Alas, dryer
Nov. 15th, 2025 02:37 pmSince the dryer had been leaving unsightly rust streaks on all the lights, I have not been subtle in my campaign for a new one.
Delivery is scheduled for today, of a dryer with a steam cycle but without wifi.


Book Beat aims to highlight other books that we may hear about through friends, social media, or other sources. We could see a gorgeous ad! Or find a new-to-us author on a list of underrated romances! Think of Book Beat as Teen Beat or Tiger Beat, but for books. And no staples to open to get the fold-out poster.
Author: John Fram
Released: October 21, 2025 by Atria Books
Genre: Horror, Mystery/Thriller
A locked-room mystery meets white-knuckle horror in this mind-bending thriller, where strangers must survive a deadly night in a remote Texas motel.
In the frigid west Texas desert, weary travelers converge at a lonely roadside motel nestled at the foot of a massive mountain. Ethan and Hunter have left behind a corpse, a fire, and a horrific act of violence. Kyla and Fernanda are fleeing for the border. Stanley and his granddaughter are returning from Mexico with a mysterious man in hot pursuit. All of them are on the run from something. All of them are hiding something.
And somehow, they’re all connected to the motel’s other guest, an enigmatic woman named Sarah Powers.
Within hours, Sarah is dead. The strange twins who run the Brake Inn Motel inform the surviving guests that her murder demands justice. The guests are given an uncover the killer by midnight—or die when the protective lights around the motel go out.
Because something very old and very dangerous lurks in this corner of the desert. And it’s hungry.
But nothing at the Brake Inn Motel is quite as it seems. As time ticks away, alliances fracture, secrets unravel, and the guests will not only have to confront the violence of the past—they will need to face the darkness within themselves.
A masterful blend of psychological tension, supernatural horror, and layered storytelling, The Midnight Knock pushes the boundaries of what a mystery can be. And with its unforgettable climax, this novel cements John Fram as a contemporary master of the genre.
A bit of a locked room murder mystery where the consequences could mean the end of the world if the murder isn’t solved.
Author: Kennedy Ann Scott
Released: September 23, 2025 by HarperOne
Genre: LGBTQIA, Nonfiction
“No Tea, No Shade is an essential read for anyone who has searched for a way to feel like themselves.” — Booklist
Intimate, hilarious, and inspiring essays by celebrated drag queens Kennedy Ann Scott, Lagoona Bloo, Alexis Michelle, Olivia Lux, Julie J., and Nina West.
No Tea, No Shade is a collective anthem written by six drag queens who believe in equality, peace, and in a world that loves and respects all people. The defiant legacy of drag will endure fearmongering and hate because their hearts have endured the unthinkable, their courage has been relentlessly tested, and to be blunt, they have the balls to prevail.
When these gorgeous queens wear a stunning gown with picture perfect makeup, haters label them as inappropriate and unlawful. They are entertainers not predators. Drag is an art of self-expression that, at its core, affirms and uplifts LGBTQIA+ people.
No Tea, No Shade features thirty essays discussing:
Kennedy Ann Scott was awarded Teacher of the Year in Nashville, Tennessee. Lagoona Bloo starred on the Off-Broadway hit Drag: the Musical, and Alex Michaels received a stellar review from the New York Times for their role in La Cage Aux Falles at Barrington Stage Company. Olivia Lux starred in Rent and Kinky Boots. Julie J raised more than $100,000 for trans and LGBTQIA+ organizations. Nina West received an honorary doctorate in May 2024 and is a well-known entertainer, having worked with everyone from Glenn Close to Kermit the Frog.
Despite the pervasive danger of being authentic and real, these drag artists have chosen to fight for LGBTQIA+ rights. They remind us that a person’s identity shouldn’t be marginalized to genitals. Identity categories are not as important as we have been led to believe, and the shade casted on drag is just a scapegoat. It is a distraction political figures and trolls use to lure people away from caring about serious issues like equality, gun violence, poverty, and racism.
No Tea, No Shade shines a light on a community of people who are paving the way for a better world and holding the light for others to step up.
An uplifting collection of essays from six drag queens.
Author: Mira Grant
Released: May 6, 2025 by Tor Nightfire
Genre: Horror, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Day of the Triffids meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers in this full-on body horror/alien invasion apocalypse.
This is just a story. It can’t hurt you anymore.
Since she was three years old, Anastasia Miller has been telling anyone who would listen that she’s an alien disguised as a human being, and that the armada that left her on Earth is coming for her. Since she was three years old, no one has believed her.
Now, with an alien signal from the stars being broadcast around the world, humanity is finally starting to realize that it’s already been warned, and it may be too late. The invasion is coming, Stasia’s biological family is on the way to bring her home, and very few family reunions are willing to cross the gulf of space for just one misplaced child.
What happens when you know what’s coming, and just refuse to listen?
Did you know there was a new Mira Grant horror novel? Because I sure as hell didn’t.
Author: Maureen Johnson
Released: September 16, 2025 by Ten Speed Press
Genre: Historical: European, Mystery/Thriller
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • November 1933. London. Seven people receive mysterious letters. Someone knows their terrible secrets. They are summoned to a posh townhouse where one is stabbed right in front of the others, but somehow no one saw a thing. Can you help Scotland Yard solve the mystery?
A “delightfully witty interactive mystery packed with theatrical characters and exciting twists” (G.T. Karber, author of Murdle) from the bestselling author and illustrator of Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village
Dear Detective,
Surely you have seen the papers and read about the dreadful murder of the American novelist—stabbed while in a room with six other people, and yet no one went near him or saw the murder occur. The crime is so devious, so logistically impossible, that it seems to have been committed not by a person but by a disembodied hand.
I must confess that we are at a loss. Who wrote the poison pen letters that lured these seven people to this deadly gathering? A poet, an earl, an actress, a cook, a telephone operator, and a lothario . . . What do they have in common? And how could a man be stabbed in a room full of suspects, even though no one went near him or saw a thing?
We have had our best people on the case, Detective, and we still can’t make heads or tails of it. We are giving this case file to you. Can you decipher the clues, decode the witness statements, and identify the murderer? You are our last hope. Can you help us crack the Creeping Hand Murder?
Yours truly,
Detective Chief Inspector of the Metropolitan Police
Very curious about the execution of this one, as it’s supposed to operate like a puzzle you work out while reading.
I’m continuing my adventures through the Tails from the Alpha Art Gallery series, but we’re heading directly to book four. I can’t be sure what exactly went wrong with my reading of the third in the series, but something definitely went wrong. Could be that I wasn’t in the right frame of mind. Could be that the story was as disjointed as it felt to read it. Whatever the case, I’m glad I persevered because things really found their rhythm with the fourth book, Love Binds.
It is impossible to talk about Love Binds at all without spoiling the previous books. So be warned! Everything hereafter is a spoiler.
Highlight to read since the spoiler tag is fussy today.
So far in the series, we’ve been introduced to Hanna, a recently divorced woman with an art history degree and no job. She found work at an art gallery run by Mark, who turns out to be Mr Alpha in the werewolf world. But the third leg of the love triangle was taken up by Morrison, a police detective who was sure that Mark was up to no good.
We ended the third book, Love Lies, with Hanna choosing Mark, mating with him and then transforming into a werewolf. When Love Binds opens, Hanna has not managed to transform into a werewolf again and it’s been months.
She and Mark are having massive amounts of sex (most off page, some on page) but she’s not falling pregnant. (Not that she necessarily wants to be pregnant, but she isn’t on birth control so maybe she does want to be pregnant? This part is a little vague.)
Morrison is cursed because he was made into a vampire when he had a broken heart and so now he must kill Hanna to free himself.
So in this story, we have the Morrison problem to solve and Hanna’s coronation as alpha to attend.
Yes, I know! There’s a lot happening here!
Taking into consideration that this entire series is a bit unhinged (mostly in a good way) and the events of this installment are similarly unhinged, the story did really hold together. The different subplots interwove with each other coherently and the narrative had great pace to it.
Mark is Mr. Swoonworthy in this book. Previously, he was predominantly silent and uncommunicative, if scorchingly hot. There are still some clashes between him and Hanna, but there are a lot of lovely tender moments and Mark says some of the most romantic things. I was too swept up in the moment to take notes as I went so you’re just going to have to trust me on that one.
I do want to warn you that there is a death in the novel which is quite sad, but it was so heavily foreshadowed that by the time this character finally shuffled off this mortal coil, I was already so used to the idea of them being gone that their absence didn’t bother me much. They were also such a caricature that I couldn’t bring myself to mourn their absence.
Overall Love Binds is a lot of fun to read and considering the shitshow we are surrounded by, a bit of fun goes down a treat. I look forward to reading the last in the series.
Alfred is a bit disappointed.

It's business; why's Clark nervous?