Fellow angler,

Much like Slim Shady, I am back. Back again.

I don’t think we need to talk about how long I was away. We all know it’s been a long time. And if you insist on going back to do the math, I will be forced to hit you with my pocket sand.

So what have I been up to over the past [REDACTED] weeks?

Not a goddamn thi—

Wait. I used that line before. And it’s untrue. I actually have done quite a few things.

For the sake of keeping this post to a reasonable length, I’ll cover some book-related things I’ve done.

(Maybe next time I’ll talk about how I’ve watched over 100 movies so far this year, I walked over 100 miles in the past month, and I went quasi-viral with a casual split save I made in a soccer tournament that I won nbd.)

Books I’ve been reading

So far this year I’ve read about three dozen books.

If you recall, I’m working my way through the inaugural Silva Reading Challenge. I created the challenge as a way to trick my wife into reading more with me,¹ but I would be very happy to have any of you join or follow along with us. Of the 20 reading prompts, I have four left to complete. Of the six bonus prompts, I have one left. Nay bad.

My wife and I are also working our way through a summer reading challenge from Books Are Magic, but the paper is too far away for me to take a picture of it at the moment, so you’ll need to trust that I’m also making good progress on that. (Maybe at the end of the summer, my wife can post about the challenge on her own newsletter.²)

Notable books I’ve read:

• The Luminous Fairies and Mothra: This novella, built from three connected stories, was the origin of Mothra (of Mothra vs. Godzilla fame). It features a classic story of humans disregarding the natural order of the world and suffering the consequences (via a giant moth). The new translation features useful historical notes on the tense political climate in Japan in the 1960s.

• Dead Weight by Hildur Knútsdóttir: If you don’t mind some blood, this quick murder story (150 pages) is very satisfying. And it features a cat who sounds cute.

• Immortelle by Catherine McCarthy: This is a small book from a small-time author, but she writes at the exact intersection of horror, magical realism, and Welsh country vibes that I want in my life.

• Good News by Alexa Yasemin Brahme: This is a fun debut novel (published in 2026). I’d recommend it if you like commercial fiction, and if you don’t, I’d still recommend it because I think Alexa is a natural writer. I first met her at a reading of Books Are Magic staff, and was eagerly awaiting her first book.

Rare books

I requested a rare book on Māori divination from the New York Public Library as part of some research for a book I’m vaguely writing, and for which I’m thinking of creating a type of divination.

Since the book I requested was only available for use within the library, I got to sit in a guarded cubicle in one of the library’s special research rooms.

It was a strange experience having to be so quiet and to basically do nothing but look at the book I requested. Is this what reading was like before phones and TVs and other constant technological distractions? Horrifying.

Here’s a mediocre picture of a wonderful library ceiling in the main branch of the New York Public Library:

Horror + beer = fun

I went to the Brooklyn Brewery tasting room³ for a panel of over a dozen horror authors, hosted by Brooklyn’s first horror bookstore, The Twisted Spine. If you’re unfamiliar, the bookstore is A+. I also got to meet the owners, a pair of lovely and normal people who are not at all like the Addams family characters one might expect.

I enjoy horror as a genre, but mostly went to speak with an author I first met in high school. Back then, he, Christopher Golden, gave me some advice about building a career as a full-time writer. It was very kind of him to talk to a nobody kid like me, and I ended up largely following his advice, so it was nice to see him again and tell him that I now have a first draft complete. He remembered me and we had a great chat.

I am looking forward to reading his latest book, Carry Me to My Grave, plus the other $100 worth of books that I bought (and got signed) by authors on the panel. Three standouts for me:

• The Changeling by Victor LaValle: I already like LaValle, but have yet to read his most popular book. It’s also been made into a show on Apple TV+.

• The Fisherman by John Langan: It’s a slow-burn horror novel about two grieving widowers who are out fishing in upstate New York on a reservoir surrounded by strange tales and rumors of a mysterious figure. Instant buy for me. Talking to John Langan was also a lot of fun.

• Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez: This didn’t quite strike me as a book I’d usually buy, but I really enjoyed hearing Nicky Gonzalez speak on the panel. She had a fantastic vibe and if any of that makes it into the book, it’ll be a worthwhile read. It’s also her debut novel (published in 2026), and we support debut authors in this household.

A quick (half-sincere) apology

Please accept my apologies for all the book links. As someone who has a massive list of books to read, I know it’s not the most helpful when someone tosses a whole new list of books at me. Unfortunately, I’ve seen a lot of recommendation-worthy books in the [INFORMATION UNAVAILABLE] weeks since I last wrote here.

I hope that at least one of these books will pique your interest. And if that does happen, feel free to tell me which one it was.

Title song

I typically conclude with a section where I talk about the song that inspired the title of my post. The reason that section persists is not because you people listen to the songs. You don’t. I’ve seen your click data.

Choosing a song has become a part of my writing process for these posts. It helps me get into the writing groove. While I usually have an idea of what I plan to write, the search for a song and the song itself provide a framing for my idea. It sometimes even changes the idea.

In the case of today’s post, I considered many songs, but wanted something upbeat. A shot of energy to get me over the hump so I could actually write my first blog in [NUMBER NOT FOUND] weeks. Thus:

The Bitch is Back by Elton John

I don’t have much to say about this song. It’s fun. It’s energy. It’s Elton John.

If you want to learn more about the song, like why Elton John is the titular bitch, feel free to read the Wikipedia page.

Until next time,

Happy fishing!