I can't resist reading a romance novel during February, and How to Write a Love Story by Catherine Walsh was the perfect pick for my romantic heart. It's the literary equivalent of a rom-com movie night: funny, charming, and completely bingeworthy. With its release coming up in early March, definitely keep this one on your…
"What a lovely home I found myself plummeting toward, acquiring, as I fell, arms, hands, legs, feet, all of which, as usual, became more substantial with each passing second. Below: a fountain. At the center of the fountain: a gold-plated statue. Of a dog. (Someone must have really loved that dog.) In the mouth of…
Twelve-year-old Miv, the protagonist of Jennie Godfrey’s The List of Suspicious Things, is surrounded by mysteries. Some seem unsolvable: Why does her mother no longer speak? How long will her sourpuss Aunty Jean be living with them? Why is her best friend, Sharon, so comfortable and confident in her own skin? Why does her dad…
In the past few months, I’ve read some “heavy” books. Novels that addressed topics such as climate change, famine, and disease. So, I was in the mood for something that would give me joy, or at least a distraction. Enter: The Future Saints by Ashley Winstead. Grief, addiction, hope, fame, and acceptance do not…
I have not been able to stop thinking about Anatomy of an Alibi for weeks, and since today is release day, I couldn't help but share my thoughts. It's safe to say that Ashley Elston is back and here to deliver another edge-of-your-seat thriller that will make fans of her adult debut, First Lie Wins,…
"I like being older. I'd rather be me now, than me any age prior. But there is this heaviness to aging. Who I am was built on the shoulders of the person I was last year, and the year before, and before, and before. I'm not just thirty-three; I'm twenty-seven. I'm eighteen. I'm nine. I…
When the Booker Committee announced its winner, Flesh by David Scalzi, a few weeks ago I thought that I should review the rest of the nominees. Well, low and behold one had escaped me. Audition by Katie Kitamura was missing from my 2025 Reading List. I decided to remedy that situation immediately. I am happy…
How far would you go to save a loved one? For this mother and daughter pair, the limit does not exist. Grace Walker's debut novel, The Merge, is a thought-provoking story that examines the meaning of self-sacrifice, the power of love, and the importance of human autonomy. Amelia is only 23 years old when her mother…
"In August, when every self-respecting Roman left the city, he stayed behind and worked out the formulas for the dyes he will use for three thousand costumes, each one of them hand-tailored. Vats of onion skin and marigold, woad and madder. If Federico is the maestro, he is the magician, stirring his cauldron in the…
“No man will call your house, home. And if they try, they will not have peace. Your daughters are cursed – they will pursue men, but the men will be like water in their palms.” – Cursed Daughters How do I describe Cursed Daughters, author Oyinkan Braithwaite’s sophomore…
