Offbeat Offline: August 2026

Welcome to Offbeat Offline, where I bring you up-to-date with what went on in my life during the month just gone, give you a sneak peek of my next shenanigans, and share my favourite posts of late!

What happened last month to yours truly? More stifling heat, a whole lot of boredom. But what can you do in this climate? August was another unforgiving month, with a very brief (and mild) respite a few days ago and a fresh (ha!) wave of HELL afterwards. Anyhow, let's start with the bookish stuff as usual...

📚 THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME. I read four new or new-ish books this month (two of them being ARCs), and packed in three rereads as well. You might notice a pattern here...I read only one book less than I did in July, and like last month, my rereads were books that I reviewed at the start of my blogging journey and hadn't revisited ever since (one of them has recently been reissued though...more below).

Approvals (0):

The last time that it happened was in June. I haven't requested much lately though (considering that most books I'm interested in can only be wished for on NG). At the moment, I only have 2 pending requests on NG and 3 on EW. And a ton of books to read nevertheless, so...😅

Reads (7):

• Return to the Motherfreaking Fun Factory by Neil Kleid (Adult, supernatural - novella)

Horror-wise, this story is top-notch and super-imaginative. But it would have benefited from more space to breath, and I wish there had been more backstory to the characters and more room to make them fully human and more relatable. Anyhow, if you're a fan of fast-paced, quirky horror and redemption arcs, you'll be guaranteed to have a good time with this one.

• Until the Last Light Goes Out by Courtney Gould (YA, supernatural/mystery)

I loved this one! Told in a double-timeline narrative, it blends atmospheric/body horror, generational trauma, coming of age, fierce friendship/lesbian awakening, on the backdrop of a labyrinthine, impossible building that is not a haunted house, but a haunt in itself.

• Hell to Pay by Lora Beth Johnson (YA, afterlife/supernatural)

I wish we'd seen more of the afterlife, and I didn't get particularly attached to the characters (though they were all solid), plus the heists were somehow convoluted and required some suspension of disbelief. But Hell to Pay turned out to be original and entertaining, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone vibing with outrageous heists, snarky protagonists, afterlife settings, mythology, humour and dysfunctional found families.

• The Witch of Benbar's Cross by Tanya Meeson (Adult, supernatural/mystery)

To be honest, I've only read 2/3 of it so far, so no review excerpt yet - but I'm enjoying it a lot! There's a vanished-sister mystery with a supernatural angle, the main character is tridimensional and relatable, and the writing is very evocative. (I know, lackluster cover, but it's an indie book, so I guess the budget was tight...anyhow, don't let the packaging put you off).

• Human.4 [UK title: 0.4] (Point 4 #1) by Mike Lancaster (YA, sci-fi - reread [pub. 2011])

Gripping, thought-provoking story with an unique premise (which is, for all purposes, a variation of the old-age alien-contact trope...only without the aliens. Did I pique your curiosity?), told via audiotapes by a 15-y.o. boy. Here's my old review.

• The Future We Left Behind [UK title: 1.4] (Point 4 #2) by Mike Lancaster (YA, sci-fi - reread [pub. 2012])

Set a thousand years after Human.4 (and equally thought-provoking), told by another 15-y.o. boy via a series of blog entries, this one cleverly builds on the events from Book 1, blending sci-fi, dystopia, conspiracy and a touch of romance. Here's my old review.

• Riven (Riven #1) by B.C. Jonson (YA, urban fantasy/sci-fi - reread [pub. 2015])

This one has an exciting sci-fi premise and a strong magic twist. It's a post-apocalyptic fable that sprinkles the gore with a poetic dressing and peppers it with humour; a love story in the widest, purest sense between two friends of different genders; a tale of powerful individuals and ordinary heroes. Ordinarily, I would link to my old review here, but I decided not to. The fact is, this self-published book fell through the cracks at the time, so the author recently decided to reissue it, and that prompted me to post a new and improved version of what was my ARC review (see below). The original one would sound both weird and outdated to anyone reading it 11 years later, since it not only refers to a slightly different version of the story - with a different cover and title, even - but starts with a rant about the prejudices that surround indie books, addresses ARC issues and mentions preorders...(...I also found a couple of typos/errors in said review when I reread it, but shhh 😅).

Reviews (4 - I did count Riven's, since it's been heavily edited...):

• Return to the Motherfreaking Fun Factory by Neil Kleid (see above)

Mini review to come on the 20th.

• Until the Last Light Goes Out by Courtney Gould (see above)

Mini review to come on the 25th.

• Hell to Pay by Lora Beth Johnson (see above)

Mini review on GR for now.

• Riven (Riven #1) by B.C. Jonson (see above)

Revised review coming on the 15th.

Here are my scheduled reviews for this month:

• Solace House by Will Maclean (on Thu 10th);
• Riven (Riven #1) by B.C. Johnson (on Tue 15th);
• What Feeds Below by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne, Return to the Motherfreaking Fun Factory by Neil Klein and The Place Where They Buried Your Heart by Christina Henry (in a mini-review round on Sun 20th):
• Until the Last Light Goes Out by Courtney Gould, Butterfly Effects (InCryptid #15) by Seanan McGuire and Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert (in a mini-review round on Fri 25th).

Reviews aside, I'll participate in the Tell Me Something Tuesday meme on the 5th (question: Which books are you looking forward to reading this fall? (September-November)...it was supposed to be today's post, but I moved it forward to make space for my monthly recap) and on the 29th (with a round-up post). In the meantime, here's the TMST prompt list for the rest of September, in case you want to join in:

• September 8th: Do you ever go to class reunions? (a question I submitted)
• September 15th: What’s one thing that’s always in your fridge? (a question I submitted)
• September 22nd: Tell us about your current (or past) job (a question I submitted)
• September 29th: Sweet or salty snacks - which do you prefer?

🥵 GREETINGS FROM HELL. The heat has been kicking my ass all August. There have been three or four days of tolerable temps, but it was still too little for me to feel like tending to the house or cooking "real" meals...and lo and behold, hell broke loose again at the end of the month. Another heat-related problem I'm having (apart from leg aches/muscle soreness, and the house crumbling around me because I can't do chores at 29-30°C/84.2-86°F INSIDE) is that I'm starting to resent my usual "sit, read, review, comment, read some more, draft non-review posts, play online games, read even further" routine. Sometimes even reading becomes, maybe not a chore, but the only way to pass the time instead of a choice. But what can I do? The upside is that, while vegetating in front of my computer, I've been able to schedule all my September posts and build a whole archive of mini reviews, and since I've decided to take a hiatus in October, I'll be free to do what needs to be done when the temps become more merciful...unless they want to keep at this until Christmas, that is 😡 😭.

PUBLISHING NEWS/TIPS

None this month.

THINK-PIECES, DISCUSSIONS, ORIGINAL FICTION

• Briana reflects upon reviewing children's books as an adult.
• Sam highlights a recent reading surprise.
• Cee Arr talks about prioritising stuff.
• Lissa share her short story Bad Hair Day.

REVIEWS/RECOMMENDATIONS

• Barb reviews Reliquary by Hannah Whitten.
• Blodeuedd reviews The Watchers by A.M. Shine.
• ElunedHermitCrab reviews The Secret to Belonging by Megan E. Freeman.
• Ethan reviews Brimstone Hollow by Archer Sullivan.
• Jen reviews World’s Okayest Oracle (Reluctantly) Seeks Demon by Olivia Dade.
• Kit reviews Nemesis Mine by Amy Archer.
• Mary reviews Hooked on a Phoenix by Ashlyn Chase.
• Rachel reviews Don't Look Close by Jaima Fixsen.
• Sam (again) features a captivating character.
• Shannon reviews Survival Show by Juno Dawson and other books.
• Tammy reviews If We Survive the Night by Jo Salazar.

OTHER

• Jen (again) spotlights author Jamie Wesley, who will participate in the Coastal Magic Convention 2027.
• Lissa (again) shares her printable bookmarks.
• Mary (again) opens up about her mental health.
• Quinley shares her Rapunzel drawing (along with the video documenting her drawing process).
• Tammy (again) lists five horror-themed bookstores she'd like to visit.

That's it for now. My next post will be up on September 5th, and it will be the TMST one I mentioned above.

So, what were your highs/lows in the past month?