Written by 
I have ketamine treatment tonight so I can’t have caffeine or my ADD meds or even food and so that’s probably why I just emailed thousands of people an email with a 500-year-old drawing of a medieval cat carrying off what seems to be a dismembered penis (my substack is weirder than normal today, I’m so sorry) and why this post might be filled with ramblingness (which is a real word, spellcheck.)
Here are things to know:
First off, a few times a year we open up grown-up mystery boxes at Nowhere where you can tell us your personal likes and we’ll customize a unique surprise box just for you. They sell out quickly so if you want one, click here. Here’s one we sent out last time to someone who clearly should be my friend because they have the same strange likes I do:
(Make sure you check your email for the form to tell us about you or else we’ll just guess what you like based on your name. This seems ridiculous but I literally just signed a book to someone who had “COMPANY IS NICE BUT CALL FIRST” in their address and I’ve never related more.)
If you’re looking for good October books, I have two amazing picks for the book clubs. Fantastic Strangelings members are getting The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister, which I cannot stop thinking about and I need you to read. Five siblings in West Virginia unearth long-buried secrets when the supernatural bargain entwining their fate with their ancestral land is suddenly ruptured. Part Southern Gothic, part psychological thriller, part insane. It reminded me of Shirley Jackson mixed with Cormac McCarthy and Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
And Nightmares from Nowhere members are getting This Cursed House by Del Sandeen. In this Southern gothic horror debut, a young Black woman abandons her life in 1960s Chicago for a position with a mysterious family in New Orleans, only to discover the dark truth. They’re under a curse, and they think she can break it. So good.
And if you need more, I also liked these new October books:
Memorials by Richard Chizmar – A group of students encounter a supernatural terror while on a haunting road trip through Appalachia.
Where the Dead Brides Gather by Nuzo Onoh – A powerful Nigeria-set tale of possession, malevolent ghosts, family tensions, secrets and murder from the recipient of the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement and ‘Queen of African Horror’.
A Bit Much by Lyndsay Rush – The debut poetry collection from Lyndsay Rush (aka @maryoliversdrunkcousin) is a witty and joyful celebration of big feelings, tender truths, and (against all odds) wisdom
Fearless by Alison Monda – Hilarious and horrible stories from an absurd life spent in the woods.
The Kids Are All Right by Gabrielle and Ben Blair – a unique guide that subverts the concept of “perfect parenting” by embracing uncertainty.