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S.’s Year In Books

S.’s 2024 Year in Books

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S. Elizabeth

Goodreads Author

Born

May 12

Website

https://unquietthings.com/

Twitter

mlleghoul

Genre

Art

Member Since

August 2011

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/ghoulnextdoor

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S. Elizabeth is a Florida-based writer specializing in art, the macabre, and the supernatural.

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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

S. Elizabeth The Art of Darkness: A Treasury of the Morbid, Melancholic and Macabre is inspired by a lifetime's worth of obsession with the dark and what can be fo…moreThe Art of Darkness: A Treasury of the Morbid, Melancholic and Macabre is inspired by a lifetime's worth of obsession with the dark and what can be found seething in the shadows when we stop being too frightened to peek. Or when we embrace these fears and anxieties, and we peer into the void, anyway!

When I was a child, I loved things all fairy and "flowerdy" (my 5 year old term for heaps of blossoms and blooms). think I was a cottage core early adopter, hee hee! I was terrified of ugly, scary, angry, wild things: Lou Ferrigno as the Incredible Hulk; the feral alien otherworldly vibe of my cousin's freaky KISS posters, and honestly, as silly as it sounds, George Hamilton as some vampire guy in a film called Love at First Bite scared the shit out of me! And I think that was meant to be a comedy! And Scooby Doo? Man, that gave me nightmares.

But somewhere along the way, that panic and fright regarding the bloodsuckers and monsters from outer space began to give way to fascination, and whereas I would once hide my face behind a pillow when something scary was happening, I now began to feel the itchy urge to peek. As I grew older, the fascination with fearsome things slowly turned into an obsession, and, much like a nerdy vampire creep myself, I began to gobble up and devour every bit of frightening or creepy media that came my way.

From literature and film, to music and art, from that time forward, I was hungry for all things unearthly and strange, ghastly and ghostly, gruesome and grotesque. I also grew up in a household with a mother who was an astrologer, who had tarot cards tucked into every nook and cranny, and mysterious artworks hung on every wall. All of her relationships, whether friends or romantic entanglements, were with bohemian weirdos and heavily tinged with magic and mysticism.

My former stepfather for a long time ran a small rare occult book business; I worked with him for a spell many years ago, and it was an incredible experience. Just me and these beautiful old books full of magic and witchcraft and demonology all day long! For a bookworm introvert with a penchant for the esoteric and obscure, that was as close to paradise that I will ever get! These interests and inclinations festered and blossomed and grew alongside me, inside me, over the years and are now what inform and inspire my writing, most of which can be found at my blog Unquiet Things, where I ramble about art, music, fashion, perfume, anxiety, and grief–particularly as these subjects intersect with horror, the supernatural, and death.

There's A LOT of art there. Art is another longtime fascination of mine. These two obsessions—art and darkness—became so deeply entwined for me over time that to celebrate them in a book seemed like the most obvious thing in the world.(less)

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Combine Editions
S. Elizabeth’s books

Average rating: 4.15 · 754 ratings · 143 reviews · 3 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Art of the Occult: A Visual Sourcebook for the Modern Mystic 4.20 avg rating — 465 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Art of Darkness: A Treasury of the Morbid, Melancholic and Macabre 3.95 avg rating — 210 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Art of Fantasy: A Visual Sourcebook of All That is Unreal 4.33 avg rating — 79 ratings — published 2022 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

3 posts
S. Elizabeth's Blog

The Art of Darkness promo photos

An image of the front cover of The Art of Darkness, a beautifully illustrated tome of darkly artistic themes, surrounded by autumnal flowers.

When I had an idea for some promotional photos for The Art of Darkness, I immediately knew the perfect creative human for the job: photographer of artful, vivid floral still-lifes, Alyssa Thorne.

One of my very favorite things is to work closely with a beloved artist whose work I adore and together, we endeavor to bring a weird vision or dream to life. Granted, my input is minimal and vague and pro Read more of this blog post »

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Published on August 26, 2022 08:47

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Series by S. Elizabeth

Art in the Margins #1 (1 book)
by

S. Elizabeth (Goodreads Author)

4.20 avg rating — 465 ratings

Art in the Margins #2 (1 book)
by

S. Elizabeth (Goodreads Author)

3.95 avg rating — 209 ratings

What happens when two best friends team up with a has-been horror director to undo a cinematic curse that accidentally awakens the...

S. is Currently Reading

S. Elizabeth is currently reading

Babel

by R.F. Kuang (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Sep 05, 2025 06:50PM

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Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng

by Kylie Lee Baker (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Sep 05, 2025 06:49PM

S. Elizabeth is currently reading

Ghosts of My Life: Writings on Depression, Hauntology and Lost Futures

by Mark Fisher

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Aug 26, 2025 01:40PM

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S.’s Recent Updates

S. Elizabeth is currently reading Babel by R.F. Kuang (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 05, 2025 06:50PM · like
S. Elizabeth is currently reading Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 05, 2025 06:49PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
S. Elizabeth rated a book really liked it Freakslaw by Jane Flett (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 30, 2025 02:39PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Freakslaw by Jane Flett. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Freakslaw by Jane Flett <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
S. Elizabeth rated a book really liked it A Good Person by Kirsten King (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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S. Elizabeth finished reading A Good Person by Kirsten King (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 30, 2025 02:38PM · like
S. Elizabeth rated a book liked it Pinky Swear by Danielle Girard (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Pinky Swear by Danielle Girard centers on Lexi, whose surrogate and childhood friend Mara disappears just days before her due date. When Mara shows up after sixteen years fleeing an abusive husband, their rekindled friendship leads to Mara offering t ...more
Aug 28, 2025 02:24PM · like · see review
S. Elizabeth is currently reading A Good Person by Kirsten King (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 27, 2025 04:53AM · like
S. Elizabeth rated a book liked it Pinky Swear by Danielle Girard (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Pinky Swear by Danielle Girard centers on Lexi, whose surrogate and childhood friend Mara disappears just days before her due date. When Mara shows up after sixteen years fleeing an abusive husband, their rekindled friendship leads to Mara offering t ...more
Aug 26, 2025 06:28PM · like · see review
S. Elizabeth wants to read Itzá by Rios de la Luz (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 26, 2025 02:22PM · like
S. Elizabeth wants to read Betty by Tiffany McDaniel (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 26, 2025 02:22PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Betty by Tiffany McDaniel. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Betty by Tiffany McDaniel <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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S.’s Quotes

“Searchers after horror haunt strange, far places.”
― H.P. Lovecraft

155 likes

“No place worth knowing yields itself at sight, and those the least
inviting on first view may leave the most haunting pictures upon the
walls of memory.”
― Algernon Blackwood, A Prisoner in Fairyland

45 likes