My recent and first trip to Knoxville was so much fun, y’all! I got to see some music, explore some touristy stuff like the Sunsphere (very shiny) and, of course, visit some cemeteries. More on those soon but I just have to share that I got to read a bajillion books (ok, fine, like 5 finished but I started 8 of ’em) while we were at our cabin. I almost totally unplugged, and just sat by the river for hours and hours sipping wine and flipping pages. For someone who sees a vacation as more of a how many things can I cram into one day kind of thing, the end of this trip was much more chill than usual.

Big thanks to my partner for joining all my adventures but also encouraging me to rest so I don’t need a vacation from my vacation…

Here’s a selection of some of the books I borrowed from the library or purchased used on the trip. PSA: Support your local library whenever you can!

So the first book I finished was The Marble City (above) because I was in Knoxville and I wanted to see some of the cemeteries that I was hoping to visit. It was a slim volume but I was happy to add it to my collection.

I’ve read the Electric Pencil before but it had been a few years and I wanted a revisit. These odd but beautiful drawings were rescued from the trash and it was discovered that they had been created by a patient at the State Lunatic Asylum No. 3 in Nevada, MO in 1910. If you like outsider art then this one is for you.

The other books here I haven’t finished but just kind of dipped into. But I’ll rate them on Goodreads once I’m done. I just wanted to share here because I like their covers…

T. Kingfisher is most definitely one of the best modern gothic horror & fantasy writers out there. I’ve read all of their books now and this one I gobbled up in just a few hours. Not as strong as What Moves The Dead but only by a smidge and probably because I just delighted in that one so much it would be hard to top it! I almost never say this but DANG! I would love to see a theatrical version of these books. BBC should get on this STAT!

Don’t Sleep With The Dead I snagged from the library after briefly viewing the cover and synopsis (total vacation mode grab!) but didn’t realize that while it touted itself as a stand alone novel it most definitely was not. I finished it and liked it fine but really felt like I missed a lot of character development and backstory. Once I read the first of the series then I’ll reread.

How Georgia Got Her Names was published in 1960, obviously. Peep how skinny this book is and it is red red. Classic. I discovered a lot of new to me counties and cities, and I was surprised to learn who and what some towns were named after. Did you know that Georgia has more counties (159) than any other state other than Texas? Anyhoo, this book is very much a vintage prize that was worth the heftier used publication price tag!

Visit my Goodreads to see more what I’m reading. Fair warning: I’m a little loosey-goosey with my updating but I would still love to be reading friends on there if you’d like to add me. And always down with suggestions for new or new-to-me books…