May was a busy month for me! Tucker and I were in Vegas for Dead & Co and my birthday (35!!), and work was busy. Here is what I read in May.
I absolutely adored Lindsay Merbaum’s VAMPIRES AT SEA. A fresh and unique take on vampirism, VAMPIRES AT SEA is clever, funny, heartbreaking, and sharp (with a tad of spice). I loved Rebekah and want to stay in this world a bit longer. Merbaum’s writing is beautiful, and the passages on handling rejection, emotional drain, love, and loss resonated. (Thank you to Creature Publishing for the ARC. Vampires at Sea publishes on October 7, 2025.)
I re-read Josh Malerman’s DAPHNE as part of Novel Nightmare’s May Haunting. You can read my review here.
A beautiful and intimate tribute to the Grateful Dead and Jim Marshall. An amazing history told through photos (including behind the scenes) with a moving afterword by John Mayer. A must-read for any music lover and especially for any Deadhead. (Thank you to Chronicle Books for the ARC. Publishes August 5, 2025).
I have mixed emotions on Joan Didion’s NOTES TO JOHN. As a Didion fan, I was thrilled that we had new work from her being published posthumously. But, I struggle with the conflict over whether or not Didion would have wanted NOTES TO JOHN to exist. Deeply personal, NOTES TO JOHN still showcases Didion’s brilliant writing.
I listened to the audiobook of GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL LIFE during a road trip to Atlanta and on the plane to Vegas. I enjoyed this book; I loved the story within a story aspect, and the romance portion was well done.
In the best way possible, I’m finding it difficult to write a review for THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER. To start, it left me absolutely in tears, but I’m not completely shocked by that, considering most SGJ books leave me emotionally devastated. A story about grief, revenge, identity, and the past that makes up our identity (and how it shapes us), I realized about 25% into reading THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER, I was encountering a rare reading experience. I’ve spoken about this before, but certain books make you thankful to be a reader, and TBHH is a book that falls into this category. Horrific and brutal scenes are interwoven with the most beautiful and moving passages in a way that only SGJ can do. SGJ’s twist on the vampire is unique and unexpected, and I loved every part of it. (Thank you Saga Press for my ARC).
Feeling a bit anxious, burnt out, and admittedly overwhelmed, I found myself reaching for Josh Malerman’s upcoming WATCHING EVIL DEAD. I’ve raved about this book here, but expect a more thorough individual review soon. (A huge thank you to Josh and Del Rey for an ARC. Forever grateful. WATCHING EVIL DEAD publishes September 16, 2025).