Steal My Crawl: Jessica Yurkow

Need ideas for your crawl? We asked some folks to share how they participated last year, or what they’d like to do this year. Take inspiration or copy them outright–we won’t tell!

Jess is a librarian who discovered a love of horror later in life. She specializes in Gothic literature and researches how the genre reflects the human experience. She also hosts a Gothic Book Club via Zoom once a month. Follow her on Instagram for readers' advisory for girls, goths, and gays (warning: she posts a lot of Lady Gaga stories).

Jessica’s 2026 Crawl

I found a few spots from the crawl list I’ve been wanting to check out. Here’s my TBV (to-be-visited): Charmed & Bound (Flemington), Frenchtown Bookshop, Kiss and Tale (Collingswood), Ren’s Coffeehouse and Books (Blackwood).

Planning day trips is my jam: I love exploring new places, meeting people, and trying new things. My crawl would be two days.

Day 1: Visit Charmed & Bound and Frenchtown Bookshop; spend the day exploring Flemington and Frenchtown with my bestie. I’ve already curated an awesome playlist for the ride.

Day 2: Visit Kiss & Tale and explore Collingswood, then grab coffee at Ren’s Coffeehouse and Books with a librarian friend who lives in Blackwood and whom I don’t get to see often.

Jessica’s Shopping List:

I’m slowly rounding out my horror and Gothic collections. I only buy books I truly love and will reread, so I’m intentional with purchases!

Horror: I’m seeking Rachel Harrison’s The Return (one of my favorites) and Play Nice. Her novels often explore the complexities of female friendship, which resonates with me. I also wanted Codie Crowley’s Body Count, but I snagged a signed copy at a great author event at Wolfe & Kron (Asbury Park) last week!

Gothic: I currently have Foresyth Conservatory by A.L. Sterling, a dark‑academia Gothic mystery with tarot and esoteric elements, on my Kindle, and I NEED a hard copy! Also coveting a copy of Diavola by Jennifer Thorne, a vacation Gothic set in an Italian villa. Another one is A Spell for Saints and Sinners, a Southern Gothic about a psychic in Savannah. The author, Emily Carpenter, also wrote Gothictown, which was my book club pick this month. She joined our Zoom meeting to discuss the book, the genre, and her process—it was fantastic.