March 2025 Books
HELP I'M MOVING AND I HAVE TOO MUCH STUFF
As I am moving next week (!!!), I am a bit behind on my reading. But I did manage a few!
Oh, Freakslaw. Set in Scotland in the 90s, this is a tale of a circus (/freakshow) come to a small town and the skirmishes set off between the very queer, very openly different carnival and the conservative and repressed town. I love the idea of Freakslaw very much but the writing is trying very hard to be edgy and “punk” in a way that became offputting at times. Characters that were supposed to be, if not likable then root-for-able annoyed the hell out of me, and by the end, I just wanted the sweet queer teen boy to be okay and didn’t care much for the rest. There is a certain type of person that will click with this and make it their whole personality but it wasn’t for me.
Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear - Seanan McGuire
It’s the beginning of the year so that means it’s time for the new book in the Wayward Children series. Each book in this series of novellas switches between furthering the current plot and the backstory of one of the children. The backstory books always feel a little more polished and this was one of those. Nadya is born in a Russian orphanage and adopted at nine by well-meaning but overbearing American church folks looking for a project. Nadya was also born without one of her arms, something she never saw as lacking until her new parents try to fit her with a prosthesis. Nadya’s favorite thing are turtles, after she cared for one back in Russia and she becomes fond of a turtle pond by her new home. You’re seeing where this is going. I really loved the world-building of Nadya’s turtle-based magical world and the tragedy of finding a child who just vibes with their magical world while knowing they will end up back in our world (or else how would they be in the series?) Earlier books were stronger but this is still very good.
The Second Stranger - Martin Griffin
This was a book I discovered while shelving it one day at the library and the description never left my brain: It’s the last night before closing for the season at a hotel up in middle of nowhere England and the last night for the night clerk before she quits her job and heads off to a more exciting (and warmer) life. There’s a blizzard and she’s alone in the place with just the two last guests who’ll check out in the morning when there’s a knock on the door, a police officer worse for the wear who lost sight of the criminal he was transporting. And then, of course, another police officer shows up later with the same story. Who to believe?? The set up for this book is so fun but after reading it, it would make a much better movie than it did as a book. I just couldn’t get into the writing so, while I knew what I was reading was exciting, I was always kind of separate from it. I was skimming it by the end, wanting to know what happened but not on the edge of my seat by any stretch of the imagination. This would make a very good thriller film, though!
And that’s it, I’m afraid! It’s almost like getting ready to move cross country is a full time job or something. The cats are loving the current look of the living room:
Despite the state of the world, I am looking forward to my move. I’ve managed to secure a very cute little apartment close to friends, walking distance to a very cute street with food and books and a grocery store, and it even has a little patio! Already planning outdoor reading parties when the weather’s nice.
In the meantime, trying to coordinate from the other side of the country is a bit hectic. I just got a call from the leasing company asking me to check something at the apartment and I was like “…not only do I not live there yet, I’m very far away???” Fingers crossed this all goes alright ahahaha
In other news, I’m hoping to migrate this newsletter to another platform after the move since Substack is ~you know~, so while I’m going to appeal again to become a paid subscriber ($5/month or $35/year and you get to pick a book for me to read and dedicate a special issue to), I’ll again say that you can pay through Kofi instead if you’d rather no money go to this platform. I appreciate everything!
When you read this next (in the next Horror Dispatch), I’ll be on the East Coast! Wish me luck!
Congrats on getting the apartment! Good luck with the move, and thanks for the book recs :-)