In the last month I have launched a new series, just finished writing another book and did a full beta read of another one. After basically only volatile years (book-sales-wise), it finally feels like I am finding some kind of stability and know what I can expect. I am tired of scrambling. I’m hoping this stability means I can finish another Amy Teegan book in the next few months. (no promises, there are so many other things to do)
I am so very glad for the hottest part of the year to be over. This summer was so muggy, even to having condensation form on some pipes in the basement, staining more of the ceiling tiles down there.
But the cooling of weather makes me want to BOTH take off work and just read/watch all the spooky things AND dive into back-to-school energy and get a burst of work done before the holidays. There is never enough time in the day for someone who has to work full-time (or at all).
No one hates women as much as America hates women : “That may sound like hyperbole, but it’s definitely not. In the U.S. it’s becoming more and more accepted to openly hate and openly hurt women. Some people theorize this significant and observable increase in misogyny is the patriarchy’s last desperate attempt to retain power, an attempt that will ultimately fail. I hope they are right.”
Books aren’t magic empathy pills (but they help) : “So no, books aren’t a panacea for society’s ailments, but I do think reading widely gives curious people the tools they need to learn more.”
How and why to reread a book : “As every reader knows, there are more books in this world we want to read than we will ever have the time to finish. Our to-be-read piles are endless, our shelves are overflowing, our library checkouts are stacking up—and the anxiety about ending our readerly lives without having read what might have been a best book is real. So I do completely understand the worry some readers feel about revisiting books they’ve already read. In addition to the time being allocated to rereading something rather than crossing a new-to-you book off your TBR, there’s the concern that a reread won’t hold up under fresh scrutiny. What if you use your precious time to return to a once loved book only to find it’s not as magical as you remember?”
The rise of Spiritualism (and seances) after the first world war : (Someday I’m gonna write historical fantasy) “Séances ceased being a party game or stage act and instead became a beacon of hope for those who were left behind that their sons, brothers and husbands weren’t truly gone. Spiritualism spread globally once more, with a new league of well-known and passionate supporters. Equally, though, it renewed the anger of skeptics; mediums weren’t simply practicing fraud now, but were exploiting public grief on a massive scale. The conflict in Europe was mirrored by a ferocious debate between scientists and Spiritualists, each side fueled by the pain of their own private losses.”
September 11 : “The terrorists soon discovered that a random group of Americans is an exceptional group of people. Facing an impossible circumstance, they comforted their loved ones by phone, braced each other for action, and defeated the designs of evil.”
How to read more : “But the random conversations I have usually involve people wishing they read more. and that’s who this is for: those who want to read more for pleasure. So first a bunch of advice, hacks, tips for how to read more (and I am speaking here of reading outside of my day job: all my adult life I have had jobs that require reading books, but what I’m talking about here is entirely separate from this. It’s about pleasure).”
The joy of reading books about books : “Books about books, or bookstores, or people who work in bookstores, or in publishing, or in libraries, or anything book-adjacent, are not in short supply, perhaps for the obvious reason that writers are by definition people who are drawn to, and often write about, books. Display tables full of books about books are a staple at many a bookstore; in fact as I began to work on this essay, I learned that the bookstore where I work was in the process of putting together a September display table featuring books about working in bookstores.”
And now, here are a bunch of Fall reading lists cultivated by people smarter than me:
15 novels you need to read this fall (LitHub)
Rory Gilmore’s reading list (postcards by elle)
8 books for a September reset (literary leanings)
The Custom of the Country read-along (closely reading)
WATCHING
The Pitt S1 (so much better than I expected. I keep thinking about it); Lord of the Rings full trilogy (comfort watch); The Walking Dead S1-3 (rewatch comfort show); The Long Walk (opening night in the theater, so much better than I expected); Sound of Music (in the theater for the anniversary)
READING
The Weekend Guests* (marketed like a thriller, but reads like dark academia); Broken Country* (very good); The Interestings* (reread, one of my all-time favorites); Katabasis* (Kuang is wonderful as usual)
( *these are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through any of these links I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you )
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