Every month, for my newsletter subscribers, I do a themed list of book recs, art, music, video games, etc. The newsletter always includes a little extra, but here are some highlights! Do you have any mushroom-oriented books you’ve loved? Any games or music steeped in shroomy goodness? Just a favorite mushroom? If so, drop a comment!
Book Recs
- Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
After receiving an incoherent letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for help, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, the couple’s mansion in the Mexican countryside. - Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
Seven months pregnant and desperate to escape the strict religious compound where she was raised, Vern flees into the woods to raise her twins. - Ghost Eaters by Clay McCleod
When Erin’s ex-boyfriend convinces her to bail him out of rehab, only to die by overdosing on a mysterious new drug called Ghost, Erin agrees to a pill-popping “séance.” - What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
A retired soldier, on receiving word that a childhood friend is dying, races to the young woman’s crumbling mansion in the remote countryside.
Describing mushrooms…
Fungi Collected in Shropshire and Other Neighborhoods: A Victorian Woman’s Illustrated Field Notes by M. F. Lewis
For over forty years, from 1860 to 1902, Lewis walked England and Wales, recording fungi biodiversity.
Media
“Mucorales” is a short indie horror game that puts a mushroomy spin on Red Riding Hood. The art is clearly a labor of love!
Photography
Jenna Soderling is a visual artist and song writer who also happens to take bomb-ass photos of her hiking adventures. Sometimes there are mushrooms. Find her on Instagram and Spotify! Her music is a real treat, and she crochets like a wizard.
Near Lexington, KY? Go see Jenna’s work in person!
Pies & Pints
401 W. Main St., Suite 106
Lexington, KY
March 2 to 28, 2025
Art
Elizabeth from The Mourning Star makes a lot of desperately adorable stuff. Among her work is this “mycologist” collection of little enamel pins! Pass a lazy half hour just cruising her online shop.
Rosemary Mosco (@rosemarymosco) makes nature comics and books that are the perfect mix of charming and informative. (Okay, sometimes with more emphasis on the charming, but whatever.) Find her artwork on Instagram or at her amazing website.
Enjoy this list?
Subscribe to the newsletter for the full list every month! Check out some of the other themes too: SNOW and CAVES both offer more oddities.