Offbeat Offline: June-July-August 2025 (She's Back in Town)

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 during this three-month-long hiatus to yours truly? Lots of stuff (none of it earth-shattering, none of it particularly good). And just like that, I find myself at the end of a hiatus (the longest one in my blogging life) with nothing to show for it. The heat was more than tolerable, except for a few scattered weeks (as opposed to the neverending heatwave that we endured last summer), so I can't even blame it for my lack of meaningful domestic activity...but I was sidetracked by a number of things, and tired (physically and mentally) because of them, and in my downtime I ended up doing what I always do...reading and reviewing, though at a much more leisured pace. So yeah, it's official - I fail at hiatuses 😂 😭. Anyhow, brace yourselves for a rundown of my away time (I apologise in advance for the LOOOONG post, but it's been three months, and as I mentioned above, a lot happened...).

📚 THE REVIEW CONUNDRUM. I had all of my ARCs read and their reviews scheduled by the first half of July (spoiler: it didn't last long), after which I started to read/reread with no strings attached. I also culled my TBR list after reading a number of reviews that made me reconsider my commitment to some titles. I'm sorry to say that all this didn't cure my reviewing anxiety/procrastination though. I want to write (full) reviews, in theory...but it's become a burdensome task. So I decided to stick to minis also for those books that are too difficult to review without spoilers, or those for which a full review feels like a stretch for some reason, even if they are in the 4-to-5-star range. My completionist side doesn't like it, and looking for ways to write shorter reviews for books that I would have reviewed in full once definitely counts as cheating...but I need to simplify my blogging life somehow if I want to keep at it (which I do).

Approvals (5):

• Djinn & Tonic by B.C. Johnson (Adult, urban fantasy - from the author)

Welcome to Remmy's crap work for ungrateful wishers. Her only reward? More wishes, more work. She and her djinn friends have been stuck in 20-something human bodies since Biblical times and—other than a few neat parlor tricks—they can't snap their fingers and make your wish come true. What they do have is a few thousand years of experience making the impossible possible.

When Remmy's newest lamp-rubber turns out to be the loathsome owner of a Fortune 500 company with dirty dealings, Remmy finds herself unwillingly descending into a murder mystery that crosses borders, oceans, and every line of human decency.

• The Last Soul Among Wolves (The Echo Archives #2) by Melissa Caruso (Adult, multiverse/supernatural/mystery)

All Kembral Thorne wants is to finish her maternity leave in peace. But when her best friend asks for help, she can’t say no, even if it means a visit to a run-down mansion on an isolated island for a will reading. She arrives to find an unexpected reunion of her childhood friends—plus her once-rival, now-girlfriend Rika Nonesuch, there on a mysterious job. Then the will is read, and everything goes sideways.

Eight potential heirs, half of them Kem’s oldest friends.

Three cursed relics.

The rules: one by one, the heirs will die.

The prize for the lone survivor: A wish. And wishes are always bad business.

To save their friends, Kem and Rika must race against the clock and descend into other realities once more. But the mansion is full of old secrets and new schemes, and soon the game becomes far more dangerous—and more personal—than they could have imagined.

• Girls Who Play Dead by Joelle Wellington (YA, thriller)

When Mikky Graves left his small, stifling hometown of Prophets Lake to live with his estranged mother, he thought nothing could ever make him return for good.

Until his sister Kyla’s best friend, Erin, is murdered.

Mikky never worried about leaving Kyla behind at their family-owned funeral home so long as she had Erin. But when Mikky heads home, determined to help Kyla grieve, the sister he encounters barely resembles the one he remembers. Mikky decides, then and there, to do the one thing that seems even more impossible than returning: stay.

As Kyla spirals further into her rage and secrets, Mikky realizes the only thing that can help his sister is finding the truth about who killed Erin. But the more he investigates, the further he’s pulled into other ugly mysteries of Prophets Lake and the beauty brand that is its lifeblood. The town’s rot runs deep, and everyone has something to hide. Perhaps no one more than Kyla herself.

• Opposite World by Elizabeth Anne Martins (Adult, sci-fi/thriller)

Piper “Pip” Screed remembers nothing about her mother’s mysterious death or the strange episode that left her in a deep, unexplained sleep. All she knows is that her father uprooted them to a secluded mountain cabin, severed all ties to the outside world, and refuses to answer her questions.

Fifteen years later, Pip escapes isolation and discovers The Reverie Cloud—a revolutionary sleep-therapy program that merges the subconscious with virtual reality. Here, users can experience their desires, confront fears, and rewrite their pasts in a dreamscape indistinguishable from reality. But when The Reverie Cloud falls into the hands of those who see her subconscious as a prize, Pip becomes ensnared within its unstable architecture. Now locked inside the program, she must navigate its mercurial layers, face the horrors buried within her subconscious, and unravel the truth about her past before time runs out. Worse, she’s not the only one at risk—her father’s life hangs in the balance, too.

But the deeper Pip ventures, the more dangerous the game becomes. If she pushes too far, she may never escape. Yet only by confronting the truth can she hope to uncover what really happened to her mother—before the program consumes her entirely.

• The Devouring Light by Kat Ellis (YA, supernatural/thriller)

When Haden Romero and her rival, Deacon Rex—alongside their bands, including Haden’s ex, Cairo—are stranded on their way to a rock festival, she thinks missing the gig is the worst thing that could happen.

She’s wrong.

Marooned in treacherous swamplands with no way out, the group stumbles upon an eerie, decaying house. It seems like a safe haven, a place to wait out the storm.

The house, however, isn’t just abandoned—it’s been waiting for them.

Bodies begin to pile up. The walls start to close in. Twisted secrets come to light. And unless Haden and the others can survive long enough to escape, the house will claim them—forever.

Reads (14):

• And the River Drags Her Down by Jihyun Yun (YA, supernatural/afterlife/contemporary)

Yun takes a pretty common trope in YA literature - a teen with powers bringing back a dead loved one, namely a sister - and uses it to its best advantage in order to tell a much larger story, incorporating themes like parentification, selfishness, loneliness, guilt, by way of ancestral magic and Korean myths/culture.

• When We Talk to the Dead by Ian Chorão (NA, mystery/paranormal)

Despite the title, not a ghost story (not in the true sense, anyway). Haunting, tense, almost lyrical at times (horror notwithstanding), with diverse, fleshed out characters and intriguing dynamics - a blend of very real and psychological horror with a twist.

• Djinn & Tonic by B.C. Johnson (see above)

One of the most original stories I've ever read. Think hard-boiled detective novel without the actual detective and with a band of used-up genies instead. They only retain a small fraction of their original power, but are bound to make their summoners' wishes happen, so they have to resort to unconventional methods, all while being snarky AF.

• The Last Soul Among Wolves (The Echo Archives #2) by Melissa Caruso (see above)

Weaving multiverse madness with a cozy (so to speak) old-style whodunnit and a still tentative, at times rocky romance, plus drawing on a huge twist from the first installment, Caruso produces an effortlessly entertaining sequel with action, character development and surprises to spare.

• Wake the Wild Creatures by Nova Ren Suma (YA, contemporary/magical realism; see below for link and cover)

A timely, fierce yet tender, sad yet hopeful, exquisitely written testament to women's strength and resilience; a though-provoking look at feminist utopia (with a dash of magic); and last but not least, an ode to female solidarity across all divides.

• White Line Fever by KC Jones (Adult, supernatural/contemporary; see below for link and cover)

Jones draws on the classic "haunted highway" trope (not a highway in this case, but still) and makes it fresh by adding a captivating flashback arc and a generous dose of repressed trauma. The result is a successful blend of supernatural horror and psychological drama.

• The Midnight Club by Margot Harrison (Adult, sci-fi/time travel/mystery)

A lyrical, heartbreaking meditation on time and grief coupled with a 25 y.o. mystery, focusing on a group of middle-aged friends and their college counterparts. I loved it, but I'll only write a review for it after a second read, because right now my brain is too lazy to do it justice...

• The Devouring Light by Kat Ellis (see above)

This book puts a hell of a spin on the haunted house/we're-never-getting-out-of-here-alive trope, turns the bug/body horror up to eleven and never hits the brakes. The result is a spooky, often disturbing, yet entertaining mix of mystery and creature feature with a Faustian bargain angle, sprinkled with rocky relationships and doubling as a cautionary tale about fame's demands, especially at a young age.

• Girls Who Play Dead by Joelle Wellington (see above)

Laced with romance, wrapped in secrets and coated in make-up, Girls Who Play Dead is a lot of things - a portrait of grief and guilt, a coming-of-age narrative, a commentary on the beauty/influencer culture, and a small-town mystery with a very dark edge of course - but its heart lies in the problematic, yet powerful and ultimately endearing sibling relationship. Not to be missed if you're a fan of thrillers with a soft core under the gritty exterior.

• Deadgirl: Daybreak by B.C. Johnson (Deadgirl #4) (YA, afterlife) – reread [pub. 2024])

The penultimate installment in the series has a lot to say about love, friendship, family, loss, depression, guilt, sense of self, uncertainty about the future, and the general messiness of being a teen on the verge of adulthood, but a teen all the same (in case this sounds too gloomy, hey, the series' trademark snarkiness and jocularity are still there!). Here's my old ARC review.

• Deadgirl: Gravedust by B.C. Johnson (Deadgirl #5) (YA, afterlife – reread [pub. 2024])

The last book in the Deadgirl saga is what every series ending should be: high-octane, twist-serving, and emotionally destroying, but in a good way. (Wait, is there a good way? You bet there is). It's a colossal showdown, and it's a chorus line's last bow after a terrific performance. Funny, sad and beautiful. Here's my old ARC review.

• You Fed Us to the Roses by Carlie St. George (YA/Adult, afterlife/magical realism/supernatural/urban fantasy - reread [pub. 2022])

A collection full of final girls, ghost girls (and boys), dead girls, (maybe)-wolf girls, and many other archetypes who have one thing in common: they're all survivors. St. George pays homage to, and at the same time subverts, a number of movie/tv/fairy tale tropes, sometimes blurring the line between reality and fantasy, always peppering her horror with compassion and humour - but most of all, giving back to her (mostly) teen protagonists the agency and self-determination they've been robbed of by their tormentors. Here's my old mini review.

• The Pecan Children by Quinn Connor (Adult, magical realism/mystery - reread [pub. 2024])

Two sisters. An orchard. A crumbling town. A devastating secret (almost) everyone forgot. Atmospheric, creepy and tender at the same time, harsh and sad but ultimately hopeful, inventive and mind-bending, this is a not-to-miss book for every (dark) magical realism lover out there who's looking for something off the beaten track - and a shower of emotions. Here's my old ARC review.

• Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear (Wayward Children #10) by Seanan McGuire (YA, portal fantasy - reread [pub. 2025]; see below for link and cover)

When I started reading this series, I used to write full reviews for each and every book. Nowadays I only do minis for novellas (like these), but the completionist in me won't let me break up with the tradition I established since I read the first installment of Wayward Children - so, despite my having already written a mini review, I reread this one and produced a full review that will be posted later...

Reviews (9):

• And the River Drags Her Down by Jihyun Yun (see above)

On the blog later this month.

• When We Talk to the Dead by Ian Chorão (see above)

Review to come next month.

• Djinn & Tonic by B.C. Johnson (see above)

On the blog later this month.

• The Last Soul Among Wolves (The Echo Archives #2) by Melissa Caruso (see above)

Review to come next month.

• Wake the Wild Creatures by Nova Ren Suma (YA, contemporary/magical realism)

Review to come next month.

• White Line Fever by KC Jones (Adult, supernatural/contemporary)

Mini review on Goodreads for now.

• The Devouring Light by Kat Ellis (see above)

Mini review to come.

• Girls Who Play Dead by Joelle Wellington (see above)

Mini review to come.

• Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear (Wayward Children #10) by Seanan McGuire (see above)

Review to come next month.

Here are my scheduled reviews for this month:

• Blue Ridge Calling by Olivia Neal (on Thu. 11th);
• The Garden of Before (The Between #2) by Ryan Leslie (on Tue. 16th);
• Djinn & Tonic by B.C. Johnson (on Sun. 21st);
• And The River Drags Her Down by Jihyun Yun (on Fri. 26th).

Reviews aside, I'll participate in the Tell Me Something Tuesday meme on the 6th (question: Which books are you looking forward to reading this fall? (September-November) - and, yeah, I'm well aware that the 6th is a Saturday, but I didn't want to post twice in the span of two days, so I moved the TMST post forward). In the meantime, here's the TMST prompt list for the month of September, in case you want to join in:

• September 2nd: Which books are you looking forward to reading this fall? (September-November)
• September 9th: What’s your favourite room in your house?
• September 16th: What would you do if you won the lottery? (a question I submitted)
• September 23th: Which fictional character do you wish were a real person? (a question I submitted)
• September 30th: If you could live in a different country for a year, which country would you choose?

💇‍♀️JUNE: HAIR PILGRIMAGE. I spent a big chunk of June looking into my perm issues. I phoned all the local salons and visited the ones that in theory should have met my necessities (afro curls) and been able to solve my problem (resistant hair), which were few to begin with. The fact is, when I talked to the owners, I realised there were even less of them that I had thought...most salons only offer acid/herbal perms nowadays (loose curls, last 3 months at best!), and even some of the hairdressers who assure you that they do "classic" perms use blander chemicals than my hair (and my style of choice) needs. I would have saved a lot of time if those people had been upfront from the start or actually knew what they were talking about (solutions that don't employ ammonium thioglycolate are NOT classic perms, lady 🙄). I had done extensive research before I made my move...chemicals, perming methods, everything under the sun...but I only found all the info I needed AFTER visiting all those salons, when I stumbled upon a site in English called Hairfinder, where a professional replies to all kinds of hair questions and gives all kinds of advice on the matter. There, I learned that my problems aren't as unique as I thought, and that there are ways around them (or at least, ways to minimise them), but none of the hairdressers I went to were equipped/willing to go the extra mile in order to treat resistant hair (not to mention, mine is dyed as well, and they refuse to try stronger chemicals on it...except the older formulas were ALL stronger, or my hair wouldn't have curled so well back then 🙄). As things stand, my current hairdresser is still my best option - she uses the stronger solution and saturates every strand as she puts it into its roller, as opposed to putting all the rollers on and then saturating the whole hair for the standard 20 minutes, regardless of the zones that take less...which is what everyone else seems to do 😬. Also (as my HD told me, others have told me, and the site reiterated) the best thing I can do right now is suffer until next May, then cut the barely wavy length (which is the result of a perm overload) and start anew. If I were to try again now, the hair wouldn't take, and it might even get straighter than it already is 😱. Last but not least, I'll have to stop redoing the top every November (which put me in this mess to begin with, because you have to perm a good chunk of the hair to get a homogeneous result, and even the part you don't perm is at risk because the solution runs down and may overload, or even straighten, the roller-free strands) and settle for a bangs-only retouch...how sad. So, now I'm facing a bad hair year...AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH. Let's hope it does me some good at least...(...I know I'll never get my old curls back with the current products, but something better than the actual mess?).

Real footage of my hair right now...

😫JULY: A LIST OF NUISANCES. Okay...leg pains, domestic issues, appliance breakage...where do I begin?...

• I got left feet and right hip ultrasounds for pains that didn't quit. I found out the foot problem was a tendinitis, while the hip situation was more complicated - the exam showed a mild arthrosis and some calcification. The doctor prescribed an anti-inflammatory, except it didn't do much, if you don't count messing with my tummy 😬. I'm seeing an orthopedist next...the foot is no big deal (and it's already gotten better), but the hip affects my walking, and I hope I can get some therapy...
• My MIL broke her second femur AND a wrist. Thank goodness we found a way to extend her hospitalisation, because she couldn't go back home without anyone taking care of her (when she broke her first femur, she was sent to rehabilitation straight after the hospital fixed her, but this time all the in-patient structures were full...). You may remember that she lives in a different municipality, and since I don't drive (and I have to take care of her son), it's not like I could be there for her...
• My washing machine of 8 years broke, and replacing it was a nightmare, because I needed a super-slim model (less than 40 cm./15 in. deep) with a 6 Kg./13 lbs. capacity...I looked on the net and compared a number of products, only to end up buying one that seemed not to exactly meet my criteria because it was the only one available at the store (you all know I hate buying online, and I try not to use my credit card if I can get away with it...). Except it turned out to be a lot better than some reviews had led me to think...

😑AUGUST: FLAT CALM. My last month of hiatus was absolutely uneventful, thank goodness.. We had a couple of handrails installed in the lobby of our apartment building, in order to help my husband go up and down the three steps that separate the lobby from our landing. He hasn't gone outside yet though - he's still exercising. I made an appointment with the orthopedist for my leg (scheduled for the 25th). Also, since I was super-annoyed by Google Chrome shoving AI Overviews down my throat, I installed two add-ons that effectively blocked the damned thing from my sight (neither Hide Google AI Overviews nor Bye Bye, Google AI solved my problem completely when used alone, but for now they seem to work if used in combo).

Since I was on hiatus, I haven't blog-hopped at all in these three months, so I've got nothing 🙁. But I'm getting back in the game, so this section will be operative in my next monthly recap!

That's it for now. My next post will be up on September 6th, and it will be the Tell Me Something Tuesday (on a Saturday) installment I mentioned above.

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