About The Ends of Things: A propulsive literary debut, The Ends of Things is both a thought-provoking suspense and a meditation on female friendship and agency—perfect for fans of The White Lotus and authors like Catherine Steadman and Rachel Hawkins.

Beauty and danger. These seem to be the key features of a successful thriller—and a perfect beach book. Many of us reach for thrillers when we’re headed on vacation, but at first glance, it seems counterintuitive: We go on holiday because we want to escape the stress of our hectic lives. So, if it’s rest and relaxation we’re after, why do we choose to read about murder and mayhem?

To help understand this apparent contradiction, it helps to go back, way back, to the Ancient Greeks. They recognized a dichotomy in human nature—the need for order and the need for chaos. This duality was epitomized in their literary concepts of the Apollonian and the Dionysian. Apollonian refers to ideas like order and reason, logic and harmony. Dionysian refers to disorder and irrationality, passion and chaos. Opposites to be sure, but they’re interconnected. Nietzsche wrote about how these two forces of human nature pop up in Greek tragedies all the time.

So, what’s the payoff for feeling this tension between order and chaos? Catharsis—a release of negative emotions. In some ways, the same is true of vacation. We journey to a foreign land to escape, yes, but also to reflect on our problems, so that we can return to our lives refreshed, with a new perspective.

Reading a beachy mystery, then, only enhances our cathartic experience. We become engrossed in the story, and every suspenseful twist and turn dredges up negative emotions we might be struggling with in our own lives. When we reach the resolution, we experience a purging of these emotions, heave a sigh of relief and feel better.

Here are five delicious mysteries and thrillers to feed our obsession with bad things happening in beautiful places:

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

A fast-paced mystery about the disappearance of two siblings, fourteen years apart, at an idyllic summer camp in the Adirondacks. The missing children are no ordinary campers either – they’re the kids of the family that owns the camp and employs the locals.

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

When a wealthy industrialist hires conman Tom Ripley to bring his prodigal son Dickie home from Europe, Tom travels to beautiful Italy to find Dickie. But Tom’s gradual obsession with Dickie and his decadent lifestyle soon turns deadly.

The Ends of Things by Sandra Chwialkowska

When a solo female traveler disappears from a lux beach resort in the Bahamas, fellow vacationer Laura becomes obsessed with the missing woman and embroiled in the police investigation that unfolds.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

When someone is found dead at an elementary school fundraiser in the scenic Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia, suspects and motives abound. A thrilling mystery told in multiple perspectives that centers on three mothers – Celeste, Jane, and Madeline – and their families and friends, in the leadup to the night of the murder.

The Guest by Emma Cline

Set in the Hamptons in the last days of summer, The Guest follows Alex, an enigmatic drifter on the run for mysterious reasons, who skillfully ingratiates herself with the Long Island elite.

The post Five Books Where Bad Things Happen in Beautiful Places appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Welcome to the most beautiful month of the year, Pride Month! Usually, this month is packed with parades, events and festivals, but due to all of us #stay(ing)athome, Pride will have to find a way to take place online even more than the years before. But we are not The Nerd Daily for nothing, after all; we specialise in making the online world as welcoming, engaging, and inclusive as possible!

Let’s make this month as colourful as we can! To help you kick off, we present you: The LGBTQ+ Literary Alphabet. We will take each letter (and as many of the letters from the ‘+’ category as we can) and will recommend you some fantastically diverse books that are simply perfect for a good pride month read. 

And we’ll start right here! Our letter today is: L as in Lesbian. We’ve divided our bookish recommendations into genres, so that every single one of you bookworms can find a book that fits your tastes and reading habits! From adult and YA, all the way to middle-grade fiction, we’ve got you covered!

Happy reading!

Adult Fiction

Carol by Patricia Highsmith | Goodreads

Patricia Highsmith’s story of romantic obsession may be one of the most important, but still largely unrecognized, novels of the twentieth century. First published in 1952 and touted as “the novel of a love that society forbids,” the book soon became a cult classic.

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters | Goodreads

With dreams of paying back the kindness of her adopted family, Sue agrees to a plan. Once in, however, Sue begins to pity her helpless mark and care for Maud Lilly in unexpected ways, but no one and nothing is as it seems in this Dickensian novel of thrills and reversals.

The Wicked Cometh by Laura Carlin | Goodreads

Even in the darkest of times, you cannot bury the truth . . . A debut historical novel that will appeal to fans of Sarah Waters and The Silent Companions.

Disobedience by Naomi Alderman | Goodreads

Steeped in Jewish philosophy and teachings, Disobedience is a perceptive and thoughtful exploration of the laws and practices that have governed Judaism for centuries, and continue to hold sway today. Throughout the novel, Alderman retells stories from the Torah — Judaism’s fundamental source — and the interplay between these tales and the struggles of the novel’s unique characters wields enormous power and wisdom, and will surely move readers to tears.

Young Adult Fiction

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth | Goodreads

The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a stunning and unforgettable literary debut about discovering who you are and finding the courage to live life according to your own rules.

Juliet Takes A Breath by Gabby Rivera | Goodreads

A gutsy, queer YA coming-of-age story perfect for fans of The Poet X, Roxanne Gay and Feminists Don’t Wear Pink.

Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan | Goodreads

Leila has made it most of the way through Armstead Academy without having a crush on anyone, which is a relief. As an Iranian-American, she’s different enough; if word got out that Leila liked girls, life would be twice as hard. But when beautiful new girl Saskia shows up, Leila starts to take risks she never thought she would. As she carefully confides in trusted friends about Saskia’s confusing signals, Leila begins to figure out that all her classmates are more complicated than they first appear to be, and some are keeping surprising secrets of their own.

The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth | Goodreads

Two girls embark on a summer of montage-worthy dates (with a few strings attached) in this hilarious and heartfelt lesbian rom-com that’s perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Jenny Han.

Fantasy & Sci-Fi

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon | Goodreads

From the internationally bestselling author of The Bone Season, a trailblazing, epic high fantasy about a world on the brink of war with dragons – and the women who must lead the fight to save it.

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone | Goodreads

Co-written by two award-winning writers, THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR is an epic love story spanning time and space.

The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave | Goodreads

Gothic, intoxicating, feminist and romantic – this is the breathtakingly imagined untold story of the brides of Dracula, by bestselling author Kiran Millwood Hargrave in her much-anticipated YA debut.

Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron | Goodreads

This fresh take on a classic story will make readers question the tales they’ve been told, and root for girls to break down the constructs of the world around them.

Classics & Poetry 

The Color Purple by Alice Walker | Goodreads

A powerful cultural touchstone of modern American literature, The Color Purple depicts the lives of African American women in early twentieth-century rural Georgia. Deeply compassionate and beautifully imagined, Alice Walker’s epic carries readers on a spirit-affirming journey towards redemption and love.

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu | Goodreads

A classic Victorian vampire novella, which influenced Bram Stoker’s later treatment of the vampire mythos in Dracula. Secret fans of the fantastic YouTube adaptation of this novella may find themselves drawn in even further by the original novella that started it all.

Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown | Goodreads

Bawdy and moving, the ultimate word-of-mouth bestseller, Rubyfruit Jungle is about growing up a lesbian in America–and living happily ever after.

Middle-Grade Fiction

In The Role of Brie Hutchens by Nicole Melleby | Goodreads

An own-voices LGBTQ novel from the acclaimed author of Hurricane Season, about eighth-grader Brie, who learns how to be true to herself and to her relationships with family, friends, and faith.

The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James by Ashley Herring Blake | Goodreads

Twelve-year-old Sunny St. James navigates heart surgery, reconnections with a lost mother, first kisses, and emerging feelings for another girl.

Kenzie Kickstarts a Team by Kit Rosewater | Goodreads

A highly illustrated middle-grade series that celebrates new friendships, first crushes, and getting out of your comfort zone

Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake | Goodreads

In the wake of a destructive tornado, one girl develops feelings for another in this stunning, tender novel about emerging identity, perfect for fans of The Thing About Jellyfish.

Will you be picking up any of these books? Tell us in the comments below!

The post LGBTQ+ Alphabet Recommendations: L for Lesbian Fiction appeared first on The Nerd Daily.