Seasons readings! A witch list. #puns

Witchy books, a deal, a (hyperlocal) event and more!

I have some little announcements and offers below, not tied together in any coherent way. Your brain is probably operating similarly this month.

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Witchy books you or your friends may be interested in

Above are some books that have been sent my way by publishers and authors who know what we’re about if you want some ideas for gifts for yourself or your pals. In top-to-bottom left-to-right order, you have:

Stop Waiting for Perfect: Step Out of Your Comfort Zone and Into Your Power by

L'Oreal Thompson Payton

, especially good for moms who expect more from themselves than they’d ever expect from their kids or friends.

Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic-and What We Can Do About It by Jennifer B. Wallace (good interview with the author by

Melinda Wenner Moyer

here).

Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution by Cat Bohannon.

The Nursery [how great is this cover?] by Szilvia Molnar is a witchily honest novel about the joy and tumult of new motherhood.

Love in the Time of Incarceration: Five Stories of Dating, Sex, and Marriage in America’s Prisons by

Elizabeth Greenwood

.

This is So Awkward: Modern Puberty Explained, by Cara Natterson, MD and Vanessa Kroll Bennett.

If you want to shout out a book or author you think witches might want to check out as a gift idea (especially if it’s your own—doesn’t matter when it came/is coming out), go for it in the comments.¹

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More witchy gifts

Are you a paid subscriber? If you are, head over here to our chat on tried-and-true gifts we’ve given our family in the past if you need some road-tested ideas for presents for your kids, spouse, parents, etc.

Someone in the thread asked if I’d be running a holiday special this season, and I say yes! If you subscribe anytime between today and December 31, enjoy 30% off your subscription. Go here to redeem.

Substack can do many things but still not, evidently, let creators create discounts on gift subscriptions. If you want to get a sub for a friend, I’m afraid you need to pay full price, but if you do, send me the receipt at ew.clairezulkey@gmail.com, and I’ll comp you three months of a paid subscription (or add three months gratis to your current subscription.)

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A Chicagoland witches’ book-related event!

Skip through this if you don’t live remotely near Evanston, IL or know anyone who does, but….

I’m co-hosting an event with my friend Kate Harding at Evanston’s Bookends and Beginnings bookstore. The bookstore generously offered to open its doors to witches only on December 19 from 6-8 PM for a private shopping evening if you want to sneak away from your family for a bit, get curated book ideas, do some holiday shopping, say hi IRL to local witches and have a drink/snack + a giggle. 

Attendance is free, but you do need to register to snag your spot since space is limited. You are not required to buy anything to attend. The bookstore/I will provide some snacks; there will be a cash bar. I think it will be a good time and a great way to support a local indie bookstore while knocking out some holiday shopping. 

Other things of note:

• Free gift wrapping will be available!

• So will copies of the brand new Heartstopper book! You can pre-order a copy with your registration if you like. Best do this by EOD TODAY to guarantee your copy.

• You can pre-order books ahead of time and pick them up on the 19th. Place online orders a week before the event to make sure they’re in stock by the night of.

• B&B does ship out of town but can’t guarantee a Xmas delivery if you place an order that night. 

• Transportation-wise, B&B is within walking distance of the Davis St. El and Metra stops, and there’s metered parking nearby. There are garages at Hinman and Church and Sherman and Davis, and Evanston is offering 2 hours of free street parking by entering “Holiday23” in the Park Evanston app. There are a variety of eateries and drinkeries nearby if you decide to stay out a bit longer.

• Don’t have a sitter? No problem: bring your kids! It’s not a children’s event per se (that’s why it’s a witches’ event), but don’t let a dearth of childcare keep you from coming. Someone’s husband asked if male partners were invited. They are not. Sorry!

If you have any questions about the shopping night, please send them to Kate Harding at kate@bookendsandbeginnings.com with “witches” in the subject line.

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End credits

Thanks for reading Evil Witches, a newsletter for people who happen to be mothers. Here’s what the newsletter is all about if you’re new. If you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions for future issues, you can reply directly to this email or leave them in the comments.

Our Instagram, curated by Carly O., lives here, and it’s very funny. The whole Evil Witches archives live here if you’d like to read more. Since it’s the season when all our partners are probably buying us diamonds to undoubtedly romantically surprise us with, here’s a look back at those “I Hate Steven Singer!” ads if you have those in your town.

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One witchy thing

I clawed back some holiday brain space this year by alerting my parents and my children that they can speak directly to each other regarding the kids’ wish lists without me doing any sort of interference. My father is doing his best to ignore my wishes, but I am doing my best to ignore his ignoring:

1. Did you read all the way to the bottom of this email? I am running a giveaway on my copies of Never Enough, Eve, and This is So Awkward (the last of which is an ARC). [ETA: These comps have been claimed! The early witches got the proverbial worm, sorry.]