Wanna Hang in a Graveyard Late at Night?

 

TITLE: Graveyard Shift

AUTHOR: M.L. Rio

PUBLISHER: Flatiron Books

PUBLISHING DATE: September 24, 2024

PAGES: 126   

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: Every night, in the college’s ancient cemetery, five people cross paths as they work the late shift: a bartender, a rideshare driver, a hotel receptionist, the steward of the derelict church that looms over them, and the editor-in-chief of the college paper, always in search of a story. 

One dark October evening in the defunct churchyard, they find a hole that wasn’t there before. A fresh, open grave where no grave should be. But who dug it, and for whom? 

Before they go their separate ways, the gravedigger returns. As they trail him through the night, they realize he may be the key to a string of strange happenings around town that have made headlines for the last few weeks—and that they may be closer to the mystery than they thought.

MY THOUGHTS: Let me start by saying that I feel this book is 75% atmosphere and 25% plot.  In addition, there is kind of an open ending so if that bothers you, keep that in mind before picking it up.  However, I hate open-ended books for the most part, yet this one didn't bother me at all so either I've grown or else this is an oddball.  Either way, I am very glad I grabbed this one from my library when I saw it on the New Release shelf.

Every night five characters from different walks of life meet in a graveyard near the local college.  They have very little in common but all five agree they are insomniacs. Something is happening in town which they are all interested in for their own reasons - people are suddenly turning violent and out of control.  Together, they all play a part in investigating what is going on which may be related to research going on at the college.  Oh, and rats and fungi.  Can't forget that.

I loved the darkness of this book.  The characters are all highly flawed, but I enjoyed seeing them connect in sometimes non-traditional manners.  I also felt this was the perfect for a novella length tale.  I've not read If We Were Villains but own a copy I will definitely be picking up in 2025 now.  I can see why people rave about Rio's writing style and am interested in checking out anything she might produce in the future. I really don't have any complaints about this book and found it a completely enjoyable shorter read.

MY RATING: 5 PAWS

   

Reading Challenges Wrap Up!

 So out with the old and in with the new!  I'm still trying to figure out my 2025 challenges but wanted to give a brief rundown of how I fared in 2024.  

WHAT AN ANIMAL CHALLENGE:

My goal going in was Level 3 which is 13-20 books.  I hit that pretty early and ended up reading 45 books with animals (real or supernatural) featured somehow.  This remains one of my faves and I'll probably do it again in 2025 but raise my goal a bit higher.  

LIBRARY LOVERS CHALLENGE:

My goal for this one was "Overdrive Junkie" which was 36 books.  I hit this one easily and read a total of 58 books I obtained from my library either on Libby or in physical form.  Just don't ask me how many I checked out and didn't return.

BANDS AND BOOKS:

This was a challenge I found which had 144 different prompts connected to music somehow (singers, songs, bands, etc.)  I knew I wouldn't hit them all but without doubling up, I did manage to knock 111 out of the way.

2024 BOOKS OF HORROR CHALLENGE:

This one came from a Facebook group I am in.  It had 24 horror related prompts and I was able to hit 20 of them.  It made me mad I didn't knock off the last 4 but I will also admit I didn't try very hard.  Can you believe I didn't read one dystopian book all year.  It was a prompt on two different challenges and I blew both of them.

2024 GOODREADS CHALLENGE:

I set a goal of 100 books and ended up reading 120.  Not too shabby and heck, I'm just glad I think I logged them all this year.

2024 KINDLE UNLIMITED CHALLENGE:

I really don't know what to call this.  Every three months, Kindle has 15 different prompts you can achieve by reading on your Kindle.  They vary from reading during certain days, finishing certain genres, and reading so many days a month or quarter.  It's the first year I really paid attention, and I ended up completing all 60 prompts.  Go me!

So there you have it.  Look for a post soon highlighting this year's challenges.  

How did you guys do with your 2024 goals?

Feed Your TBR - The Farmhouse

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

June 17, 2025

FROM GOODREADS: Every woman who has lived on this farm has died. Emily just moved in. 

When Emily Hauk's mother dies, it's time for her and her husband, Josh, to finally leave San Francisco. A farm in rural Nebraska is everything they want for a fresh clear skies, low costs, and distance from the grief back home. 

They should have asked why the farm was for sale. 

Three years ago, a teenage girl went missing from the farm. Soon after, the girl's mother mysteriously died. The deeper Emily digs, the more stories she finds of women with a connection to her new home who've met their own dark ends.

The farmhouse was meant to be Emily's fresh start, but with each passing day, her sanctuary slips further away. The barn seems to move throughout her property, as though chasing her. Her mother's favorite music drifts across the corn. She swears she saw blood in one of the farmhand's trucks. And the screams that wake her are not foxes, no matter how many times her husband says otherwise.

Despite Josh's skepticism, Emily feels the darkness that has seeped into the soil of her farm. And if she wants to claim this place as her own, she'll have to find the truth before whatever watches from the cornfield takes her too.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT: I need to know what is watching from the cornfield.  This sounds really atmospheric and like a great summer read.  

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK????