E206: Crones, Demons, and Witches! Oh My! with CM Waggoner

 

Today I have C.M Waggoner on the show to chat about her books, THE VILLAGE LIBRARY DEMON HUNTING SOCIETY and THE SOMEWHAT WICKED WITCH OF BRIGANDALE. We discuss voice and humor, her ability to write “women of a certain age,” and what it means to write cozy books with stakes. I love her style, her wit and her incredible imagination, so definitely add her books to your TBRs. 

The bookstores CM Waggoner recommended were: 

• Kinderhook Books in Kinderhook, New York
• Golden Leaf Books (this one has the shop dog!) in Waterford, New York

E205: Black Witches in Fiction with Savannah Stephens

 

Today I welcome Savannah Stephens to the show to chat about Black Witches in fiction. To be clear, we are not talking about ‘black magic,’ we are discussing books that feature Black characters that are also witches. Savannah’s book, WITCH QUEEN RISING, is a genre blend of fantasy and horror that takes place in New Orleans. It has werewolves, vampires, and a witch who must reluctantly return home to assume her powers. We have some great book recommendations for you, listed below. 

I recommended Tasha Harrison's Substack on the show, which you can subscribe to here.

Savannah’s recs

• This Poison Heart (This Poison Heart, #1) by Kalynn Bayron
• Death Card by Jasmine Smith
• An Arcane Inheritance by Kamilah Cole
• Witches Steeped in Gold (Witches Steeped in Gold, #1) by Ciannon Smart
• Legendborn (The Legendborn Cycle, #1) by Tracy Deonn

Agatha’s recs

• Witchful Thinking by Celestine Martin
• Under a Strawberry Moon by Tasha Harrison
• I'll Come Back for You and I’ll Conjure You by Charish Reid
• This Cursed House by Del Sandeen
• The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

 

Today I have Jennifer from "Art of the Clinch," a social media account which features book covers and information on vintage romance paperbacks, including vintage gothics during October. I wanted an episode about collecting old paperbacks, whether you’re interested in old clinch covers, “women running from houses” gothic romances, or paperbacks from hell, and I thought Jennifer was the perfect guest for this. I’ve followed Jennifer since ye old twitter days, though now I follow her on Instagram and Threads. 

Jennifer's website is here. 

In this episode, she references Dr. Maria De Blassie's essay on "Joyful Problematization," which you can find here. 

E203: Downton Abbey Readalikes with Moorea Corrigan

 

NEW EPISODE! I’m particularly excited because today I welcome Moorea Corrigan to the show to chat about Downton Abbey Readalikes. Her book, THISTLEMARSH, is a historical fantasy that takes place in the aftermath of WWI. She’s really well read on this historical period, as you’ll see in our chat and we had an absolute blast talking about how the books we picked connect to one of our favorite comfort shows. We have a range of genre, something for everyone! 

Moorea’s book recs

• Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier 
• The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door - H.G. Perry 
• The Warm Hands of Ghosts - Katherine Arden 
• The Lord or Stariel - A.J. Lancaster
• The Once and Future Witches - Alix E. Harrow

Agatha’s book recs

• The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor
• Lost Among the Living by Simone St. James 
• The Deep by Alma Katsu 
• Longbourn by Jo Baker 
• The Buccaneers by Edith Wharton 

E202: Folk Horror with Dawn Kurtagich

 

Today I welcome Dawn Kurtagich to the show to chat about Folk Horror. Dawn’s new book, THE SEVENTH SISTER, was the perfect launching pad for this subject. It’s about seven sisters who are sent to live on a remote island with their grandmother. It has rituals, forests and isolation…in other words, my favorite elements of Folk Horror. Below is a list of our book recommendations, with links to my Bookshop if you want another way to support the show. Thank you for listening!

Dawn’s Book Recs

• Withered Hill by David Barnett 
• Lost in the Garden by Adam S. Leslie
• A House in the Dark of the Wood by Laird Hunt
• The Watchers by A.M Shine
• Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick 
• The Haar by David Satergren

Agatha’s Book Recs

• The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis
• Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss
• The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
• The Lighthouse Witches by CJ Cooke
• Nothing but Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw

E201: Cats in Fiction with Nicole Glover

 

Today I welcome Nicole Glover to the show to chat about Cats in Fiction. We cover a range of genres, from Gothic to Cozy Fantasy. Nicole’s latest book, THE STARSEEKERS, is a blend of murder mystery, magic, and science - specifically space travel. Naturally, a cat is also at the heart of this story. She was a lovely guest and will also my Patreon Book Club featured author in October with her book THE CONDUCTORS. 

Nicole's website is: https://nicole-glover.com/

Nicole’s Book Recs 

• Song of the Lioness Series by Tamora Pierce
• Sabriel by Garth Nix
• Kiki’s Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono
• The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki
• Monstress by Marjorie Liu
• Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes
• No One Noticed the Cat by Anne McCafferty
• Catwings by Ursula le Guin

Agatha’s Book Recs

• We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
• Circe by Madaline Miller
• The Village Library Demon Hunting Society by C.M. Waggoner
• Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett
• The Ghost Cat by Alex Howard

E200: Horror Comics with Nat Cassidy

Today I welcome back Nat Cassidy to talk about Horror Comics, a topic near and dear to my heart, but it’s also one that may surprise you. Horror Comics have as much range as the Horror genre in regular fiction books, so I hope you all enjoy our chat and are inspired to walk into your local comic books shop to explore what’s out there. I will also have the titles from our chat that are still in print, as well as other favorites, linked to my Bookshop if you want to support my show as well as independent bookstores nationwide.

Nat's new book is a short story collection called I KNOW A PLACE, linked below. 

Nat’s Recs

1. EC Comics like Tales from the Crypt by Grant Geissman

2. Uzumaki by Junji Ito

3. Locke & Key by Joe Hill

4. Tapping the Vein by Clive Barker

5. From Hell by Alan Moore

6. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Kevin Eastman

Agatha’s Recs

1. Nightmares and Fairytales by Serena Valentino 

2. Lenore by Roman Dirge (link is for a collection of 3 volumes)

3. Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

4. Fangs by Sarah Anderson

5. The Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love

6. The Crow by James O’Barr