I like to imagine that every member of our Nowhere Bookclubs looks exactly like this when your book arrives each month:
If not, please learn the dance moves immediately.
Ready to see what we’re sending the Fantastic Strangelings Book Club this month?
It’s King Nyx by Kirsten Bakis, a strange and dreamlike gothic mystery. This twisty, psychological thriller grabbed me and didn’t let go. It’s a contemporary feminist tale with the mood and weirdness of a classic gothic novel that is still haunting me. (And there might be a special surprise inside your book if we can get our shit together.)
And if you’re a member of the Nightmares from Nowhere Book Club then you’ll be getting DIAVOLA by Jennifer Thorne, which is haunting in a totally different sort of way. Beautifully unhinged and deeply satisfying, Diavola is a sharp twist on the classic haunted house story, exploring loneliness, belonging, and the seemingly inescapable bonds of family mythology. It’s one of the most anticipated books of this year for good reason. I devoured it.
And we currently have a few spots available in both clubs if you’re interested in joining up with us. Here’s a link if you want in.
Need more than one book to get you through the month? I didn’t get to read as many new releases as I wanted to because I’m trying to hit a deadline, but here are a few March new releases I liked:
The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard – A strange, speculative novel about an isolated valley surrounded on each side by identical valleys on different timelines…one that is twenty years in the past and one twenty years in the future. Weird, but fascinating.
The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft – Eight translators arrive at a house in a primeval Polish forest. It belongs to the world-renowned author Irena Rey, and they are there to translate her magnum opus, Gray Eminence. But within days of their arrival, Irena disappears without a trace. This one is confusing at times but will probably win a lot of awards.
Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel – A quick read looking into the minds of young girls competing in a boxing match. I didn’t think it would be for me but I read the first few pages and it sucked me right in. Beautifully written.
The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones – This is the final book in the horror trilogy and I was so worried it wouldn’t wrap everything up but it was very satisfying. Complicated…but satisfying. If you haven’t read the first one (My Heart is a Chainsaw) and you’re a fan of slasher movies I highly recommend it.
Stitches by Hirokatsu Kihara and Junji Ito – A collection of urban legends illustrated by master of horror, Junji Ito. It’s not the book I’d suggest starting out with if you’re new to the genre, but if you’re a Junji Ito completionist you’ll want to pick it up.
And as alway, thank you for your support! We literally wouldn’t exist without you.
That’s because Rita Bullwinkle is a NATIONAL TREASURE and I miss her here in Nashville!
Doesn’t everyone dance when they get a book?
Tonight, while taking off my bra and shoes after work, I randomly remembered your thing for giving animals living and taxidermied names like Dorothy Barker. And, somewhere in the recesses of my menopause-needs-to-hurry-the-fuck-up GenX brain, I conjured up half a protein chain’s worth of memory that when I was in middle school there was a TV show about supersmart kids, and they had a dog named Rabies. Wiki, imdb, and my google-fu have failed me in my quest to find the name of this show and a clip of one of the kids hollering, “RRRAAAAAAAAABBBBIIIIEEESSS!!!” calling for the dog out their back door. But, I promise this is a genuine tween memory of mine. So, I came to your comments section to share Rabies with you.
Jenny, thanks for everything you do. Grateful for you. Also, wish I knew about the Rabies tv show, but I just don’t. I’m Gen X, but apparently deprived …
Also, I love that dancing kid.
I had to stop my book club because my hands hurt too bad to hold books to read. So they just piled up waiting on. Good pain feee day. But until I cancelled – I did my version of the book dance! If ever you expand the club to ebooks I will be back! And the dance will start.
Cathi, I had a similar problem and a while back and I got a little book holder / book stand. It looks like there are a bunch of different types available, but they just hold the book open and up at an angle; you can turn the pages as needed (just set it on a table or something). Hope this helps!
That is EXACTLY what I look like only I am so much cuter and add. lots of athletic spins and backflips. When I am not reading books, I sell famous bridges to people as a hobby/
Good job! It’s like a lesson
Thanks!
King Nyx by Kirsten Bakis is so twisty and dreamlike. I was hooked from the start, and it’s a feminist tale with classic gothic vibes
Love the book club picks this month! King Nyx sounds perfectly creepy and Diavola’s twist on haunted houses is genius. Always find great reads here.