Review: Chasing Ghosts: A Tour of Our Fascination with Spirits and the Supernatural

Chasing Ghosts: A Tour of Our Fascination with Spirits and the Supernatural by Marc Hartzman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Chasing Ghosts: A Tour of Our Fascination with Spirits and the Supernatural by Marc Hartzman is a nonfiction history of our cultural interest in ghosts, the afterlife, and things that go bump in the night.  If you read a lot about this topic, you might already be familiar with a number of the examples presented.  This is a really nice reference book bringing all the classics together.  This is great for someone new to the topic because it does cover all of the most important points and is very well-organized to make it easy to read.  That organization also makes it easy to go back to reference a particular example.  

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Review: The Skeleton Key

The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly is a great tribute to the puzzle books and games that inspired obsessive players to hunt down real world treasure.  Erin Kelly was inspired to write this by the book, Masquerade.  Books like Masquerade were a favorite for me too, so I was already primed for The Skeleton Key.  It's a great premise, releasing a beloved children's treasure hunt book on its 50th Anniversary with a new app-based treasure hunt.  I would play that!  Kelly accurately recreates the message boards that develop around such hunts with their crazy theories.  As a Swiftie, I am well-acquainted with the search for Easter eggs hidden in every photo, song, interview, and social media post.  When a real life prize is involved, people will go to insane lengths to find it.  When the hunt uncovers a potential murder, the story really gets tricky.  There's a lot going on, and the story is told from several perspectives. If you like trying to solve a mystery, this is a good read.  

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Review: The Killer Across the Table

The Killer Across the Table by John E. Douglas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Killer Across the Table by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker is a nonfiction account of serial killer profiling.  If you watched Netflix's Mindhunter, you will be familiar with John E. Douglas even if you don't recognize the name.  His work on profiling serial killers is the basis for the show.  This book goes into more detail of the process of getting serial killers to talk about their crimes and methods to develop ways to stop future crimes.  Even though I am familiar with many of the cases, it is still always interesting to read about how studying them has helped formulate better understanding of the criminal mind.  At the same time, they bring up questions of the definition of insanity and the integrity of nature vs. nurture arguments.   It's a great book for true crime enthusiasts or those interested in psychology.  

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Review: The It Girl

The It Girl by Ruth Ware
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The It Girl by Ruth Ware is a psychological thriller that alternates between present time with flashbacks to the main character, Hannah's, time at Oxford before her roommate, April, is murdered.  April is an influencer before that was a thing.  She's rich, smart, beautiful with a wicked sense of humor.  Hannah's witness statement and testimony are the key to finding and incarcerating the killer.  It is when she starts to doubt herself that things start taking dark turns.  While you will be kept guessing until the end, I think it was more a commentary on judging appearances.  People aren't always as they seem.  

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Review: Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell has been on the reading list since it came out.  Now was the perfect time to read it because I just finished a whole slew of documentaries on various cultish groups. I find "cults" fascinating because I am interested in what makes people do the things they do.  I already knew that language plays a big part in that.  But Cultish isn't just about cults and the language they use.  It is about our current use of the word "cult" to mean a whole host of things, bad and good.  Montell covers some groups that you might not think of as cults, but the way they behave are certainly cult-adjacent.  Multilevel marketing (MLMs) schemes are not the first thing you think of when you hear cult but breaking down how they operate and the language they use makes you start to think differently about that assumption.  I also really enjoyed learning about SoulCycle because even though Montell is not saying they are a cult, you can see how certain language can have a strong influence on groups.  It will definitely make you more aware as a consumer.  

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Review: The Sherlockian

The Sherlockian by Graham Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Sherlockian by Graham Moore is historical fiction for the Sherlock Holmes fan even if it is mostly about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  The story alternates between the mysterious death of a Sherlockian expert and an investigation by Conan Doyle and Bram Stoker into a letter bomb that Conan Doyle receives.  Many of the elements of the story are true or based on true events even if they have been modified for the narrative.  

As much as I enjoyed reading/watching Sherlock Holmes growing up, it is much harder now to get over the misogyny.  This book doesn't shy away from pointing out how Conan Doyle felt about women in general even if he did love the ones in his life.  

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Review: The Angel of Indian Lake

The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones from Saga Press via NetGalley.

The Angel of Indian Lake is the third book in the Indian Lake Trilogy by Stephen Graham Jones.  While you could start here, it does make reference to things that happened in the prior two books.  That won't stop your enjoyment of this book, but it could spoil some things if you decide to go back and read the first two.  

The Angel of Indian Lake is a great rid for people who enjoy horror films, especially slasher films.  There are many references to the classics, Halloween, Friday the 13th, Scream, etc.  Jade, the main character, is a big fan and knows all the rules which may be how she has survived to book three even though she doesn't consider herself a final girl.  And just like in horror films, everyone else seems oblivious to the very obvious signs that they are living in one.  Jade does have some allies though, and you will be biting your nails wondering if they will survive to the last page.  In case you haven't figured it out yet, this isn't a book for the squeamish.  There's blood and gore aplenty.  You are spared a bit because the action is interspersed with reports detailing Jade's behavior as observed by an investigator.  If you like an epistolary story like I do, this will scratch that itch.  

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