The Peepshow - Review

Author: Kate Summerscale

Genre: True Crime

Format: Audiobook

Hours: 9 hours 43 minutes

This review has been so hard to write because this book is a lot. Mostly because this case is a lot, the events around this case are a lot. Just everything about this stressed me out, ticked me off, and every time I thought I'd heard the last of the worst of it. There was something else. It's a book that just keeps escalating minute after minute (or page, depending on how you're reading). But I was left feeling unsatisfied despite the guilty verdict at the end of the case. 

I just got left with a bad taste in my mouth. Which wasn't what I was expecting with this book. I originally picked it because I hadn't heard of this case. I wasn't expecting just downhill; this case was going to drag me, and how angry it was going to make me. Or the fact that at one point, I'd just be staring at my phone to make sure I heard what I was pretty sure I just heard.

Let me say this: none of this is Kate Summerscale's fault. She did an amazing job researching this case from the do-er, to the victims, to the people who made this case a sensation at the time. It's a thorough look at not just the case, by the climate of the world around the case. Summerscale does an amazing job of painting a picture and telling this story. I also loved how this book was as much about the victims as it was the man who killed them. I kept listening to this book because of her writing.

It's just the case itself that's absolutely nuts. And maybe at the time, no one realized what they were doing, what the press was doing, the harm the Home Office was doing by denying things. Maybe it's easier to see now with all the facts on the table. But I just have a hard time believing that. Someone had to realize there was a fumble on this case. That they'd maybe wrongfully hanged a man for a crime he didn't commit. A child was killed and would never get justice.

Maybe I'm just angry about it still, weeks later, and that's what makes this case so hard to stomach. All that being said, fans of the true crime genre, check this book out. It's something. It got me all riled up and yelling at myself because, just woof.

HAPPY READING!!

Most Anticipated Part One

Holy cats, it's the time of year again! There's about what, two and a half-ish weeks until the end of the year. I really need to finish my holiday shopping. I have so many things to ship. But none of that has anything to do with this. Well, just that it's time of years to figure out which books I'm most excited about that are coming out in 2026. To make it easier on myself, I've broken my list into three parts. This helps me not only keep track of when things are being released, and keeps my list here a little smaller. 

Sometimes, too much information is too much information. We all know we're never going to read all the books on TBRs. Mostly because there is no getting smaller on your TBR, it's read a few, add a whole bunch. This way, three times in 2026, I'll remind you of six new books getting ready to come out. To keep the TBR just on this side of falling down.

All that being said, above are the six books I'm the most excited to get my hands on next year. I'm a couple of his books behind, but I'm a big fan of J.H. Markert and the way he writes. I have to read is books sparingly, though, because they screw with my brain and give me weird dreams. But they are so worth it. T. Kingfisher is a favorite author in my house; everyone enjoys her, so all of us are excited for Nine Goblins. Lastly, I love this series by Benjamin Stevenson; it's hilarious and weird, and just a good time from start to finish. So I'm excited we're getting another book in the series.

The other three authors are new to me, but their books all sound like something I'd really enjoy for a lot of reasons. A cozy murder mystery is always a win for me. I do love a silly fantasy novel that could possibly turn tropes on their head (or poke fun at them). I'm always game for something spooky.

So what's everyone else looking forward to seeing hit shelves in 2026?

HAPPY READING!!

Teleportasm - Review

Author: Joshua Millican

Genre: Horror

Format: Library

Pages: 142

What in the hell did I read? To some degree, I knew what I was getting myself into. When you add teleporting and horror in the same book, it gives some clues as to what I was getting myself into. I wasn't disappointed at any time. I got exactly that in the first chapter, a little more body horror than I thought, but I'm fine with that. I just wasn't prepared. Still, I thought I knew what I was getting into, even as I was halfway through the second chapter. 

Then came the chapters after that. At first, I wasn't really sure what I was reading, as timelines kind of bounced around from chapter to chapter. But I was quick enough to realize that we were following the tape around as it moved from hand to hand. Watching as the lore was created behind this tape and what it was. Which was really cool and what kept me reading. I wanted to see what kind of mess this tape would make.

I just didn't think it would be that kind of mess.

The last few chapters of this book are wild. It sets you up to forget about certain characters (spoilers, my readers). Then, as the book is wrapping up about what the tape actually is, it pulls the rug out from under you and reveals another layer to this plot. As crazy as the plot twist is, it's not that crazy in a book about teleporting. In fact, if I hadn't been so wrapped in the gore and violence, and the way people are still watching this tape, it kind of raises questions. I might have thought about it, but I was too busy to think about the start of the book when the original question was asked.

Where did the tape come from?

All of this said, this book is under two hundred pages. It's a wild ride from the first chapter to the last, and it's gross for just as long. This book hooked me every single time I picked it up. This is the third book I've picked up in the Killer VHS series, and I haven't been disappointed in this series yet. I will say that if you're not a fan of gore and body horror, this is not the book for you. Because it was gross, like people inside out kind of gross. And it has some very heavy scenes that fall under heavy trigger warnings. 

This is not light reading. I have had a book hangover since Thanksgiving because what even was this...

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we haven't yet read. Generally, they are books that have yet to be released, but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous folks at Breaking the Spine.

In April 1788, word of one particular body snatching quickly spread, and over the course of days, thousands of New Yorkers descended upon a New York City anatomy lab in a growing and dangerous riot. This book reveals the forgotten history of the so-called Doctor's Riot of 1788, along the way explaining the history of grave robbing in the United States and England and exploring the moral questions behind an existential medical crisis: Does the need for medical students to learn anatomy on cadavers override society's demand for maintaining the dignity of its dead?

As the Doctor's Riot boiled over, Founding Fathers Alexander Hamilton and John Jay and Revolutionary War hero Baron von Steuben were called in to quell the rioters, to no avail. Eventually, the state militia was ordered to fire into the crowd, killing twenty and injuring far more.

In this riveting and revelatory history, Andy McPhee delves into the post-revolutionary period of America to trace the foundational changes spurred by the riot, the influence of the riot on framers of the Constitution, the formation of Black-only churches and graveyards, the radical advent of embalming improved embalming practices, what body snatching looks like today, and how the teaching of anatomy continues to change and adapt to new technologies.

Why I'm Waiting: I've never once heard of this riot, and it's left me with questions. Also, I think this will be an interesting audiobook.

HAPPY READING!!

2026 Beat the Backlist

It's that time when I'm sorting out my reading wants and needs for 2026. Setting my goals is easy, but deciding whether to add more to my plate is always the hard part. Between my job, co-hosting Silent Book Club, and just life in general, do I really want to add another reading challenge to my list of things I'm doing? Usually, the answer is no, I want to read for fun, not feel like I'm doing more work. However, thanks to Instagram Beat the Back list came back into my life. I had completely forgotten about this challenge.

Years ago, I did this challenge just for fun to see some stats on the books I was reading. Was I sticking to one year, did I bounce around, etc? I thought it was fun, then life happened, and it slipped my mind. Now I'm going to jump back into the challenge, but I'm going to do it with a little twist. I've joined the Storygraph Challenge just to see the publishing years of the books I read next year. But! For the Google Doc set up by the creators of Beat the Backlist, I'm going to count books I actually own. As a sort of way to start reading the library I've created over the last five years. 

I'm not going to set a goal of knocking a certain number of books off my physical tbr since I want to keep this low stress. Instead, I just want to see if I can use this to motivate me to pick up one of the books on my actual shelf instead of my Kindle or local library (though I love it so). As a way to hold myself accountable, every month I'll post an update on how I'm doing. An extra layer to get myself to read at least one book. Because one book is better than nothing. It could be one more book off my TBR and off to a new home!

So I'm excited for the challenge because it fits into my busy schedule, and will hopefully motivate me to work on my physical TBR. If this sounds like something you want to join you their website is here, and it has all the information you need. Along with links to Google Docs and access to their images!

HAPPY READING!!

Mini Reviews

 

This was absolutely adorable! Revenge of the Librarians is one of those books you stumble across by accident. I was just digging through my library's catalog when this popped up. The title immediately caught my attention and put it on hold. It is as much fun as you think it is. I read this the second I got home.

Have you ever stumbled on a book and, despite reading the synopsis, not be a hundred percent sure what you're getting into? This is what happened with this book. Basically, I had a lot of questions about what this book really as a whole. I still have a lot of those questions, but I also realized I was thinking too hard about it. This was exactly what the back of the book said it was going to be. It was sweet, fuck of gemstone knowledge I didn't know I needed, and honestly was low stress. I like both main characters and want to see where their friendship will take them. It kind of seems like more shenanigans are in their future. One of them seems a magnet for trouble just by breathing.

I have been waiting for my turn for the first of this Manga since the summer. It's been very popular at my library. After stumbling across other books in this series on the shelf, I knew I needed to read this. It was absolutely adorable! It's just a good, heartwarming time. The cat is absolutely adorable, and so is the old man who finally adopted him. Their story tugs at your heart, and now I must read them all. In fact, I picked up volume two recently! This series was a hundred percent worth the wait.

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

      

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes, the cover initially catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday, I'll post some of my favorite book covers. Coming soon!

The Beheading Game begins in the hours after Anne Boleyn’s beheading, when she wakes to find herself unceremoniously in an arrow chest, her head wrapped in linen at her knees. Discarded by King Henry VIII for not being able to give him a male heir, reviled by Cromwell for being too smart for her own good, and executed based on trumped-up charges, Anne escapes the tower, sews her head back on, and sets out on a quest for vengeance.

Traveling in the guise of a commoner, with the help of a prostitute, Anne navigates the London streets she never before walked and soon realizes how little she knew about life in the real world. If Kelly Link had teamed up with Hilary Mantel, the result might be The Beheading Game. An epic journey through the wilds of British royal history and a prescient reminder that “mouthy” women have always been punished, The Beheading Game finally allows one of history’s most maligned women a chance to tell her side of the story.

HAPPY READING!!

December Spotlight

 

I read, listen to, and watch a lot of true crime. So when I come across that I haven't heard about, that book usually goes straight onto my TBR. When the case is this crazy as this one, it goes to the top of the pile and gets put on my spotlight. Because what is this...

Of the hundreds of murder cases that noted South Carolina attorney Dick Harpootlian has prosecuted, one in particular haunts him. Donald “Pee Wee” Gaskins was a serial killer and rapist, a master manipulator who claimed to have killed over 100 people and is known to have murdered over a dozen, including a toddler, and his own teenage niece. Yet it was on Death Row that he pulled off his most audacious murder—killing another inmate with a military grade explosive.

As personable as he was ruthless, Pee Wee defied easy categories. He killed to avenge minor slights as well as for pleasure, using any convenient method—including stabbing, shooting, poison, suffocation, and drowning. Evidence suggested he forced at least one victim to dig his own grave, stand in it, and be shot.

With escalating callousness, Pee Wee murdered acquaintances, friends, family members, and strangers. Yet within his North Charleston community he was well-liked—a family man who took neighborhood kids to the beach and hosted cookouts. Ice-cold within but outwardly charming, he joked with judges, reporters, and Harpootlian himself, but didn’t hesitate to hatch a plot to kidnap the prosecutor’s daughter in order to extort an escape.

Dig Me a Grave is a haunting look at a prolific, remorseless killer, as well as a provocative exploration of justice and the death penalty.

HAPPY READING!!

November Wrap Up

November's end snuck up on me, probably because I had a trip planned for Thanksgiving, but I managed to get a lot of books read. A lot of really good books. I only DNFed one book this month. Which is is pretty good statistic, one of seven books. I even got so close to finishing my reading goal. Probably by the time I post this (I've been outta town), I'll have hit that goal. Just two books away! So here's the stats:

 

Books Read: 7
BINGO Books: 0

Pages Read: 1683

Negative, nothing, all these books and not a single BINGO square hit. I've given up getting a BINGO this year. I can't even blame the card; it's leaning into being a mood reader. While that's helped me not feel stressed about my reading, it's been hell on this challenge. 

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we haven't yet read. Generally, they are books that have yet to be released, but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous folks at Breaking the Spine.

Find the key. Put it back. Get rid of the ghost. It’s supposed to be simple…it’s not.

Thanks to his mother’s job at a local graveyard, twelve-year-old Will Stone has some unique talents. For one, he knows exactly how a burial vault works and why they’re used. For another, he’s great at genealogy and can decode centuries old records. Not your normal every day after school activities, that’s for sure!

But when a centuries old crypt key is lost, his normally peaceful existence at Graceland cemetery is shattered. Trees wither and die. The lake becomes covered with a sinister green slime that threatens to choke out anything living in it. And suddenly, the graveyard’s reputation isn’t the only thing in jeopardy . . . Will and his friends' safety is, too.

Suddenly, Will is forced to consider that the lost key might be an even bigger problem than he originally thought. A dark force has been unleashed within the cemetery gates, and along with his friends Stash, Michelle, and Henry, Will must use his unique skill set to figure out which restless spirit is draining the graveyard of life, and how to end the haunting for good.

Why I'm Waiting: You had my attention at 'mother's job at a local graveyard', everything else is a bonus.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

Years ago, a tragedy shook a small community in rural Scotland. A bus driver kidnapped seven elementary school children, drove them into the wildnerness, and held them captive in a cave, before jumping from a cliff's edge. The children were unharmed, and for the most part, young enough to grow up and put their ordeal behind them.

But on the anniversary of their childhood trauma, Maggie, Ant, Ben, Stephanie, Lawrie, Seb, and Cass are on a school survival trip up in the mountains and cut off from the rest of the world when a storm hits. There's no help in sight and the group discovers they are just a stone's throw from the scene of their traumatic kidnapping.

As the group struggles to survive the elements, they realize someone else is on the mountain, someone who knows what really happened all those years ago, someone who wants them dead and is willing to take them out one by one.

HAPPY READING!!