Instagram story viewer> @shellywritesstuff> Posts

Shelly | Bookstagram

@shellywritesstuff

3.4K

followers

654

following

shellshocked.substack.com ✍🏻
Collabs & contact: 💌[email protected]

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

I recently had my one-year Substack anniversary over at Shellshocked and passed 500 Instagram followers, so I thought it was time for a little “get to know me" post.

Hi! I’m Shelly: Mid-40s, former academic, current overthinker. I write about culture, books, the internet, women’s issues, I write about culture, books, the internet, women’s issues, and the quiet ways they shape how we’re expected to live.

If you’re here, I’m really glad you are.

Bonus points if you know why my cats have those names 👀. Tell me in the comments.

#substackwriters #gettoknowme #writersofinstagram #bookstagrammer #aboutme by @shellywritesstuff

101

37

6 months ago

If this sounds like you… you’ll probably feel at home here.

✨You’re navigating a life that looks nothing like what you imagined.
✨You’re questioning things you used to accept without thinking.
✨You’re noticing the quiet, invisible pressures women are expected to absorb—and you’re done pretending they’re normal.

That’s why I write Shellshocked ✍🏻

Twice a week, I share cultural commentary, thoughtful book reviews, and personal essays about work, dating, identity, and midlife.

Subscribe to Shellshocked for smart, funny, honest writing about the gap between what we were promised and what we’re still figuring out.

🔗 Link in bio.

#substackwriter #womenwriters #culturewriting #bookreviews #writersofinstagram by @shellywritesstuff

42

4

6 months ago

To make my book reviews more helpful… here’s the system behind them.

I wanted a rating guide that actually explains what my stars mean—not just whether I “liked” a book.

All my reviews follow this guide, so you’ll always know exactly what my rating is based on before adding a book to your TBR. 🤎

You can always check out my book reviews here (mini-reviews), Goodreads (mostly just ratings, link in bio), and on shellshocked.substack.com (extended reviews).

What makes a book five stars for you?

#bookstagram #bookreviews #readingcommunity #readersofinstagram #bookrating by @shellywritesstuff

36

9

5 months ago

It's feral fall, the best time of the year! 🧙‍♀️

I think I got this one right (???) but even if I didn't, here are a bunch of book recommendations to satisfy all your spooky, wild, weird, and feral reading needs. Enjoy!

#bookstagram #feralfall #horrorbooks #bookrecommendations #horrorbookstagram by @shellywritesstuff

12

6

14 hours ago

I've knocked a few off the list, but I've still got quite a few to go. With two and a half months left in the year, we'll see if I can get through the rest before December 31.

Have you read any of these? Which one should I pick up next?

#bookstagram #10beforetheend #mytbr #horrorbookstagram by @shellywritesstuff

21

6

3 days ago

Solace House by Will Maclean so far:

• Part dark academia, part puzzle box, part acid trip.
• A decaying gothic mansion.
• A rich cast of characters with their own agendas.
• The Secret History vibes, but wholly original.

I know this is going to have me going down the rabbit hole once I finish.

Long-form review coming Monday on shellshocked.substack.com.

#currentlyreading #solacehouse #bookstagram #bookreview #amreading by @shellywritesstuff

8

0

3 days ago

Earlier this year, Barbara Truelove won my heart with a story about a haunted doll getting revenge on the man who wronged her and finding friendship along the way. She’s a Doll was one of my favorite reads of 2026, so when I saw that she’d published a novella about a tradwife zombie influencer, I ran to @netgalley so fast that smoke came out of the back of my sneakers.

Patricia is dead. Well, technically, she’s a resurrected zombie turned tradwife influencer, living with her husband Ralph in a post-zombie-apocalypse world. She’s the star of her own YouTube channel, Patty P., where she whips up hearty meals for her husband while sharing her cooking, cleaning, and shopping routines, all in the name of living her best #nostalgiacore life.

Thanks to anti-fungal medication and a vegetarian diet, most days she can almost forget she’s dead, but she can never quite forget how alive she felt before she was captured and rehabilitated. When a new, stronger zombie horde approaches the safety of her gated community, Patricia begins questioning not only her marriage and her carefully curated life, but just how much living she’s actually been doing.

I tend to struggle with novellas because I often find them too short to fully explore their ideas. But somehow, in fewer than 150 pages, Truelove manages to tell a story that’s funny, gory, touching, and full of female rage. It’s about a woman reclaiming herself, fighting the patriarchy, and raising the question of what it really means to be alive.

I continue to be incredibly impressed with what Truelove can do with an unhinged premise. My only complaint is that I wanted more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. The Secret Lives of Zombie Wives is out 2/2/27.

#bookstagram #arcreviews #horrorbookstagram #horrorbooks by @shellywritesstuff

26

16

5 days ago

Time for another two for Tuesday: movies, snacks, tv shows, and all the things I've been obsessed with lately.

#twofortuesday #bookstagram #catstagram #favoritethings by @shellywritesstuff

17

6

6 days ago

It’s October, and while there are endless contemporary horror novels to make your TBR overflow, spooky season feels like the perfect time to pay homage to the classic scary stories we still love today.

These are the OGs, the books that shaped generations of horror movies and novels and continue to influence the genre. I’ve picked six of my favorite classics and paired them with contemporary books that put their own spin on what made the originals so memorable. If you’re a fan of the classics, you might find a new favorite among these modern counterparts.

You can read more about each of these pairings and why I think they complement each other in my latest post at shellshocked.substack.com.

#bookstagram #bookrecommendations #horrorbooks #horrorbookstagram #classichorror by @shellywritesstuff

191

9

7 days ago

Books I'm putting off because...

This was fun to put together, but the real reason for all of these is because I am the world's worst mood reader and you can never predict what I will pick up or why on any given day.

Tell me: what books are you putting off?

And which one of these should I just go ahead and read already?

#bookstagram #booksimputtingoff #readersofinstagram #booklover #mytbr by @shellywritesstuff

83

26

8 days ago

If you think I'm not going to do every autumn-themed book tag, you're sadly mistaken.

If you see this, consider yourself tagged 🎯

📚 Six books I want to read:
The Secret Lives of Zombie Wives by Barbara Truelove
Doll Parts by Penny Zang
Rottenheart by Kat Dunn
A Healthy Appetite by Katie Huttlestone
They Say a Girl Died Here by Sarah Pinborough
Girls Will Be Girls by Sophie Stava

🎬 Six movies I want to see:
Primetime
Other Mommy
You Can See Everything
Verity
The Social Reckoning
Whalefall

Six ways to summon me:
🐈 Daisy and Jay (my cats)
🏒 Florida Panthers hockey
📖 The Secret History by Donna Tartt
🥧 Blueberry pie
🎵 Emo music
🎬 Horror movies

#bookstagram #myautumnritual #bookishmemes #bookstagrammer #fallvibes by @shellywritesstuff

20

4

10 days ago

Every year, Banned Books Week feels more urgent.

This year, it runs October 4–10, and the theme is “Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read.” This feels like the least radical idea in the world, and yet somehow here we are.

Every day is a good day to read whatever book you want. But Banned Books Week is a particularly good reminder that reading is political, and the freedom to read is something worth protecting.

So this week, read a banned book. Share one with your kids. Check one out from your local library, or request a title they don’t carry. If you have kids, pay attention to what’s being challenged in their schools and in your local libraries. If you can, show up to forums where those books are being discussed, or write to your local school board and let them know where you stand.

I’m sharing the 11 most challenged books of 2025, plus some frequently challenged books I’ve read and love, in the latest post on Shellshocked. Link in bio.

Stats from ALA.org.

#bookstagram #bannedbooksweek #letbooksbe #bookrecs #readingispolitical by @shellywritesstuff

29

2

11 days ago