Julia O’Connell

WE’RE HIRING 📚🕵️‍♀️ The Mysterious Bookshop in Tribeca — the world’s oldest mystery-only bookstore (est. 1979) and recently named Best Independent Bookstore of 2025 by USA Today — is looking for a new bookseller to join our team. This position may be part-time or full-time, depending on availability and experience, but one thing is non-negotiable: you must be available to work Saturdays (11:00am–7:00pm). If Saturdays don’t work for you, this won’t be the right fit. We’re a small, hands-on crew. Everyone here does everything — selling books, fulfilling and shipping online orders, stocking shelves, assisting customers in-store and on the phone, helping with events, coordinating with USPS/UPS/FedEx/DHL, taking out trash and recyclables, and pitching in wherever needed. No task is beneath anyone. What we’re looking for: • Deep knowledge of and passion for mystery/thriller fiction • Reliability and punctuality • Initiative — the ability to jump in without being micromanaged • Comfort working in a fast-paced retail environment No prior bookselling experience is required, but serious familiarity with the genre absolutely is. This is an incredible opportunity to work at the heart of the mystery community in New York City — surrounded by signed first editions, rare books, major author events, and readers who care deeply about the genre. Please note: this position does not include health insurance benefits. If you’re dependable, mystery-obsessed, and ready to start ASAP, we’d love to hear from you. Send a resume and cover letter to: ryan@mysteriousbookshop.com In your cover letter, tell us what you read and why you belong at The Mysterious Bookshop. And please share with any serious candidates you know!

We’re seeking a mysterious new bookseller to join our team! Details in the alt text…

Romancing the Gothic 2026 Online Conference CFP More Terrors than her Reason Could Justify A 200th Anniversary Celebration of Ann Radcliffe’s Posthumous Publications 22nd/23rd August 2026 2026 marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of An…

This year's Romancing the Gothic Online Conference is taking place on the 22nd/23rd August.

We're celebrating the publication of Radcliffe's posthumous works with a conference dedicated to women and people of marginalised genders in horror and the Gothic

romancingthegothic.com/2025/10/15/r...

It's that time of year again!!! 🥳

It's Goths for Breakfast time! This year, it's running on 28th February 9am - 10pm GMT. Online. Pop in and out as much as you like!

It's a charity teach-a-thon, raising money for Magic breakfast to feed hungry kids.

Get tickets - buytickets.at/romancingthe...

Okay, this sounds delicious. Someone please go have one of these in my honor.

I’m so sad I will be out of town! 😭

Review of The Villa, Once Beloved—Filipino Gothic - The Gothic Library “The villa, once beloved, was better left behind in all its tragedies.” You can try to escape a family curse, but in the end the sins of your past will always find you. A young woman named Sophie beco...

New blog post!

Check out my review of @victormanibo.com’s new Filipino Gothic, THE VILLA, ONCE BELOVED:

www.thegothiclibrary.com/review-of-th...

💙📚 😱📚

TOMORROW, NYC Book People! Don't miss this super-cool premiere event! Can't wait to see folks, sign books and tell you ghost stories! 🖤👻

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (1938). Also Jamaica Inn (1936).

So much Golden Age mystery: The Three Coffins (aka The Hollow Man) by John Dickson Carr. Miss Pinkerton by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Most of the Ellery Queen books.

I'm planning the annual charity teach-athon for Romancing the Gothic.

GOTHS FOR BREAKFAST is a full day of classes and workshops (more or less related to the Gothic) raising money for @magicbreakfastuk.bsky.social to feed hungry kids!

Looking for volunteer speakers! Get in touch!

Mutual Aid by Dean Spade is free on Libro for the next week (until 2/2). 

We know that books can't fix everything, but they can help us show up for and strengthen our communities. Our employee book club read this last year, leading to a great discussion. We hope that it helps others do the same 💗 ⏬

Review of The Buffalo Hunter Hunter—Vampires in the Wild West - The Gothic Library “What I am is the Indian who can’t die. I’m the worst dream America ever had.” Much blood was spilled forming the American West into what it is today, so perhaps it should be no surprise this setting ...

New blog post! Check out my review of THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER by @sgj.bsky.social, which I can already tell is going to be one of my favorite reads of the year:

www.thegothiclibrary.com/review-of-th...

💙📚 😱📚

THE VILLA ONCE BELOVED by Victor Manibo.
I appreciate reading about people being trapped inside by a tropical storm, instead.

This is International Gothic Reading Month! This January and every January to come, we are reading Gothic literature. Visit the International Gothic Reading Month (IGRM) website for more details on how to participate. americangothicsociety.com/internationa... #Booksy #Readersky #Gothicfans #Gothic

Books I'm Excited for in 2026 - The Gothic Library The new year is already well under way, but there’s still plenty of time to add to your 2026 TBR! As I like to do every year, I have combed through book announcements and publishers’ lists to bring yo...

New blog post! Check out my list of books I’m excited for coming out in 2026, with a bit of everything ranging from pure horror to fantasy to cozy sci-fi, with some dashes of mystery and romance:

www.thegothiclibrary.com/books-im-exc...

💙📚 😱📚

Happy birthday 🎉🦇

This year, I'm running a lot of courses through other organisations, but I'm also running one myself!

A deep dive into the work of Ann Radcliffe. Come and explore the works of the Gothic Enchantress with me and go beyond the stereotypes!

buytickets.at/romancingthe...

peek = 🫣

peak = 🗻

pique = 👀

Is there an official pub date yet? Or just “fall”?

How do you track your short stories? I want to start tracking mine this year.

This was my first Rachel Harrison! Definitely going to pick up more of her books.

Check out the books I worked on this year!

My 2025 Reading Recap - The Gothic Library It’s been a weird year, both in my reading life and in the world beyond. I felt pulled in too many directions at once, and wound up feeling less productive than usual—both in terms of how many books I...

New blog post!
Check out my recap of my reading for 2025.
It’s been a weird year, but there were some great reads along the way…

www.thegothiclibrary.com/my-2025-read...

Romancing the Gothic organises free talks every Saturday all through the year!

Our talks are open to all, happen at two different times (usually) so people can join us from different time zones, and are free (though donations welcome to support the programme)

This year's programme below!

That fluffy mane!

Review of Spread Me—Erotic Horror - The Gothic Library They say that fear and arousal are remarkably similar sensations. Sarah Gailey, the multi-talented author of alt-history adventure books like River of Teeth and more traditional horror such as Just Li...

New blog post! Check out my review of @sarahgailey.bsky.social’s strange and sexy take on John Carpenter’s The Thing—SPREAD ME:

www.thegothiclibrary.com/review-of-sp...

💙📚 😱📚

Photograph of an intricate metal chanukiah (menorah). The branches are made of decorative scrollwork. In the center are Hebrew letters spelling out “Nes gadol haya sham (a great miracle happened there)”. The base of the menorah has more Hebrew letters spelling out “Hanerot Hallalu kodesh hem (These lights are holy).” There is a lit central candle (shamash) and one lit candle furthest to the right. The menorah rests on a Chanukah-themed placemat/wax-catcher on a wooden kitchen table.

Happy Chanukah!

Gotta take some of those extra fingers and swap them for candles…

3) AI loves lists. The description will be filled with lists of adjectives and towards the end of the email, there’s always a bulleted list (with or without actual bullet formatting) of 3-5 things that you will get out of being “featured” in this “book club”

2) They will always give a person’s name and book club name, and if you google them they may very well be real. But these emails never seem to contain links to the group’s website or social media pages.

But if you’re not familiar yet, here are some tips for recognizing this particular scam:

1) They will explain the plot of your book back to you and/or list themes as though writing an analysis paper for school

“I was wandering through Amazon in my usual suspicious manner when your book suddenly appeared like a clue that absolutely did not want to be ignored….”

Anyway, as soon as you see like 3 of these, you’ll be able to instantly recognize them by the ChatGPT cadence.