Hello and welcome to the latest issue of The Ghoulish Times. My name is Max Booth and this is my free spooky newsletter for all things GHOULISH.

First, if you read the last newsletter, you will remember that I found a stray dog in San Antonio last month and was desperately trying to find his owner.

Well, uh, there’s been some developments since then, but the update is too long to share here, so please read the essay I wrote yesterday recapping everything. 3,500 words about a stray dog who pissed on my foot. Check it out. (I deactivated the paywall.)

I am writing this newsletter during the last shift I will work at our bookstore in downtown San Antonio. Next week I will move to Minneapolis.

But today, Saturday June 20th, is the last shift I will work at this location. I ran the numbers earlier and determined since opening the shop in 2023, we have sold around 14,000 books. I have no idea how that compares to other bookstores, but considering our first two years as a shop was in the shittiest location imaginable, I’m pretty proud of that.

14,000 new books in the hands of readers. So many of them had never even read horror before, either, and came to us for introductions and recommendations. 14,000 horror books. It’s a hell of a thing, man. I will miss it a lot, and I hope sometime in the future I can open another. Maybe someday. Who knows?

Lori will continue working the current shop until the end of the month, and then on July 1st it will cease to be a bookstore named Ghoulish Books. She will still be running a shop at this location, but beginning in July it will officially change its name to Morbid Curiosities and no longer be associated with Ghoulish. If you are a local following this newsletter only because we are a physical bookshop located on St. Marys street, here is her new newsletter you’ll probably want to follow. On the page you’ll also find links to the Morbid Curiosities’s social media accounts, if you’re interested.

Ghoulish Books, however, will continue as strictly a small press…which, if you’re new here, is how we started. We’ve been a publishing company since 2012 and I intend on keeping it alive and, hopefully, better than ever. Consider pre-ordering some of our upcoming titles already listed.

IN THE MEANTIME, I am busy packing all of my life’s possessions into empty liquor store boxes, which is a very weird feeling. I’ve lived in this house for almost 15 years. It’s like I’m growing my own ghost to one day haunt these rooms.

I did add a bunch of books from my personal collection to a “max’s moving sale!” section in our webstore. These will remain listed until Tuesday night, then I’ll deactivate the category. If you’re interested in buying some used (and some rare!) books to support a good cause, consider clicking HERE. (we also have them all at the shop, too.)

Or, honestly, any webstore or in-person sales before the end of June will be greatly appreciated. Consider buying some books HERE.

Additionally, my “help me escape texas” crowdfunding campaign is currently at 92%. Obviously I’m moving regardless of hitting 100%, but… every little thing helps, so HERE IS THE LINK AGAIN.

I have so many other things to do right now that I honestly can’t remember what else I meant to include in this newsletter. My brain is fried, so I give up. See y’all in Minnesota.

—max