From the Editorial Desk September 2024



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Book Riot’s Managing Editor Vanessa Diaz is a writer and former bookseller from San Diego, CA, whose Spanish is even sharper than her English. When she’s not reading or writing, she enjoys thinking up travel itineraries and drinking too much tea. She is a regular co-host of the All the Books podcast, with a particular love of all things related to mysteries, gothic literature, mythology/folklore, and the occult. Vanessa can be found on Instagram at @BuenosDiazSD or photographing beautiful trees in Portland, OR, where she now lives.

Welcome to this regular look over my shoulder at the bookish media that’s making me tick. Today is a mix of things I’m really excited about, things that have kept me grounded in the whirlwind that August and early September can feel like. There are scandals, dragons, puppets and even some witches! I hope these podcasts, shows, books and more bring you a slice of joy this week.

We are cheaters

A lot of true crime these days feels voyeuristic, misogynistic, and immoral, and it’s harder than you might think to figure out which shows and books are made responsibly, with the support of victims and their families. This is where the podcast Scam Goddess comes in, as recommended to me by emily martinActor and comedian Laci Mosley hosts this weekly show where she and one or two guest hosts (according to the catchy theme song) discuss scams, con men, robberies and frauds. Laci is one of the funniest people on the planet, and listening to her real-time thoughts on generally non-violent and scam crime is an antidote to true crime hatred.

Mosley has also written a book that is partly a memoir and partly based on the scandal. Goddess of Scams: Lessons from a life full of fraud, forgery and conspiracies And it’s released next week! The audiobook is read by Mosley and it’s just perfect. I spent most of the book laughing and then she said something so profound at the end that it brought tears to my eyes. Add this to your TBR and join the CONGRATION.

Did you call me a bookworm?

In another example of “why as a book reader I never even once considered this”, I was a year older today when I learned about the origin of the term “book-worm.” According to this article from Mental FlossIt used to be an insult, the equivalent of calling someone useless. I’m positively tickled by this description of a bookworm from 1907 Baltimore Sun column: “This is a female bookworm you can recognize by looking at her. She’s the one with the curious nose and eager eyes, whose arm is usually around books and whose mind turns to books, not men.” I get it, friend!

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