Tag: nerdinabarwithabook

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I just had a wonderful weekend! It started with heavy fog and me driving my least favorite freeway—I-57—and the fog didn’t lift until I was almost to Indiana.

I attended the Scarelastic Book Fair at Scarlet Lane Brewing Company in McCordsville, hosted by author and master brewer Josh Hull. What a great time! A horror-themed brewery, many favorite authors, spent way too much on books (including one I now have two of, both signed…how could I forget??)

Above is most of what I bought. I snagged a few more right before I left. Pretty much my book budget for the year. Well… I mean…. not really. But…

I should mention the beer at Scarlet Lane is fantastic. Highly recommend—the brewery is absolutely worth a visit all on its own.

I spent the night at Fort Harrison State Park Inn, a cool old hotel. It was so quiet I was briefly convinced I was the only guest. I had dinner and a couple more fantastic brews at Triton Brewing Company. And of course, had to have a book with me, since I bought so many good ones. This is Laurel Hightower’s Every Woman Knows This and I can’t wait to dig into it! That beer is their Strawberry Hometown Hero Ale. Isn’t it pretty?

Then up early in the morning to hike the Fall Creek Trail in the state park. I didn’t make those cairns, someone else’s handiwork. But I enjoyed. That’s Fall Creek. Hence the trail name. 🙂

I stopped off in Bloomington, IN for lunch because I wanted to see the town, and also go home a different way. Great lunch. Did a quick read from Quick Adjustments by Robert Scotellaro. I read Interpreter of Dreams, one of my favorites from that great new collection. It’s on my Instagram if you want to check it out.

And then I managed to add almost an hour to my drive time—oops!—by going all the way south to Kentucky before going west towards home. S’ok, it was rural scenery I would not have seen otherwise.

Got home to find that my husband has written a new song that’s pretty kick-ass heartbreaking. So we both had a productive weekend! I hope yours was fantastic too!

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It’s Appalachia January for me! I really love that region of the country, and would like to get to know it better. But for now, here’s what I’ve been reading.

Madame Cruller’s Couch by Elizabeth Massie at Stooges in Jackson MO with an Old Fashioned. Subtitle is apt: Dark and Bizarre Tales.

Brother by Ania Ahlborn at Walker’s Bluff (again) with a Blackberry Whiskey Lemonade. Just when you think it’s gotten as dark as it’s going to get, guess what? It gets darker. For me, Ahlborn is one of the scariest writers out there right now.

Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby at Walker’s Bluff with a Black Rose cocktail — a high octane heartbreak of a book. I’m actually about two chapters from finishing it. I’m slowing down because the high speed making me race too fast!
NOTE: OK. I finished it. Might be the best last sentence ever.

Happy reading! Read horror! Read flash fiction!

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Gothic-punk. Okay, I can dig that designation for Ghost Eaters by Clay McLeod Chapman.

This story is terrifying. And pretty damn bleak.

We begin with a quartet of friends — or should I say, Silas and his fan club — trespassing in a cemetery late at night with the intention (Silas’) of stealing a corpse’s tongue for occult purposes. Should I mention the four of them are tripping? I should. Addiction and drug abuse are main features of this story — ah, but not just any drug addiction. A Ghost addiction. Fungi are having a moment…

Silas is low-key obsessed with his dead mother. Erin (the narrator of this haunted foray into horror) is obsessed with Silas.

I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, but be prepared: These ghosts are some of the scariest I’ve ever encountered in literature. You remember how Odysseus fed blood to the ghosts in the Underworld to restore their memory temporarily? Like that. Only worse.

Setting is key. Richmond, Virginia. An old city on long-established ground with a history of past cruelty and enslavement and conquer. A city where the ghosts of the trampled want to be seen and acknowledged. They are hungry ghosts. Insatiable. So, Chapman asks: What should we do with our ghosts?

I don’t think I’d have been friends with Erin. She can be pathetic, needy, spineless. But occasionally, I’ve been just like her. There is something so pure in her desperation, so relateable in her self-sabotage. Because this story, like all the best horror, is about people — about how people decide who they are, and what people will do if you let them.

And I assure you, as horrifying as these ghosts are, they aren’t the worst monster in these pages.

Since setting is so important to this book, I wanted to emphasize setting where I was when I started reading it — by having an exclusive Trout Town Steelhead Amber at Trout Town Tavern in Kalkaska, Michigan, where beer comes with a pretzel!

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When I travel, I like to read a book set where I’m going, or by someone from that area. Hence, Drowning Ruth, a novel set in rural Wisconsin west of Milwaukee—the debut novel by Christina Schwarz.

It’s a story about tragedy unfolding from a secret—a secret that required lies and subterfuge to keep hidden, and one that literally had its keepers precariously balanced on thin ice. It’s also about sisters, family, parents, children, gossip, friendship, love, mental illness, and finding one’s place in this wild world of expectations and reality.

It’s also about adoption—which I did not know when I picked this book out to read.

But how very appropriate to my travels in Wisconsin and Michigan!

I shall have more to say later. And I’ve said a little bit previously. But my recent journey was a visit home, to my birth families.

I started reading Drowning Ruth at Toonie’s in Bellaire, Michigan. The brew is a local from Right Brain Brewery (Traverse City, MI)—Northern Hawk Owl Amber Ale.

That is the lighthouse at Sheboygan, Wisconsin. It’s as good a symbol as any of the amazing adventure of visiting my long lost sister, and meeting four siblings I never knew. I’m not posting their pictures here yet, but may in future.

Before I met my “Up North” Michigan family—my maternal siblings—we stopped at Seven Bridges Natural Area in Rapid River for some rushing water therapy. I soon discovered that my maternal cousin was quite familiar with the area and found solace there herself. It’s nice to have things like that in common.

This is a 450-foot dune that comes with a warning. If you go down it and can’t get back up, expect to pay $3,000 for a rescue. I did go down it as a teenager. The beauty was so astonishing, it actually hurt my heart. The blues of the water, the gold of the sand, the solitude of being so far away from people up top, the challenge of the climb back up… Then, I made the climb in 45 minutes. I think these days I’d take closer to the average 2 hours. The Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes are visible from the top of that dune. One of my very favorite places in all the world.

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I had a quiet weekend, so I fell into this book headfirst and barely looked up until it was finished. Rachel Harrison’s Such Sharp Teeth is a blast. It’s got great characters, witty dialogue, low-key drama, high-stakes drama, werewolves… obviously. I mean this in a good way—it’s like Vampire Diaries but with werewolves and for adults who’ve paid off at least one car.

But this book also has its serious side, and that what makes it hard to put down. Aurora “Rory” Morris (how’s that for a cool nickname from a cool name?) is back in her hometown (from NYC) to help out her twin, Scarlet, who is very pregnant and not very sure how she feels about it. Rory is barely settling in when, yep, she gets attacked by a werewolf, and yep, becomes one. That’s not a spoiler. But I will tell you, the way Rory comes around to the realization of what has happened to her is good stuff. Even better is how everything comes together in a perfect whirlwind — Rory glimpsing for the first time how different her life could be with a little domesticity — and how different it could be as a truly wild thing. Can’t say more, read it yourself.

The drink is one of the many microbrews on tap at the Underground Public House. It’s from B. Nektar Meadery in Michigan—it’s their Orange Cream Delight, a mead with orange and vanilla. Delish.

Coolest American Stories 2023, edited by Mark Wish and Elizabeth Coffey is an eclectic, exciting collection of stories. It’s their second of what’s becoming an annual anthology—they are accepting stories for the 2024 version as I’m writing this. Read their About section to understand fully what they’ve got going on with this book, but basically, they want stories that make you say, “Wow, that was a cool story,” when you finish it. They are literary stories, but accessible literary stories.

So, meet a celebrity stalker who knows how to take advantage of a situation, a woman trying to fulfill her mother’s puzzling last wish, a high school girl trying to stay true to herself in the face of deception and jealousy, and (the story that probably hit me most personally), a woman thrust into the role of grandmother, and then confronted with a devastating choice. It’s a fantastic collection.

The drink is a nice dry Chardonel at Feather Hills Vineyard & Winery. Check out the cypress tree in the background.

What are you reading, and where are you reading it?
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The Bell Witch by John F. D. Taff is far more than a telling of the folk legend of Tennessee’s Bell Witch. It’s also a contemplation on the psychology of being haunted, and a philosophical musing on the essence of haunting and being haunted. It’s the kind of book you can have a conversation with, a story to think about while you are watching a camp fire jump and blaze, or when you hear something thud on the roof of your house at night. Taff keeps true to what happened in the Bell Witch legend, and stretches enough to ask “Why did it happen?” Intriguing read.

I don’t usually try to match what I’m drinking with what I’m reading. Check out Jo Kaplan’s excellent newsletter for that kind of alchemy. However, in this case, I couldn’t resist an old-fashioned made with locally foraged shagbark syrup. At Ebb & Flow Fermentations, the charms of which I have previously sung here. If you are in Cape Girardeau, make sure you stop at Ebb & Flow.

The Witch Hunter by Finnish author Max Seeck, (translated by Kristian London) was a whole different critter. A police procedural noir crime novel, this grim and occult-dusted story introduces Jessica Niemi, a cop without the usual foibles (alcoholism, history of insubordination, you know the routine) but with plenty of her own secrets. I carried this book with me everywhere because whenever I had 30 seconds, I was reading it. That kind of stop/start reading doesn’t always work so well with a book in this genre—the plots are usually far too complex. And this one is complex! But it’s so gracefully written that falling back into it is easily done. No spoilers here, just read it. And if you are a beautiful brunette, treat yourself to a chic black evening gown. Wink.

I’m at Blue Sky Vineyard for this one, and that’s a glass of their estate-grown rosé, one of my favorite local wines. It’s always a hard choice at Blue Sky because I like so many of their dry and semi-dry wines, but rosé is always a good choice.

What are you reading in a bar (winery / microbrew) these days?

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The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes is a re-read for me. As is often the case with a really well written book, it’s even better the second time. The ending hit me harder, the inherent heartbreak in it.

It’s a time-travel serial killer story—so, a sci-fi psychological thriller. I don’t always love time travel, but Beukes makes it work seamlessly, and, in the world of the novel, believably. Plot basics, spoiler alert — in Depression-era Chicago, con man loser Harper Curtis discovers, literally, a key to time travel. He is compelled to seek out and kill “shining girls.” The anachronistic clues he leaves with each body are enough to put one of his planned victims, journalism student Kirby Mazrachi, hot on his trail.

I’m a bit behind in posting these—this is from May 5. I was at The Brick Bistro & Brew in Festus, Missouri, where Tim had one of the first outdoor gigs of the year. Considering the date, I had a margarita.

At Twelve Oaks Vineyard, I had a flight because I couldn’t decide. Since I was reading Lethal White by Robert Galbraith / J.K. Rowling, I snapped a shot with a bottle of their Cayuga White. I love Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott, and Galbraith tells a good story. I’m usually in suspense all the way to the end. I’m becoming impatient with the love interest side of things—either get them together or have them address why it won’t work (if it wouldn’t work). Still, I’m invested in the characters so I’ll ride out the series.

Share your own #nerdinabarwithabook if you like!

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I’m still in the afterglow of AuthorCon / Scares That Care! March 31-April 2 in Williamsburg, Virginia—my first horror writing conference. I met so many cool people, attended some readings that made me grateful for this new golden age of horror, learned a ton at various panels, lost my glasses, had my glasses returned to me, and bought a ton of books! By many people’s standards, my haul was modest, but for me, more than a dozen books at anything other than a library sale is a lot of books!

I can’t drive through mountains without stopping. So I built in time for some hiking. Not enough time! But better than no time. I drove the Newfound Gap through the Smokies, and part of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Also, I visited my very good friend Pam Schmalenberger in Raleigh! We stayed up until 5 a.m. and could easily have kept going with the catching up another all-day and all-night.  Pam is a reader, too. She and I and fellow Hogwarts supporter Ashley Wiehle-Framm waited in line, wands in hand, for the release of the last of the Harry Potter books, then slunk off home to begin a reading marathon. Pam finished first, as I recall.

But the trip also gave me a chance for some fun Nerd in a Bar with a Book places to read! #nerdinabarwithabook

The Siren and the Specter by Jonathan Janz is a high-octane story that features several kinds of hauntings—a house, a river, a man’s past. I picked it for the trip because it’s set right down there in Virginia in AuthorCon territory.

I read it at Gatlinburg Brewing Company (where I should have bought one of their cool shirts or something!) and paired it with a guest tap from the Gypsy Circus Cider Company, the Lotus Dream Orange Blossom Cider.

I picked up Crescendo by L. Marie Wood at AuthorCon. So cool to get to meet Lisa! Seriously, everyone was gracious at AuthorCon, kind, and encouraging—it was a pleasure! This is another haunted house, haunted man, haunted family story, but very different from the Janz book. This one takes a deep dive into the role of a person’s mental state in a haunting, and how brushes with malevolence can take a toll on a person’s sanity.

This one was at Blowing Rock Brewing Company, and let me just say I’ll be back to Blowing Rock some day. I ordered a flight. We have here: Kölsch, Chai Kölsch, Long Moon wheat beer, Honey Amber—all of them Blowing Rock beers. I bought some Kölsch to go.

Happy reading, y’all!

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I’m one of those people who sometimes causes computers to malfunction just by walking into the room. It happens with other machines, too. Motorcycles, snowmobiles, wave runners. So I’m on the fence a little bit about technology being the nemesis of the manitou in The Manitou by Graham Masterton, a classic in the horror genre. (Also, I did not realize the book was the first in a series until I pulled it up on Amazon to share the link.) At the same time, it makes good sense, and is right in line with what I’ve learned from old fairytales and folklore—some of our friends from the other side of the veil do even less well with technology than I do.

That drink is a fancy cocktail enjoyed at Walker’s Bluff – Tasting Room. I can’t remember what was in it, but it the garnish was an edible flower. I ate a petal. Because of course I did. It was called a flower child. Pretty.

Used book stores are the bomb. I love to buy new books hot off the presses, help out a writer in the process. But finding gems at used book stores is such a dang thrill, isn’t it? I knew I was going to Owl Creek Winery. So it’s only natural to read a book by Owl Goingback! Darker Than Night was published in 1999, but it has all the very best features of a 1970s horror movie. I’m reading it and all but shouting “Tell him!” “Believe her!” “Why are you doing that?” Also, if you move into a house overloaded with kachina dolls… don’t.

The drink is a blueberry basil cider. Owl Creek makes some of my favorite summer wines, but when I go there, I always wind up seduced by the cider.

I always say I don’t want to start in a book in a series. It’s intimidating, picking up that first book and knowing there are six more to go. I mean, I got things to read, how can I commit to your series? And then I wind up captivated and reading the series. Countless times. This time, it’s the Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott mysteries by Robert Galbraith, aka JK Rowling. I read Career of Evil at Pheasant Hollow Winery with a Catawba wine. Catawba is a bit sweeter a wine than I typically drink, but it’s not an icky sweet—it’s got a nice earthiness to it, too. There are maybe three wineries I’ve been to that I really love the Catawba, and Pheasant Hollow is one!

Also, friends, please don’t worry. I have a backlog of these, I’m ok, really! 😉