September was a good month for reading for me, and I loved the weirdness of all these books.

Fiction

The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

If Mexican telenovelas meets noir mystery is your thing, then you need to check out The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Con man Ulises works his way into the life of the aging Perla to steal her money, but things go sideways when he encounters Perla’s niece, Ines, who has schemes of her own. The two hatch a plot to kill Perla but nothing goes according to plan in this small, steamy town, and soon passions and intrigue reach the boiling point. 

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Absence by Andrew Dana Hudson

The whole time I was reading Absence by Andrew Dana Hudson I found myself wondering if it was a response to the COVID pandemic or our apocalyptic times in general.

The book follows two federal agents, Harvey and Shonda, who investigate people who “pop” — that is, suddenly disappear with no explanation. The entire world seems to infected with whatever is happening, and there are spikes where people will vanish in virus-like clusters.

The strange phenomenon has reshaped society, with some communities growing more insular and suspicious, and cults springing up with all manner of unhinged explanations for what is happening.

But when a woman who popped suddenly reappears and describes what happened to her on the other side, Harvey and Shonda are thrown into a metaphysical mystery that touches on faith, community, hope and everything in between. The question is whether the enigmatic woman is a prophet or a fraud.

If you like this sort of apocalyptic litfic, you may want to check out Ben Winter’s The Last Policeman series, about a detective solving crimes as the end of the world looms. Also related is The Devil’s Detective series by Simon Kurt Unsworth, in which a detective grapples with mysteries in Hell.

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The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

A truly weird western vampire tale told through found documents and multiple points of view that is much about the horrors of colonialism as it is about the supernatural. But it is very much about the supernatural, only one seen through an indigenous lens. Strange, unsettling, wildly fantastic and a thing unto itself. 

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A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett

The third book in Bennett’s Tainted Cup series, A Trade of Blood follows the detective duo of the strange sleuth Ana and her sidekick Din into the agricultural heart of the empire. Another peculiar death has taken place and only Ana and Din can solve it.

A Trade of Blood ventures into little explored territory in the fantasy genre — how many other fantasy novels concern themselves with the logistics of agriculture? But what seems at first a simple “behind the scenes of the empire” tale quickly becomes a hybrid mashup of locked room puzzles, political thrillers, body horror and the legacy of the past.

If you’re already a fan of Ana and Din, then A Trade of Blood is a must-read.

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The Girl Who Folded Rain by Rod A. White

A charming little story about a girl who can turn the weather into origami figures.

Link: https://flashpointsf.com/2025/12/12/the-girl-who-folded-rain/

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Non-fiction

New prize named for late author Andrew Pyper will recognize horror and thriller writers

The new $20,000 prize will go to writers of thrillers, horror and speculative lit.

The prize will be administered through the Writers’ Trust of Canada. To be eligible to win, writers must have published at least three books in the horror, thriller or speculative fiction genre. Thanks to a massive campaign, enough money has been raised to support the prize for seven years.

Link: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/andrew-pyper-prize-writers-legacy-9.7333138

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Mark Carney: Why I Believe Canada’s Future Lies with Europe

Say what you will about Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, he’s got one hell of a speechwriter.

Link: https://thewalrus.ca/mark-carney-european-parliament-speech/

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In Praise of the Weird, the Strange and the Uncategorizable

Keep lit human by keeping lit weird.

Link: https://www.wolsakandwynn.ca/blog/in-praise-of-the-weird-the-strange-and-the-uncategorizable