Mysterious Galaxy’s annual summer bingo is in full swing and we are getting ready to throwdown! Smack went to StokerCon and spent some time cat-sitting for Gabi by the beach, during which she read quite the spread of bingo books. Highlights included an excellent historical horror novel about a Black woman with a mysterious trunk trying to survive in rural Montana, a Goose Girl retelling that perfectly blends fairy tale and horror, and a memoir about a woman’s journey dealing with Complex PTSD that made Smack’s list of best books of the year. Meanwhile, Gabi details her mission to hunt down a title and author that she can’t remember from an old book that she didn’t even like and shares fun facts about deep sea beasties. We close with a classic ITBR PSA, this time about taking heat seriously this summer - drink water and make smart choices!

Books discussed this episode include:

• Capture the Sun (Starlight’s Shadow #3) by Jessie Mihalik
• To Run with the Wild Hunt by Mallory Dunlin
• Grief is for People by Sloane Crosley
• Lone Women by Victor LaValle
• A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
• Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson
• Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai
• What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo
• The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
• Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom
• The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet by Jeff Goodell