The Midnight Society October book club where we are reading five eerie short stories during the month of October. It's not too late to join the fun! 

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley (Bookshop ❘ Amazon)

While waiting for my turn at the library with her newest novel The Guest List, I checked out Lucy Foley's backlist title The Hunting Party. I'm very glad I did. This novel tells the tale of a group of old college friends who take their annual New Year's trip, this time to a remote lodge in Scotland. While on the surface the friends are ready to enjoy their reunion, old tensions begin to surface, culminating in the mysterious murder of one of the guests. 

And Then You Were Gone by R.J. Jacobs (Bookshop ❘ Amazon)

A young woman named Emily goes on an overnight boating trip with her boyfriend, and when she wakes up in the morning, he's gone. This Double Jeopardy-type beginning quickly takes its own turn as the police try to convince Emily that her excellent swimmer boyfriend has accidentally drowned. Emily cannot accept that determination and suspects something more sinister. Compounding the uncomfortable suspense surrounding the disappearance is that Emily suffers from bipolar disorder and stops managing her treatment. 

One Night Gone by Tara Laskowski (Bookshop ❘ Amazon)

Many books I check out from the library are ones that I have had on my to be read list for a while and patiently wait my turn to receive. However, I saw this one on the shelf a couple weeks ago when I went in to pick up my holds. The cover featured an endorsement from Tana French, whom I love, so I decided to give it a try. It was excellent. This novel tells the story of Allison, a recently divorced and unemployed woman who takes a job house sitting at a beach house for the winter. She wants time alone to heal and plan for her future, but instead she comes across a decades-cold murder that she feels compelled to solve, putting herself in mortal danger in the process. 

I hope these suspenseful tales will (pumpkin) spice up your fall reading list! And don't forget, I'd love to see you back here tomorrow for our Midnight Society discussion of "The Tell-Tale Heart"! 

The Midnight Society: The Tell-Tale Heart Introduction

I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily -- how calmly I can tell you the whole story.

With those words, I welcome you to Week 1 of The Midnight Society! The weather is getting crisper, the smell of leaves and campfires abound, and we are trading our beach reads for heavier, spookier tales to usher in the season. This week we'll be reading and discussing the Edgar Allan Poe classic, "The Tell-Tale Heart." For most of us, the last time we read this story was a likely a middle or high school Language Arts class, so I hope you enjoy revisiting this heart-wrenching tale. 

Here is what you need to join in the fun this week: 

- Before you read, here is a link to a short but informative bio video on author Edgar Allan Poe. His life was both as sad and as strange as his famous works. 

- To find a link to a text of the story, click here. 

- To listen to actor Christopher Lee read the story aloud in his perfect-for-this voice (I LOVE this), click here. 

On Thursday we'll convene our first meeting of The Midnight Society (online, of course!) where I'll post some discussion questions. I can't wait to hear your insights! 

P.S. This one can be read by a crackling fire or candlelight, but whatever you choose, don't forget to set the stage for yourself! 

Fascinating Finds

We are still in West Virginia, looking forward to tomorrow's baby shower celebrating the birth of my nephew in November! We will return to Georgia on Monday. 

Here are some things that have captured my interest this week:

- How long is your TBR ("To Be Read") list? This great article makes the point that TBR lists are aspirational, not doable, and that's what makes them great. 

- Continuing my post from Wednesday about Young Adult authors, here is a list of spooky books for middle grade readers, perfect for this time of year! 

- If, like me, you are obsessed with anything royal (counting the minutes till the next season of The Crown!), here is a slideshow of rare photos of a young Queen Elizabeth. 

- King Tut is rising from the grave. 

- Was there more to the sinking of the Titanic than we thought? 

And don't forget that the first week of The Midnight Society begins Monday! I hope to see you then. Have a great weekend! 

What I'm Reading Wednesday: Young Adult Authors To Try

In this week's What I'm Reading, I'd like to share with you two young adult authors whose books I discovered this summer: Karen M. McManus and Julie Buxbaum. 

As a middle school teacher, I like to keep up with what is being published in the young adult genre. I love getting recommendations from my students, and I like knowing what contemporary young adult fiction is being written so I can guide them to books they may enjoy as well. 

If you like Ruth Ware, Shari Lapena, and Clare Mackintosh, read ...

Karen M. McManus, a relatively new author who has published three books: two are a novel/duo pair, and the third is a stand-alone book. 

One of Us is Lying (Bookshop)

Five students go to detention, but only four make it out alive. It's what would happen if The Breakfast Club met ... well I can't say without giving it away. Read it, then I'll tell you!  

One of Us is Next (Bookshop)

In the wake of the shocking events of One of Us is Lying, a new mystery student starts a Truth or Dare game that turns deadly at Bayview High.

Two Can Keep a Secret (Bookshop)

Two teens are sent to live with their grandmother in the small town where their mother grew up -- and her twin sister disappeared as a teenager. Five years after a second girl goes missing, a third one disappears. Mistrust runs rampant in a town where everyone knows each other -- and everyone is a suspect. 

If you like Katherine Center, Elin Hilderbrand, and Emily Giffin, read ... 

Julie Buxbaum, who began writing adult fiction before publishing young adult novels. 

Hope and Other Punch Lines (Bookshop)

Abbi, who is 16, was the subject of a famous photo on 9/11 and is still recognized because of it. In an attempt at anonymity, she gets a job at a summer camp. There, she meets a boy who is desperate to discover what happened to his father that day, and he thinks Abbi can help. 

What to Say Next (Bookshop)

A teenage boy who is non-neurotypical befriends a popular girl at school who has just endured a tragedy, and their friendship changes both of them. 

Tell Me Three Things (Bookshop)

A teenage girl finds herself moving across the country after her father, whose wife died, suddenly remarries. She is an outsider at her new, wealthy school, and she has no friends -- until an email from an anonymous classmate offering to help guide her shows up in her inbox. 

The Midnight Society

Since I started teaching in the fall of 2014, I've done a special fall short stories unit focused on spooky stories with my eighth grade students. In a nod to the 90s show Are You Afraid of the Dark?, I call the unit "The Midnight Society." We would focus on one short story a week, reading and doing all our related assignments by candlelight with the sounds of a crackling campfire hissing in the background. 

Having not taught this school year or the last, I have really missed so many things about middle school, but this unit is one of the biggest things I miss. I loved sharing this special unit with my students, enjoying their reactions to the stories and helping them (hopefully) have fun as they were learning. I was thinking about it the other week, and I decided, why not host The Midnight Society here in this space this year? It won't be exactly the same since we won't be together as a group, but really, isn't that the theme of 2020 as it is? So, beginning next Monday, September 28, and continuing for the following five weeks, we'll enjoy one short story per week. On Monday of each week you can expect to find a link to where you can read a copy of the story for that week, plus any introductory materials. Then on Thursdays, I'll post some discussion questions and activities that you can participate in at your leisure. 

Here are the stories we'll be reading this year:

Week of September 28 -- "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe 

Week of October 5 -- "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson

Week of October 12 -- "The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs

Week of October 19 -- "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell

Week of October 26 -- "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving 

In case you, too, want the experience of reading by a crackling campfire (and aren't able to make a real one), turn this on in the background. 

I hope you will join me for this spooky, fun fall event! 

Fascinating Finds

This weekend we'll be spending all weekend waiting for my brother Alex and my sister-in-law Alex to arrive on Sunday. They are staying the night here with us Sunday, and then we'll all caravan up to West Virginia on Monday. We're headed there for the Alexes' baby shower!  

I also have some exciting news coming Monday! Stay tuned. 

Here's what I have for you this week: 

- With fall comes (allegedly!) cooler weather. Some of our favorite recipes that are perfect for fall are brown butter sauce (good on anything, not just ravioli), this sheet pan dinner, and these pumpkin muffins. 

- Venus has never been my favorite planet (that designation goes to Jupiter), but after I started teaching the Ray Bradbury short story "All Summer in a Day" which takes place on Venus, I've always been drawn to stories about that planet. Astronomers recently reported that there might be a sign of life on Venus.

- I have to admit, I have literally NEVER listened to a podcast until this week. I am not really an auditory learner, so I never thought podcasts would be for me. But my friend Drew (one of my best friend's, Sarah, husband who shot our beautiful wedding video) and his friend Jake started a podcast all about movies, and it's great! Check out Reel Takes with Drew and Jake. 

- The novels shortlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize were announced Tuesday. Four of the six are from first-time writers, and four are from women. 

- The Coronavirus has officially reached its arms of destruction into the holiday season. 

Some posts you may have missed:

- Grief is not a straight line.

- When it comes to home decor, trust your taste.

- Quick ways to make your home look tidy.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

What I'm Reading Wednesday: Cozy Mysteries

For this week's What I'm Reading I wanted to talk about a specific genre of books that I've been enjoying lately: cozy mysteries. In case you don't know what a cozy mystery is, it is a mystery that usually features an amateur sleuth, and the murder usually happens "off screen" -- that is to say it's not violent or graphic. For a longer explanation, read this article. If you've ever seen the show Murder, She Wrote, you have enjoyed a cozy mystery. 

While I have certainly read some cozy mysteries in the past, I have been reading a lot more of them lately because I joined the latest Litsy Markup Postal Book Club on my favorite app, Litsy. I have talked about Litsy a lot in the past, and if you haven't joined yet, you should! Although I have been part of Litsy for over three years now, I have only in the past several months become really active. In late spring, I saw information about a "Markup Postal Book Club"; in essence, participants group together in groups of four people, the group selects a theme for the books they will read, each member chooses four books to propose, and the other three members vote on which of the four will be that person's book. At the end of the month, the first person on the list passes their book to the second person, the second person to the third, and so on. As each person reads, she makes notes in the book based on her thoughts, ideas, or opinions. This goes on for four months so that each member reads every other member's book, and then you get your original book back. (Often, book club members will also send along other fun treats, gifts, and surprises.)  My book club started in July, and I have read three novels now. I will receive the fourth (and final) one at the beginning of October. I am already missing my book club, and it's not even over yet! My group decided to read cozy mysteries, so I have enjoyed three of them in the past couple months, plus one I found to read on my own. It's been a really fun study over the past few months, and I would recommend any of these books!

Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron (Bookshop丨Amazon) 

This book (which is the first in a series) features Jane Austen as an amateur sleuth. It will not surprise you to hear that this was my choice for the book club! Don't let the idea that it's written in "old" English deter you; it's actually a fun read. It got a little slow at times, but overall it was a really fun story, and I will definitely be reading more of the series. 

Still Knife Painting by Cheryl Hollon (Bookshop丨Amazon) 

This was my August read and is also the first in a series. It features a protagonist named Miranda Trent and takes place in eastern Kentucky (not too far from where I'm from in West Virginia), so that's why I voted for this one. There were some things I thought became boringly repetitive, but I was hooked enough to want to know who did it, and I did not find the ending predictable.

A Dark and Stormy Murder by Julia Buckley (Bookshop丨Amazon) 

I really enjoyed this book, which was my September read. Like the others, it is part of a series and features two protagonists: a mystery writer named Camilla Graham and her apprentice Lena London. One of the best parts of this one was that there is a mystery within the mystery, and there will be, I assume, overlap into the next novel.  

Death Wears a Mask by Ashley Weaver (Bookshop丨Amazon) 

Any book that includes the line "All other considerations aside, it would be quite embarrassing to be murdered" is definitely a book I know I'll enjoy! This book is the second in a series featuring a protagonist named Amory Ames. Accidentally, I read this one before the first, but I'll double back and read that one before I read the subsequent ones. You will especially like this book if you like historical fiction, as this series takes place in England in the 1930s. 

If you like a good mystery but don't really want to read books that are graphic or contain a lot of bad language or involved police procedure, cozy mysteries are definitely for you. 

And, incidentally, if you are feeling a lack of connection right now for whatever reason and really enjoy books, please consider joining Litsy. I have found a nice community of people there -- especially doing this postal book club -- that have made me feel less alone as we have been stuck at home and Joe has been traveling for work. 

If you read any of these books, let me know. I'd love to discuss!