My ALA Schedule Including Booth Signing

As promised here yesterday, today's post is all about my personal schedule at ALA. Please note, this is not complete. I am not including a few panels I hope to make it to, rather I will only include places I KNOW I will be at during specific times. 

Please though, if you see me, stop me. No matter how busy I look. I want to meet you if you want to meet me. I will have RA for All pens and stickers for anyone who asks. And, since I will go home every night, I will not run out!

I have highlighted the 2 events where I am the presenter.

Friday, June 26, 2026:

Library Insights Pre-Conference
McCormick Place West – Room W471A (West Building Level 4)

8:30 am- 3:30 pm

This is a ticketed event which I wrote about in detail in this post. I will be in that room most of the day, but as soon as it is over, I will head to registration.

Opening General Session featuring Rachel Maddow

McCormick Place W375 CDE Skyline

4-5:30pm

I will be outside mingling with people before it begins. I will also be sitting close to the front because my dear friend Carolyn Ciesla is the current President of ILA and she will be on stage to welcome you all.

After the opening session, I will probably skip the exhibit open since I will have been there all day and I have a dinner to get to.

Saturday, June 27, 2026:

HarperCollins Adult Fall/Winter Preview

Location: McCormick Place, W 375 A Skyline

9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

After that I will be in the Exhibit Hall visiting vendors and publishers until MY SIGNING.

Becky Siegel Spratford: Why I Love Horror

Location: Booth 3112

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM 

Becky will be signing copies of her Bram Stoker award-winning horror anthology, "Why I Love Horror". Come grab a complimentary copy, get it signed, and meet Becky!

Also I will have the QR code to buy my shirt (which I will be wearing for the signing) from Greg's Threads of Dread. 

Please note: this is your only chance to get a free copy of WHY I LOVE HORROR but it is not your only chance to get your copy signed. If you have your copy, I will sign it at any time. I have different stickers for that.

After the signing, I am heading a few blocks away to do to the celebration of the Life and Legacy of Fobazi Ettarh. I wrote about that event here including all the location and time details. I hope to see many of you there. 

When I return from the memorial, I will be around for a few more hours. I am keeping my options open though, especially because I don't know who I will be catching up with from that event.

But later that night I will be at the off site ticketed event--

2026 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction Award Ceremony and Reception

Location: Off Site, American Writers Museum, 180 N. Michigan Ave., 2nd Fl

8:00 PM - 10:00 PM

The Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction are celebrated every year at ALA's Annual Conference, this year held in Chicago. Join us for a literary night on Saturday, June 27 from 8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. CT at the American Writers Museum as we honor this year's winners: A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar and Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li. The award ceremony will conclude with a light reception and book signing.

I will be there as a former committee members for this award to celebrate the work of my colleagues.

Sunday, June 28, 2026:

Love Stories: A Romance Author Panel

Location: McCormick Place, W 193 A

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Isn't it romantic? Meet bestselling authors of romance and other love stories at this popular program moderated by Melissa DeWild, Reviews Director, Library Journal. A panel of four writers from a variety of publishers will discuss their writing lives, their inspirations and processes, and their forthcoming titles. Advance copies will be provided to attendees (subject to availability). A book signing will follow. Authors include Emily Rath ("Devour Me" | Avon/HarperCollins), Cara Tanamachi ("Kiss, Marry, Kill" | Forever/Hachette), Iman Hariri-Kia ("Once in a Timeline" | Cosmo Reads/Sourcebooks), and Lauren Rowe ("Chasing the Rush" | Kensington Publishing).

This panel is moderated by my editor at LJ, Melissa DeWild. I will be there to support her. 

Connect Lounge Huddle: To facilitate discovery and circulation, how can libraries make their reading collection displays more engaging?

Location: McCormick Place, ALA Connect Lounge, Hall F2 Lobby

11:00 AM - 11:20 AM

The humble book display is often not used to its fullest as the discovery tool it can be. And we often forget how much it can drive increased circulation. But in a world where patrons use the library as both a physical and digital space, and with an understanding that patrons crave interactive experiences, discussion leaders Becky Spratford and Lila Denning will share their decades of experience as librarians and trainers to help huddle participants break down how to create displays that spark conversation, bring patrons of all ages into the library, and have them leave not only with a few good books to read but also a plan to return soon to get some more.

My colleague (and house guest for ALA Annual) Lila Denning and I will be hosting this conversation about how to make your book displays more effective and we don't mean by adding decorations. Come chat with us. We can even stick around for a bit after if you want to keep chatting, but we do have to get to the next panel before it ends at Noon...

Thrills & Chills: An Author Panel

Location: McCormick Place, W 193 B

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

This program will present bestselling authors of mysteries and thrillers moderated by Susan Maguire, Senior Editor, Collection Management and Library Outreach, Booklist. A panel of four writers from a variety of publishers will discuss their writing lives, their inspirations and processes, and their forthcoming titles. Advance copies will be provided to attendees (subject to availability). A book signing will follow. Authors include Daniel Kraus ("The Sixth Nik" | Saga Press/Simon & Schuster), Nina Simon ("My Sister Is Going to Kill Me" | William Morrow/HarperCollins), Cynthia Pelayo ("Something Followed Us Home: Tales of Latiné Horror" | Primero Sueno Press/Simon & Schuster), and Sara Paretsky ("Bad Company" | Minotaur Books/Macmillan Publishers).

Not only is this panel being moderated by my Booklist Editor Susan Maguire, but it features two of my real life friends, Cynthia Pelayo and Daniel Kraus. I will be there before it ends.

Booklist and LibraryReads Read 'N' Rave

Location: McCormick Place, W 195

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Collection development and readers' advisory specialists from across the country will RAVE about their favorite forthcoming READS in this lively presentation brought to you by LibraryReads and Booklist. Join us and find your patrons' next favorite reads or add to that ever-growing TBR pile. List of books will be available on booklistonline.com after the event.

This is a NOT TO MISS event every single year. Also Susan again! I have done this more than once myself. It is a gauntlet, but super fun. I am very excited to be in the audience these days. Please note, it used to always be on Monday but it was moved to Sunday this year. Please mark your schedules. 

I will also be stopping by the booth signings of friends Maurice Broaddus (Booth 2521 between 12 and 1) and Grace Daly (booth 3226E between 2:30 and 3). 

Like the other days, I have some panels marked to attend, but I cannot 100% promise I will be at those and I don't want to disappoint someone who make a point to go there to see me. 

Monday, June 29, 2026:

Last day!!! And again, one of the primer events for the conference in my opinion...

Your Morning is Booked: ALMA/LibraryReads Adult Author Panel

Location: McCormick Place, W 181 A B C

8:30 AM - 10:00 AM

Join the Adult Library Marketing Association and LibraryReads for their annual adult author panel. You'll hear 5 top authors talk about their upcoming releases, and get print galleys. Please find the RSVP link on our website at at LibraryReads.org/events, so we can make sure we have galleys and swag on hand.

Featured Authors:

• Meg Anderson,  The Memory of Borrowed Books, Sourcebooks 
• Bonnie Jo Campbell, The Spirits, W. W. Norton & Company
• Tananarive Due, Mazywood, Simon & Schuster
• Laleh Khadivi, Female Life on Planet Earth, HarperCollins
• Jeneva Rose, Sometimes I Scare Myself , Blackstone Publishing

You do not want to miss this early morning start as Tananarive Due and I are reunited after we both won the Bram Stoker Award for my book. We will have a mini celebratory victory dance. But seriously, this is always great panel and you can get ARCs for all of the authors. And I am not just saying this because I am a LibraryReads Ambassador. Hosted by Rebecca Vnuk, LibraryReds Executive Director. 

After this, I will be around. I will probably be spending the time after this panel in the exhibit hall before it closes. And after that, panels.

Finally, yesterday, it was announced that Wayne Brady had to cancel for the closing session, but they did add this (which I will be at):

Closing General Session: 250/150: Intellectual Freedom, Public Engagement, and the Infrastructure of Democracy

Location: McCormick Place, W 375 C D E Skyline

4:00 PM- 5:00 PM

As the United States celebrates 250 years of democracy, ALA leadership – current President Sam Helmick, President Elect Maria McCauley, Director of the Office of Intellectual Freedom Sarah Lamdan, and Executive Director Dan Montgomery – will discuss the issues at the heart of the profession: librarians as vanguards of intellectual freedom, information literacy and civic engagement, and libraries as welcoming spaces that provide a sense of community and belonging for patrons.

I am intrigued by what they plan to talk about. With the awful former director of OIF finally retired (she was never strong enough fighting against censorship in my opinion and I have not hidden that opinion from her), I am hoping to hear some stronger language. I have no hopes though. I will come with an open mind, but know that FOR SURE, I will report on this one.

Okay so that is the bare bones schedule of where I will be over the next few days. Again, come say hello and I will give you a pen and a sticker. Put a copy of my book in your face and I will sign it. Just find me and say hi.

And those of you not attending...I've got you. Reports will follow. In fact, here is a reminder of my upcoming blogging schedule:

• 6/26 and 29: Blog is off while I attend ALA but check bluesky for updates
• 6/30 (later in the day though, not AM) and 7/1: Detailed recaps of what I saw and learned plus links to reports others on things I missed.
• 7/2: Come back before the July 4th holiday because I will be linking to my LJ Horror Genre Preview in the July issue and I will have a giveaway of the upcoming second Never Whistle at Night anthology (on both blogs).
• 7/3: That is the July 4th Holiday observed so RA for All is off
• 7/6: This one is exciting-- I will be posting and writing about NoveList's brand new RA Competencies. They were released last week, but I want to give it the eyes it deserves and that means waiting until AFTER ALA Annual and the July 4th Holiday.

Back Tuesday afternoon with some recaps.

LibraryReads: March 2026

      

 It's LibraryReads day and that means four things here on RA for All

1. I post the list and tag it “Library Reads” so that you can easily pull up every single list with one click.
2. I can remind you that even though the newest list is always fun to see, it is the older lists where you can find AWESOME, sure bet suggestions for patrons that will be on your shelf to actually hand to them right now. The best thing about LibraryReads is the compound interest it is earning. We now have hundreds and hundreds of titles worth suggesting right at our fingertips through this archive OR the sortable master list allowing you to mix and match however you want.
3. You have no excuse not to hand sell any LibraryReads titles because there is a book talk right there in the list in the form of the annotation one of your colleagues wrote for you. All you have to say to your patron is, “such and such library worker in blank state thought this was a great read,” and then you read what he or she said.
4. Every upcoming book now has at least 1 readalike that is available to hand out RIGHT NOW. Book talk the upcoming book, place a hold for it, and then hand out that readalike title for while they wait. If they need more titles before their hold comes in, use the readalike title to identify more readalike titles. And then keep repeating. Seriously, it is that easy to have happy, satisfied readers.

So get out there and suggest a good read to someone today. I don’t care what list or resource you use to find the suggestion, just start suggesting books.

Please remember to click here for everything you need to know about how to participate. 

And finally, here is LibraryReads' extremely helpful Resources page.

Now let's get to the March 2026 list.... 

No Matter What: A Novel

Cara Bastone

(Dial Press Trade Paperbacks)

Roz and Vin have been married 8 years, but a terrible accident ripped their lives apart and left them  reeling. This story is their slow journey back to one another. No tropes here—this romance is quiet and ordinary, and in that it's so powerful. It's a beautiful exploration of how even the strongest relationship can fracture, and how we repair and recover from damage. It's also a love letter to drawing and art, to storytelling and friendships, to how we care for and harm each other.

—Nyssa Fleig, Salt Lake County Library, UT

NoveList read-alike: L eft of F orever by Tara DeWitt

Now the rest of the list...

The Secrets Lives of Murderers' Wives 
Elizabeth Arnott
(Berkley)

Three wives of convicted killers, fighting the guilt that they didn't know what was happening with their husbands, band together to search for a killer. Continuing the trend of stories of brave women who aren't taken seriously, this tightly woven crime novel has a bang of an ending.

—Kimberly McGee, Lake Travis Community Library, Austin TX
NoveList read-alike: Good Husbands by Cate Ray

Two Kinds of Stranger
Steve Cavanagh
(Atria)

Conman-turned-attorney Eddie’s reputation precedes him. When Elly, a TikTok star, is convicted of a double murder she didn’t commit, she requests his help to prove her innocence. He soon realizes he may have gotten more than he bargained for. When the case hits a little too closento home, Eddie relies on his (maybe not so legal) skills to save her life.

—Jessica Heatherly, Kingston Public Library, TN
NoveList read-alike: Jack Swyteck series by Michael Grippando

This Story Might Save Your Life
Tiffany Crum
(Flatiron Books: Pine & Cedar)

Joy and Benny are the perfect podcasting team, best friends who explain to listeners how to survive life-threatening situations. But when Joy and her husband go missing, it’s time for long-held secrets to be
revealed. This compelling mystery with a likable pair at its heart will keep readers turning the pages to find out if a happy ending awaits.

—Mara Bandy Fass, Champaign Public Library, IL
NoveList read-alike: Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

Lady Tremaine
Rachel Hochhauser
(St. Martin's Press)

This Cinderella retelling is particularly powerful at portraying the challenges of motherhood and surviving in the world as a woman. The dissection of what traumas and choices create a villain are a fascinating character study, and readers will love that Lady Tremaine is given depth beyond the stereotypical evil stepmother trope—after all, everyone could be a villain in someone else's story.

—Kara Seal, Arapahoe Libraries, CO
NoveList read-alike: Malice by Heather Walter

It Girl: A Novel
Allison Pataki
(Ballantine Books)

A compelling fictionalized story based on the life of Gibson Girl and Gilded Age "It Girl," Evelyn Nesbit. The author writes masterful historical fiction that illuminates exceptional women: their lives, their hopes, their triumphs and downfalls. Highly recommended!

—Karen Troutman, LibraryReads Ambassador, IN
NoveList read-alike: Laura Lamont’ s Life in Pictures by Emma Straub

Innamorata
Ava Reid
(Del Rey)

Haunting and atmospheric, this gothic tale of necromancy, revenge, and forbidden love will draw readers in. Lush writing, eerie vibes, and a heroine torn between duty and desire. Darkly beautiful.

—Emily Snodgrass, Rogers Public Library, AR
NoveList read-alike: The Bone Orchard by Sarah A. Mueller

Lake Effect: A Novel
Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
(Ecco)

In 1977, Nina and Finn begin an affair and make difficult choices that will ripple through their families and small community for years to come. Twenty-five years later, Nina’s eldest daughter makes a selfish choice that sends shock waves from Manhattan back to Rochester. Keenly and sensitively written, readers will have great compassion for these women despite their choices.

—Jennifer Winberry, Hunterdon County Library, NJ
NoveList read-alike: Commonweal thby Ann Patchett

You Should Have Been Nicer to My Mom 
Vincent Tirado
(William Morrow)

This slow, luxuriously paced gothic hinges on toxic family relationships. When Papi Ramon dies, the reading of the will mentions a demon among the family. Fans of Knives Out or The House of Usher will want to give this one a try!

—Adam Lopez, Lawrence Public Library, KS
NoveList read-alike: They Drown Our Daughters by Katrina Monroe

Nobody's Baby
Olivia Waite
(Tordotcom)

Our favorite "old lady" sci-fi detective is back at it, this time solving the mystery of a new baby on board (when that should be impossible on many levels!). A quick read, but Waite does a great job balancing a heck of a lot of world-building with a satisfying mystery and forward emotional movement by the heroine.

—Casey Chwiecko, Lincoln Public Library, MA
NoveList read-alike: The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti series by Malka Older

Board Bonus picks:

Seasons of Gl Seasons of Gl ass and Ir ass and Ir on: Stories on: Stories

Amal El-Mohtar

(Tordotcom)

Notable Nonfiction: 

The Beginning Comes After the End: Notes on the End: Notes on a World of Change
Rebecca Solnit
(Haymarket Books)

See our social media for annotations of the bonus picks

Click here to see the entire Hall of Fame

The LibraryReads Hall of Fame designation honors authors who have had multiple titles appear on the monthly LibraryReads list since 2013. When their third title places on the list via library staff votes, the author moves into the Hall of Fame. Click here to see the Hall of Fame authors organized in alpha order. Please note, the current year's Hall of Fame lists are pulled out at the top of the page.

Ilona Andrews
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me
(Tor Books)

Marie Benedict
Daughter of Egypt
(St. Martin's Press)

Elizabeth Berg
Life: A Love Story: A Novel
(Random House)

Tana French
The Keeper: A Novel
(Viking)

Talia Hibbert
A Girl Like Her
(Sourcebooks Casablanca)

Joshilyn Jackson
Missing Sister
(William Morrow)

Abby Jimenez
The Night We Met
(Forever)

T. Kingfisher
Wolf Worm
(Tor Nightfire)

Jenny Lawsom
How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay: Tips and Tricks That Kept Me Alive, Happy, and Creative in Spite of Myself
(Penguin Life)

Freida McFadden
Want to Know a Secret?
(Poisoned Pen Press)

Deanna Raybourn
A Ghastly Catastrophe
(Berkley Mystery)

Cat Sebastian
Star Shipped
(Tor Books)

Rebecca Searle
Once and Again
(Atria)

Benjamin Stevenson
Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief
(Mariner Books)

What I'm Reading: 3 Booklist Reviews This Month

This month's Booklist has 3 reviews by me. All three books will appeal to a wide library reading audience BUT the first one is spectacular and is going to be on a lot of year end best lists.

First, a reminder that this post contains my draft reviews with extra appeal info and my three words. 

Let's start with the STAR

STAR
Angel Down
By Daniel Kraus
July 2025. 304p. Atria, $28.99  (9781668068458); e-book (9781668068526). 
First published May 1, 2025 (Booklist).

Kraus’ latest is an unintentional sequel to Whalefall* in how it portrays its deeply emotional themes. Private Bagger has used his wits to stay alive in the trenches of WWI France as a latrine and grave digger, he and four other misfits are asked to stay behind, in order to “take care” of a suffering soldier laying in the dangerous no man's land between them and the Germans. However, it is not a soldier they find screaming, rather it is an angel fallen from heaven and stuck in barbed wire. As the men carry the angel enroute to rejoin their unit, each is mesmerized by her light and tempted by her power. She could save them all or lead to their death. Unfolding like a chant, in short paragraphs each beginning with the word “and,” readers quickly fall under Bagger’s narrative spell, as they see the visceral toll war takes on the entire planet. Is Bagger going to survive through a miracle or by luck? A brilliant novel that will encourage its readers to live their best life while alive, despite the horrors that surround them. For fans of The Militia House by Milas and thought-provoking tales which sow discomfort through story and narrative structure such as The Unworthy by Bazterrica..

*the same life affirming message also guilt and shame about his relationship with his father and survival despite it all. This statement gives away a lot of the appeal I had to leave out for word count.

Three words that describe this book: visceral, ambitious, reads like a chant. 

Further Appeal: This book is one of those that you can describe in a million different ways but until someone reads it they will not understand why everyone is gushing about it.

I need to address the word ambitious (above) first. This book is ambitious as it sets out to put the horrors of war on the page without being literal like All's Quiet on the Western Front, and it is visceral and difficult but also very readable and compelling. 

The book is able to put the horror of war on the page, but also the humans who fight in it. The horror of war from the violence to the living conditions to the lives lost to....just all of it, is center stage here.

Everything is through Bagger's eyes and he is very clear from the start that he is a con-artist, a charlatan. He has avoided fighting by offering to dig graves and latrines. He holds a lot of shame and guilt from the second he was born (killing his mother in the process) and the way he parted with his dad before his death. He grew up the son of a Bishop, in the church, but is more spiritual than religious. He is a misanthrope in many ways, but in others-- he is not. His adoration for the young Arno is the best example. The boy is like the little brother he never had.

The book is structured and reads like a chant (religious or secular). Every paragraph begins with the word "and." There are many commas and few periods. There are small horizontal bars at times, they are there for the reader to take a breath, a small pause and then keep going. (I felt that at least)

Kraus keeps this up for the entire book (except one key section that was awesome) and it works. Readers fall into the rhythm, and I for one, couldn't imagine this book any other way. The pages themselves are striking to look at. But a straight narrative would not have worked here. Kraus needs to reader to fall under his and Bagger's spell, in order to make it through the VERY visceral depictions of war (what happens to a body destroyed by weapons). Readers need to be able to get through the gore of war to fall into the story he is crafting.

Following those who come into contact with the angel, and how they react, is as mesmerizing as she is herself. It allows the reader a peek into the other character's state of mind, what is most important to them, who they are at their most essential core, without taking the POV away from Bagger. Watching them allows Bagger to find himself. 

And the overall message here is worth the trip-- yes it is about the horrors of never ending war, yes it is about the horrors of the things people do to each other, yes it is about the horrors we do to ourselves, yes it is about the horrors we humans inflict on the earth.....you could go on and on. This is not a "happy" book, but it is a book (much like Whalefall) that renews the readers faith in living their best life while alive-- despite the horrors around us.

This book is challenging-- not so much to read but to sit with. But it is also bare-naked honesty on the page.

Here is a note I took: Is Bagger's story driven by a miracle or luck? Does it matter? What does matter here is Kraus' awe-inspiring skill.

Readalikes: The two above are the ones that made it into the magazine, but I had a long list. Two nonfiction I thought of were W. Scott Poole's amazing Wasteland: the Great War and the Origins of Modern Horror, and Joe Sacco’s Graphic Novel, The Great War: July 1, 1916: The First Day of the Battle of the Somme. (I have thoughts on this book here as well)

I would put this book in a thematic series for Kraus that begins with Rotters, then Whalefall, and this one. The themes from these have grown over his career. I feel like this is part three in an unintended series.

And clearly, this book is for those who loved The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones earlier this year and want something else great. We have an embarrassment of riches this year in Horror.

And next up....

Below The Grand Hotel

By Cat Scully

May 2025. 286p. illus. CLASH, paper, $19.95  (9781960988584). 
First published May 1, 2025 (Booklist).

Mable wants nothing more than to be a Ziegfeld girl, but until her big break, she is living hand to mouth, robbing people to keep herself housed and fed. When she follows a wealthy woman wearing a diamond necklace into The Grand Hotel, Mable’s life changes forever. She is offered the chance to make all of her dreams come true. The price? Her soul. Scully convincingly re-creates the Great Gatsby-esque world of a lavish hotel in 1920s NYC. The glitz and the glamour,yes,  but also the bleak, devastating hardship of those on the outside. Readers eagerly follow Mable, as she races against time, through the constantly shifting, alluring, awe-inspiring, but extremely sinister hallways of the hotel (a character here itself), to steal back her soul and hopefully, destroy the evil force at its foundation. Suggest to those who like tales of artists making dark deals in pursuit of their craft like Roses and Rot by Howard and fans of strong women kicking demon butt like Devils Kill Devils by Compton.

Three Words That Describe This Book: strong sense of place, demons, struggle of artists.

Further Appeal: This novel is an excellent choice for Dark Fantasy readers who want to dip their toe into Horror.

The hotel is a character here. When I say strong sense of place I mean the time-- it is art deco, 1920 all the way. The way people talk even. But also, the entire book is set in The Grand Hotel. and it is not your ordinary hotel since it is run by demons, has unlimited and ever shifting floors, is filled with amusements of every kind, and began as the parents of the current owner-Frank- sold their souls to make it that way.

Mable Rose Dixon is the protagonist and narrator through this world. She is new but unwilling to accept her fate. She is a thief and a magician turned Ziegfeld girl wannabe. This is a plot driven book. The characters are interesting but bides Mabel, there art not enough pages to develop them fully. We get enough to care about them but the story is the star here. The entire things begins with a 30 day time limit as Mable needs to collect 100 souls for Frank the current owner in that time. But why he needs them exactly and her quest to escape before then takes up the bulk of the book. 

There are satisfying twists and a very good ending- one that is HORROR not Dark Fantasy.

Mable is strong and independent throughout. She is tough but also readers see her fears and concerns. 

Dark fantasy and Horror fans will like this. It is more sinter and has less romance than your average Dark Fantasy.

Scully re-creates the world of a decadent hotel in 1920s NYC- the glitz, the glamour yes, but also the hardship of those on the outside. It is also a book about artists- how they toil and often never get the glory they want or even deserve- but the book encourages all creatives who will read it to keep going.

Readalikes: The publisher says The Great Gatsby meets Clive Barker and I think that is fairly accurate, but I think more recent titles that show the appeal of this story are as listed above-- Roses and Rot by Kat Howard meets Devils Kill Devils by Johnny Compton just set in the 1920s.

And this books shares no plot points in common but the story of a strong young woman confronting Demons and making hard choices reminded me of Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger by K.C. Grifant (which I have read and reviewed)

A deep cut for people who liked the hotel as a character- try Martin Dressler by Steven Millhauser

And finally, a books that was both fun and existentially terrifying-- that dichotomy was pretty great but

the way.

My Ex, The Antichrist

By Craig DiLouie

July 2025. 416p. Run for It, paper, $19.99  (9780316578189); e-book (9780316578196). First published May 1, 2025 (Booklist).

The Shivers were one of the biggest pop punk bands of the early 2000s, but their origin story holds a dark, apocalyptic secret, one with which front woman Lily Lawless can no longer bear to live. So begins DiLouie’s latest horror novel, unfolding on the page as an oral history of the band, as told by Lily, and others, as Lily sits in prison, for murder. Readers follow The Shivers, led by Lily and her boyfriend Drake Morgan,as they quickly garner attention for their unique sound and the violence that follows in the wake of their performances. Cheekily playing off of the age-old accusation that harder edged music is satanic, DiLouie spins a story that is fresh, entertaining, and intensely unsettling. Is Drake Morgan actually the Antichrist? The answer may existentially unmoor readers. An easy handsell for fans of We Sold Our Souls by Hendrix or Silver Nitrate by Moreno- Garcia, but don’t forget those who loved the discomforting verisimilitude of The Ghost That Ate Us by Kraus.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Oral History Frame, Satanic, Intense Unease

Further Appeal: The history of a band as they rise to the top is a huge appeal here. The fact that one of their founding members was the Antichrist adds interest for Horror fans but I don't think it removes interest for music fans with no opinion about Horror.

This story is intensely uneasy more than outright terrifying and I think that is on purpose because of how the narrative is structured.

First of all the narrative unfolds through the voices of those involved in a history that already happened. This means that we know the characters who are talking to the "journalist" lived through the experience. That lessens some of the terror. Also the oral history frame keeps readers from getting too comfortable-- again, on purpose.

Second-- it is a tale we all have heard before in two ways. There is the artist selling their soul frame and the tendency for conservative forces to perpetually call out certain types of music as being the work of the devil. Readers come in thinking they know this book, but they don't. Again, keeping the reader off balance. 

Third, the conclusion of the novel is set to existentially unmoor the reader. The story we are being told is concluded. The sense that it could be real permeates throughout-- that in and of itself is uneasy. But then it lets the fear percolate out into the real world of the reader. ON PURPOSE

I really like how DiLouie doubled down on the unease, again, on purpose, but I am predicting some will be like...not scary enough. If they do that is just an instance of them not getting it or the book not being for that reader. I am not saying there are not terrifying moments. There are but the overall tone of this book is intense unease or existential unmooring.

This book accomplishes what I think DiLouie wants it to very well.

There is a huge Christian religious frame here -- as there always is in satanic horror BUT in this story other religious groups are clearly aware of and trying to stop Drake. I appreciated that. This is bigger than 1 version of GOD. 

Tying all of the most dangerous action to the final days of 1999 and the very real, historical Y2K panic was also cool. 

Readalikes: Comparisons to WE SOLD OUR SOULS by Grady Hendrix are inevitable and will work; however, this book is most similar to Daniel Kraus' THE GHOST THAT ATE US. Here is my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4604343699

Silvia Moreno-Garcia's SILVER NITRATE works well too-- cursed art, using the curse to help yourself (or not), romance as an important part of the storyline, background info into a specific real world frame (90s pop punk in a college town vs the 90s Mexico City film industry)

I couldn't stop thinking about NOTHIN' BUT A GOOD TIME: THE UNCENSORED HISTORY OF THE 80's HARD ROCK EXPLOSION while reading this book. That NF book is written just like this novel-- as an oral history but it is 100% true. Since I loved that book, and DiLouie uses a similar frame, I kept thinking DiLouie's novel was real as well.