Well, I can’t believe it! It’s Halloween! Day 31 of our October horror movie countdown is finally here. Welcome back for our very final Kasturi/Files episode here at Speculative Chic! (Or is it??? DUN DUN DUUUUUUUN!) We’ve actually covered more than 31 movies, a crazy amount of books, and more than any two livers’ share […]

October 14, 2019 They might not be raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but that doesn’t mean that we love them any less. Welcome back to My Favorite Things, the weekly column where we grab someone in speculative circles to gab about the greatest in geek. This week, we sit down with F.T. Lukens, […]

Invisible Chains (2019) Written by: Michelle Renee Lane Genre: Fantasy Pages: 337 (ARC) Publisher: Haverhill House Publishing Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review. Premise: Jacqueline is a young Creole slave in antebellum New Orleans. An unusual stranger who has haunted her dreams since […]

How do librarians choose books for their libraries? If you’ve ever asked that question, pull up a beanbag. You’ve come to the right place. But first, a confession. (This is how all good stories start, right?) I didn’t set out to become a librarian. I was going to be an archaeologist or a writer. Or […]

November 11, 2019 They might not be raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but that doesn’t mean that we love them any less. Welcome back to My Favorite Things, the weekly column where we grab someone in speculative circles to gab about the greatest in geek. This week, we sit down with Kate Heartfield, […]

They might not be raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but that doesn’t mean that we love them any less. Welcome back to My Favorite Things, the weekly column where we grab someone in speculative circles to gab about the greatest in geek. This week, we sit down with Alex Shvartsman, whose debut novel, […]

I write a lot about conventions — preparing, attending, volunteering. For this month’s column, I thought folks might find it interesting to peek into the backstage of how a con gets made. Multiverse Con is coming up next week, so the timing is really perfect. I run the WRITE Track for that convention and in […]

How do librarians choose books for their libraries? If you’ve ever asked that question, pull up a beanbag. You’ve come to the right place. But first, a confession. (This is how all good stories start, right?) I didn’t set out to become a librarian. I was going to be an archaeologist or a writer. Or […]

Greetings, boils and ghouls! I’m channeling the man of your screams — The Cryptkeeper — for this week’s Roundup, as an exorcise in truly terrible puns. Nothing inspiders more terror than awkward wordplay that requires far too much effort on my part, but I’m going to give it a try until I get the fang […]

Hello Spec Chic fans! Welcome to Day 6 of our horror movie dissection! Now that you’re back from church, let’s discuss some wacky Scandinavian pagans (again). Here we go again with The Kasturi/Files, featuring the song stylings of Sandra Kasturi and Gemma Files! Oh, and, er, SPOILERS AHEAD. Read More »

‘Tis the season where holiday music invades your ear like a Ceti eel, heralding the annual shopping season for holiday gift-giving! While this time of year very much promotes giving for the sake of giving, we can’t overlook the fact that requesting is very much a part of it, too. For well over a hundred […]

September 28, 2019 Greetings, dark lords! Hail, horrors! Friends and fiends, hearken to my call: welcome back to the realms of science fiction, fantasy, and horror! We’ve returned with another roundup of the best of Speculative Chic this week, coinciding with the Autumnal Equinox. The veil between worlds is lifting — what strange, unknowable things […]

October 2, 2019 Growing Things and Other Stories (2019) Written by: Paul Tremblay Genre: Horror Pages: 352 (Hardcover) Publisher: William Morrow Why I Chose It: I really enjoyed both Disappearance at Devil’s Rock and A Head Full of Ghosts.  I thought this short story collection was bound to be interesting/creepy/provocative.  And my library had it. […]

Sleeping Giants (2016) Written by: Sylvain Neuvel Genre: Science Fiction Pages: 336 (Hardback) Series: Themis Files #1 Publisher: Del Rey Why I Chose It: When I first read the premise of this book, it sounded like something I would not like. I was halfway to “No, thank you,” when I read “giant metal hand.” Then […]