Ask any prospective parent: names are a big deal. Sure, a rose by any other name might smell as sweet, but if Rose has to go through middle school? You’d best choose carefully. So the premise of Florence Knapp’s novel The Names is instantly, instinctively intriguing. In 1987, Cora Atkins takes her newborn son to…
Solvej Balle's On The Calculation of Volume, Book I is a hard sell, to put it mildly. First, the title sounds like a geometry textbook. Second, it’s a projected seven-book series. Third, it’s translated from its original Danish. You would be forgiven for thinking that I was recommending you a sleep aid. In truth, this…
Laugh all you want, but I like a nice laundromat, especially at night. They’re infinitely more pleasant than that creepy laundry room in the basement of your college dorm. They’re cozy, even when they’re brightly lit. They smell nice. The rumble of the machines is soothing. In short, laundromats are charming. Yeonnam Dong’s Smiley Laundromat…
When I first heard the premise of Ava Robinson’s Definitely Better Now, I wasn’t sure she’d be able to pull it off. “The story of a recovering alcoholic attempting to rebuild her life while navigating an office romance,” in my experience, is rarely followed by the words, “I am surely in for a moving-yet-hilarious time.”…
Hana Babić keeps herself to herself. A middle-aged librarian in Minnesota, she has a collection of cardigans and more cows than friends. But when her best friend is murdered, Hana’s carefully contained world begins to crack open. She’s convinced Amina’s death is connected to their shared history in the Bosnian War, and that the demons…
2025 is fast approaching, but we're not quite ready to turn the page on 2024! This year was filled with titles that made us laugh, cry, and gasp. We read stories that moved, challenged, and transported us. We're a community that loves to read -- and to share what we're reading -- which is why…
Poor Richard Osman. He wrote a beloved, critically acclaimed mystery series that breathed new life into the cozy mystery subgenre, spawned countless imitations, and is currently in production as a Netflix series. Then he pressed pause. At the end of The Last Devil To Die, Osman announced that the members of the Thursday Murder Club would…
Romantasy, it’s safe to say, is having a moment. Fantasy book with a long title featuring A Deeply Admirable Heroine battling The Forces of Darkness and her feelings for A Complicated Hero? It's romantasy, and it's everywhere. Sarah Rees Brennan’s adult debut, Long Live Evil, delivers all the things readers like best about the genre,…
As a mystery lover, I’m always on the lookout for new series that feel both unexpected and satisfying – a tough combination. Luckily, this summer had two such titles – both introducing unconventional detectives I hope to see more of. Delia Pitts’ Trouble in Queenstown features Evander “Vandy” Myrick, a cop-turned PI who has returned…
Whether you’re a film buff or a book lover, there’s nothing quite like a summer thriller – a fast paced, high-stakes story with plenty of punches and punchlines. And if you prefer pages to screens, I’ve got your sure bet of the summer: Rob Hart’s Assassins Anonymous. Mark is a contract killer...in recovery. After hitting…
