Book Reviews

By Chuck Tingle
7/18/23
256 pages
$25.99
Tor Nightfire

‘Camp Damascus’

Dr. Chuck Tingle is beloved for many reasons, not the least of which is his unapologetic, boundless support for all types of people — especially those who go against the grain. While his self-published stories have become viral memes dozens of times over the years, now Dr. Tingle trots into traditional publishing with a masterpiece that is sure to prove love to thousands of new fans.

Rose is a small-town high school student and a member of a church that’s well known to host the most “successful” gay-conversion camp in the country. Her perfect life gets complicated, however, when Rose glimpses something in the woods. Soon a pervasive, chilling sense of dread starts to grow for both the reader and Rose until the explosive twist at the end upends everything.

This book feels like an out-of-control roller coaster in the best way. As I was flung through joy and nausea and fear, I simply could not stop reading; I was hooked. This is the best kind of horror story — very current in its themes yet also classically terrifying. I loved it so much. As Dr. Tingle taught me, love is real — even when it’s scary.  ♦ 

— Review by Julie Goodrich

By Rachel Louise Snyder
5/23/23
272 pages
$29
Bloomsbury Publishing

‘Women We Buried, Women We Burned’

I’m not much of a memoir person; I’ll admit it. I find reading other people’s memories weirdly intimate and uncomfortable for some reason. Sometimes, though, I come across a writer who is able to capture me despite my cringe, who has the skill and the wisdom to enthrall me. Rachel Louise Snyder is definitely one of those writers.

It should come as no surprise that her memoir focuses heavily on domestic violence and survival. These topics have become her niche in the reporting world. What I did find so compelling, however, was the path she took to get there. 

After tragedy strikes, Rachel’s father takes his grief and his two children to a religious cult. This choice sets the course for Rachel’s rebellion and her hard fight to find herself first as a runaway, then as a journalist. The horrors she sees in her career, especially the rampant abuse of women all over the world, shapes both her career and her life in surprising and heartbreaking ways.

This is a fast read that hits so hard. For anyone raised in the shadow of parental trauma, this book will act as a beacon and a balm. I highly recommend, but bring tissues. ♦

— Review by Julie Goodrich