Writing by Nightingale

BEST NEW RELEASE (2024)

"The New Couple in 5B" by Lisa Unger

This is about Rosie, an author who moves into the very apartment building she's researching for her next book, only to have the building's dark history rear its ugly head.

If you like Rosemary's Baby, you'll like this too. It's got a very eerie atmosphere from the start, with tight twists around every page turn. Highly entertaining and perfect for horror readers.

BEST "NEW TO ME" READS

"Falling" & "Drowning" by T.J. Newman

Both of these novels tell the stories of airplane-related disasters. In "Falling", a pilot's family is kidnapped, and the only way to save them is to crash the plane and kill everyone on board. In "Drowning", a plane crashes and sinks to the bottom of the ocean while several people remain alive on board.

Both of these books are truly cinematic in their storytelling, which is why it should be no surprise that film adaptations for both are on their way. They're relentless and heart-pounding, refusing to let readers take a breath until the final few pages. You may never want to board a plane ever again, but it'll be worth it.

BEST NONFICTION

"I'm Glad My Mom Died" by Jennette McCurdy

This is the memoir of Jennette McCurdy, detailing her life as a child star at the behest of her abusive mother and the journey she undertook to heal and reclaim her life after her mother's death.

As you can imagine, this is a *hard* read. McCurdy is a talented writer, and the way she depicts events throughout her life is as heartbreaking as it is well-written. It also underlines something that a lot of media misses with mental health and recovery - that healing is messy and filled with setbacks, not perfectly neat and linear. Well worth your time.

BEST CHILDREN'S FICTION

"No Place for Monsters" & "No Place for Monsters: School of Phantoms" by Kory Merritt

In "No Place for Monsters", children are going missing, but no one realizes it, because no one can remember the missing children...except for two children named Levi and Kat.

In "School of Phantoms", Levi, Kat, and several of their friends become trapped in their school during a blizzard as legions of evil creatures descend upon them.

Were you a child who grew up reading Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark? Then you'll love these books.

Both of them masterfully weave together incredibly creepy stories that will appeal to children and adult readers alike. The art is just as lovely as the text, reminding me a lot of Junji Ito's style (just dialed back for younger readers). And, no joke, School of Phantoms is the first book in about two decades to give me an actual jumpscare. Talk about remarkable!

HONORABLE MENTIONS

"Miracle in the Andes" by Nando Parrado - A memoir from a suvivor of the Uruguyan Flight 571 crash in the Andes mountains.

"Convenience Store Woman" by Sayaka Murata - A neurodivergent Japanese woman enjoys working at a convenience store despite the judgment from friends and family.

"First Lie Wins" by Ashley Elston - It's better if you go into this one blind. You'll just have to trust me on this.

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