Offbeat Offline: August 2024

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? THE HEAT. And...oops...a new eye problem for me, because of course. That's it. Well, I mean, my husband's ulcer is slowly but steadily getting better at last...but goodness, THE HEAT. I've been numb for the whole month, barely reading, barely reviewing, eating the usual assortment of quick/cold dishes, with the who-cares attitude of a cavewoman (primordial-instincts-only mode activated). Seriously, THE HEAT 🥵 😭. And then, the eye.

📚 IN STASIS. As I said, the heat rendered my brain numb, so at the start of the month I decided to put my (by then 4) ARCs on pause and take it easy...but I'll pay the price later 😅 😭. I mean, hear me out:

- First off, I finally listed all Seanan McGuire's short stories (the ones I own and the ones I don't) and read a number of them (since short stories require less attention and commitment than novels).

- Then I read one non-ARC...and did my best to procrastinate its review 😬.

- In the meantime, I reread a couple of old favourites, because again, rereads necessitate less brain power and don't involve a review...not to mention, I was waiting for B.C. Johnson to send me an eARC of the last Deadgirl book, and that's yet one more reason why I haven't been able to commit to any other new-to-me novel. I didn't want to abandon one for the other...Then he was forced by unforeseen circumstances to postpone the release to September 19th, so I had to change my schedule. Sigh.

- Cherry on the cake, I was approved for an ARC that I had requested a lifetime ago (see below) and I had resigned myself not to get, plus I requested and received another one...I did manage to read and (half) review the first one, but at this point, I have 5 more...gah. I can't seem to make a dent in my (small, but big for me) pile, and August has been largely unproductive.

Anyway - here's my monthly bookish recap...

Approvals (2):

• House of Thorns by Isabel Strychacz (YA, supernatural/mystery - for the record, I got this one 210 days after my request was placed...you may have noticed that EW takes note of these things...and 6 days before pub date, so I had to push my review at the end of September due to lack of time and previous commitments...)

Lia Peartree is haunted—by memories, by her past, by secrets, by the ones she left behind. Five years ago, the Peartrees fled their home—the infamous ancestral Brier Hall—and never looked back. But her oldest sister went missing that night, and there’s been no sign of her since.

In the aftermath, the Peartrees are traumatized and get by however they can. Lia’s remaining sister Ali says yes to any bad idea, and Lia tries so desperately to be the perfect daughter that it’s tearing her apart. But as the five year anniversary of the night they left nears, Lia begins seeing her missing sister everywhere, and memories of Brier Hall won’t leave her alone.

When Ali disappears with no warning except a cryptic phone call—“don’t follow me when I’m gone”—Lia is sure she’s gone back to Brier Hall. Lia must go home one final time and face what haunts her in an effort to find her sisters and uncover the truth of her past.

• The Darkness Behind the Door by Mira Gonzalez (NA, portal fantasy)

When a phantom moose nearly runs Theo's car off an icy Alaskan road, Theo succumbs to curiosity, following the moose's trail to a door hidden amongst the trees. Despite the threat of becoming the latest victim in a string of mysterious disappearances, Theo crosses the threshold. To his horror, the door vanishes, stranding him in a monster-infested alternate reality. Looming adult responsibilities are forgotten as Theo must fight just to survive.

Inside the surreal dimension behind the door, Theo finds allies who hold the encroaching darkness at bay: a sword-wielding man named Archer with a strange case of amnesia, and a shapeshifting dragon named Zephyr. A sinister phenomenon threatens to consume Theo as he grapples with his sense of identity and growing feelings for Archer; the longer he remains in this realm, the more his own memories slip away.

With darkness closing in and his time running out, Theo must unravel the secrets his companions harbor and confront his own inner demons if he hopes to find a way back to the world he knows before all is lost to the shadows.

Reads (5):

• What Stalks Among Us by Sarah Hollowell (YA, supernatural/contemporary/horror)

So good! It came out last year and I didn't qualify for an ARC...but I wanted to read it so badly, and I did, and it was as exciting as I anticipated...

• The House Where Death Lives by Alex Brown et al. (YA, multigenre – anthology)

Another ARC I didn't get. My interested was piqued due to Nova Ren Suma having a story in it, so I ended up grabbing a copy, and the overall quality was high (there are other well-known authors in its roster, take a look...).

• House of Thorns by Isabel Strychacz (see above)

At first it seemed a bit lackluster, but it grew on me, and the last section was fantastic! Yet another magical house for my 2024 collection 😂.

• The Art of Escaping by Erin Callahan (YA, contemporary - reread [pub. 2018])

The contemporary book about friendship and finding one's calling (with a sizeable dose of escapology) that I beta-read years ago and later found its way to publication! Here's my old ARC review.

• End of the World House by Adrienne Celt (Adult, a genre I'm not disclosing in case the blurb or my no-spoiler review tempts you to read it, because it would ruin everything - reread [pub. 2022])

I recently purchased a physical copy and revisited this brilliant book, whose one fault only managed to make me detract half a star. Here's my old ARC review.

Reviews (3):

• What Stalks Among Us by Sarah Hollowell (see above)

Coming in a few days...

• The House Where Death Lives by Alex Brown et al. (see above)

Mini review on GR for now - on the blog later.

• House of Thorns by Isabel Strychacz (see above)

Coming at the end of the month, I hope...as I said above, I started my review, but I'm a bit stuck at the moment...

Here are my scheduled reviews for this month:

• What Stalks Among Us by Sarah Hollowell (on Thu. 5th);
• In Universes by Emet North, The Unfinished by Cheryl Isaacs and Coup de Grâce by Sofia Ajram (in a mini-review round on Sat. 14th);
• Deadgirl: Gravedust (Deadgirl #5) by B.C. Johnson * (on Wed. 18th);
• The Ravening by Daniel Church (on Mon. 23rd);
• House of Thorns by Isabel Strychacz (on Fri. 27th)

* Please note: Deadgirl: Gravedust doesn't have a Goodreads page nor a cover yet...and I'm still waiting for the eARC to get delivered in my inbox. But the author set the new pub date for Thu. 19th, so I trust him to send me my copy in time...🙂

Reviews aside, I'll participate in the Tell Me Something Tuesday meme on the 10th (question: What Day in Your Life Would You Like to Relive?). Still lacking the time and willpower to join the meme more consistently until I manage to get back on track with...everything, but I plan on visiting your blogs and reading your answers at least! In the meantime, here's the TMST prompt list for the month of September, in case you want to join in:

• September 3rd: How do you keep up with your favourite blogs?
• September 10th: What day in your life would you like to relive?
• September 17th: Do you have a go-to comfort book/read?
• September 24th: Do you have a series you've been meaning to finish but haven't? Which one(s) and why?

🥵 HELL HOUSE. It turns out, two months' worth of neverending heat can bring you to your knees. Again, I've been spending my days (and nights) in front of a small army of fans, avoiding cooking at all costs, and doing my darnedest not to go on errands more than twice a week. Housekeeping? For goodness' sake. I mean, it was 30/31°C (86/87°F) indoors, so you can imagine. The heat eased down a bit around midmonth and I was like, yay! the worst is over! but after a couple of days it ramped up again - we're currently having 29,5°C (85°F) at home, and I'm exhausted 😩.

👁️ EYES EYES BABY. On the 27th, I started seeing flashes in my right eye (you might remember it had already happened to me twice with my left eye last year, and I got two laser treatments for two different retinal holes). I went to the E.R. and from there to the ophthalmologist, who didn't see any holes this time, but floaters (I see those too, thanks) and a vitreous humour clotting that got in the way, so he wanted to have a second look after a few days to see how things would develop. I went back on the 30th, he looked at both my eyes, and confirmed that there weren't any holes this time, but advised me to have a check-up in a couple of weeks. So, basically, it's the same old story - the vitreous traction causes the flashes, so now I have not one, but two eyes flashing in the dark (which is not a superpower), and no means to know if I'm getting a retinal hole in time...

...no, not like that, Castiel-style...

🩹 ROAD TO HEALTH? My husband's leg is finally improving, and steadily too. It looks like the latest medications were the right ones (though I'm told that, with this type of wounds, one can indeed have a period of stasis and even a setback, and then reprise the healing process, regardless of the dressing). Of course, it's still a slow process, but since the site isn't infected anymore, things should speed up a bit...When it cools down, we'll try walking again, and in case his foot hurts, we'll look into orthopedic insoles....

PUBLISHING NEWS/TIPS

• B.C. Johnson posted a new and definitive (probably!) release date for the last installment in the Deadgirl series, Gravedust (no, that's not an ominous title at all 😅).
• Nova Ren Suma finally announced her next novel, the first one in 6 years! I'm so psyched 😃.

THINK-PIECES, DISCUSSIONS, ORIGINAL FICTION

• Sam wonders if tropes are spoilers.
• Sam (again) wants to hear your reader confessions.
• Lissa asks if you use a nickname on your blog.
• Lissa (again) wants to know why you blog.
• The Orangutan Librarian ponders on sex scenes in books.
• The Orangutan Librarian (again) asks who benefits from AI.
• Kit dissects AI book covers.
• Jessica discusses rereading guilt.
• Cee Arr shares her poetry.

REVIEWS/RECOMMENDATIONS

I didn't take notes...😳

OTHER

• Barb and Stormi co-host the Vamptember reading challenge (if you want to know which books Barb chose, go here. Some fun ones!).

That's it for now. My next post will be up on September 5th, and it will be the review for What Stalks Among Us I mentioned above.

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