I don’t generally read or watch “scary” things. I avoid scary movies (much to the chagrin of the boyfriend, who loves them), and don’t normally pick up thrillers or horror stories. That’s why it’s particularly strange I read two books in the last few months that I’d consider scary — although I’m not sure how many other people would think that!

The Preservationist by Justin Kramon

To Sam Blount, meeting Julia is the best thing that has ever happened to him. Working at the local college and unsuccessful in his previous relationships, he’d been feeling troubled about his approaching fortieth birthday, “a great beast of a birthday,” as he sees it, but being with Julia makes him feel young and hopeful. Julia Stilwell, a freshman trying to come to terms with a recent tragedy that has stripped her of her greatest talent, is flattered by Sam’s attention. But their relationship is tested by a shy young man with a secret, Marcus Broley, who is also infatuated with Julia.

The Preservationist is Justin Kramon’s second book, and a pretty big departure from his first novel, Finny, a lovely coming of age story. I’m always interested in authors who write across genres, so when Kramon e-mailed to ask if I’d like a copy of The Preservationist I was excited to accept. Like Finny, The Preservationist‘s main character is a young woman, Julia, trying to find her place in the world when a relationship changes her plans.

Although I don’t read many thrillers, The Preservationist felt pretty typical of that genre. Julia is an appealing narrator, and the two men in her life become more and less suspicious as the plot rolls forward. Even though I knew from the beginning that something was amiss, I was still surprised by the twists the story took and the way the conflict resolved. I’m not sure if this book made me a fan of thrillers, but it was certainly a fun read!

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

On a damp October night, beautiful young Ashley Cordova is found dead in an abandoned warehouse in lower Manhattan. Though her death is ruled a suicide, veteran investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise. As he probes the strange circumstances surrounding Ashley’s life and death, McGrath comes face-to-face with the legacy of her father: the legendary, reclusive cult-horror-film director Stanislas Cordova—a man who hasn’t been seen in public for more than thirty years. For McGrath, another death connected to this seemingly cursed family dynasty seems more than just a coincidence. Though much has been written about Cordova’s dark and unsettling films, very little is known about the man himself. Driven by revenge, curiosity, and a need for the truth, McGrath, with the aid of two strangers, is drawn deeper and deeper into Cordova’s eerie, hypnotic world.

I think Night Film was one of the most anticipated reads of 2013. Author Marisha Pessl hadn’t published a book since her lauded debut, Special Topics in Calamity Physics, in 2006, and the buzz about the format of this one was pretty high. Even though I don’t love scary things, my appreciation for Pessl as an author also convinced me to read this one.

Three thoughts: First, Night Film is a truly gorgeous book — lovely paper, crisp images, careful formatting. This is a book worth reading in print rather than electronically. Second, Night Film kept me up way, way past my bedtime because I was so damn creeped out. The intricate backstory of Cordova and his followers, the extensive use of documents (letters, reports, news stories) and extra features through an interactive app really make the world feel full and set an atmosphere. Third, the characters and plot of this story are so great. It was hard for me to put down, no matter how nervous it was making me. I highly recommend this one.

Disclosure: I received a copy of The Preservationist from the publisher for review consideration. I bought my copy of Night Film.

I’m a little late with this last post for Nonfiction November, a month-long celebration of nonfiction I co-hosted with Leslie of Regular Rumination! Throughout the month, we read and wrote about nonfiction, encouraging other readers to join us through a series of post topics.

Everyone should give a big round of applause to Leslie, since most of this month was her idea. I was just lucky enough to be asked to partner up on the project. We’re both really happy with how it went, and leaning heavily towards hosting again next fall .

Instead of doing a wrap-up of the posts for week four’s topic, which were all about new books participants have added throughout the month, I thought I would pull together all of the topics and wrap-ups in one place:

• In week one, participants shared their favorite nonfiction books: Week 1 Topic Post | Week 1 Wrap Up
• In week two, readers put together lists of nonfiction on a topic they have read a lot about: Week 2 Topic Post | Week 2 Wrap Up
• In week three, we looked at fiction/nonfiction book pairings: Week 3 Topic Post | Week 3 Wrap Up
• And finally, in week four participants reviewed some of the books they added to their already full to be read piles because of Nonfiction November: Week 4 Topic Post

If I did my math correctly, we had 69 different posts linked up during the month. I didn’t count the total number of participants, but I know it was more bloggers than either Leslie or I expected. So thank you all for your enthusiasm this month — it’s been great. And if you have any suggestions for a future iteration of Nonfiction November, please leave them in the comments.

Time and Place // 10:00 a.m. at my (increasingly messy) desk. I need a new desk, badly, that has better storage options (hint hint, Santa).

Consuming // I haven’t had breakfast yet, just some black tea.

Reading // Despite good intentions about participating in Thankfully Reading Weekend, I actually haven’t gotten much reading done the last few days. I did start and finish The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker, which puts me at 99 books finished this year. My goal every year is 100 books, so this is exciting!

That said, I’m not sure what book 100 will be. I started reading Woke Up Lonely by Fiona Maazel last night, but I might put that aside to read Radioactive by Lauren Redniss instead. That seems like a good book for book 100. After that, I’m not sure what my reading plans will be — probably picking up some backlist titles before the 2014 releases start popping up.

Aside: Can you believe it’s December 1 already? I can’t!

Watching // The boyfriend and I started watching Deadwood, which we’re enjoying despite the difficult-to-follow dialogue. I’ve also been working through The 4400, which I think I’ll finish before the year is out. I’m embarrassingly excited for The Sing Off to start next week too.

Decorating // I’m honestly not much for decorating for the holidays, but I did put up our Christmas wreath yesterday and pull out some of the little figurines and stuff I have for the holidays. I think it’s enough for us.

Blogging // Last week was the final week of Nonfiction November — participants shared some of the books they added to their to be read piles over the month. With the holiday (and having to work on Friday), I didn’t get a wrap-up done, but I’m planning something for tomorrow.

Loving // Now that it’s chilly outside, Hannah has been more cuddly! She’s a persnickety cat, so any time she wants to sit on my lap for extended periods of time makes me happy. Here’s a gratuitous Hannah and Kim selfie for your enjoyment.

Avoiding // I need to go to the grocery store today. Normally I don’t mind grocery shopping, but today I feel lazy.

Enjoying // One of my projects yesterday was organizing our pantry — I’m so happy with how much better it looks now that I cleared out some old food and corralled a lot of the loose things into some baskets. Simple solutions.

Wanting // I really want a new desk for my office. I bought the one I have now for $30 on Craiglist several years ago and it’s just not doing it for me anymore. I want something with more enclosed storage so it feels less cluttered.

Anticipating // December is going to be such a fun and busy month! Over the next four Saturdays I have two Christmas parties, a wedding, and a family Christmas celebration. It’s going to be wonderful and full and fun. I don’t know what’s going to happen with the blog during all of that other stuff, but I know I have some things to say. I’ve got quite a backlog of books to review, in any case — I just need to find time to review them!

Happy December! What are you reading today?

Happy Wednesday Before Thanksgiving! Can this be a holiday too?

I decided not to travel for Thanksgiving, which means I’ll have plenty of time to participate in Jenn and Jennifer’s Thankfully Reading Weekend. It’s already been a long week, so I can’t wait for a quiet weekend of reading and eating (aside from when I have to work on Friday).

I’ve set aside a few books especially for this weekend:

• The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker because I love some good historical fantasy
• Radioactive by Lauren Redniss because my mom gave it to me for Christmas last year and I think I should read it before this Christmas
• Hunting Season by Mirta Ojito because I need to read some good journalism

I’ve also started a few books this month I haven’t finished that I may grab including Going Clear by Lawrence Wright and Pinkerton’s Great Detective by Beau Riffenberger. We’ll see how the weekend goes!

What are your plans for this holiday weekend?