I do realize the last of these was in February, but I had a book to finish on deadline and, well, there just hasn’t been time. I have realized after completing the second very heavily researched, nonfiction book that when I come off the work bender that these two books have been, it’s a lot like the year after I finished my Master’s degree. I want nothing more challenging in my reading than a murder mystery. July has been an abundance of romance, steampunk, and mysteries — and combinations of the three. I’m including a little bit of June to offer something meatier than my July fare if you aren’t into odd murders and romantic whimsy.
Books Read or Listened to in June & July 2026
June
Geosophia Volumes I & II by Jake Stratton-Kent (purchased used as I am loathe to give this particular publisher any money because of their TERF garbage) — I read these cover to cover for a discussion with Tamsin Davis-Langley on WitchLit. They are part of the Encyclopedia trilogy of sorts by JSK. I don’t recommend reading them cover to cover. For one, it is a whole lot of information to process and, secondly, it really does mess with retention. Geosophia is a masterwork of modern esoteric writing though and the connections JSK makes between ancient Greek traditions and modern practice can really make you re-evaluate your own pursuits. Definitely recommend if you’re of the occult bent.
BOY APPARITION by mk zariel (ebook, purchased from the author) — A book of poetry by a young, nonbinary poet who uses it/its pronouns. I must confess my sensibilities balked at the depersonalization of it/its but I also get the de-centering of it. Still takes some adjustment and my brain defaults to they/them. The poems are modern, free form and focused on the experience and political existence of the poet. Where I think it would be easy to veer off into polemic or preachiness, zariel’s poems are deeply personal though contextualized by the anarchist, queer spaces it inhabits. Interesting stuff and my conversation with zariel about its work and the next book for WitchLit has yet again cemented for me that the kids are alright.
The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions by Larry Mitchell (paperback, purchased from AK Press) — mk zariel chose this as the “classic witch lit” for our discussion. It’s probably an outlier but definitely touches the fairytale (with its inherent darkness) and the magically real. It’s a quick read and heavily illustrated in a wonderfully 1970s fashion. Mitchell had to start his own press to get it published because neither straight nor gay publishers would touch it. It relates vignettes of life among a civilization ruined by oppression and the oppressed who try to save themselves through assimilation. It’s definitely a book about finding joy and healing in community despite the pain of being targeted by the over culture. I had not read it and was glad of being introduced to it.
A Dragon Rider’s Guide to Retirement by Julia Hunt (audiobook, purchased with Libro FM credit) — A read for what I refer to as my fun bookclub. It’s a slow burn romance, slice of life, magical fiction snack. I was deep in the anxiety of trying to finish my book and listening to this in the evening to sooth myself after 8 to 11 hour days of writing (which I do not recommend). It was perfect for the time. The main character, a witch, is experiencing menopause which means her magical powers are fading and she randomly catches on fire. It’s handled with humor and sensitivity and doesn’t feel like “poor middle aged woman who’s past her prime.” She’s experiencing new adventures (dragon riding) and falling in love for the first time in a life where that was forbidden by her job. I recommend it if you are here for slow ride fiction. It reminded me a lot of Legends and Lattes. If you like a quicker pace, I’d skip it.
The Last Page Cafe by Kate Storey (audiobook, purchased with Libro FM credit) — Not what I expected exactly. Women’s fiction with a MC who owns a tearoom in a small town in England. It’s very found family as she raised her son alone and has massive trust issues until a newcomer to her Last Page bookclub (they read the last page first so there aren’t any surprises) sets her world on its side. It’s definitely older woman dealing with empty nest, business stress, and the realization that her coping mechanisms have now become road blocks. I do love an older MC, especially women, so I enjoyed it but was frustrated with her constant inner monologue about not trusting which came off as judge-y after awhile. I did enjoy it but again, my reality was so focused on research and writing, I might have found it too slow in other circumstances.
The Ornithologist’s Guide to Love and The Geographer’s Map to Love by India Holton (audiobooks, purchased with Libro FM credit) — The first was a scouting read for my choice for the fun book club. It was recommended to fans of Gail Carriger, whom is pretty much universally loved by the book club, and since the first book was about bird scientists it was a cinch for a book club in which everyone except me either has or currently works at zoos. They are both fun romps through a steampunk world infused with wild natural magic in the flora, fauna, and “fey lines” running through the English countryside. Perfect confections with quippy dialogue and just enough meta, self-awareness to make it enjoyable without being covertly cynical (I do hate that in a frothy book).
July
Dark Folklore by Mark & Tracey Norman (audiobook, purchase through Apple Books) — reading prep for a conversation with Tracey for WitchLit. It’s a deeper dive than just relaying the stories and practices of folklore and though centered on English folklore (Mark & Tracey live in Devonshire), it looks at the psychological aspects of the origins and spread of folklore with comparisons to folklore from other parts of the world. The section on urban legends is especially good or maybe I’m just really obsessed with modern folklore. Tracey and Mark are also the narrators for the audiobook and Tracey’s recounting of the Slender Man murder and the implications of “folklore fiction” online is honestly more than a little chilling. Highly recommend this or any of their other joint or solo works.
The Bloody Chamber & Other Stories by Angela Carter (ebook, purchased through Apple Books) — Tracey chose this for our upcoming conversation for WitchLIt. One of my favorite things about the podcast is the recommendations I get from guests. I’d never read Carter. Her writing is lush without being ornate and conveys creepiness and otherworldliness deftly. The opening story “The Bloody Chamber” is, as you might have guessed, a version of Blue Beard, with a modern sensibility. It is probably my favorite of the lot but the others are also well done takes on several fairy and folktales with a gothic horror slant. Definitely recommend.
A Parade of Horribles by Matt Dinniman (audiobook, family listen) — We’ve been working our way through Dungeon Crawler Carl since my son and his wife introduced us and we listen to the Jeff Hayes narrated audiobooks together in the evenings (interspersed with The Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch). I will admit that DCC is violent and sometimes gory in ways that aren’t to my taste but I am completely sucked in by the characters. Like a lot of good writing that gets shunted off into the “genre fiction” hinterlands by some, Dinniman’s commentary on the current political and economic situation is where the work shines (even if it is sometimes overt). I’m enjoying the books and the shared experience of listening to these together for the in jokes and famlang they’ve created if nothing else (but there is “else” too).
The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch (audiobook, relisten) — I needed something soothing in the last week before my deadline and this hit the spot. It’s an offshoot from the aforementioned Rivers of London series, set in the countryside along the Mosel and Rhine rivers in Germany. There’s a murder mystery involving noble rot, a revenant spirit, and the rebirth of magic. The German-accented English narrator for the audiobook is superb. It’s a novella, so goes faster than the main books in the series. It makes me want more of Tobias Winter’s story but there are no signs Aaronovitch is writing more of them.
Death Below Stairs, Scandal Above Stairs, Death in Kew Gardens, Death in the East End, A Soupçon of Poison, Death at the Crystal Palace, and The Secret of Bow Lane by Jennifer Ashley (audiobooks, borrowed from the library) — I finished the manuscript, turned it in, and crashed hard. I’ve been struggling with some fatigue from a medication I’m on and after the adrenaline from the pressure to hit my deadline faded, I pretty much collapsed (the voice of Suzie Izzard always adds “like a flan in a cupboard”). Several days were spent doing as little as possible while listening to this series. It’s gaslamp mystery set in the “bellow stairs” world of Mayfair, London, but ranging all over the city, especially into some then much seedier and more dangerous places. Ashley does a great job of plonking you down in 1880s London. The MC Kat is a cook in fancy house and I love all the (very well done) food and cooking references. They also include a very slow burn romance arc. Exactly what I need for some R & R.
The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett (audiobook, borrowed from the library) — Another of Hallett’s modern epistolary mysteries, told through What’s App messages, texts, research, snippets of novels, transcriptions of interviews, etc. It’s darker than The Appeal and The Twyford Code, mainly because it involves a cult murder. It follows a true crime writer digging up new dirt on an old case as an anniversary surrounding the case looms. I’ve always been a sucker for epistolary novels and I adore Hallett’s twist on them.
A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem and An Heiress’s Guide to Deception and Desire by Manda Collins (audiobooks, borrowed from the library) — The Libby app recommended these while I await my hold on the next Below Stairs mystery. More upstairs than downstairs, focusing on the upper crust of British noble families and their rebellious daughters. Very modern sensibilities though couched in the philosophies of the Blue Stockings and the general pushback to late Victorian sensibilities. They are enjoyable mysteries with fine gowns and I enjoy the writing. Collins, like Ashley, plonks you down in her 1860s world of crinolines and misogyny without making it feel like a Disney version. She also writes tension incredibly well, both in the mystery storyline and in the sexual tension of ankles being far too sensual. Fun stuff. I’m currently listening to the third book in the series.
And I think we’ll leave it at books for this installment as I’ve already gone on and on. I can’t promise more scintillating intellectual reads for the rest of the summer. When the real world is a shit show no writer could get away with, a person needs a break for her weary, anxious brain and books where the killer is always apprehended and the couple always ends up at least happy for now, fit the assignment.