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Book Recommendations and Reviews

There is a cultural biography of Black sci-fi icon Octavia E. Butler, an academic trip to hell, 18th-century sisters who may be transforming into dogs at night, and more.

A new month means new books, and The New York Times has released a list of 22 of the new books coming out in August that they’re excited about. The list includes books by everyone from the National Book Award-winning Jason Mott to the mega bestselling R.F. Kuang to Louis Sachar (author of Holes!). Below is a small sampling of the list to get you started. There is a cultural biography of Black sci-fi icon Octavia E. Butler, an academic trip to hell, 18th-century sisters who may be transforming into dogs at night, and more. People Like Us by Jason Mott Katabasis by R.F. Kuang Positive Obsession by Susana M. Morris Fetishized by Kaila Yu The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis The Magician of Tiger Castle by Louis Sachar For the complete list, visit The New York Times. Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books.

It’s hot white guy summer for Oprah this year, as she’s just announced her latest book club pick. The 117th ...

It’s hot white guy summer for Oprah this year, as she’s just announced her latest book club pick. The 117th pick is Richard Russo’s Bridge of Sighs. The book follows a 60-year-old man named Louis–Lucy–who has spent his entire life living in the same New York town as he and his wife prepare to travel to Italy on vacation. Lucy’s life has always been safe and he’s hoping that on his trip, he can reconnect with his oldest friend. Lucy hopes that reconnection can help him tell the story of the small town where Lucy lives and that his friend abandoned so many years ago. Oprah describes the book as “a powerful story about unrequited love, life-long friendships, epic family drama, and the grip of the past. One man’s small-town life takes a turn when a trip to Venice reopens old wounds and forgotten dreams. It makes you wonder: Can you truly overcome your destiny?” Bridge of Sighs is not only not a new book–it published in 2007–but it is the third book in a row selected by the Oprah Book Club written by a white male author. In June, she selected Wally Lamb’s The River is Waiting, the third title selected by the author for the Book Club. Her July pick was Bruce Holsinger’s Culpability. Seeing three white male authors selected back-to-back-to-back during a summer where media headlines have done plenty of handwringing over the male reading and authorship crisis. The New York Times asked “Where Have All The Novel-Reading Men Gone,” while the Atlantic revealed “The Real Reason Men Should Read Fiction.” A new publisher called Conduit Books announced this summer that their goal to focus on male writers while Vox fact-checks the statistic that has helped lead to so much of the male-reading panic. Vox also points out that the Substack platform has become the cool place for both literary male readers and literary male-authored novels. And even before this summer, the paper of record was emphasizing back in December that we should all be worried about the disappearance of the literary man. Since the beginning of 2025, Oprah’s Book Club has selected two books authored by women. Neither of them are novels. The first, Amy Griffin’s The Tell, is about Griffin’s experience utilizing psychedelic-assisted therapy to work through childhood trauma she couldn’t escape. The second, Matriarch by Tina Knowles, is the story of Beyonce and Solange’s mother, as told in her own voice. Ocean Vuong’s The Emperor of Gladness offers readers a work of literary fiction from the voice of an author who identifies in the margins of gender. Oprah re-picked a male-authored book, Eckert Tolle’s A New Earth to kick off 2025, followed by February’s Dream State by Eric Puchner. It’s striking to see such gender disparity play out when it comes to the works that earn Oprah’s seal of approval in the year 2025, especially compared to fellow celebrity book lover Reese’s Book Club, which has always highlighted and championed books by women. We’ll never know if Oprah’s intentionally worked to highlight male literary fiction as a result of seeing headlines decrying the loss of the literary man or not. But one thing is for certain: there’s no shortage of books that center men’s stories, and seeing a legacy celebrity book club lean all the way in is disappointing. Perhaps it’s also fair to say that it’s not entirely surprising, either.

Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. Obama Production Co. Picks Up S.A. Cosby Adaptation Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground, will executive produce a series adaptation of S.A. Cosby’s All the Sinner’s Bleed. Cosby will also executive produce alongside Wakanda Forever‘s Joe Robert Cole who also serves as writer, showrunner, and director. But the newest news is that Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù (Gangs of London) will star as Titus Crown! Cosby’s 2023 mystery thriller follows Crown, one Virginia county’s first Black sheriff, as he investigates a serial killer in his hometown and runs up against a far-right group and Charon County’s grim history. This is sure to be a tense ride. A premiere date has yet to be released but the series will be streamable on Netflix. “Surprise!” Screamed the Shelf As it chucked a rare and pristine copy of The Hobbit at your head. While this doesn’t exactly describe what rare books specialist Caitlin Riley experienced, she was no less astonished by the sight of such a gem amidst the detritus of an otherwise unremarkable house clean-out. The first-edition, first-impression copy of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic appeared fresh from the presses, which is, as Bayliss Rare Books owner Oliver Bayliss told The New York Times, “As rare as Smaug’s treasure, frankly.” Needless to say, it was the last thing Riley expected to see and it brought her to joyful tears. It might be that the owner knew C.S. Lewis and, through him, Tolkien. I’m as interested in the story of how this copy came into the possession of the Priestley family as I am about its current condition. Like, was it a ruefully accepted, regifted housewarming present from Lewis? The copy is currently at auction, so if you have £20,000 (as of writing this) to spare, you might be able to get your hands on this literary diamond and wonder at it in person. Another Library System Offers Banned Books to Teens Nationwide Long Beach Public Library has joined Books Unbanned, the program started by Brooklyn Public Library providing teens access to books that might have been scrubbed from the shelves of their local libraries due to book banning efforts. Readers between the ages of 13 and 19 will be able to secure a digital library card for LBPL and borrow ebooks and audiobooks from their collections through Libby. “We just didn’t feel like, as a public library, we could just sit back and watch this happen,” Brooklyn Public Library spokesperson Fritzi Bodenheimer told the Long Beach Post, speaking on the motivation behind Books Unbanned. It’s heartbreaking that such a program has to exist in 2025 but heartening to know kids who might miss out on LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and so many other classic and groundbreaking books have options through this program. 4 New Mystery & Thriller Adaptations to Watch in August 2025 If the S.A. Cosby adaptation news put you in a mystery/thriller adaptation mood, you’re in luck. We’ve got a roundup of the genre’s newest adaptations you can watch this month. Check them out here. What are you reading? Let us know in the comments!

An unexpected family reunion, interdimensional parasites, a fictionalized take on Lizzie Borden, and more of today's best book deals.

Today’s Featured Book Deals $2.99 The Library Book by Susan OrleanGet This Deal $1.99 She Rides Shotgun by Jordan HarperGet This Deal $3.99 See What I Have Done by Sarah SchmidtGet This Deal $2.99 The Blood of Flowers by Anita AmirrezvaniGet This Deal $2.99 Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV by Emily NussbaumGet This Deal $3.99 Talia Hibbert’s Brown Sisters Book Set by Talia HibbertGet This Deal $1.99 American Daughters by Piper HuguleyGet This Deal $2.99 Scout’s Honor by Lily AndersonGet This Deal In Case You Missed Yesterday’s Most Popular Book Deals $1.99 The Maid’s Secret by Nita ProseGet This Deal $1.99 The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani ChokshiGet This Deal $1.99 The Last Days of Prolemy Grey by Walter MosleyGet This Deal $6.99 Intermezzo by Sally RooneyGet This Deal Previous Daily Deals $1.99 Black Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn IveyGet This Deal $2.99 I’ll Be Waiting by Kelley ArmstrongGet This Deal $1.99 The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine ChanGet This Deal $1.99 The Library at Mount Char by Scott HawkinsGet This Deal

The lineup really has something for all viewing moods, from an English murder mystery to action-filmed crime thrillers.

As we enter the last month of summer, I’ve got a roundup of new mystery and thriller adaptations to watch in August! The lineup really has something for all viewing moods, from an English murder mystery to action-filmed crime thrillers. And this month, I added some bonus book recs to read that pair well with the books adapted below! courtesy of Lionsgate She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper This is one of my all-time favorite crime novels, which is full of action and a fantastic child character named Polly: “She had a teddy bear in her arms and murder in her eyes.” It follows Nate—who is marked to die by the Aryan Brotherhood right before he’s released from prison—and his 11-year-old daughter, Polly, who doesn’t really know him and is now on the run with him as her last living family. Now in theaters, the film clearly kept the tone of the novel, and stars Taron Egerton and Ana Sophia as Nate and Polly. Watch the trailer: She Rides Shotgun (2025) Official Trailer Courtesy of Netflix The Thursday Murder Club By Richard Osmann This is one of the year’s highly anticipated adaptations because it’s based on a very popular series and has a stellar cast—at least it is for certain generations who grew up watching a lot of films in the ’90s/early aughts, including James Bond. Richard Osman’s series has four books, with the fifth, The Impossible Fortune, releasing in September. Set in an English retirement community, readers follow a group of elderly people in a true crime group who solve cold cases they think the police aren’t capable of solving. There’s also a local detective who doesn’t think their hijinks are that much fun. Netflix has adapted the first book into a murder mystery film that will stream on August 28th, starring Helen Mirren, Celia Imrie, Pierce Brosnan, and Ben Kingsley. And that’s not even where the big names end, that’s just the main sleuthing group. Actors like David Tennant and Tom Ellis are also in the film. The cold case is a murder mystery from the ‘70s, but a current murder is what puts them all in danger… Watch the trailer: The Thursday Murder Club | Official Teaser | Netflix Bonus book recommendations: If you love a group of retired-age sleuths and want to amp up the thrills, check out Tess Gerritsen’s The Spy Coast series starter, which follows a group of retired spies. And if you want a similar tone to The Thursday Murder Club, with a group of sleuths, pick up The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Caught Stealing by Charlie Huston Charlie Huston’s early aughts thriller has the “wrong place, wrong time” trope. Former baseball player Hank Thompson is now a New York bartender left in charge of his neighbor’s cat when he’s viciously attacked, making it clear he has something someone wants. Problem? He has no clue what it is, nor how to convince all the people after him that they got the wrong guy. The same-titled film has an August 29th theatrical release date and was written by Huston himself, with Darren Aronofsky directing. The thriller, while totally different in tone from The Thursday Murder Club, also has an impressive list of stars: Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, Bad Bunny, and Carol Kane (I was SO excited to see her in an episode of Poker Face). Watch the trailer: CAUGHT STEALING – Official Trailer Bonus book recommendations: The Dime by Kathleen Kent is a procedural, but it’s on the action thriller side, and, most importantly, detective Betty Rhyzyk ends up the target of ruthless criminals and has no idea why. Courtesy of Prime Video Butterfly by Marguerite Bennett (Author), Arash Amel (Author), Antonio Fuso (Artist), Stefano Simeone (Artist) The final adaptation I have for you this month is based on a graphic novel from 2015 that involves a deep cover agent that is basically a ghost with no identity who gets set up for murder and has her cover blown. Amazon Prime Video has adapted the graphic novel into a six-episode thriller series that will premiere on August 15th, starring Daniel Dae Kim. It also has Piper Perabo, who was so good in the USA Network’s Covert Affairs series that this project seems perfect for her. Anywho, the series follows an ex-US intelligence operative in South Korea trying to reunite with the daughter who thought he was dead. The issue is his past comes to haunt him in the form of a young assassin tasked with killing him. Watch the trailer: Butterfly – Official Trailer | Prime Video Bonus book recommendation: At the core of this story is a family drama that involves a parent and an estranged child, with the past coming back trope, which made me think of The Lost Ones by Sheena Kamal. Nora Watts is minding her own business and trying to have a very quiet life when she’s instead thrust into trying to find her missing teenage daughter, who she put for adoption as a baby, and things get intense on her search. If you’d like to see previous roundups for 2025’s mystery, thriller, and true crime adaptations, here’s a month-by-month list: January & February: 5 New Mystery, Thrillers, & True Crime Adaptations To Stream 8 New Mystery, Thriller, and True Crime Adaptations To Watch in March 2025 New Mystery & Thriller Adaptations To Watch in April 2025 Exciting New Mystery & Thriller Adaptations To Watch in May 2025 4 New Mystery & Thriller Adaptations To Watch in June 2025 New Mystery & Thriller Adaptations To Watch in July 2025 Browse the books recommended in Unusual Suspects’ previous newsletters on this shelf and see upcoming 2025 releases. Check out this Unusual Suspects Pinterest board and get Tailored Book Recommendations! Until next time, come talk books with me on Bluesky, Goodreads, Litsy, and Multitudes Contained. If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you or you read it on bookriot.com and you’d like to get it right in your inbox, you can sign up here.

For all of my fellow weenies, I took the plunge, read some horror comics, and reported the results.

Are you a chicken? Do you have a low threshold for disturbing imagery and gore, but still find yourself tempted by the dark themes and concepts behind certain horror comics? Great, me too! For all of my fellow weenies, I took the plunge, read some horror comics, and reported the results below. This isn’t about whether I liked the book or thought it was good: this is purely a reference guide for sensitive readers who are curious about horror comics. I assessed each comic based on the following criteria: Thematic elements: Does the comic deal with potentially upsetting subjects? How much detail does it go into, and how much does it leave to the imagination? Gore: Is there a lot of blood and guts? Imagery: Does the comic explicitly show horrible or frightening things happening? Are there disturbing images that are likely to stick in your head for a long time? Obviously, such judgments are subjective, but since this guide is by and for cowards, you can bet I’m erring on the side of caution. While I try to keep spoilers as generalized as possible, there are spoilers here, because I really can’t provide proper warnings without them. Consider yourself, um, warned. The Nice House on the Lake by James Tynion IV and Álvaro Martínez Bueno Themes: There’s both discussion of an apocalypse and an actual apocalypse, with all of the violence, death, trauma, and emotional distress (including suicidal ideation) that go with it. Gore: Some blood and dead bodies, including both human and animal bodies. Imagery: Walter’s true form is bizarre and may be unnerving. Even when he looks normal, light and shadow are used to make his Clark Kent-y face look unsettling. The art in general can be very stark (see: that cover). Images of people dying during the apocalypse are brief but graphic. The Low, Low Woods by Carmen Maria Machado and Dani Themes: The entire story revolves around sexual assault, although none is seen on-panel. Gore: There is some blood in at least one scene. Imagery: SO much disturbing imagery, wow. There is body horror throughout the comic, including skinned men, “sinkhole women,” and animals that don’t look quite right. The Night Eaters Volume One: She Eats the Night by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda Themes: This is a haunted house story with death, demons, and murder everywhere. Gore: It gets bloodier and gorier as it goes on. At its worst, it is quite gruesome. That said, the story is very funny, which may help you through the grosser parts. Imagery: Very creepy dolls!! Also, some body horror in terms of body parts not being in the right places. There are weird tentacle monsters that you never see in full. Downlands by Norm Konyu Themes: There are several dark themes, including child death, domestic abuse, and grief. Gore: There is little to no gore here. Instead, the book relies on an eerie, haunted atmosphere to keep things tense. Imagery: All of the worst, most disturbing acts are kept off-screen, although a dead body does show up at least once. Hello Sunshine by Keezy Young (Out Sept 23) Themes: The story is about mental illness and demons. Two characters’ mother allegedly died by suicide years ago, and her death is a central mystery to be solved. Some Christianity-based homophobia. Gore: A skeleton and some bloody teeth are about it. Imagery: The demons are pretty creepy. Chapter 4 is very intense and depicts one character losing his grasp on reality through increasingly distorted, upsetting imagery and intrusive thoughts. Chapter 5 takes place in a dark world that this character created. If you’re feeling emboldened, maybe venture into some more horror with this list of new horror books.

Read your way into this week's new YA releases in hardcover and in paperback.

August feels like the December of summer: there’s still plenty of the actual season ahead, and yet there are so many things to prepare for for the coming season that it feels like an end, rather than continuation. We’ll have plenty of long days, plenty of warm days, and plenty of time to relax with a book still. Simultaneously, there’s a lot of prep to get ready for fall, especially for anyone going back to school in some capacity. We’ll see this shift happening with new releases. The first week or two of the month will be slower and not as inclusive as what we’ll see happening in the latter half of August. Fall publishing will hit, and it will hit hard. This week, there are plenty of great books hitting shelves for YA fans. Find here several entries into new series, as well as paperback releases of plenty of favorites from the last year. Grab your TBR list and be ready to add to it . . . as well as maybe make your way through some of the other titles on that list to make room for the soon-to-be-here new season. Win a 1-year subscription to Book of the Month! Imagine this: every month, for a year, you get to choose from new releases, curated by the Book of the Month team. Enter today. New Hardcover YA Releases This Week Girls of the Dark Divine by E. V. Woods The pitch for this one is pretty compelling: Phantom of the Opera meets Black Swan. New Kora’s ballet theater is legendary. The girls enchant their audiences every night, and until Emberlyn was the star of the show, she dreamed of landing that role. But learning what it means to be one of those dancing girls changed her feelings about it. The dancers are bound by magical curse to the show’s mastermind, Malcolm. Malcolm wields invisible strings, marionette like, that don’t stop when the show ends. It bleeds into the everyday lives of the dancers. Parlizia is a dazzling city where the girls have been invited to perform and Emberlyn believes this is their chance to cut the curse. This comes through Emberlyn’s meeting an elusive boy who has a connection to the girls . . . but learning the truth of the ballet’s creation and what the realities are of breaking free are higher than anyone can imagine. The L.O.V.E. Club by Lio Min Calendula is an affluent Chinese American suburb in California, and it’s where Ellie, Liberty, Vera, and O were all best friends (see the L.O.V.E. there?). Ellie died three years ago, and since then, Liberty and Vera have moved away, leaving O alone. That is until senior year, when Liberty and Vera move back. They’re not able to glide back into their former friendship, but when the three of them gather at an old clubhouse, they find a new game there waiting for them to play. It’s from Ellie. The three are sucked into the game quite literally, a botanical fantasy called Morning Glory. So many moments in the game parallel the friendship among them all, though what’s happening with O is especially weird: she’s been given a cryptic hint about what really happened to Ellie three years ago. As the remaining L.O.V.E. club members play it out, O starts to see her dream of meeting Ellie again is close to coming true. But that wish comes with many unexpected fallouts and secrets elsewhere. Rosa By Any Other Name by Hailey Alcaraz Thanks to the decision in Brown vs. Board of Education that ruled in favor of school desegregation, Rosa Capistrano is attending North Phoenix High School, which is one extra point in her favor. She dreams of a college education and journalism career, but it’s been especially difficult to picture since she’s Mexican American. But this school will definitely help, so long as she is able to keep up her white-passing persona, Rosie, while there. This is to ensure she stays safe and under the radar. It is hard enough to do this solo, but it’s made harder when Rosa’s best friend Ramon and classmate Julianne meet and fall in love. Following a tragedy that impacts the entire community, Rosa’s thrown into the spotlight because of the town-wide scandal. Her identity is in question. Marcos, Rosa’s brother, is passionate about everything he does, and he insists that Rosa make the right choice: keep playing down who she is in order to protect some idea of safety or do everything she can to help her friends find much-deserved justice. It’s Romeo & Juliet meets desegregation meets journalism meets activism and more. New Hardcover Series Releases: A Beautiful and Terrible Murder by Claire Andrews Mistress of Bones by Maria Z. Medina Scorched Earth by Danielle L. Jensen More Hardcover YA Releases This Week: Verity Vox and the Curse of the Foxfire by Don Martin New Paperback YA Releases This Week Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch by Codie Crowley Annie’s got an unstable home, a bad reputation, and just dropped her cheating (now ex-) boyfriend. Now she’s been left for dead. The mountain where her body was dumped has been rumored to raise the dead and she’s going to use that to her advantage. Whoever killed Annie is going to pay, and she’s going to be the one to get that revenge. Medici Heist by Caitlin Schneiderhan It’s Florence 1517 and 17-year-old Rosa, a conwoman, has arrived in the city the same time that Medici Pope, Leo X, takes power. This is on purpose. The Pope is stealing money from the people, and Rosa’s been sent in to put an end to it. Rosa has assembled her ragtag crew to pull off the heist, including the help of Michelangelo (yes, that one). But as the team gets closer to the Pope, old secrets and tensions among the team might splinter them before they successfully accomplish their mission. Where Wolves Don’t Die by Anton Treuer Ezra Cloud hates northern Minnesota, where he lives with his family. It’s not pretty, it’s not the rez at Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nation, and it’s got the meanest bully he’s ever come face to face with in Matt. Matt is mean to Ezra, as well as Ezra’s best friend Nora. Then Matt’s house burns down, and it happens the night after Ezra and Matt have a big brawl. Ezra is a prime suspect in the fire, even though he didn’t do it. There is no way he’ll get a word in about it, and his parents decide that the best recourse at this point is to send Ezra elsewhere. So he’s shipped to remote Canada where he’ll live with his grandfather. Getting that far away won’t stop Matt’s family from trying to find Ezra and lay the blame of the fire on him, but it will help Ezra learn how to stand up for himself, lean into her heritage, and build a powerful relationship with one of his elder family members. New Paperback Series Releases: Hemlock House by Katie Cotugno More Paperback YA Releases This Week: Death in the Dark by Bryce Moore House of Thorns by Isabel Strychacz Silent Sister by Megan Davidhizar For more great YA book talk, check out this roundup of YA authors making their adult debuts this year, excellent YA fantasy reads for food lovers, and the best YA books of 2025 so far.

These novels take us all the way back to 1st-century China, then up through to Victorian England. Almost a millennium in books, y'all.

I’m always looking for the trends among new releases. July gave us mystery, and March saw a surprising number of genre-blending books, but sometimes the only theme is: new. That’s the case with the new historical fiction books coming out in August. There’s a touch of the gothic from bestselling author Isabel Cañas to start getting us in the fall spirit, as well as a novelized biography of a legendary figure from Chinese history. Also: mystery, a secret bookish society, and a wonderfully weird book about women who may (or may not) be turning into dogs. Great stuff, it’s true, but no real common thread. August’s historical fiction is notable for one thing, though: its wide-ranging time spans. These novels take us all the way back to first-century China and then up through the ages to Victorian England. That’s almost a millennium in books, y’all. The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson Release date: Aug 5, 2025 A widowed confectioner in eighteenth-century London struggles to keep her shop afloat after her husband is murdered. Then, a friend of her late husband introduces her to a new Italian delicacy that might be just the thing she needs to turn her shop around: ice cream. But as she learns more about the circumstances around her husband’s death and is drawn into speculation and conspiracy, she may create the very destruction she was trying to avoid for herself. This Here Is Love by Princess Joy L. Perry Release date: Aug 5, 2025 The lives of three young people in seventeenth-century Virginia, a girl born into slavery, the enslaved son of a freed father, and an indentured servant making the crossing to America, cross paths on the same plot of land. While each of them faces horrific circumstances and hardship, they’ll all have to decide how to face it and what it will turn them into in this haunting tale of slavery, indentured servitude, and survival. The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis Release date: Aug 5, 2025 The Mansfield girls have always been a little…odd, and Little Nettlebed has always been a bit…unusual. That was even before someone claimed one of the Mansfield sisters transformed into a dog right in front of their eyes. This is eighteenth-century England, and people may not believe in witches anymore, but they certainly believe in the weird. If you ask five of their neighbors, the Mansfields have always been weird, and if their strangeness is starting to affect Little Nettlebed, maybe it’s time to do something about that. Lord Guan by Charles N. Li Release date: August 5, 2025 Despite his humble rural origins in first-century China, Guan Yu, also known as Guan Gong or Lord Guan, would go on to become a deified figure in Chinese history. Charles N. Li’s book is the story of the making of a legend. It traces Guan’s journey from learning martial arts to his quest to restore the Han Dynasty during a particularly war-torn era. The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas Release date: August 19, 2025 With plague running rampant throughout Zacatecas, Alba, her parents, and her wealthy fiancé Carlos flee to his family’s mine to escape the contagion. But when Alba begins experiencing strange and terrifying symptoms, it becomes clear that something far worse than sickness lies waiting there. Carlos’s cousin, Elías, knows that Alba’s situation is none of his affair. Yet he can’t help but notice her every time she enters the room. When her deterioration intensifies, he may be the only one able to stop the demon thirsting for her blood. I adore the way Isabel Cañas perfectly blends gothic and historical fiction. Her first previous books, The Hacienda and Vampires of El Norte, left me breathless, and I’m sure this new one will do the same. The Secret Book Society by Madeline Martin Release date: Aug 26, 2025 In late nineteenth-century London, Eleanor Clarke, Rose Wharton, and Lavinia Cavendish receive mysterious invitations from the notoriously private Lady Duxbury. Under the guise of afternoon tea, their thrice-widowed hostess ushers them into a secret book club where the women can find freedom and agency through reading the books their husbands have forbidden them from opening. You know I’m a fan of books about books. If you are too, you might want to check out these historical fiction books about books. You can’t go wrong with any of them.

This book highlights the importance of every act of resistance, no matter how small. Together, we can all make a difference.

Graphic memoirs are one of my favorite ways to explore true stories. Between the text and the images, so much can be communicated on a single page. This year, a fabulous new graphic memoir, Holler, hit bookshelves, providing readers with an inside look at the activism around fighting against the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Holler: A Graphic Memoir of Rural Resistance by Denali Sai Nalamalapu Denali Sai Nalamalapu, a climate activist, wanted to bring the story of the Mountain Valley Pipeline to a new audience. More than that, they wanted to make their audience feel the impact of the devastation the pipeline has caused. What better way to do that than to tell the story of the activists and changemakers who fought against the pipeline’s construction for years? The Mountain Valley Pipeline spans roughly 300 miles from northwestern West Virginia to southern Virginia. It ran through people’s farms, forests, and more, destroying the landscape and wildlife habitats. To tell the story of the resistance to the pipeline’s construction, Nalamalapu sat on the porch with her subjects for hours, soaking in their stories and transforming them into short chapters, reducing them down to their essence. Nalamalapu illustrates the stories of six individuals whose small acts of resistance made a lasting impact. Every chapter is simply illustrated and features short snippets of each activist telling their own story. In one chapter, a woman named Becky Crabtree chains herself to her Ford Bronco as she protests the pipeline being constructed through her family’s farm. In another, we meet Desirée Shelley, a Monacan woman who’s working as a seedkeeper and educator, focusing on preserving her community’s future. Before reading Holler, I wasn’t overly familiar with the Mountain Valley Pipeline or its history. But Nalamalapu had readers like me in mind when they wrote and illustrated their book. They include a helpful timeline of the events around the pipeline, helping readers follow along. And by highlighting the everyday people who fought against its construction, Nalamalapu highlights the importance of every act of resistance, no matter how small. Together, we can all make a difference in fighting for a better world. You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.

There are all sorts of stories to explore, like grief memoirs, books about food, and family-related tales.

It’s true—I’m a sucker for a frontlist book list. I love seeing all of the new books about to hit shelves. It’s easy to find oneself bedazzled by the shiny new covers at local bookstores’ front tables, but we can’t forget about the top-tier unread backlist books that are stacked on our TBRs at home. There are all sorts of stories to explore, like grief memoirs, books about food, and family-related tales. Here are a few of my favorites that are definitely must-reads. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner In this gorgeous memoir, Michelle Zauner shares her experience growing up as the only Asian American kid in her community. Zauner grew up in Oregon with a white American father and a Korean mother, which has always made her feel not part of either world. When her mother dies, she finds herself in an Asian grocery store, reminded of her mother and crying in the aisles. Beautifully written and full of quick wit and insight, Crying in H Mart has continued to draw readers in over the years. I still see it about every week on TikTok as new readers discover Zauner’s story for the first time. Save Me the Plums by Ruth Reichl On the way back from a writer’s workshop this summer, a friend turned on a podcast and out came the voice of Ruth Reichl. I gushed to my friend about Save Me the Plums, a huge favorite of mine. The last editor of Gourmet Magazine, Reichl writes about her time at the magazine, which was an institution of food writing for decades. Reichl describes how she became the editor, the steep learning curve that she found herself on, and the wild ride that was Gourmet’s last years. As a sucker for anything that sits at the intersection of food and publishing, I adored reading about Reichl’s experience. Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward I was wearing a Jesmyn Ward t-shirt the other day, and someone asked me if her memoir was just as good as her novels. I gave a resounding YES. In her memoir, Men We Reaped, Jesmyn Ward alternates between writing chapters about her childhood growing up in the Mississippi Delta region and the stories of five men in her life who died too young, including her brother. With each new man we meet, Ward describes their vibrant personalities, family histories, hopes, and dreams. Each of these men’s lives ended too soon because of the systemic racism they experienced and the long lasting effects of intergenerational trauma. But her portrait of these men also includes a lot of joy, the happy memories Ward grabs and holds onto tightly through her writing. You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.

This is a moderated subreddit. It is our intent and purpose to foster and encourage in-depth discussion about all things related to books, authors, genres, or publishing in a safe, supportive environment. If you're looking for help with a personal book recommendation, consult our Weekly Recommendation Thread, Suggested Reading page, or ask in r/suggestmeabook.

Hello readers and welcome to our Weekly FAQ thread! Our topic this week is: Which contemporary novels do you think deserve to become classics? We're all familiar with the classics, from The Iliad of Homer to F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. But which contemporary novels, published after 1960, do you think will be remembered as a classic years from now? You can view previous FAQ threads here in our wiki. Thank you and enjoy! submitted by /u/AutoModerator [link] [comments]

Hi everyone! What are you reading? What have you recently finished reading? What do you think of it? We want to know! We're displaying the books found in this thread in the book strip at the top of the page. If you want the books you're reading included, use the formatting below. Formatting your book info Post your book info in this format: the title, by the author For example: The Bogus Title, by Stephen King This formatting is voluntary but will help us include your selections in the book strip banner. Entering your book data in this format will make it easy to collect the data, and the bold text will make the books titles stand out and might be a little easier to read. Enter as many books per post as you like but only the parent comments will be included. Replies to parent comments will be ignored for data collection. To help prevent errors in data collection, please double check your spelling of the title and author. NEW: Would you like to ask the author you are reading (or just finished reading) a question? Type !invite in your comment and we will reach out to them to request they join us for a community Ask Me Anything event! -Your Friendly /r/books Moderator Team submitted by /u/AutoModerator [link] [comments]

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Can a 19th century book really be this funny? Surprisingly, yes! I kept coming across recommendations for this book when reading reviews of one of my favourite humorists, P.G. Wodehouse, so I had to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised, because considering it was written in 1889, parts of this book are absurdly hilarious! On the surface it sounds rather boring: a travel story of a boat trip in a skiff up and down the Thames over a couple of weeks by the three friends, Jerome (our narrator and hypochondriac), George, and Harris, and the dog Montmorency. I later learned it was originally conceived to be a serious travelogue, with details of scenery and history, but somewhere in the course of writing it the comic elements took over. The humorous parts are the highlights — and thankfully, they make up most of the book. But due to how it was conceived, at times there are more serious parts, and sometimes these sections border on descriptive poetry because they are so well written, and they add historical charm. But at other times the contrast in style and mood is jarring and actually detracts from the humor (especially a section at the end about a woman who killed herself by drowning). At times it feels like the book is trying to be two opposite things at once: travelogue and farce. In the end this doesn't matter too much, because the abundance of humour redeems the book of its faults, and it's worth reading for that alone. There's not a lot of plot, and often the novel goes off in a wild tangent as the narrator reminisces about something totally unrelated to the story at hand, often beginning with the words "I remember..." or "Speaking of this reminds me of a rather curious incident..." But these side-stories are often side-splittingly funny and become attractions of their own. Not to say that the events that unfold don't have funny elements, such as the hilarious incident in which the three friends battle to open a can of pineapple and only succeed in injuring themselves and wreck things in the process (ch 12), and the wonderful description of their attempt to make Irish stew incorporates all their leftovers, possibly along with a dead water-rat (ch 14). Riotous mishaps abound while setting up tents, using camping stoves, navigating the boat, and dealing with everything from other riverboats to grumpy property owners, all producing moments of pure slapstick. But just as entertaining are the times the narrator digresses for multiple pages with his miscellaneous recollections and anecdotes, such as the memory of Uncle Podger attempting to be a DIY handyman (ch 3), the account of his friend learning to play the bagpipes (ch 10), and the incident of the fishing stories and plaster trout (ch 17). These all happen far from the river and have little to do with it, but prove to be the charm that makes this novel work. A surprising aspect about this book is how timeless it feels. There are a few aspects where it shows the mark of its time, but for the most part it feels fresh and still speaks well to a modern audience, who can enjoy most of the humour much like the first readers did. submitted by /u/EndersGame_Reviewer [link] [comments]

I just finished To Kill a Mockingbird. Somehow after 72 years on earth I had never read that book. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt such an emotional response to a book. It kind of spoiled my day yesterday after reading about the courtroom trial. Maybe I wouldn’t have had such a reaction a few years ago. A few years ago Obama was elected and I felt like maybe this country was becoming less bigoted. I had hope. Unfortunately Obama’s election caused a huge portion of our country to lose their minds and now we are seeing the ugliest manifestations of racism on the rise. I loved the book. One of the best I’ve ever read and I recommend it to everyone. But it also made me feel sick. Can we humans ever rise above this insanity? submitted by /u/punabear [link] [comments]

I hope i’m not too late to ride on the hype!!! This is the first memoir I’ve ever read—mainly because it’s the only celebrity memoir Jack Edwards has rated five stars. When I first came across the book a year or two ago, I remember being shocked and taken aback by the title printed on such a pretty cover. I thought it was too vulgar. “How could anybody say that about their mom? How ungrateful,” I remember thinking. But after stumbling upon it again this July, my perspective completely changed. I deeply admire Jennette McCurdy’s bravery and unwavering honesty in sharing the painful and often disturbing moments of her childhood—hidden behind all the glamour and fame. How could a mother force her child to starve herself, belittle her desire to be a writer, and shame her so persistently that she developed eating disorders and severe mental health issues? If it were me, I don’t think I could have survived it. I admire Jennette not only for her resilience, but for choosing herself and working hard to heal from traumas she didn’t even realize she was experiencing until her treatment journey began. There were moments when I had to pause and take a breath because of how triggering some parts were—almost as if the previous chapters hadn’t already prepared me. I found myself relating to her experiences with her parents and grandmother. Though not as extreme, their echoes bled through my own life and resurfaced memories I also hope to acknowledge and heal from. As someone currently struggling with the direction—or lack of direction—of my life, I resonated deeply with her thoughts on “slip-ups.” Her reflection on how we shouldn’t let slips turn into slides, particularly in relation to her bulimia, helped me better understand my own self-sabotaging behaviors. It made me realize why my mind feels so uneasy when I try to break bad habits—because those patterns have become part of my identity. They’ve been my safe space. Jennette’s discussion of shame and guilt—how they are different, and how we shouldn’t let shame define us while accepting that guilt is a normal emotion—was something I truly needed to hear. There’s still so much more I could say, but what I’ve shared are the parts that had the biggest impact on me—mainly because of their relevance to my current life. As I reached the end of the book (without even realizing it at first), I mentally applauded. Her decision to never visit her mother’s grave again, paired with The Doobie Brothers’ “What a Fool Believes” playing in the background—it felt like the perfect ending to a movie scene. I’m glad she died, too. submitted by /u/CuriousElize [link] [comments]

This may be the first book I would ever describe as "stealth military history," but the term absolutely applies. The Paris Commune appears and is indeed central to the book, but it appears almost entirely in the context of the military campaign by Adolphe Thiers to destroy it. A full half of the book is about "Bloody Week," the pitched battle by the Army of Versailles to retake Paris from the Communards. The rest is set during the skirmishes on the outskirts of Paris prior to it. What we see is both fascinating and grim. On one hand, we have the Communards, who have set up a functioning government of sorts, although as revolutions go, this one resembles more of an attempt to herd cats than anything else. They are representative of the working class of Paris, they have high ideals and are making a concerted effort to not be tyrannical, although this frequently runs up against an authoritarian police commissioner who got his post by physically kicking the Commune's appointee out the office and just taking over. There are those who are calling for a new reign of terror, but they're in the minority, and oppressive laws, while not entirely absent, are few and far between. Then you have the government of Versailles and the reconstituted French Army (the "Versaillais"). They've just lost the Franco-Prussian War, followed by Paris literally "noping out" after a hastily called election brought about a mainly conservative government with a number of former monarchists (and, in fact, the concern of the Commune was avoiding the restoration of the monarchy). There is a real sense of the French Army wanting redemption, and seeing retaking Paris from the Communards as the way to get it. And what you get as a result is a military campaign that is effectively a professional army vs. a clown show. The Commune is a perfect example of how idealism separated from realism leads to disaster. Paris is defended by the National Guard, who have done away with things like officers appointed by merit and military discipline. When they face the Versaillais, they have endemic problems with desertion, along with no centralized leadership. What they do have are barricades, and a belief that the Versaillais will just rush into headlong attacks against them. The Versaillais, on the other hand, are professionals who have learned a number of the lessons of the war. They have also been primed through propaganda to see the people of Paris as a bunch of insurgents who want nothing other than to destroy nation. They are primed to turn the battle into a running war crime, and that is precisely what they do. These are the broad strokes. The details are revealing. The Communards fight bravely (at least those of the National Guard who bothered to show up and fight at all), but end up being repeatedly baffled when the Versaillais just occupy the buildings next to their barricades and fire into them from the windows. As the city is taken, a running massacre takes place, with the Versaillais treating everybody they capture as a rebel and insurgent without the protections of the Geneva Convention, and shooting them upon capture...and doing the same to just about anybody they catch at all, regardless of whether they were actually involved. As the situation becomes more desperate, the Communards start trying to burn down buildings around the barricades to prevent the Versaillais from being able to use them, inadvertently creating a race to see which side can destroy Paris faster. Here there is an uncomfortable element of literal class warfare. As Merriman points out, those of the working class caught by the Versaillais were likely to be shot upon capture, while those of the middle and upper classes had a better chance of being released. But, we do need to talk about the Commune itself. Much of the military side does read as something from another century - you're not going to find the predecessor to the Taliban or Iraqi insurgencies in the Paris Commune, nor are you going to find many similarities to Hamas (even though the Commune did take and execute dozens of hostages) - as I said before, the Commune lacked the basic organization to put up a lasting fight. But you will find a very modern use of propaganda - as the Commune loses skirmish after skirmish before the main siege, they present each one as a victory. This doesn't work, and may very well have contributed to the absenteeism in the National Guard - it's hard to deny reality when you see the bodies coming home. Paris falls within days of the proper siege beginning, but the reprisals last months. Thiers purged the Communards from Paris using firing squads, with little concern over who they were actually shooting. One of the more eyebrow raising moments comes when some people just try to get the names of those who were shot, only to be told that nobody was keeping any records. As far as the French Army was concerned, honour had been restored. As Merriman points out, this was not a view that was taken by many who witnessed the carnage, including other European governments. In his ruthless suppression of the Commune, Thiers arguably granted them the victory in the long run - they became remembered as one of the founders of the French Republic, and the French Army guilty of an atrocity. This is a very good book, but Merriman does have a bias favouring the Commune that comes out in a couple of eyebrow raising lines. At one point, he declares that even though the Commune was founded as a rejection of the results of a French general election, it was the French government that revolted against the Commune rather than the other way around (and that's not how it works). Likewise, he tries to argue that the Commune didn't actually try to enforce secularization, right after talking about it passing a law banning anybody associated with religion from working in any schools or hospitals (no, they DID try, they just failed to carry it out). Happily, these moments are very few and far between (in fact, these are the only two that stood out to me as I read it), and the book is quite good and worth reading. submitted by /u/Robert_B_Marks [link] [comments]

Poet and author Meena Kandasamy has found she that is being regularly cited in academic research papers as well as online articles and blog posts with hallucinated quotes falsely attributed to her (from TheWire.in) submitted by /u/FoxUpstairs9555 [link] [comments]

I’ve seen plenty of posts and comments about how basic a writer she is and totally overrated. Yet I for some reason picked up The Women and decided to stick with it. So, everyone is right. She’s…I don’t know if it’s fair to say a terrible writer - but she certainly isn’t very good. I find myself constantly annoyed with just about all of it. It’s one of the most generic novels I’ve come across, yet I won’t stop reading it. Written through a 2020 lens. Absolutely no character development. I mean, justice for Ethel and Barb. Seriously. I even know what happens because I cheated and read spoilers (which, I mean, come on, really?) I’m even half tempted to read the Nightingale because it’s gotten such good reviews. Of course, so did The Women. Has anyone else experienced this with her books? Maybe I’m drawn to it because it’s such an easy read and my old mind is just tired? God, I hope that isn’t it. submitted by /u/Signal_Contract_3592 [link] [comments]

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I am not sure how often I think about this question, but given how much I loved P. G. Wodehouse books, and that it's been at least thirty years since I read them, it's a fair amount. Jeeves will be fine, right? He will emerge from WWII unscathed, and with a much larger nest egg than what he went in with. Wooster, ahhh. I wish I could be as certain. On the one hand, I tell myself that those entitled privileged no-good aristocrats all found ways of keeping themselves and their spawn safe if they wanted to, so there's that, and Aunt Dahlia probably would have found a nice safe cushy position for Bertie. On the other hand, well, it was WWII after all. Although war in general is a great respecter of class, you can never be quite sure. Reading Wodehouse was an interesting experience for someone like me, raised to believe in equality and thus to loath the aristocracy and moneyed elites as much as I did. Wodehouse certainly validated my understanding that they are a bunch of idiot inbred parasites, wholly undeserving of privilege they still continue to wield and the French Revolutionaries generally had the right idea, though perhaps the means by which they put those ideas into practice was a bit too sharp. But then, I also loved Bertie and his world. How could I not? It was so wholesome! So sweet! Just so, so, so fricking funny! The cow-creamer! the chef! Aunt Agatha! Honoria Glossop! The language! Oh my god, I remember my disappointment realizing I had read all of them and my school library genuinely did not have any more Jeeves and Wooster books- the feeling that now the world was little bit greyer and less shiny, with no new Jeeves and Wooster. There will never be anything like them, so closely were they tied to a particular place, a particular time, a particular class. submitted by /u/1000andonenites [link] [comments]

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Tried to read this book a few months ago, and decided to give it another try. The writing is so clunky and disjointed it’s almost painful to read. The narrator “thinks/feels” one way and then says something completely different. It’s so in your face at times that it feels like it’s been written by AI. Half the time I’m wondering what anything means. It’s an interesting concept, but no depth at all so far. I’m writing this to share my thoughts, which I’m sure aren’t novel, but also for someone to help me and point out why I dislike the writing so much in a more eloquent way. submitted by /u/ravenclawpatronus46 [link] [comments]

So I recently read three bestselling and critically well regarded books: Babel by R.F. Kuang The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus All very different books, but they each left me cold for the same reason. They were very preachy. They had a message to impart, and they pounded on this message with the subtlety of a lump hammer. The characters were cyphers for the message rather than real people. I actually agreed with messages (sexism is bad, the British Empire was evil, you should be kind to children), but it was still offputting. Babel came closest to having some nuance, but then the author would pause the story to tell you that this racist person is being racist and that is bad. Is this a general trend in modern literature, or did I just pick 3 very preachy books in rapid succession? submitted by /u/Honeyful-Air [link] [comments]

I honestly have no words — this series was fantastic. Every time I finished a book, I thought “That’s it, that’s my favourite couple,” and then I’d start the next one and somehow fall even harder. I was OBSESSED with all of them. The way Liz Tomforde writes romance just hits. The chemistry, the slow burns, the emotional buildup — it gave me all the butterflies and genuinely made me feel things I haven’t felt reading in a long time. Add in the found family dynamic and how each character continues to show up in the others’ stories? Perfection. I especially loved how unique each relationship felt while still tying into this tight-knit friend group. You really get to live with these characters and watch their love stories unfold in such a satisfying, genuine way. If I had to rank them (painfully), here’s where I landed: Rewind It Back Play Along The Right Move Caught Up Mile High But truly, they’re all so good. I don't know if I’ll ever find a series that gives me the same feeling again. Highly recommend if you love character-driven romance, found family, and books that leave you smiling and emotional. submitted by /u/Chemical_Cat_2126 [link] [comments]

Hello everyone, I wanted to talk about what brought us all to reading. I actually was not a huge reader growing up. I struggled a lot with literacy in my childhood. As an adult, I took a job with a long commute and then started to read a book if I got to work early. This started my book reading hobby. I have read over 300 books in the last two years. Now that I read everyday I feel like it is my favorite hobby. I go to the library each week and I check out tons of books. submitted by /u/Prestigious-Quiet907 [link] [comments]

I just read Three Guineas by Virginia Woolf. I started much earlier but dropped the book halfway through because I was bored. The book takes on rather too much and is written in such a languid style that I couldn't take anymore of it without a break. This is odd to say because Woolf is a favorite of mine. I like her style in everything from novels to book reviews. I even liked A Room of One's Own though it was a similarly languid book. I think my main issue with Three Guineas is that there's a vast discrepancy or even conflict between the subject and the manner in which it is written. The subject is that a man wrote a letter to Woolf asking her opinion about how they should go about preventing the war which was later known as World War II; Woolf put the letter next to two others, one asking for donation to rebuild a women's college, the other from an institution acting to enter women into to the workforce. In her characteristic fashion, she tries to interweave the three topics into a collected whole, such that the problems may illuminate one another by proximity. She states early what her approach is going to be. It is not the approach of the scholar or the scientist. She doesn't cite statistics or research. Her approach is what she thinks the approach of the "daughters of educated men" should necessarily be: to refer to indirect sources, history, biography, and the press. The book is abundant in quotes, from literature to the newspaper. In fact her main method of reasoning is to select careful excerpts, place them suggestively, and make the connection between them in a rather subtle way. This might be why, in spite of the abundance of ideas, the book is difficult to analyze. Almost every point is made through suggestion and repetition. There's rarely a simple line of reasoning that can be followed, and if need be, deconstructed. Now, this is also more or else the style of A Room of One's Own. The difference, to me at least, is that that book is a meditation. There was no immediacy or convenience in the topic she was asked to talk about: Women and Fiction. She had freedom to interpret the topic how she liked; to enter and exit whatever territory she thought relevant with no mind to a logical structure. In Three Guineas, the case is different. There are immediate and practical questions about War and Women and Work. Her style which was so rich in A Room becomes almost irritating here. At times it seems as if she's incapable of confronting a problem in direct terms, taking every opportunity to be subtle. It's ironic that though she was supposedly asked how to prevent war, she makes almost no mention of the war that had just ended, that is, in literal terms, or of the details regarding the upcoming war. She was an extreme generalist. It's as if a building had caught on fire and you asked someone to hand you a hose, but she wrote a long letter about how refusing to knit socks can help reduce arson. submitted by /u/Legitimate-Radio9075 [link] [comments]

I'm a little over halfway through and I just can't handle it anymore. I saw the movie years ago and liked it a lot. Sure, Greg is annoying and socially awkward, but that's part of his character arc and it worked effectively in the film. In the book, through his first-person narration, he goes on tangents on things I just don't care about. When he made me read through two pages describing alien barf, I wanted to tap out. Four more pages about his filmography with lame punny movie titles, ugh. I can't handle this. The way he talks about Earl makes me uncomfortable too. I also get weird incel-like vibes from him which I didn't get in the movie. The whole book is just giving me the ick, and I don't think I want to continue with it. submitted by /u/CynthiaChames [link] [comments]

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Welcome readers, Have you ever wanted to ask something but you didn't feel like it deserved its own post but it isn't covered by one of our other scheduled posts? Allow us to introduce you to our new Simple Questions thread! Twice a week, every Tuesday and Saturday, a new Simple Questions thread will be posted for you to ask anything you'd like. And please look for other questions in this thread that you could also answer! A reminder that this is not the thread to ask for book recommendations. All book recommendations should be asked in /r/suggestmeabook or our Weekly Recommendation Thread. Thank you and enjoy! submitted by /u/AutoModerator [link] [comments]

The elephant in the room for Gene Wolfe books is obvious. Been there, read that (twice!), and with an itch on my shoulders I could not scratch no matter how hard I attempted to reach, the only method at my disposal to finally reach back and then some was to also go back into the man’s impressively long history of writing and start from the very beginning with his first novel, Peace, a book some say is unlike anything else he’s wrote and possibly unlike most anything out there. Did I bite off more than I can chew or are what is at one glance philosophical musings by an old man just the thing I, someone who pens reviews often accused of being philosophical musings, need to really make that itch go away? Right off the bat, we get a book that’s deceptively complex. Musings of an old man, maybe, but as each chapter seems almost at random to jump across various point of views (Old man? Young man? Is he now a girl or did I misread something?) and places not to mention time periods, Peace at first is going to be a book that may make a cautious reader raise an eyebrow, wonder “what did I get myself into?” and consider putting it down...for good. But don’t! If you’re of the timid type who prefers stories that follow the well-trodden path, here’s one by a master even from day one that will challenge you and the result is worth the journey. Drip, drip, drip something changes and only becomes all the noticeable as Peace runs its course. What can that be? The dialog! This is a spoiler-free review, don’t worry, but in a conversation-heavy book, something began to gnaw at me that only became apparent three-quarters in: these conversions are just too perfect! I don’t mean this in a “this was Gene Wolfe’s first book so he just can’t write good dialog” way, but rather, “they just really fit the odd vibe of this book” way. An easier to digest comparison for us moderns would be the dialog Edward Bloom took part in when visiting Spectre and having tea with its odd mayor and poet Norther Winslow. Odd, yes, but somehow it works. Are the oddities the result of this—a confused old man and/or a child with a larger than life imagination? Or simply a bad editor not catching mistakes? Pay attention. Wolfe even as far back as Peace, knew what he was doing and echoing the afterword, you will be rewarded. That Peace may not be the more familiar ground of SF & Fantasy may turn away some readers who only expect that from the man is a given, but what we get here is something both Americana and perhaps “American Gothic”, a tale of a time long gone, hazy recollections, characters who may appear major fading in and out, love interests that suddenly pack up and leave, questionable decisions galore, riches and poverty, local fame, fortune on the horizon, and a lady with no arms (really). This one’s odd, but worth it. 5/5 submitted by /u/kobushi [link] [comments]

I read a few years ago House of Leaves, it really loved it (especially the deep and worldwide analysis of a fictional work), like top 3 best book I ever read. I just found a few days ago the concept of ergotic books on this sub, and so I took some recommandations from users, like S., XX or even Infinite Jest which I intend to read as soon as I finish the book I'm reading: War with the Newts, from Karel Čapek. The irony here is I suspect it of being maybe an ergotic book, but I'm not sure as I don't understand precisely the concept. It has a lot of different fonts and play with it, several newspapers or diaries entry, scientific article, meeting minutes.... I couldn't believe when I saw it was written in 1935 as I find it really modern in its way of playing with the idea of book. So I have 2 questions, for thoses who read it and the others: 1 : Does it qualify as an ergotic book? 2 : In that case, can it be considered as the first one? Do you know any book that could be older? Edit: Thanks for the answers! I get it now, so I understand why my opinion is wrong and the book cannot be ergoDic. Sorry for the typo btw, english is not my native langage. I will look out for some books mentionned. submitted by /u/Otozno [link] [comments]

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I absolutely hated it the first time I read it. I thought the characters were vapid and unrealistic. I didn't care about them. Especially the description of Marianne's home, her brother etc, really annoyed me because it seemed so childish almost. However, my second read went much better. I don't know what happened. Maybe I have changed because I went to therapy and had some mental health challenges myself. Suddenly I could appreciate the story. I guess this time I didn't really try to relate to the characters, and instead of being annoyed by their decisions I tried to see their motivations more and tried to understand their (often corrupted) perception of their surroundings. Even though some small things still really bothered me, like some little university stereotypes and simulacra of "cool college life", I would actually give it three or four stars now instead of zero. Maybe I just had to be older? When I first read it, I thought I was too old for it. Now I realise I might've been too young. I don't even know; I've never had this experience with any book. What about you? Did you have a similar experience with this book? Or maybe with another book? submitted by /u/-ajrojrojro- [link] [comments]

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Books any time any day.

Book Review Author :Delia Owens Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher : GP Putnam’s Sons Year of Publication: 2019 Number of Pages: 368 My Rating : 4 out of 5 I picked this up with a bit of hesitation. In spite of the great reviews that it got, I must say the title made me expect something … Continue reading Where the Crawdads Sing →

Book Review Author :Delia Owens Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher : GP Putnam’s Sons Year of Publication: 2019 Number of Pages: 368 My Rating : 4 out of 5 I picked this up with a bit of hesitation. In spite of the great reviews that it got, I must say the title made me expect something quite different from what it was. I expected a book filled with scientific details about marshes and birds that would be difficult to read. I was genuinely surprised and pleased to get drawn into the story and to find that it was not an exposition on the science of the marsh masquerading as a novel but a well written, enjoyable and easy to follow story. The story is about Kya a young girl born in the marshes of North Carolina, USA who is left to fend for herself by her family from the tender age of 7. The town people consider her strange and refer to her as Marsh Girl. She somehow manages to take care of herself all alone in the Marsh with only the occasional journey into town to get supplies. She is lucky enough to make a friend who teaches her how to read and helps her make use of her knowledge of the marsh to make a respectable living. When one day, Chase Andrews, the son of one of the town’s most prominent families is found dead in the swamp, the town people cannot help but suspect that the strange Marsh girl had something to do with his death. This is an interesting book about survival and overcoming all odds to make a good life in the face of extreme hardship and hostility. Though I must admit at times I found it difficult to believe that such a young child could survive alone in such difficult circumstances and that none of the residents of the town bothered to do anything about this situation, the story is touching in many ways. It would be amazing if anyone could actually survive such a childhood and manage to turn their life around as Kya did. I also enjoyed learning about the marsh and the different species to be found there and seeing the beauty in nature through Kya’s eyes, as she explored her marsh and got to know it better than anyone else. I rate this book 4 out of 5. If you enjoy reading coming of age historical fiction stories and are a lover of nature, you will absolutely love this book. If you are the skeptical and cynical type, you might find it a bit implausible. Happy reading!

Classics Book Review Author : Elizabeth Gaskell Genre : Literary Classic Fiction Original Publisher : Chapman and Hall Year of Publication : 1854 Number of Pages : 396 My Rating : 5 out of 5 My most recent read is this gem of a book by Elizabeth Gaskell, based in Victorian England. Margaret Hale is … Continue reading North and South →

Classics Book Review Author : Elizabeth Gaskell Genre : Literary Classic Fiction Original Publisher : Chapman and Hall Year of Publication : 1854 Number of Pages : 396 My Rating : 5 out of 5 My most recent read is this gem of a book by Elizabeth Gaskell, based in Victorian England. Margaret Hale is the daughter of a parson. At age nine, her parents sent her away from the sleepy hamlet known as Helstone, where her father serves as the Parish Priest, to go live with her maternal aunt in London’s Harley Street so she could get an education along with her cousin Edith. Nine years later, aged eighteen, she returns to the village home of her parents and is longing for a quiet, peaceful life walking in the forest and spending her days tending to the needs of her father’s congregation. “She took a pride in her forest. Its people were her people. She made hearty friends with them; learned and delighted in using their peculiar words; took up her freedom amongst them; nursed their babies; talked or read with slow distinctness to their old people; carried dainty messes to their sick; resolved before long to teach at the school, where her father went every day as to an appointed task, but she was continually tempted off to go and see some individual friend–man, woman, or child–in some cottage in the green shade of the forest.“ When her father suddenly announces that he is moving the family North to the manufacturing town of Milton-Northern, she is shocked and grief stricken and wonders how this change will affect her family, most especially her mother. Life in Milton is as different as expected – the air is heavy with smoke, the streets are bustling and the people are rough. Margaret tries her best to ease her mother’s worries and anxieties. With time, she gets to meet some of the people of Milton and make friends with them, in spite of the differences in behaviour, customs and mannerisms. She manages to get herself embroilled in the politics of the town and finds herself in the middle of a strike. She also manages to draw the attention of Mr. Thornton, a mill owner and one of the wealthiest manufacturers in the town, who is also her father’s pupil. John Thornton finds Margaret haughty and thinks she treats him with contempt while Margaret finds him hard and unfeeling and only interested in getting wealthy at the expense of his poor workers. Yet the two are brought together time and time again by fate. Will they be able to overcome their differences and find common ground? “If Mr. Thornton was a fool in the morning, as he assured himself at least twenty times he was, he did not grow much wiser in the afternoon. All that he gained in return for his sixpenny omnibus ride, was a more vivid conviction that there never was, never could be, anyone like Margaret; that she did not love him and never would; but she –no! nor the whole world –should never hinder him from loving her.“ This story is engaging and well written. It demonstrates what happens when there is a clash of cultures. Margaret and her family are used to Southern mannerisms and she struggles to understand the industrial town and its people. She has also had a privileged life at the her aunt’s London home which is very different from the life her own family leads. Through the eyes of the other characters, we get to experience the industrial revolution and the inevitable clashes between the mill owners and their workers as each strives to protect their interests. I loved how the author presented us with different view points of the lives of the people of Milton – that of the owners, workers and outsiders in the form of the Hale family. “After a quiet life in a country parsonage for more than twenty years, there was something dazzling to Mr. Hale in the energy which conquered immense difficulties with ease; the power of the machinery of Milton, the power of the men of Milton, impressed him with a sense of grandeur, which he yielded to without caring to inquire into the details of its exercise.“ This was my first Elizabeth Gaskell book to read as part of my 50 classics in 5 years’ challenge. Having gotten used to Jane Austen books where the biggest differences in social class were as a result of inheritance and the sort of family that one came from, it was refreshing to read about self-made characters who were not trapped in the lives that they were born into. Adaptation North and South has been adapted for TV three times. I watched the above 2004 BBC adaptation. It was a four episode production featuring Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-Ashe. I absolutely loved it and found the characters very fitting for their roles, save that the ending was to me a bit too different from the actual ending in the book. I would have loved to see that ending played out here, though I must admit that it did not come out very nicely in the last episode of the 1975 adaptation that I managed to find on YouTube! I enjoyed every part of this book and recommend it to all lovers of classics. I rate it 5 out of 5.

Author : Marian Keyes Genre : Family Drama Publisher : Michael Joseph -an imprint of Penguin Year of Publication : 2020 Number of Pages : 633 My Rating : 4 out of 5 I totally fell in love with Marian Keyes after reading Sushi for Beginners. It led me to her other books which I … Continue reading Grown Ups →

Author : Marian Keyes Genre : Family Drama Publisher : Michael Joseph -an imprint of Penguin Year of Publication : 2020 Number of Pages : 633 My Rating : 4 out of 5 I totally fell in love with Marian Keyes after reading Sushi for Beginners. It led me to her other books which I also absolutely loved. I know it says ‘gloriously funny’ on this book’s cover – a quote from the Sunday Times – but it was more of drama than humor to me. This is especially so when I compare it with some of her other totally hilarious ones, like Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married and Rachel’s Holiday. The book is based on the Casey family, complete with a family tree, so we know who fits where – and once you tally all the children, they are quite a number. The three Casey brothers are close and spend a lot of time together, despite their estrangement from their very cold and distant parents. The family is fairly well-to-do (or at least Johnny and his wife Jessie are) so a good portion of the book features them at elaborate dinners or on holidays in picturesque destinations. We see the usual family dynamics play out, as the different characters encounter their own unique challenges. The book is quite voluminous at over 600 hundred pages. It took me a while to get into the story, I suppose due to the many characters, each with their own backstory and peculiarities. In fact, this felt more like several stories told together. Thankfully, once the story got going, I found myself pretty much drawn into it and I was easily able to follow the different story lines. I enjoyed the way that Marian expertly combined them into one tightly woven tale and, towards the end, I could not put the book down. Whilst the story was not ‘laugh out loud’ (at least not for me), there was a lot of humor in it together with all the family drama. The characters felt pretty familiar to me. I loved the interactions between them, as I got to know them and watch as they evolved. Marian explores some pretty serious themes in the book as she reveals the characters’ strengths and weaknesses. There was no part of this story that I did not like and I would recommend it to anybody who enjoys warm family stories about relationships and the trials and tribulations that we all have to deal with in every day life. I especially loved that this story does not take itself too seriously and none of the characters is reflected as being perfect. I rate this heartwarming story as a 4. The only reason why it did not get a 5 is because I enjoyed some of Marian’s books so much more and actually laughed out loud!

Book Review Author : Colleen Hoover Genre : Romance Publisher : Simon & Schuster Year of Publication : 2016 Number of Pages : 384 My Rating : 5 out of 5 Lily Bloom is upset following her father’s very emotionally draining funeral and just wants to be alone on a rooftop where she can breathe … Continue reading It Ends With Us →

Book Review Author : Colleen Hoover Genre : Romance Publisher : Simon & Schuster Year of Publication : 2016 Number of Pages : 384 My Rating : 5 out of 5 Lily Bloom is upset following her father’s very emotionally draining funeral and just wants to be alone on a rooftop where she can breathe in the fresh air and unwind. She does not count on meeting handsome Ryle, a neurosurgeon with whom she makes an instant connection. During their brief chat, they tell each other some ‘naked truths’ about their lives. Lily is trying to overcome complicated feelings around her father’s death and the life that she left behind when she moved to Boston. Ryle is struggling with his own demons that plague him. After their initial rooftop encounter, Lily doubts she will ever see Ryle again, as they want different things from life. When they reconnect several months later, she finds herself unable to resist him. In addition to starting a new business, and settling her mother in Boston, she reminisces about her first love, Atlas. She met Atlas as a teenager, at a time when he was lost, and she saved his life. When she unexpectedly bumps into him again, she believes she will finally get the closure she needs to be able to move on with her life. This is a love story, but not just the usual love story. It is a love story that almost made me cry in some parts and left me frustrated in others. Colleen Hoover is a bestselling author of romance, young adult, thriller and women’s fiction. “And maybe a ghost story soon,” as she says in her Goodreads Bio. It is no wonder then that this was not just a romance story, even though romance is at the heart of the book. I really rooted for Lily and Ryle and the twist caught me by surprise. I honestly did not see it coming. As it turns out, this is a tale about life and relationships – and how complicated both can get. I found the story gripping, even as it took an unexpected turn. The author uses first person to narrate the story, so I felt all of Lily’s emotions intensely, as I followed her thoughts and experiences. I loved Lily as a character and wish I had her strength. The other characters were also well developed and easy to relate to. This story seemed so familiar to me, yet the author managed to show me that some circumstances in life are not as they seem at first glance. She shows how easy it is to judge people unfairly when we do not fully understand what they have been through and what makes them act the way they do. Ultimately, this is a story about one woman’s journey and her quest to overcome her past and build a fulfilling, meaningful life for herself. It tells us that we are not bound by our past – or even our present circumstances and we can make the decision to break patterns. No matter what path we take, there is always time and space to course-correct. This may not always be easy and it requires a lot of reflection to recognize where we went wrong and the right path. It also requires the courage to do what is right as opposed to what is easy. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and rate it 5 out of 5. I recommend it to anyone who loves a good story with romance and a bit of a lesson.

Book Review Author : A. J. Finn Genre : Psychological Thriller Publisher : Harper Collins Published : January 2018 Number of Pages : 390 My Rating : 5 out of 5 The Woman in the Window is a psychological thriller by A. J. Finn. The main character, Dr. Anna Fox, suffers from severe agoraphobia and … Continue reading The Woman in the Window →

Book Review Author : A. J. Finn Genre : Psychological Thriller Publisher : Harper Collins Published : January 2018 Number of Pages : 390 My Rating : 5 out of 5 The Woman in the Window is a psychological thriller by A. J. Finn. The main character, Dr. Anna Fox, suffers from severe agoraphobia and is unable to leave her house. From the windows in her living room and her bedroom, she observes her neighbors. She knows all their goings and comings and sees everything that happens on her street. One day, she witnesses something shocking through her window. Unfortunately, no one believes her because of her condition. Dr. Anna Fox is an unreliable narrator. She has a severe anxiety disorder. At times, she either forgets to take her medication as prescribed, or takes double dosses after forgetting that she has already taken the medicine. She takes copious amounts of wine, even though she lies to her doctor that she will not take alcohol. She spends days and nights in her house, watching old thrillers shot in black and white. It is no surprise, therefore, that no one believes what she says. After a while, she even starts to doubt herself. I was drawn into this story from the beginning and it kept going at the same enthralling steady pace. It was full of twists and turns and a lot of suspense. At some point, I figured out part of the main character’s back story, but the main twist still caught me by surprise. I loved the way the author was able to clearly show us what Anna was going through, though at times, even Anna was confused and unclear about some of the events. I do not know anybody who suffers from agoraphobia, but I was able to feel the intensity of Anna’s fears, as they were set out so vividly. The characters were well developed. Most of the story is focused on Anna, but there is a good mix of supporting characters, who help to build the story. At the beginning, I thought this would be just a story about a nosy woman at a window spying on her neighbors – especially given how the story started. It turned out to be so much more. I’m glad I picked this as my last read of the year as I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I rate it 5 out of 5 and recommend it to anyone who loves psychological thrillers. A film based on the book, starring Amy Adams and Julianne Moore, is currently under production and is expected to air in 2020. I’m looking forward to watching it and hope it remains faithful to the book, as I could not bear the disappointment if they mess it up.

Book Review Author : Margaret Atwood Genre : Literary Fiction/Science Fiction and Fantasy Publisher : Penguin Random House Year of Publication : 2019 Number of Pages : 401 My Rating : 5 out of 5 This book is a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale. It is set fifteen years after the events of The Handmaid’s … Continue reading The Testaments →

Book Review Author : Margaret Atwood Genre : Literary Fiction/Science Fiction and Fantasy Publisher : Penguin Random House Year of Publication : 2019 Number of Pages : 401 My Rating : 5 out of 5 This book is a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale. It is set fifteen years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale. The author, Margaret Atwood, is an accomplished author whose work has been published in more than forty-five countries. An adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale is now an award-winning TV series. Though I haven’t read The Handmaid’s Tale, I caught a few of the episodes which gave me some background into Gilead. The Testaments still reads well as a Standalone and prior knowledge of Gilead is not really necessary to follow the story. Atwood was selected as a joint winner of the Booker Prize in 2019 for The Testaments. Margaret Atwood This book takes us back to Gilead, a dystopian society that can only exist in one’s worst nightmare. It is a country set up after the so called ‘Sons of Jacob’ overthrow the US Government. They are deeply unhappy with a country bedeviled by numerous ills and want to make it better. I didn’t know there was a place in the Bible known as Gilead, but it makes total sense that the country would be named after a biblical place. Or maybe it was named after another actual town in the US called Gilead. The Sons of Jacob set up a theocratic government that has retrogressive views on the role of women in society, deeming them unsuitable for any positions of power. All steeped in religious bigotry. Women are not allowed to do any professional work. They can only be Wives, Aunts, Marthas or Handmaids. Marthas are domestic workers for the elites whilst the sole role of Handmaids is to get impregnated and carry babies for couples who are sterile. The world has a severe fertility crisis and most adults are sterile. Many babies are born with serious genetic defects and do not survive. As in many such societies, it is the women who are assumed to be infertile, hence the Handmaids are meant to bear children on their behalf. This makes the Handmaids extremely valuable and they are forced to perform their role with no escape. Handmaids wearing their ‘white wings’. The story is narrated through the voices of three women, whose connection becomes evident as it progresses. These are Aunt Lydia, who featured prominently in The Handmaid’s Tale and two young girls, Agnes and Daisy. Aunt Lydia is one of the founding women of Gilead. She is extremely resourceful, powerful and greatly feared. To ensure her own survival, she maneuvered her way into being placed in charge of all the women. She runs the revered Ardua Hall where Handmaids are trained and no men are allowed. She protects her position by ensuring she has incriminating information on all the senior members of Gilead’s governing council. Agnes is a fifteen year old girl, born after Gilead was formed. She is the daughter of a high ranking Commander. Through her story, we get an insider’s perspective of how life in a Commander’s house is and the sort of upbringing that Gilead girls have. She lets us in on life at school and the transition from being a girl to becoming a Wife. Eventually, she ends up at Ardua Hall under Aunt Lydia and gives us a front seat perspective of the lives of recruits selected to become Aunts. Daisy is a sixteen year old girl living with her parents in Canada. She only knows of Gilead through what she learns in school or sees on the news. She gives us an outsider’s perspective of Gilead, through the eyes of a young girl. She eagerly participates in anti-Gilead matches and disdains the Gilead Pearl Girls, who walk around her neighbourhood looking for fresh recruits to take to Gilead, thinking them ignorant. This is a story of horrific treatment meted out to others in the name of religion. Those in charge take it upon themselves to decide the fate of others with rigid oppressive laws, rules and guidelines. Spies are everywhere. Disobedience is severely punished and life in Gilead is full of fear, violence and death. Serious crimes by powerful men – such as pedophilia – are, for the large part, ignored and victims are more likely to be punished for speaking out than the perpetrators. Handmaids occasionally gather to carry out a horrific execution. Whilst this is not a story that one can call at all enjoyable, it was an intriguing look into what could happen when there is unchecked power. I loved the style that Atwood used to tell the story as I got a clear, firsthand view of events from different angles as represented by the three main characters. Whilst I really hated Aunt Lydia in the TV series, she somehow comes out as sympathetic in this book and I found myself empathizing with her, in spite of my better judgement. I suppose that is what happens when you are able to see a character’s motivation articulated so clearly. The book has quite a number of characters. Though many of them are totally unlikeable, they play a vital role in showing us the treachery, deception and vindictiveness pervading in Gilead. Some of them are heroes, working to end the tragedy that is Gilead. A few are even unsung heroes. All in all, what I loved most about this tale of woe was the ending. It gets a well deserved 5 out of 5. I recommend it to anyone who loves literary fiction.

A Classic’s Club Book Review Author: Henrik Ibsen Genre : Realistic Problem Play Publisher: T. Fisher Unwin Year of Publication: 21st December 1879 Number of Pages: 101 My Rating: 5 out of 5 I picked a Doll’s House as the next book to read for my Classics Club ’50 books in 5 years challenge’ because … Continue reading A Doll’s House →

A Classic’s Club Book Review Author: Henrik Ibsen Genre : Realistic Problem Play Publisher: T. Fisher Unwin Year of Publication: 21st December 1879 Number of Pages: 101 My Rating: 5 out of 5 I picked a Doll’s House as the next book to read for my Classics Club ’50 books in 5 years challenge’ because my son is reading it for school and I thought it would be cool to discuss it with him and share ideas on the themes. This exceptional read is a three-act play written by Henrik Ibsen, who was a leading Norwegian playwright. It features Nora Helmer and her relationship with her husband, Torvald. The play takes place just before Christmas. Nora is overjoyed because her husband has been appointed Manager of the local bank. He is to start at the beginning of the coming year. The family has been experiencing financial problems and Nora is looking forward to having more money than she can spend. Torvald believes his wife wastes money, calling her extravagant and a spendthrift who cannot save, even as she says that she really does save all that she can. His opinion of her is also evident in the way that he addresses her, calling her ‘a little squirrel’, ‘a little lark’, ‘a little skylark’ and ‘a little featherhead’. Ugh! When he says something that seems to upset her, he gives her money to cheer her up. Unknown to Torvald, Nora is not as helpless as he thinks, as she reveals to her old school friend, Mrs. Linde. She has had to work hard as well to support the family. Soon after their marriage, Torvald had overworked himself and fallen ill. The doctors had recommended that he travel south. The trip had to be taken, even though the couple did not have money to finance it. As far as Torvald knew, Nora borrowed some money from her father to pay for the trip. But Nora’s father had also been ailing at the time and she did not want to bother him. So she did the unthinkable and borrowed money from an unsavory man known as Nils Krogstad, without telling anybody else about it. Since then, Nora has saved what she can and worked long hours on whatever job she can get in order to repay the loan and the interest charged. When Mr. Krogstad realizes that Torvald is planning to fire him from his position at the bank because of a fraud that he committed, he attempts to blackmail Nora. He threatens to reveal that she borrowed money from him (and committed a fraud in the process) if she does not get her husband to retain him in his position. Nora is distressed by this as she knows Torvald detests loans and any impropriety. This play is a very insightful look into the way that women were regarded in society at the time. Torvald thinks his wife is a feather head and constantly refers to her as ‘little’. It is clear that he has all the authority in the home and does not regard his wife as an equal. Eventually, Nora realizes that her husband does not really love her, as he even refuses to do a favor for her. He implies that he would do anything for her, but when she faces condemnation, he turns on her and blames her for ruining him. All he cares about is himself. As appearances mean a lot to him, he is happy to keep her in his house but proclaims that she must not have any contact with her children, lest she infects them with her immorality. She also realizes that she does not love him anymore. She feels that she has been treated like a doll, first by her father, then by her husband. Her opinion does not matter. Torvald does not understand her and he has no respect for her. She decides to do the unthinkable and put herself first, for once, and look after her own interests. I found this play very thought – provoking. The characters were so well developed that I felt like I knew them and what drove them, within such a short period. Their obsession with societal expectations was evident as they place this above all else. I thought it was fascinating how they believed that a parent’s immorality or indiscretions would inevitably lead to the ruin of the children. And how Nora was astonished by the realization that altruistic intentions could not forgive a crime! The play shows us how damaging secrets can be. It also demonstrates how unreasonable it is to expect that others will always be grateful for what you do for them, especially when you cut some corners in the process. I found it hilarious that Torvald was quick to forgive his wife after he realized that no harm was to come to him and how he attempted to make her forget what he had said before when he thought he was going to be ruined. The only thing that puzzled me was how a mother can walk out on her children, especially when they had such a good relationship and the kids kept on insisting on spending more time with her. In as much as I understand the need to put herself first, this seems a bit extreme to me! It therefore does not surprise me that Ibsen was made to write an alternate ending to this play (which he called ‘a barbaric act of violence’) for a staging in Germany where Nora eventually decides to stay, as audiences of the time could also not fathom such an ending. All in all, A Doll’s House was an interesting take on life and marriage in particular in the 19th century and I give it 5 out of 5 stars! I also greatly enjoyed hearing my son’s take on the themes in the play, so that’s an added bonus. Adaptations This play was first performed at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark on December 21, 1879. Since then, it has been performed numerous times and adapted for TV, radio and cinema. I didn’t really enjoy watching the adaptations. I think this is because an adaptation of a play follows the script very closely, so I just felt like I was re-reading the play again! 1992: Part of the British “Performance” series, with Juliet Stevenson as Nora and Trevor Eve as Torvald. Directed by David Thacker. 1973 : Claire Bloom as Nora and Anthony Hopkins as Torvald. Directed by Patrick Garland. If you love plays or classical literature, I recommend that you check this one out!

Book Review Author : Heather Morris Genre : Biographical Fiction Publisher : Echo/ Bonnier Publishing Australia Year of Publication : 11th January 2018 Number of Pages : 194 My Rating :4 out of 5 The Tattooist of Auschwitz has been on my ‘to-be-read‘ list for a while. To be honest, it has stayed so long … Continue reading The Tattooist of Auschwitzt →

Book Review Author : Heather Morris Genre : Biographical Fiction Publisher : Echo/ Bonnier Publishing Australia Year of Publication : 11th January 2018 Number of Pages : 194 My Rating :4 out of 5 The Tattooist of Auschwitz has been on my ‘to-be-read‘ list for a while. To be honest, it has stayed so long on my TBR list because I really did not want to read a story about the horrors of the Holocaust, having never read one before. The movies and documentaries I watched on the subject gave me quite a chill! I still kept coming across it everywhere, so my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to read it. This is Heather Morris’ debut novel, originally written as a screenplay before being reworked as a novel. The book has received international acclaim with four million copies sold worldwide (according to Amazon). In the midst of all this success, there has also been some controversy surrounding the book. This is the story of Lale Sokolov, originally known as Ludwig Eisenberg. It is April 1942 when Lale leaves his home in Slovakia. The German government has demanded that each Jewish family provide an adult child to work for them. Failure to do this will lead to the whole family being sent to a concentration camp. To save his family from this fate, Lale presents himself to the Germans for service, believing his family back home will be safe. On the gate at Auschwitz are the words ‘Work will make you free’. Lale ponders the meaning of this phrase. A number is tattooed on his arm. He soon learns the true nature of life at Auschwitz where a simple misstep can lead to the loss of a life. Fortunately for Lale, he gets appointed as a Tätowierer, whose job is to tattoo other prisoners. This puts him in a protected and advantaged position but also at risk of being considered a collaborator, since he now works for the political wing of the SS. He meets Gita as he tattoos her arm and immediately feels a connection with her. They start a relationship that endures until they separately leave Auschwitz and find each other back home in Slovakia. Heather Morris wrote Lale’s and Gita’s story from Lale’s recollections, more than sixty years after the events had transpired. Lale told her the story after Gita had passed away. Gita and Lale I liked the author’s writing style. The story is well written and easy to follow. I was able to easily picture the events as they happened and follow Lale’s thoughts as he lived through the traumatic events. The horror of life at the concentration camp – fear, devastation and suffering – are laid bare in a manner that made me feel like I was watching the events unfold through the characters’ eyes. Yet in the midst of all that is a powerful story of the resilience of human beings, their ability to survive brutal events and remain hopeful, even when surrounded by suffering and death. Their ability to fall in love and trust that they can build a relationship. It would have been easy for the characters to just give up but throughout the book, the desire to overcome their circumstances was evident. It amazed me how Lale and Gita were able to find one another and develop such a close bond in such restrictive and devastating surroundings when their future was so uncertain. Although I really doubted the authenticity of some of their encounters given my (admittedly limited) knowledge of concentration camps, I rooted for them and admired Lale’s determination to be with his beloved. Most of all, I marveled at his courage and ingenuity. I rate this book 4 out of 5 and recommend it to anyone who loves stories about overcoming adversity. It would have been a 5 but for some discussions I came across online, which resonated with me, given some of my misgivings about the book. Controversy Given the historical significance of the Holocaust, any story that is centered on it is bound to attract a lot of attention. Some researchers have questioned the accuracy of some of the details in the book and have stated that some of the events that have been described could not have happened. Critics have been concerned that readers may take the story as a source of knowledge about life at Auschwitz – Birkenau. In as much as the author clearly states that she changed some facts to further the plot, the story is described as being ‘based on a true story’ and a lot of readers connected with the story because of this. When questioned about this, the author stated that she wrote “a story of the Holocaust, not the story of the Holocaust.” She told the New York Times that ;- “The book does not claim to be an academic historical piece of non-fiction, I’ll leave that to the academics and historians.” My Take on this This made me ponder on whether writers of historical fiction have an obligation to accurately depict historical events in their books. Is it not true that inaccuracies can mislead and leave readers with a wrong impression of events? Is it enough for authors to state that their stories are fictional and expect readers not to assume all the historical events are as they happened? What is the line between the fictional and the historical bit? And what is biographical fiction anyway? I think critics here were so concerned because this is described as a book about real people in a real place at a real time in history. A very sensitive time and place. This would therefore lead most readers to expect the story to be mostly true. And it should be. How much artistic license do you think an author has when they claim that a novel is based on a true story? Shouldn’t they at the very least get the actual known historical events correct? Let me know!

Book Review Author : Lola Shoneyin Genre : Literary Fiction Publisher: Serpent’s Tail Date of Publication: 2010 Number of Pages: 245 My Rating : 5 out of 5 Yes, I somehow ended up with two copies of this book. I think I bought the first one and whilst it was still on my ‘to read’ … Continue reading The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives →

Book Review Author : Lola Shoneyin Genre : Literary Fiction Publisher: Serpent’s Tail Date of Publication: 2010 Number of Pages: 245 My Rating : 5 out of 5 Yes, I somehow ended up with two copies of this book. I think I bought the first one and whilst it was still on my ‘to read’ list I came across it again and bought a second copy! Lola Shoneyin is a Nigerian poet. The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives was her debut novel published in 2010. Lola was nominated for the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2010 for this book. She won the PEN Oakland 2011 Josephine Miles Literary Award and the 2011 Ken Saro-Wiwa Prose Prize. The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives features the Alao family, made up of Ishola Alao (Baba Segi) and his four wives – Iya Segi, Iya Tope, Iya Femi and Bolanle. Iya is the Nigerian term for ‘mother of’ so they are named after their respective first born children. Baba Segi is, of course, named for the oldest child of the first wife. The book opens with Baba Segi contemplating a problem that he has had to deal with before. The latest addition to his family, his wife Bolanle, has not yet conceived a child. The last time he faced this problem, he found the solution at Teacher’s shack, where men gather and discuss different topics over whiskey. Teacher recommended a visit to a herbalist. Not long after taking the prescribed powder, his first wife got pregnant and Segi was born. Now with seven children from his three wives, he is again concerned because Bolanle has not yet conceived, after almost three years of marriage. Bolanle is different from the other wives. She has gone to university and is educated, whereas they are not. She refuses to see a herbalist. Teacher advises Baba Segi to take her to a hospital. Bolanle married Baba Segi against the wishes of her family and friends, who do not understand why she would marry an uneducated polygamist. Baba Segi’s other wives resent her because she is educated. As a result, they refuse to let her in on the secret that they all share, hoping to get rid of her. When Baba Segi decides to visit the hospital with Bolanle, he sets in motion a course of events that will change their lives in unimaginable ways. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It gives us a good view of life in a polygamous family and the power dynamics that influence it. The role of the first wife and how it evolves as the husband gets more wives is explored. I enjoyed seeing the different personalities of the characters and how they affect their relationships. Baba Segi believes he is fully in control of the family and tries as much as he can to be fair to all his wives. Iya Segi is cunning, wise and controlling. Iya Femi is spiteful and vengeful. Iya Tope is lazy and not so bright, yet she is also kind. Bolanle is lost and carries deep-seated pain. Lola tells this story in an engaging way. She lets the main characters tell us their backstories and show us their feelings by using a first person narrative. In other places, she uses the third person to further the story. These characters are well developed and authentic. I empathised with them, even when I did not like their actions. The book tackles themes such as polygamy, violence, infertility, prejudice and other social injustices. It is a beautiful narrative that both entertains, questions and challenges. It is a tale of how far people will go to get what they want and to maintain their livelihood. It shows how easy it is to misjudge people and not appreciate their strengths. How our prejudices can make us blind to what should be obvious. Perhaps the most important lesson of all is – always be wary of karma! I rate it 5 out of 5 and recommend it to lovers of African literature.

Book Review May contain spoilers….. Author : Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Genre: Literary Fiction Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers Date of Publication: 2004 Number of Pages: 307 My Rating : 5 out of 5 Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie won the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award (Best Debut Fiction Category) in 2004 and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book in 2005 … Continue reading Purple Hibiscus →

Book Review May contain spoilers….. Author : Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Genre: Literary Fiction Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers Date of Publication: 2004 Number of Pages: 307 My Rating : 5 out of 5 Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie won the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award (Best Debut Fiction Category) in 2004 and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book in 2005 for Purple Hibiscus. Purple Hibiscus is Chimamanda’s debut novel, published in 2004. I read it after reading Americanah which resonated with me because of all the stories I had heard about the lives of immigrants in the US. Purple Hibiscus is a heartbreaking story about fifteen year old Kambili and her family. Kambili’s father, Eugene, is a wealthy Nigerian businessman. He is also a religious fanatic who does not allow any dissent in his family. Everything has to be done his way. He exercises tight control over their lives, planning and intricately scheduling every minute including family time, reading time, eating time and prayer time. There are prayers before and after meals, with a prayer before meals taking twenty minutes. Any dissent is met with horrific acts of violence. Eugene is fastidious about rituals and prayers but fails in kindness and compassion, yet he is blind to his many faults. Typically, he blames others for his wrongdoing and makes them go for confession when they have done nothing wrong. There are a lot of lessons to be glimpsed from the book. Chimamanda shows us how violence begets violence. Eugene was exposed to violence for behavior that was deemed ‘sinful’ by a priest he lived with while in school and metes out similar punishment to his family. Whilst this is no excuse, it helps us get a better understanding of his character. His family lives in silence and fear. This has greatly affected Kambili who rarely talks. When she does it is in a voice that is barely audible. Their mother, Beatrice, tries to prevent the violence by deflecting Eugene’s attention when she sees his temper rising, though she rarely succeeds. When Kambili and her brother, Jaja, visit their Aunt Ifeoma at the University campus in Nsukka where she works and lives with her family, they are surprised at how different life in her house is. Though Ifeoma’s family lacks the abundant resources that Kambili’s family has, they enjoy cheerful banter during meal times. Ifeoma’s house is full of music and laughter, which is alien to Kambili and Jaja. To their surprise, their aunt tells them that there is no need to follow their father’s strict schedule while they are at her house. At Nsukka, Kambili meets Father Amadi, a young catholic priest whose amiable behaviour is unlike anything her father would approve of. Father Amadi quickly notices that Kambili is different and pays her special attention. Kambili develops a crush on him. Though we do not see any inappropriate behaviour on Father Amadi’s part, he manages to draw Kambili out of her shell. She is able to open up and relax due to the way he treats her. Eventually she falls in love with him, even though she knows nothing can come out of this relationship (sigh………). Another theme that is explored in this book is how the wealthy are allowed to get away with ghastly behavior. Eugene is extremely generous. He is the main benefactor of his church. This gives him the confidence to stand in judgment of other worshippers, regarding those who missed communion on two consecutive Sundays as ‘having committed mortal sin’. Villagers flock to his rural home when he goes there and he gladly dishes out money. He is a highly regarded member of society, even though he permits his children only fifteen minutes to visit his own father whom he regards as a ‘heathen’. He refuses to have anything to do with his father. When they fail to report that they spent time with their grandfather at Aunt Ifeoma’s house, Kambili and Jaja are punished for knowingly being in the same house with a heathen. This in spite of the fact that their grandfather is only brought to Nsukka due to his deteriorating health. Eugene is not even moved when his father dies, his only comment is that a priest should have been called to pray for him and convert him. This does not stop him from sending a lot of money for the funeral, though he doesn’t bother attending it. Neither the villagers nor Father Benedict are shown as being at all concerned about the way he treats his family, though it must be clearly evident that something is off as others easily pick up on this. The only person who dares defy him is his sister, Ifeoma, who goes as far as to refuse his financial assistance because he tries to control her life in exchange for his support. Another theme that Chimamanda brings out is how society tends to turn a blind eye to things that make us uncomfortable. Nobody asks Kambili how she got hurt when she lands in hospital after her father repeatedly kicks her, not even Father Eugene or the doctor. The only person who dares broach the subject is her cousin, Amaka, who mentions it in a way that makes it obvious that she is already aware of what happened. How long can people really survive such treatment? Kambili’s mother, Beatrice, seems weak and helpless, as victims of domestic abuse often appear to be. She tries to protect her children but seems trapped by circumstances. She goes back to her abusive husband even after Ifeoma begs her not to go. Ifeoma often tries to talk some sense into her brother, although ultimately, she concludes that he is broken, perhaps beyond redemption. Jaja is wracked with guilt because of his inability to protect his mother. He is eventually able to take a stance against his father, and we see his character begin to develop. Unfortunately, the cycle of violence is doomed to continue as victims of violence often retaliate. All in all, this book was a poignant look at religious fanaticism and domestic violence. It is heartbreaking and distressing. It made me mad and frustrated. I wished I could enter into the book and shake some sense into some of the characters. I found the story well-paced and superbly written. The characters are well developed and easy to understand, even those that I did not like – Eugene and Father Benedict. I felt sorry for Kambili, celebrated Jaja’s growth into manhood, and empathized with Beatrice. I understood Ifeoma’s anger and frustration with her brother and even Amaka’s attempt at rationalizing her uncle’s behaviour. The story is told against the background of political instability and a military coup in Nigeria, which provides some useful information on what is going on in the characters’ lives. I love how Chimamanda uses the blooming of the newly planted and rare purple hibiscus to depict a new beginning for the family and how the characters are at last able to move on. The story is told from Kambili’s point of view and her emotional turmoil is brought out beautifully. I appreciated the way Chimamanda contrasts religion as depicted by Ifeoma’s family and Father Amadi, as opposed to Eugene and Father Benedict. The same religion expressed very differently. We see how Kambili feels isolated from her religion because of her father’s fanaticism, whereas her cousins embrace their religion and have a friendly and casual relationship with their priest, free from judgment. Even though a lot of violence is depicted, and I could clearly see how inhumane and traumatic this is for the characters, I did not find it at all graphic. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even when it made me sad, and rate it 5 out of 5. I recommend it to lovers of African literature.

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In the Paw & Order offices of private detectives Marlowe and Purrlock, the latter is hungry and the fridge is empty. The cat P.I. insists that he went to the grocery store just the day before, so he’s certain that someone must have stolen all the food. Purrlock is positive it must be the dastardly Meowiearty. In search of something to eat, the pair end up at the Grilled Cheese Festival, only to find out from Rabbit that all the grilled cheese sandwiches had been stolen. Purrlock is again sure that it’s Meowiearty’s doing, but Marlowe isn’t so sure. Police Sgt. Bear is on the scene, gathering clues, but he asks the detectives to work the case; from there, the pair interview two suspects: Jinny Giraffe and Allan Alligator. Both had motive and opportunity, but Purrlock continues to believe that Meowiearty is the real culprit. After their investigation concludes, Marlowe and Purrlock gather the suspects together, review the clues, motives, and opportunities, and reveal the identity of the dastardly villain that ruined the festival for everyone. At the end of a busy, productive day, the two detectives wind down with a nice grilled cheese sandwich. In this fast and fun graphic novel for young readers, Platt lays out the various pieces of the puzzle in a logical order, and Marlowe even breaks the fourth wall to advise readers to go back and examine details for themselves to see if they can figure out the solution on their own The full-color cartoon art is bright and colorful, and the animal characters feel distinct with clear personalities. The detective partners play off each other well, with Marlowe the more serious detective and Purrlock making outrageous accusations or jumping to conclusions. Young mystery lovers are sure to get a kick out of this book.

Olive interviews writers for a living, getting them to open up about their artistic processes. An audiophile since childhood, 33-year-old Olive has the unsettling habit of surreptitiously recording all her conversations. She stockpiles these snippets of life, a form of intimacy and control. When she meets Theo, a hunky surgeon, the recorder is on, giving her a perpetual loop of their meet-cute. When Theo finds out about the weeks of recordings of runs, dinners, sex, and more, he’s initially outraged. But he’s a little quirky, too—he has a collection of hair ties and notes found on the subway, some tissue from a patient—and soon recording becomes a kind of foreplay. But this is not enough for Olive, who watches Theo’s building on nights they’re not together, and is resentful of anything that occupies his attention. One night while hunching over his sleeping body, she pulls his teeth apart and splits his body down the middle, steps inside (shrinking to appropriate size), and snuggles between his beating, slushing organs, becoming covered in fatty ooze. Finally satisfied with this level of closeness, she becomes addicted to "climbing" into sleeping Theo and eventually brings her recording equipment. Things get weirder from there. Raising interesting questions about boundaries within relationships (Olive suspects her own clingy mother used to climb into her), the novel literalizes the romantic trope of becoming one with your partner, while ingeniously satirizing female neediness. There is a predatory nature to Olive’s possessiveness—or is that love?

“They were not normal, those girls”: This is the sentiment held by a majority of townsfolk in the riverside Oxfordshire village of Little Nettlebed not too long after the English Civil War. Sisters Anne, Elizabeth, Hester, Grace, and Mary Mansfield are “the fierce one, the pretty one, the tomboy, the nervous one, the youngest.” They range in age from 19 down to 6, have lost both their parents and, newly, their grandmother, leaving them to care for their farmer grandfather, who is losing his sight. No one can quite pinpoint what it is about them—their insular nature, their closeness, their standoffishness toward other villagers—but most of the townspeople keep their distance. When the town ferryman, the misogynistic alcoholic Pete Darling, claims to have seen the girls changing into dogs under cover of night, the rumor spreads through Little Nettlebed with lightning speed. Soon, the girls are being blamed for misfortunes: dead hens, falling levels of water in the river. As word spreads about the girls’ strange affliction and authority figures from the vicar to the doctor get involved, the town’s hysteria escalates until a catastrophic act of violence changes everything. Purvis shifts narration across multiple villagers, including Darling and the girls’ grandfather, to show the corrosive power of group mentality and social conformity—and to illuminate the simple bravery of being true to who you are. The novel is a master class in paranoia and strategic ambiguity. Like Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” it shows that the horrors lurking beneath small-town life are timelessly unsettling.

Jane Leigh—whose late husband, John Lo, was acquitted of killing a colleague at the law firm where he was a partner—is dying of cancer. When her children, Hunter, a reporter, and Brennan, an attorney, re-engage with each other during Jane’s final days, brother and sister realize they disagree on their father’s guilt. Their decision to try to solve this stone-cold case soon disrupts their schedules and psyches, and readers will find their sleuthing sound, if a little serendipitous, such as when an old family friend gives them access to confidential files. However, the best and most haunting writing in lawyer Suthammanont’s debut concerns John Lo himself, a first-generation Chinese American whose parents came from the region of Teochew culture. John recalls that his father expressed satisfaction (“pride was an overstatement”) with him only twice, when he graduated from college and when he got into law school: “John knew that was because it meant that his life would be better than his father’s.” His father gave John a springboard for success, but also the titular hollow spaces in his makeup—areas of dissatisfaction and longing that John unfortunately fills with alcohol, then with an affair with gorgeous associate Jessica DeSalvo, whose murder shatters his life. Chapters alternate between Then (before and after the murder) and Now (when Hunter and Brennan join forces), and while this is surely meant to destabilize readers, it also puts into stark relief how separate the experiences of an outsider parent can be from those of their multiracial children. While John Lo dealt with macro- and microaggressions from people in most areas of his life, Hunter and Brennan move through the same New York City world without friction, yet saddened and confused by their father’s deeds. It’s an intriguing, if ultimately slightly muddy, combination of sleuthing and character study from a talented writer.

In 1941 Leningrad, Katya Karavayeva, a former radio installer, finds herself in dire straits because “some senior Party official had taken the word of an envious liar,” resulting in her losing her Party membership and her job. Desperate to get herself back into the Party’s good graces, she leaves her 15-year-old daughter, Yelena, with her mother-in-law, Sofya, to join the Volunteer Corps; she’s soon helping to build antitank trenches near the town of Luga to thwart the invading German army. When her group finds itself under attack, Katya manages to escape with fellow comradeSvet Grigorova, a teenager with her own reasons for joining the Corps. Katya must rely on Svet’s survival skills to keep them alive as they stay hidden in the woods, and she learns much about herself in the process. After many months, Katya returns to her German-occupied hometown of Staraya Russa and begins to rebuild her life. There, Katya thinks about her choices that have led her into her current situation. She wants to atone for betraying her husband, who was arrested and imprisoned after she made a comment about his lack of patriotic devotion; she also dreams of returning to her daughter. After she joins the Soviet partisans, she gains a new perspective on the war—and on herself. Over the course of this follow-up to Lost Souls of Leningrad (2022), Parry richly develops her characters and crafts a compelling tale of second chances that will captivate readers; indeed, it grabs the reader’s attention with a tension-filled narrative right from the start. Her keen eye for detail, and her clear ability to infuse real-life history into her story, demonstrates her commitment and discipline when it comes to historical fiction. Newcomers will find that this series installment stands perfectly well on its own; however, they’ll surely be eager to read the next and final installment.

Set in near-future New York City, the premise is as simple as it is brutally effective: In an effort to combat rampant overpopulation, the city instituted a “controversial randomized extermination program” called the Kill Train initiative. Professional assassins murder all passengers on a random subway train by the end of the ride. The odds of being on a Kill Train are 1 in 10,000, so most of the populace are willing to take the chance when traveling throughout the city. Enter Vanessa Crow, a struggling single mother with a teenage daughter who is on the precipice of a mental breakdown. When circumstances force her onto a subway train, she knows the odds are in her favor as 580 passengers were just slaughtered on a Kill Train the day before. She fatefully meets an old college friend, Corwin, who reminds Vanessa of the badass woman she used to be. But when the two friends discover that they’re on a Kill Train, Vanessa is forced to battle much more than a group of psychotic killers. Powered by an intriguing, albeit absurd, concept and complemented by visually stunning (and potentially traumatizing) illustrations by Martina Niosi—dismembered and decapitated bodies, intestines hanging like party streamers, etc.—it’s Vanessa’s inner journey through past trauma that makes this graphic novel so memorable. Her problematic relationship with her mother, her unstable financial situation, and her tumultuous but intimate bond with her daughter make her a character that readers can not only understand and identify with but also root for as she fights for her life. Ass-kicking motherly characters like Terminator’s Sarah Connor and Alien’s Ellen Ripley have nothing on Cuartero-Briggs’ Crow.

The authors argue that modern corporations are deeply out of touch with their customers, and they call this “The Great Distancing”; in their view, big companies have philosophically and operationally drifted away from creating a valuable customer experience (or CX), preferring to focus on shareholders and optimize internal processes. This puts firms at risk of becoming irrelevant, they assert, by missing opportunities and alienating customers. Mainstream management theories and business models focus too much on efficiency and siloed operations, they note, and not enough on delivering long-term, meaningful CX. The book proposes five areas (insights, strategy, blueprints, operating models, and culture) into which one must incorporate CX to counter this phenomenon. According to the authors, CX shouldn’t be a department or set of marketing tactics, but rather the substance of the entire business: Every product, interaction, and relationship, they say, needs to be part of it. The book provides assessment tools and practical frameworks to help leaders make this a reality. Overall, the authors present CX as a companywide capability that can drive growth, employee engagement, and operational efficiency. Stylistically, the book is clear, well-organized, and propelled by clear enthusiasm. The writing is concise and pragmatic, with bullet points galore, which will make it accessible to practitioners and executives alike. Issues such as corporate inertia, systems thinking, and empathy are explored at length, and convincing statistics and real-world anecdotes round out the arguments. At times, the “CX Champion” rhetoric romanticizes business challenges, and readers looking for empirical rigor or industry-specific playbooks may feel the advice to be somewhat conceptual. The book also often feels like a pitch for the authors’ consulting services. Still, it’s a convincing call for business leaders to work differently.

In 2014, Anna Werner experiences a “horrible, life-altering, forever disaster” when she suffers a rare spinal stroke that renders her tetraplegic. She tenaciously labors to reclaim control over her body, but the progress is painfully slow. Making matters worse, her girlfriend, Julia, leaves her, and her doctor seems less than optimistic regarding her recovery. Distraught, Anna contemplates a release from the prison of her inert body through suicide. At the hospital, she meets Batul al-Jaberi, a Syrian immigrant working as a janitor who aspires to become a doctor. Batul is tenderly attentive to Anna’s needs, and the pair become close friends, their relationship flirting with the possibility of blossoming into more. In the moving, sensitive narrative, Batul requites Anna’s attraction but is profoundly uncomfortable with her own feelings, which are prohibited by the religious culture within which she grew up. “She was drawn to Anna. It was wrong. And it was safe. Because Anna would never be drawn to her, not in the same way, not with the same obsessive thoughts.” This is both a queer love story and a searching meditation on what happens when human longing is thwarted by an intractable reality. Silberstein’s writing is spare and economical; its simplicity is the source of its considerable power. There is no maudlin drama here, no breathless overstatement—with impressive restraint, the author plumbs the depths of these two fascinatingly complex protagonists and the deals they must strike with themselves in order to make their lives livable: “She loved her because she loved her. If she could heal her by trading places, she would not hesitate. If she needed her, she would do anything.”

We raise girls to be good listeners in a world of men. As a music journalist, Vincent had made a career out of listening. She listened in clubs, at concerts, and to mostly male artists in her interviews. Music was omnipresent, essential to her life as a teen and young adult. Now in her 30s, she found herself surrounded by silence. “If I tried to unpick how I’d grown from a girl who thrived among the dissonance of a punk record into a woman who preferred to be in silence, I got caught in tangles,” she writes. Then, into that silence came her baby’s heartbeat from a monitor. Later, she heard his cry. In this moving and brilliant book, Vincent examines not just sound but what it means to listen. She explores the quiet sounds of domesticity, motherhood, and the quotidian—often overlooked, feminine sounds. She reflects on what she hears at Beyonce’s Renaissance tour, in the near-mythic sound of the aurora borealis—which has been described as sheets of paper rubbing together—from national security translators, and in the practice of Deep Listening. “I want to make the quiet loud,” she declares, and that is exactly what she does. Her quiet is populated by many brilliant women, including researchers and scientists of sound, while her own journey of motherhood makes vivid the ways in which a mother’s biology is rewired to respond to their child’s sound. Speaking with a deaf artist, Vincent challenges her preconceptions that “being without sound was to suffer,” instead learning “a different way of listening,” one rich in community and creativity. Though the book takes place in many quiet spaces, the reverberations are loud, and the author’s descriptions evocative. From excellent research on those elements of noise that are often overlooked yet build the fabric of our daily lives, Vincent weaves a tapestry of sound and understanding.

Rao’s second novel—following Girls Burn Brighter (2018)—concerns Sagar and Janavi, a young couple from Varanasi, a town on the banks of the Ganges River. Thrust into an arranged marriage, the two are ambitious yet uncertain of each other—Sagar is a hydraulic engineer, Janavi a worker supporting children in crisis. So, when Sagar lands a civil-service job in Montana, where he’s charged to coordinate the removal of a dam on the Cotton River, trading in a bustling Indian city for Big Sky Country is both a geographic and cultural change. Both experience racist microagressions from the locals, but both also find common ground with them: Janavi in learning about the often troubled women in the area, and Sagar discovering the Native American lore surrounding the river and its echoes of Indian lore. One of the people sharing that world with him is Renny, one of the workers on the dam-removal crew, and in due time Sagar is embroiled in a murder mystery involving tribal history, scapegoating, and an orphaned child. Rao’s novel is somewhat oddly bifurcated—what starts as a lit-fic immigrant tale soon acquires the plot and pacing of a crime yarn—but on both fronts it admirably undoes the conventions of the assimilation novel, focusing less on how Sagar and Janavi fit into their new country than on ways they find human connection outside of the notions of being an American. Interstitial chapters feature fablelike tales of loss and death along rivers in India and Montana across history, suggesting that there are commonalities as deep and long-running as a river, but also buried like sediment and difficult to surface.

Eli has spent the past five years as an assistant at Vent, a website once known for its hard-hitting pieces but now mostly clickbait listicles. He dreams of becoming a staff writer and shepherding the outlet back to its roots, but his current day-to-day is filling coffee orders and trying to avoid his ex, who also works there. When his best friend convinces him to go on a blind date, gay and trans Eli is cautiously optimistic, but Peter Park makes one mistake after another. When his boss finds out about the awful date, he offers Eli the reward of a possible promotion if he writes a piece about teaching Peter how to be a better partner. Secretly, Eli plans to write a different article influenced by Peter about growing up gay and Korean in the south without a queer community for support. Peter only knows about the second article, but agrees to go on fake dates with Eli as learning opportunities. Soon, though, the lines between fake and real are blurred, and Eli finds himself falling for his subject. Deaver’s adult debut is told solely through Eli’s point of view and features lovable characters, especially sweetheart Peter, whose journey to confidence is incredibly endearing. Eli’s job woes are relatable, but the double article plotline feels convoluted and leads to predictable, tedious drama. More rewarding is the thoughtfully done exploration of growing up queer in different types of communities and Eli’s affirming trans identity.

Jane Ballard, born in 2055, is the lonely survivor of an apocalyptic dystopia beset by climate horror, famine, genocide, and war. She’s a Marine Corps veteran of the secessionist California Republic of some 15 liberal-minded states—they were supposedly the good guys, but Jane understands that propaganda was rampant, so who knows? Also rampant: a mysterious contagion, Virus (x), which delivered the final blow, wiping out almost every human on Earth, plus dogs and cats. Jane wanders the West, seeking others still alive. In Arizona, she discovers “Dead Man”—the mummified corpse of a former U.S. government “archeopsychic extractor” (torturer) who evidently walked unprotected into the daytime heat to expire. Dead Man’s journals and hideaway in a book-filled disused motel send Jane into reveries about civilization’s ultimate downfall, when “the feed” (read: internet) extirpated words on paper in favor of an ever-changing, AI-dominated miasma of illusion, fake-news hoaxes, and alienating virtual sex (even bisexual Jane partook), undermining the basics of humanity. (“It was not Virus (x) or the endless ecological perils, it was the dissolution of a shared reality that brought about collapse.”) Dead Man’s ghostly diatribes haunt Jane, even after she stumbles on tangible evidence in Taos of other holdouts. With a wobbly back-and-forth chronology and breakaway asides, the narrative feels more manifestolike than other dire post-holocaust Robinsonades and examples of “prepper” fiction. The text employs almost-experimental free verse (“Transformation, transformation, transformation. We are not the wardens. War crimes end-of-times? We are the shepherds leading the sheep on the path of enlightenment. Touch the light with your burning bodies”) to ruminate on religion, guilt, machine-intelligence limitations, wealth inequality, habitat loss, and the overarching need for community. The tale is by turns provocative and frustrating as its hero pursues her foggy goal.

Ellie Endicott, who has two grown sons she rarely sees, has spent her entire married life catering to the needs of her husband, a pompous banker. So she’s flabbergasted when Lionel tells her he wants a divorce. Now that he’s met a younger woman he wants to marry, he thinks he can bulldoze Ellie into a settlement favorable to him. Standing up for herself, she obtains a fair settlement, plans a trip to France, and encourages Mavis Moss, the cleaning lady whose husband beats her, to come along. They’re joined by Miss Smith-Humphries, a pillar of the community, who’s dying and wants to revisit the happy places of her youth. Taking Lionel’s Bentley, they set off for France. Ellie’s fluent French proves especially useful when, while stopping for gas, they rescue Yvette, a pregnant girl who claims she’s being kidnapped. Forced to stop in the tiny seaside village of Saint-Benet when the Bentley develops problems, they stay at Pension Victoria, which is owned by an English couple. They’re aided by handyman Louis and Nico, a mysterious, roughly attractive fisherman, and welcomed by other villagers and a resident gay English couple. Ellie is so intrigued by the shabby, mysterious Villa Gloriosa that she asks the owner to rent it to her. After much work, they’re ready to move in. When Yvette leaves with her baby, she takes some of their jewelry. In general, though, they enjoy several halcyon years until eventually the Nazis descend on the village. Can they survive and keep the dangerous secrets threatening members of the community hidden?

Giansiracusa, associate professor of mathematics at Bentley University, describes his newest work as an educational book about math, but those who freeze at the mention of mathematics can take heart—this reads like a good yarn. Full of engaging stories about how ideas about calculation took shape, it reveals how algorithms intersect with our everyday lives. Channeling Robin Hood, the 14th-century English outlaw and folk hero who took from the careless rich and gave to the deserving poor, the author tells us how we can all begin using math to take back control from large tech companies by educating ourselves on the tricks of data collectors. Navigating a world increasingly shaped by the information they gather and algorithms they deploy, we find that math can be a helpful and empowering tool. In effect, “we honor Robin Hood’s spirit by taking math from the rich and giving it to the rest of us.” Numbers matter, and Giansiracusa urges us to play the numbers game strategically. He shows us how some common statistical techniques work under the hood, and he demonstrates how to create your own ranking systems, use the weighted sum concept to personalize your own inflation rate, and understand your credit scores and even the S&P 500. Giansiracusa draws on wide-ranging examples from politics and history, including Nate Silver’s election predictions, the French Revolution, and World War II. We learn techniques for evaluating risk using math to clarify decision-making and how Bayesian formulas relate to how brains decide what to believe. The endnotes point to more stories primarily drawn from the popular press, and an index makes this a handy reference.

Along with being fun to say, tufted puffins cut distinctive figures in Reczuch’s close-up painted scenes, with their strong orange beaks and elegantly swept-back crowns of feathers. In matter-of-fact tones, Hodge follows the engaging birds on an immemorial round from annual nesting to nurturing chicks until they’re mature enough to survive on the open ocean and in time return to start the next generation. The author also discusses in some detail the natural factors, from terrain to ocean currents to weather conditions (“fierce storms, howling winds, dense fog”), that have made rugged Triangle Island the site of Canada’s largest colony of the species. The puffins are joined by 11 other types of seabird, some of which pose in the illustrations and in a gallery at the end. For a strong close that broadens the focus, she lucidly explains in the backmatter how warming oceans constitute a hazard to all these populations by decreasing the food supply, which will leave readers with a greater understanding of how climate change can affect ecosystems in sometimes unexpected ways.

Sporting chic looks and walking upright, the animals are introduced with brief, singsong verses describing the shoes they most enjoy wearing. The gators sport waders—a logical choice, given their propensity for “splishing and splashing around”—while the crocs prefer stilettos, the elegant cats mince about in ballet flats, the practical elephants switch between espadrilles and sneakers, and the centipedes rock “sandals galore!” Some of the shoes might be unfamiliar to young readers, like the donkeys’ punny choice of mules (Maconie helpfully supplies a definition). The titular question is repeated often, and the purple hippo is periodically seen shopping and making undisclosed selections. At last, Hippo welcomes the other animals, in all their finery, into her home, where they gaze upon a huge, varied collection of shoes that Imelda Marcos would envy—this hippo can’t be limited to just one style. Braun’s bright, busy cartoons are rife with details for youngsters to pore over. The characters move about vibrant, bustling streets, passing varied shops with animal proprietors wearing their own favored shoes. Observant readers will notice a tiny, apparently shoeless mouse zipping about town on a minuscule bike, waving a cheese-shaped balloon.

In March 1985, writes investigative journalist Sharpe, a white man, whom witnesses described as having long blond or light-brown hair, came to the door of a Black church and, when it was opened, shot a deacon and the deacon’s wife to death. That there were witnesses left alive suggested to investigators that it was a hit, but the witnesses’ description of the killer didn’t help much; as Sharpe quips, “You could’ve brought in entire Southern rock bands for questioning.” As details emerged, race entered into the picture, though at first the detectives “didn’t think racism made much sense as a motive.” Complicating the case was barely disguised corruption in the local sheriff’s department and pressure to put someone in jail quickly. In the end, as Sharpe chronicles, the wrong man went to prison, even though the prosecution, as that man lamented, had misplaced key artifacts of evidence and witnesses for the prosecution offered accounts full of discrepancies and contradictions. Working with the Georgia Innocence Project, Sharpe helped gather enough evidence—especially DNA evidence, not usable then—to call for a new trial, with the wrong condemned man freed and the likely killer arrested “four months shy of the forty-­year anniversary of the murders.”

In the 1980s, J.D. Clay is an ascending political phenom, a Democratic congressman from Iowa who quickly becomes a leader among his party’s moderate centrists. J.D. checks all the boxes for stardom: He’s the former lead singer of a rock band, a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War (“He was awarded the Silver Star after he risked his life by flying his helicopter into heavy enemy fire to evacuate the wounded aircrew of a downed helicopter”), and handsome to boot, resembling Gregory Peck. However, he also has a serious flaw—a weakness for younger women that becomes all but unmanageable after a robbery-involved shooting disables his wife, Faith. J.D.’s devoted chief of staff, Wally North, tries to manage his boss’ furtive proclivity by making a secret arrangement with a local brothel. However, that solution doesn’t fully satisfy J.D.’s appetites, and he begins an illicit affair with his intern Saundra Grey, who is young enough to be his daughter. Saundra suddenly vanishes, and as a result it becomes increasingly difficult for J.D. to conceal his affair with her—his stubborn reticence likely impairs the search for the young woman. With impressive restraint, the author portrays the “cynical game of politics” in which both J.D. and Wally partake and deftly explores how moral principlesand idealism can cohabitate with situationally convenient disingenuousness. In this morally astute narrative, the role of the press is examined as well—an ace reporter, Isaiah Stone (a self-professed “total apologist” for J.D.), is compelled to come to grips with the ways in which his admiration for the congressman affects his journalistic objectivity. Yager has composed a remarkably nuanced novel about political sensationalism that is never itself sensational; it raises profound moral questions without ever surrendering to the allure of facile answers.

An unnamed pale-skinned child is obsessed with Frank, a green-scaled, rosy-cheeked fish. The youngster documents their relationship in a diary, recording everything from Halloween (“I dressed up as Frank…Frank dressed up as me. Fish friends forever!”) to Valentine’s Day (“We all made cards for Franky. He blushed”). A poignant entry on February 25 notes that today Frank refused to come out of the shell in his tank; eventually, he dies. The child is devastated; bouts of door-slamming anger ensue (the protagonist dutifully apologies), followed by moments of deep grief, beautifully shown in a mournful double-page spread depicting Frank’s funeral. After some time, the child receives a new pet, a pink fish named Fern, much to the little one’s chagrin. After some initial disappointment that Fern doesn’t play exactly like Frank, the child becomes open to the possibility of forging new bonds while respecting Frank’s memory. This tender, earnest look at the beautiful connection between pet and child is deeply authentic, showcasing intense emotions, effectively expressed by Betawi’s quirky artwork, which has an intimate, childlike feel that pairs well with the journal format. Ferguson’s earnest epistolary text, by turns bubbly and raw with sorrow, captures the youngster’s deep emotions with empathy and understanding.

Sporting yellow galoshes, Teddy and his parent head to the local waste management center. Trash abounds—how will they even begin to sort it? Teddy chases windblown paper in order to put it in the right container, dumps cans into the aluminum bin, and even gets to use the grabber tool to fish out an errant plastic bottle. As the trash compactor roars to life, squishing together waste, Teddy’s parent explains, “Got to make it as small as can be.” “Why?” questions Teddy. “Because there’s sooooo much!” They both gaze out over the landscape, filled with many machines pushing, sorting, and hauling. Later, the pair head to the secondhand shop located at the management center; Teddy has brought a ride-on toy to swap. When the time comes to let it go, he’s a little apprehensive, but seeing another family's excitement at getting the toy makes it all worthwhile. Featuring brightly colored, tidily composed scenes and a cheer not normally reserved for such scenes, Wynne-Jones and Ritchie's book offers a broad overview of the dump’s sights and sounds, though one very important part—the smell—is notably absent. Teddy and his parent are pale-skinned; other workers and families vary in skin tone.

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Romance book reviews. Reviews of books that make my heart race, have a beautiful love story, and a happy ending.

After a decade of reading and reviewing books, I’ve decided that it’s time for me to take a step back from blogging. Running this book blog has been such a huge and wonderful part of my life. I’ve written over 600 book reviews and loved the experience of getting to share my love of reading ...Read More  >

After a decade of reading and reviewing books, I’ve decided that it’s time for me to take a step back from blogging. Running this book blog has been such a huge and wonderful part of my life. I’ve written over 600 book reviews and loved the experience of getting to share my love of reading with so many other readers from around the world. Blogging was quite an unexpected journey for me though as I never set out to “start” a blog at all. Back in 2011, I simply began reading so much that I wanted a way to remember which books were my most favorites… and that’s when I started writing reviews. At first, my reviews were written more for my own sake than anyone else’s. They began as a way for me to keep track of the books I enjoyed and remember what I loved most about each one. You see, I was quite picky about the types of books I wanted to read and had a hard time finding anywhere specifically recommending what I was looking for. I was drawn to romantic books that made my heart race, but I also strongly preferred no stupidity powering the storyline or eye-roll-enducing drama, and of course I needed a happy ending as I’ve always been quite allergic to cliffhangers. At that time, there weren’t many romance book review sites out there in general and none that focused on the particular type of books I personally wanted to read so my reviews were a way for me to catalogue the books I’d found that fit within the criteria I was looking for. At first, I really didn’t expect anyone else to read my reviews, but as I began to realize that my reviews were actually helping other readers find books they loved as well, I decided to officially begin blogging and started this website to hold all my reviews. Writing reviews was also quite cathartic for me because, after reading a truly wonderful book, I was often overwhelmed with thoughts and feelings so writing my thoughts down in reviews helped give me closure from a story and highlight/remember what I loved most about a book. I also found that I genuinely loved helping other readers find new books. So my blog began and I continued reading and reviewing books for it for almost a decade. However, the truth is that in the last while, I found myself falling in love with fewer and fewer books — I don’t know if it’s because I started to feel like I’d basically read every plotline within the types of stories I loved so many times over, or maybe if the other parts out my life just became too busy and I began having less time to read, but, regardless of the reason, I was falling in love with fewer and fewer books. And here’s the thing – this blog has always been a passion project for me so if I genuinely wasn’t falling in love with as many books, I didn’t want to continue to review books just for the sake of reviewing them. That was never what this blog was about so I just felt myself naturally drifting away from reviewing and blogging. A few months ago, I decided to try taking a break from blogging and honestly I have really been enjoying the mental freedom that came from that decision. So, least for the immediate future, I’m going to officially step away from my blog. I may begin reviewing books again one day – and that might be in a month, a year, or never… I can’t say for sure, but that door will always remain open. My blogging goal was always to put a spotlight on the wonderful books I loved and to share them with other readers. So even though I’m not reviewing new books at this time, I will leave this whole website up in the hope that it will continue to help new readers find new favorite books to fall in love with. I have 630 reviews and recommendations of books I’ve personally loved and would love for other readers to fall in love with too and I can see through my analytics that, even though I’m not actively blogging, readers continue to come to my blog every day and read my older reviews so it makes me happy to know that my reviews are still connecting readers with awesome books. I also want to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to the thousands of amazing readers who’ve followed my blog over the years, and THANK YOU to the wonderfully talented authors who’ve written the beautiful stories that we’ve all fallen in love with. You’ve all given me so much joy and I’m so very grateful for all of it. I may return to blogging one day, and I may randomly post a surprise review/recommendation every now and again, but for now I wanted to officially make a statement that explains why my blog hasn’t been updated in a while and why it won’t have new content for the foreseeable future. If I ever start reviewing again, I will announce it by email, so please subscribe to my email list if you’d like to get a notification should that day come. I will not be sending emails out via that list until then though. In the meantime, if you’re looking for my top recommendations, here’s a list of my standout favorite books: The Bronze Horseman Trilogy by Paullina Simons (My Review) – this will always and forever by my #1 fav! The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay (My Review) – one of the most powerful endings ever! The Life Intended by Kristin Harmel (My Review) – incredibly unique love story with all the feels! Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah (My Review) – this has possibly my favorite epilogue ever! Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan (My Review) – gorgeous, heart-warming romance! Slammed & Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover (My Review) – one of my first reviews, and still a top fav! Devney Perry books: reading list – heart-warming, gorgeous romance perfection every single time! Kristen Ashley books: reading list – badass alpha romance – pure epic, great families, much variety! Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon: reading list – addictive paranormal romance, my fav PNR world! On The Island by Tracey Garvis Graves (My Review) – just a truly beautiful story! The Starcrossed series by Leisa Rayven (My Review) – the best purely angsty romance I’ve read! A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole (My Review) – ugly cry romance perfection! Crossfire series by Sylvia Day (My Review) – hot sexy romance but deeply emotional and addictive! Addicted series by Krista & Becca Ritchie – great romances and one of the best family dynamics ever! Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind (Series Overview) – fantasy, fantastic morals and world building! Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost (Series Overview) – action-packed vampire romance fun! Mists of the Serengeti by Leylah Attar (My Review) – an ugly cry favorite! Becoming Calder & Finding Eden by Mia Sheridan (My Review) – another ugly cry favorite! Black Dagger Brotherhood series by JR Ward: reading order – badass/epic paranormal vampire romance! The Girl He Used To Know by Tracey Garvis Graves (My Review) – second half of the book hit me so hard! In The Stillness by Andrea Randall (My Review) – the feels… literally all the feels! Wallbanger by Alice Clayton (My Review) – most I’ve ever laughed reading any book! The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (My Review) – stunning wartime story! A full list of all my reviews can also always be found at this link. Happy reading! ~Aestas

BOOKWORM NEWS: Juniper Hill by Devney Perry is now live!! — “Memphis Ward arrives in Quincy, Montana, on the fifth worst day of her life. She needs a shower. She needs a snack. She needs some sanity. Because moving across the country with her newborn baby is by far the craziest thing she’s ever done. ...Read More  >

BOOKWORM NEWS: Juniper Hill by Devney Perry is now live!! — “Memphis Ward arrives in Quincy, Montana, on the fifth worst day of her life. She needs a shower. She needs a snack. She needs some sanity. Because moving across the country with her newborn baby is by far the craziest thing she’s ever done. But maybe it takes a little crazy to build a good life. If putting the past behind her requires a thousand miles and a new town, she’ll do it if it means a better future for her son. Even if it requires setting aside the glamour of her former life. Even if it requires working as a housekeeper at The Eloise Inn and living in an apartment above a garage. It’s there, on the fifth worst day of her life, that she meets the handsomest man she’s ever laid eyes on. Knox Eden is a beautiful, sinful dream, a chef and her temporary landlord. With his sharp, stubbled jaw and tattooed arms, he’s raw and rugged and everything she’s never had—and never will. Because after the first worst day of her life, Memphis learned a good life requires giving up on her dreams too. And a man like Knox Eden will only ever be a dream.” The Girl in the Mist by Kristen Ashley is now live!! — “Renowned author Delphine Larue needs a haven. A crazed fan has gone over the deep end, and she’s not safe. Her security team has suggested a house by a lake. Secluded. Private. Far away. In a beautiful area of the Northwest close to the sleepy town of Misted Pines. It’s perfect. So perfect, Delphine has just moved in, and she’s thinking she’ll stay there forever. Until she sees the girl in the mist. After that, everything changes. Delphine quickly learns that Misted Pines isn’t so sleepy. A little girl has gone missing, and the town is in the grips of terror and tragedy. The local sheriff isn’t up for the job. The citizens are up in arms. And as the case unfolds, the seedy underbelly of a quiet community is exposed, layer by layer. But most importantly, girls are dying. There seems to be only one man they trust to find out what’s happening. The mysterious Cade Bohannan.”” The Summer Proposal by Vi Keeland is now live!! — “The first time I met Max Yearwood was on a blind date. Max was insanely gorgeous, funny, and our chemistry was off the charts. He also had the biggest dimples I’d ever laid eyes on. Exactly what I needed after my breakup. Or so I thought… Until my real date arrived. Turned out, Max wasn’t who I was there to meet. He only pretended to be until my real date showed up. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. Before he left, he slipped me a ticket to a hockey game a few blocks away, in case things didn’t work out on my actual date. I tossed the ticket into my purse and went about trying to enjoy the man I was supposed to meet. But my real blind date and I had no connection. So on my way home, I decided to take a chance and stop by the game. When I arrived, the seat next to me was empty. Disappointed again, I decided to leave at the end of the period. Just before the buzzer, one of the teams scored, and the entire arena went crazy. A player’s face flashed up on the Jumbotron. He was wearing a helmet, but I froze when he smiled. You guessed it: Dimples. Apparently, my fake blind date hadn’t invited me to watch hockey with him, he’d invited me to watch him play. And so began my adventure with Max Yearwood. He was everything I needed at the time—fun, sexy, up for anything, and only around for a few months since he’d signed with a new team three-thousand miles away. Max proposed we spend the summer helping me forget my ex. It sounded like a good plan. Things couldn’t get too serious when we had an expiration date. Right? Though, you know what they say about the best-laid plans.” Only One Mistake by Natasha Madison is now live!! — “Two pink lines changed all my plans. So did the guy I had a one-night stand with, a man who made me laugh and smile, a guy who I called to share my unexpected news with, only to find out his number was no longer in service. Once more letdown by the opposite sex, I figured I was doing this on my own. Then one day, I was staring into the eyes of the man I hated, the father of my baby. All it took was only one mistake to change everything.” Baden by Sawyer Bennett is now live!! — “While my injuries are physical, the same can’t be said for the woman I rescued. Suffering from wounds that can’t be seen, Sophie Winters has withdrawn from the world in fear and guilt. I didn’t know Sophie before that fateful night and have only met her once since, but I refuse to let her face her demons alone. Determined to be a friend, I support Sophie in the only way I know how… by simply being there. Through our shared trauma, Sophie and I begin to find peace within one another. As we grow closer, what started as friendship becomes more intimate until our broken pieces become one. But can a love born of anguish endure, or will the pain of our past prove too much to overcome?” Shielding Sierra by Susan Stoker is now live!! — “No one knows she’s been taken. Her missing belongings point to desertion—which means no one is looking for her, either. But someone is. Fred “Grover” Groves never forgot the redheaded spitfire working the chow line on a base in the desert. He’d felt an instant attraction to the petite woman, a connection deep in his bones…which Sierra herself clearly didn’t feel, since she’d promised to keep in touch after his mission ended, only to ghost him—and seemingly her job. But she didn’t. When several contractors go missing from the base, it looks more and more like Sierra didn’t abandon her post. Then a long-lost letter proves she’d followed through on her promise to stay in touch with Grover—and suddenly, all bets are off. He bucks every protocol he’s ever known… If Sierra’s still alive, he’ll find her. Or die trying.” Flame by Helen Hardt (Steel Brothers Saga) is now live!! — “Callie Pike always considered herself the plain sister—stuck in the middle between beautiful Rory and vivacious Maddie—so she still can’t believe gorgeous perennial bachelor Donny Steel has fallen in love with her. She should be the happiest woman on the planet, and she is…but her nemesis from ten years ago seems intent on destroying her newfound bliss. Donny Steel will do anything to protect his family, even sacrifice his ethics and his own happiness. As much as he loves Callie, he knows he can’t be the man she deserves—not until he solves the mysteries of his family’s past and finds out who shot his father. Though the two erupt in flames whenever they’re together, the secrets they both harbor could destroy any chance for a future together.” Wright Rival by KA Linde is now live!! — “No one on this planet pushes my buttons like Hollin Abbey. I don’t know if it’s the rugged, sexy cowboy look or the Harley Davidson motorcycle or the cocky swagger. Or just him. But whenever we’re together we fight like cats and dogs. Now our vineyards are rivals in the annual wine competition, and I’m determined to win. I just have to take out my Wright rival.” WEEKLY NEW RELEASES RECAP Juniper Hill by Devney Perry (small town neighbors to lovers romance, standalone in The Edens series) The Girl in the Mist by Kristen Ashley (romantic thriller, Misted Pines series) The Summer Proposal by Vi Keeland (sports romance, standalone) Only One Mistake by Natasha Madison (surprise pregnancy romance, standalone in Only One series) Baden by Sawyer Bennett (hockey romance, standalone in Pittsburgh Titans series) Wright Rival by KA Linde (enemies to lovers romance, standalone in Wright Vineyard series) Shielding Sierra by Susan Stoker (romantic suspense, standalone in Delta Team Two series) Flame by Helen Hardt (romantic suspense, Steel Brothers Saga) now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase UPCOMING BOOK RELEASES Jan 18 Pre-Order Jan 18 Pre-Order Jan 18 Pre-Order Jan 24 Pre-Order Jan 25 Pre-Order Jan 25 Pre-Order Jan 25 Pre-Order Jan 25 Pre-Order Jan 25 Pre-Order Feb 01 Pre-Order Feb 01 Pre-Order Feb 08 Pre-Order WHAT KIND OF BOOKS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? __________________________________ Let me know if there are any other books you’re loving right now too!! LET’S STAY CONNECTED To get these lists sent to you every week, subscribe by email. FOLLOW THE BLOG Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | BlogLovin’ | Google+ | Goodreads

BOOKWORM NEWS: Shelter by Kristen Proby is now live!! — “Remi Carter has survived her fifteen minutes of fame and is putting LA in her rearview mirror. As a former reality show contestant, she’s trading staged expeditions and faked wilderness tours for real adventures. Only one fluke storm in Glacier National Park has her stranded ...Read More  >

BOOKWORM NEWS: Shelter by Kristen Proby is now live!! — “Remi Carter has survived her fifteen minutes of fame and is putting LA in her rearview mirror. As a former reality show contestant, she’s trading staged expeditions and faked wilderness tours for real adventures. Only one fluke storm in Glacier National Park has her stranded with a handsome man, and adventure takes on a whole new meaning. Seth King is as rugged and sexy as he is annoyed to be trapped with Remi. Probably because she ghosted him at the local bar not three days ago. But she’s got her reasons for ditching him, and twenty-four hours in an abandoned Montana cabin with the wildlife biologist isn’t nearly enough time to explain. As tempting as he is by firelight, she’s been burned too many times. Except one day together and suddenly her travel van doesn’t hold as much appeal. The open road feels lonely. Remi’s about to learn that shelter is more than a safe place to weather a storm. Shelter might just be the man himself. If he can give her a reason to stay.” Code Name: Disavowed by Sawyer Bennett is now live!! — “Life works in mysterious ways. Jameson Force Security has just received notice of a disavowed CIA agent in need of rescue in Central America. My blood runs cold when I learn that agent is none other than Greer Hathaway—my former fiancée. Having gone our separate ways more than a decade ago, I still have bitter feelings toward Greer and the demise of our relationship. Those feelings don’t change the fact that I loved her more than anything, so I’m on the next flight out to embark on a rescue mission. Besides, Greer once saved my life, so now it’s time to return the favor and put her firmly in my past. Face-to-face for the first time since ending our engagement, Greer and I are left with not only anger, unanswered questions and regrets, but also the undeniable chemistry we apparently still have. Will the promise of a new future together be enough, or will the same obstacles tear us apart again?” Homecoming King by Penny Reid is now live!! — “Rex “TW” McMurtry’s perpetual single-hood wouldn’t bother him so much if all his ex-girlfriends didn’t keep marrying the very next person they dated, especially when so many of those grooms are his closest friends. He may be a pro-football defensive end for the Chicago Squalls, but the press only wants to talk about how he’s always a groomsman and never a groom. Rex is sick of being the guy before the husband, and he’s most definitely sick of being the best man at all their weddings. Bartender Abigail McNerny is the gal-pal, the wing-woman, the she-BFF. She’s dated. Once. And once was more than enough. Privy to all the sad stories of her customers, ‘contentment over commitment’ is her motto, and Abby is convinced no one on earth could ever entice her into a romantic relationship . . . except that one guy she’s loved since preschool. The guy who just walked into her bar. The guy who doesn’t recognize her. The guy who is drunk and needs a ride home. The guy who has a proposition she should definitely refuse.” My Unexpected Surprise by Piper Rayne is now live!! — “I never thought of myself as dad material. Until my one-night stand showed up in my small Alaskan town five months pregnant. But I don’t shy away from responsibility. First, because I’m a Greene and not to boast but we’re kind of a big deal in Sunrise Bay. Second, I’m the Sheriff. I couldn’t have predicted how protective I’d become for the safety of her and my unborn baby to the point of asking her to move in with me and be my roommate. Just when I think I have the situation under control, another surprise knocks me over, but it only spurs me to double down. I’ll be the first to admit, I didn’t think it through. Somewhere between the dinners, the TV show binging, the doctor appointments, and me walking in on her naked, lines blurred. In what feels like warp speed, my bachelor for life status is in jeopardy and I’m fighting for the most important thing of all—my family.” Dark Alpha’s Silent Night by Donna Grant (Reapers series) is now live!! — “There is no escaping the Reapers. We are elite assassins, part of a brotherhood that only answers to Death. But when Death says it’s our time to live, we are more than happy to obey. We have suffered betrayal, heartbreak, chaos, and even death. Despite another foe lurking around the corner, most of us have found happiness and love. While some still search, there is contentment—a sense of peace and purpose. And with the holidays upon us, it is time to celebrate the family we have made. The one we chose. The season is for revelry, and we intend to take advantage. Whatever may come next will still be there after the last present is unwrapped.” WEEKLY NEW RELEASES RECAP Shelter by Kristen Proby (close proximity romance, standalone in Heroes of Big Sky series) Code Name: Disavowed by Sawyer Bennett (second chance romance/suspense, standalone in Jameson Force Security series) Homecoming King by Penny Reid (small town romance, standalone in Three Kings series) My Unexpected Surprise by Piper Rayne (pregnancy/roommates, standalone in The Greene Family series) Dark Alpha’s Silent Night by Donna Grant (paranormal Christmas tale from Reapers series) now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase WHAT KIND OF BOOKS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? __________________________________ Let me know if there are any other books you’re loving right now too!! LET’S STAY CONNECTED To get these lists sent to you every week, subscribe by email. 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BOOKWORM NEWS: Dream Keeper by Kristen Ashley (Dream Team series) is now live!! — “Pepper Hannigan is determined to keep any romance off the table while her daughter Juno is still young. Sure, a certain handsome commando is thoughtful, funny, and undeniably hot, but Pepper’s had her heart broken before, and she won’t let it ...Read More  >

BOOKWORM NEWS: Dream Keeper by Kristen Ashley (Dream Team series) is now live!! — “Pepper Hannigan is determined to keep any romance off the table while her daughter Juno is still young. Sure, a certain handsome commando is thoughtful, funny, and undeniably hot, but Pepper’s had her heart broken before, and she won’t let it happen again. Not to her or her little girl, even if this hero could melt any woman’s resolve. Augustus “Auggie” Hero can’t deny his attraction to beautiful, warm-hearted Pepper or how much he wants to make a home with her and her little girl, but Pepper’s mixed signals have kept him away. That is, until Juno decides to play matchmaker. Her efforts finally bring Pepper into his arms, but they expose the danger Pepper is in. To protect Pepper and Juno, Auggie will have to live up to his last name and prove happy endings aren’t just for fairy tales.” Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon (Outlander series) is now live!! — “Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall were torn apart by the Jacobite Rising in 1746, and it took them twenty years to find each other again. Now the American Revolution threatens to do the same. It is 1779 and Claire and Jamie are at last reunited with their daughter, Brianna, her husband, Roger, and their children on Fraser’s Ridge. Having the family together is a dream the Frasers had thought impossible. Yet even in the North Carolina backcountry, the effects of war are being felt. Tensions in the Colonies are great and local feelings run hot enough to boil Hell’s teakettle. Jamie knows loyalties among his tenants are split and it won’t be long until the war is on his doorstep. Brianna and Roger have their own worry: that the dangers that provoked their escape from the twentieth century might catch up to them. Sometimes they question whether risking the perils of the 1700s—among them disease, starvation, and an impending war—was indeed the safer choice for their family…” Change With Me by Kristen Proby (With Me In Seattle series) is now live!! — “Zane Cooper. Hollywood royalty. Fourth generation superstar. He knows what it is to be one of the biggest celebrities in the world. And how lonely that title truly is. When scandal hits, his career hangs in the balance, and Zane flees LA for Seattle, laying low with his newly married best friend. Things will eventually blow over, and he’ll have his life back soon enough. Aubrey Stansfield arrives in Seattle excited to start a new job, and eager to settle into her new home. But when she arrives at her rental, Aubrey’s sure she’s imagining things because the uber sexy Zane Cooper is unpacking in her new bedroom. Thanks to a rental snafu, and unwilling to relocate on such short notice, Aubrey and Zane are thrust into being roommates…” WEEKLY NEW RELEASES RECAP Dream Keeper by Kristen Ashley (alpha romance, Dream Team series) Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon (latest book in Outlander series) Change With Me by Kristen Proby (novella in With Me In Seattle series) Wrapped in Black by Tiffany Reisz (Christmas novella in Original Sinners series) now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase WHAT KIND OF BOOKS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? __________________________________ Let me know if there are any other books you’re loving right now too!! LET’S STAY CONNECTED To get these lists sent to you every week, subscribe by email. FOLLOW THE BLOG Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | BlogLovin’ | Google+ | Goodreads

BOOKWORM NEWS: The Wolf by JR Ward (Black Dagger Brotherhood Series, Prison Camp spinoff) is now live!! — “Return to the sizzling glymera’s prison camp in this dark and sexy second novel in the new Black Dagger Brotherhood Prison Camp spin-off series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author J.R. Ward. In the next ...Read More  >

BOOKWORM NEWS: The Wolf by JR Ward (Black Dagger Brotherhood Series, Prison Camp spinoff) is now live!! — “Return to the sizzling glymera’s prison camp in this dark and sexy second novel in the new Black Dagger Brotherhood Prison Camp spin-off series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author J.R. Ward. In the next installment of bestselling author J.R. Ward’s Prison Camp series, things get steamy when Lucan, a wolven forced into bartering drug deals for the infamous Prison Colony, meets Rio, the second in command for the shadowy Caldwell supplier, Mozart. After a deal goes awry, a wolf with piercing golden eyes swoops in to save her from certain death. As shocking truths unfurl, Rio is uncertain of who to trust and what to believe—but with her life on the line, true love rears its head and growls in the face of danger.” Next Time I Fall by Scarlett Cole is now live!! — “Love rocks. Heavy guitars, a voice with the burn of pure single malt, and lyrics that distill the meaning of love are the greatest things. If only the man singing didn’t have a temperament as foul as the Michigan winter. Jase sitting in her car while yelling at her to get him out of there is a surprise. Why she hits the accelerator and takes him to her father’s cabin on the lake is an even greater mystery. How was she supposed to know they’d end up snowed in for days? Or that when they got out again, their relationship, and her views on love, would be changed irrevocably?” 14 Days of Christmas by Louise Bay is now live!! — “I hate Christmas. As CEO of my company, I’ve banned decorations from the office, festive music from the lobby and any kind of secret Santa gifts between employees are strictly forbidden. I’m heading to the airport, away from the Christmas lights and the mulled wine, heading for sunshine and margaritas when I get a call from Granny. She’s sprained her ankle and needs my help filling in for her as head of the village Christmas Committee. Snowsly is the Christmas Capital of England and the last place I want to be in the lead up to Christmas. But there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for Granny. When I arrive in Snowsly, I’m introduced to Celia Sommers who is Christmas’ biggest fan and therefore my own personal nightmare before Christmas. Worse than that, I have to work with her to make Snowsly’s Christmas market a success. Celia is determined to get me in the festive spirit. It’s not going to work. It doesn’t matter if she’s smart and funny and easy to flirt with—if she doesn’t stop looking at me with her sparkling eyes and pouting her completely kissable lips, Celia is going straight to the top of my naughty list.” The Enigma by Jodi Ellen Malpas is now live!! — “After leaving her fiancé at the altar and quitting her job as a Miami cop, Beau Hayley stumbles through life, feeling only resentment. Injustice. Loss. Her mom’s death was called an accident. She’s not convinced. Grieving, she becomes numb to everything except the constant, biting pain of heartbreak and hate. She can see no light. Until she meets James Kelly, a man who seems as damaged as she is, inside and out. And yet despite his twisted, cold façade, he stimulates feelings. Pleasure. He is a respite from her own flaws. A complete mystery.” The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan is now live!! — “Laid off from her department store job, Carmen has perilously little cash and few options. The prospect of spending Christmas with her perfect sister Sofia, in Sofia’s perfect house with her perfect children and her perfectly ordered yuppie life does not appeal. Frankly, Sofia doesn’t exactly want her prickly sister Carmen there either. But Sofia has yet another baby on the way, a mother desperate to see her daughters get along, and a client who needs help revitalizing his shabby old bookshop. So Carmen moves in and takes the job. Thrown rather suddenly into the inner workings of Mr. McCredie’s ancient bookshop on the picturesque streets of historic Edinburgh, Carmen is intrigued despite herself. The store is dusty and disorganized but undeniably charming. Can she breathe some new life into it in time for Christmas shopping?” Beard in Hiding by Penny Reid is now live!! — “Propositioning the Iron Wraiths’ money man seemed like a good idea at the time… Diane Donner—recently divorced pillar of polite society—is craving danger. She’s tired of playing it safe and she knows just the sexy criminal motorcycle man to proposition for a good time. Problem is, she doesn’t actually know his name. Jason “Repo” Doe never takes risks. So when the queen of local commerce walks into his club, looking to get risky and frisky, Jason knows the smartest thing to do is save himself a headache while saving the new divorcee from her worst impulses. But then one thing leads to another, and the memory of just-one-night doesn’t feel like enough. Theirs is a story with no future, because how can a dangerous criminal win (and keep) a queen?” Head Over Hooves by Erin Nicholas is now live!! — “You know in movies where the big city girl lands in a small town for the holidays and falls for the hunky guy who saves Christmas? This isn’t that story. But this guy does look fantastic in flannel. And out of flannel… Finding true love with his one-and-only soul mate? Drew Ryan’s given up on that. But a hot holiday fling in Louisiana, far from his responsibilities and good guy image back home, is now on the top of his list for Santa. So when he’s knocked on his ass—literally—by a Christmas elf who’s stealing a sleigh full of gifts and using his reindeer to commit the crime, he definitely doesn’t expect to fall head over heels.” The Singles Table by Sara Desai is now live!! — “After a devastating break-up, celebrity-obsessed lawyer Zara Patel is determined never to open her heart again. She puts her energy into building her career and helping her friends find their happily-ever-afters. She’s never faced a guest at the singles table she couldn’t match, until she crosses paths with the sinfully sexy Jay Dayal. Former military security specialist Jay has no time for love. His life is about working hard, staying focused, and winning at all costs. When charismatic Zara crashes into his life, he’s thrown into close contact with exactly the kind of chaos he wants to avoid. Worse, they’re stuck together for the entire wedding season. So they make a deal. She’ll find his special someone if he introduces her to his celebrity clients. But when their arrangement brings them together in ways they never expected, they realize that the perfect match might just be their own.” WEEKLY NEW RELEASES RECAP The Wolf by JR Ward (Black Dagger Brotherhood Series, Prison Camp spinoff) Next Time I Fall by Scarlett Cole (rockstar romance, standalone in Excess All Areas series) The 14 Days of Christmas by Louise Bay (CEO/small town holiday romance, standalone) The Enigma by Jodi Ellen Malpas (romantic suspense, Unlawful Men series) The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan (heartwarming holiday novel, standalone) Beard in Hiding by Penny Reid (small town romcom, Green Valley world) Head Over Hooves by Erin Nicholas (holiday fling, standalone in Boys of the Bayou Gone Wild series) Kingdom Come by Aleatha Romig (dark romance, standalone) The Singles Table by Sara Desai (romantic comedy, standalone in The Marriage Game series) now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase LATEST BOOK SALES UPCOMING BOOK RELEASES WHAT KIND OF BOOKS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? __________________________________ Let me know if there are any other books you’re loving right now too!! LET’S STAY CONNECTED To get these lists sent to you every week, subscribe by email. FOLLOW THE BLOG Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | BlogLovin’ | Google+ | Goodreads

  BOOKWORM NEWS: Heard It in a Love Song by Tracey Garvis Graves is now live!! — “Love doesn’t always wait until you’re ready. Layla Hilding is thirty-five and recently divorced. Struggling to break free from the past—her glory days as the lead singer in a band and a ten-year marriage to a man who ...Read More  >

BOOKWORM NEWS: Heard It in a Love Song by Tracey Garvis Graves is now live!! — “Love doesn’t always wait until you’re ready. Layla Hilding is thirty-five and recently divorced. Struggling to break free from the past—her glory days as the lead singer in a band and a ten-year marriage to a man who never put her first—Layla’s newly found independence feels a lot like loneliness. Then there’s Josh, the single dad whose daughter attends the elementary school where Layla teaches music. Recently separated, he’s still processing the end of his twenty-year marriage to his high school sweetheart. He chats with Layla every morning at school and finds himself thinking about her more and more. Equally cautious and confused about dating in a world that favors apps over meeting organically, Layla and Josh decide to be friends with the potential for something more. Sounds sensible and way too simple—but when two people are on the rebound, is it heartbreak or happiness that’s a love song away?” Just One Chance by Carly Phillips is now live!! — “As a former Marine, Xander Kingston’s writing keeps him sane. Bonus? His thrillers made him one of Hollywood’s most desired screenwriters—and also introduced him to a fledgling starlet who broke his heart. With his close-knit family in New York, Xander returned home and found peace. Until Sasha Keaton shows up at his Hamptons retreat. Now an A-Lister, she’s as beautiful as he remembers. And just as dangerous to his heart. Sasha learned from watching her mother to never sacrifice her dreams for anyone—only to discover how empty life could be without the man she loved. Now cast in Xander’s latest movie, she needs his insight to play the part, but secretly hopes for a second chance.” My Sister’s Flirty Friend by Piper Rayne is now live!! — “I broke the cardinal rule and slept with my sister’s best friend. Granted, I’d just found out that I was now a single father to a three-year-old little girl and was low on willpower. It should also be noted that there’s been sexual tension between us for years. There’s no way it would be a surprise if anyone in our small town found out. That is if we were telling people, which we’re not. We’re in agreement to keep our affair a secret, especially since neither one of us do relationships. You’ve probably figured it out already, but things didn’t go as planned.” More Than Hate You by Shayla Black is now live!! — “I’m Sebastian Shaw—CFO, pragmatist, and moneymaker. I’ve mismanaged love in the past, but when it comes to business, I’m pure shark, able to cut down any threat to my success…except Sloan O’Neill. We’re vying for the same major client, so I do what any self-respecting cutthroat does to gain the upperhand: spy on the ball-busting piece of work. She may be gorgeous and unnervingly clever, but I have skills. My gutsy roadblock doesn’t stand a chance. Until I realize I’m falling for her. Suddenly, everything from my objectives to my morals is cloudy. Stay loyal to my best friend and boss to win this critical client at any cost…or give my heart another chance? But the more time I spend with my redheaded adversary, the more I realize she’s not just ambitious but kind, vulnerable…and perfect…” Dark Tarot by Christine Feehan is now live!! — “Sandu Berdardi continues to exist only to protect his people. An ancient Carpathian, his entire long life has been dedicated to honor above all else. He knows his time has passed, especially since he has not been able to find his lifemate—the anchor to keep him sane in a world he no longer understands. But just as he truly starts to give up hope, a voice reaches out to him in the night and his world explodes into color. Adalasia enters Sandu’s mind seamlessly, as if she has been a part of him forever. While she can see the shape of things to come in her deck of cards, her gift is both a blessing and a curse. The true course of Sandu’s quest remains unclear, with danger waiting at every turn. She cannot see everything the future holds, but she does know it is a journey they will take together.” The Rhythm Method by Kylie Scott (Stage Dive novella) is now live!! — It all started in Vegas… After a wild and tumultuous beginning to their relationship, Evelyn Thomas and her rock star husband David Ferris have been happily married for years. Nothing needs to change, their life together is perfect. Which means that change in the shape of an unexpected pregnancy is bound to shake things up some. But could it be for the better? WEEKLY NEW RELEASES RECAP Heard It in a Love Song by Tracey Garvis Graves (starting over & second chances, standalone) The Rhythm Method by Kylie Scott (novella in Stage Dive series) Just One Chance by Carly Phillips (second chance romance, standalone in The Kingston Family series) My Sister’s Flirty Friend by Piper Rayne (single dad romance, standalone in The Greene Family series) More Than Hate You by Shayla Black (enemies to lovers, standalone in Reed Family Reckoning series) Dark Tarot by Christine Feehan (paranormal romance, The Dark series) now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase WHAT KIND OF BOOKS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? __________________________________ Let me know if there are any other books you’re loving right now too!! LET’S STAY CONNECTED To get these lists sent to you every week, subscribe by email. FOLLOW THE BLOG Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | BlogLovin’ | Google+ | Goodreads

  BOOKWORM NEWS: Indigo Ridge by Devney Perry is now live!! — “Winslow Covington believes in life, liberty and the letter of the law. As Quincy, Montana’s new chief of police, she’s determined to prove herself to the community and show them she didn’t earn her position because her grandfather is the mayor. According to ...Read More  >

BOOKWORM NEWS: Indigo Ridge by Devney Perry is now live!! — “Winslow Covington believes in life, liberty and the letter of the law. As Quincy, Montana’s new chief of police, she’s determined to prove herself to the community and show them she didn’t earn her position because her grandfather is the mayor. According to her pops, all she has to do is earn favor with the Edens. But winning over the town’s founding family might have been easier if not for her one-night stand with their oldest son. In her defense, it was her first night in town and she didn’t realize that the rugged and charming man who wooed her into bed was Quincy royalty. Sleeping with Griffin Eden was a huge mistake, one she’s trying to forget. He’s insufferable, arrogant and keeps reminding everyone that she’s an outsider. Winslow does her best to avoid Griffin, but when a woman is found dead on Eden property, the two of them have no choice but to cross paths. As clues to the murderer lead to one of Quincy’s own, Griffin realizes Winslow is more than he gave her credit for. Beautiful and intelligent, she proves hard to resist. For him. And the killer.” Riggs by Sawyer Bennett is now live!! — “As a professional hockey player, people think I live a charmed life. On the surface, I do. But they don’t know the horrors of my childhood, or the real reason that I have custody of my seventeen-year-old sister, Janelle. And that’s exactly the way I like it. They may think I’m a prick because I don’t like to share, but that’s fine. They don’t know me, and they don’t need to. In an effort to help Janelle get settled in Phoenix and stay out of trouble at school, I set her up with a job at Clarke’s Corner, the local bookstore owned by the girlfriend of a teammate. It’s there that she makes friends with Veronica Woodley, the extremely annoying, arrogant, money-hungry divorcee who I don’t want anywhere near my sister. Janelle insists I’m completely wrong about Veronica, but I refuse to accept that. I have to keep reminding myself that that the gorgeous blond with legs for days is off limits. Through a series of events, I start to see Veronica for what she really is—an amazing woman who has survived her own hell to come out even stronger. I have to admit, we’re more alike than not…” Until April by Aurora Rose Reynolds is now live!! — “With happily ever after being something that happens to other people, April Mayson has decided to put all her energy into her career and living her best life, and things are better than ever. Little does she know that her world is about to be turned upside down when she’s asked to help out a family friend, Maxim Kauwe. Now, she’s dealing with a man unlike any she’s ever met before, her ex—a famous musician who’s decided he wants her back—and a possible serial killer. With all the drama suddenly swirling around her, she will have to figure out if she is brave enough to trust Maxim with her heart and maybe even her life.” Rebel North by JB Salsbury is now live!! — “In a city where image is everything, Gabriella turns heads for all the wrong reasons. The marks that slash across her neck and face turn people away. But I see the beauty that lies beneath, feel a kinship to her pain. I regret the way she found me—mugged and left for dead. I should walk away, follow the rules, but I can’t. I want to see her again. There’s only one problem. My brother convinced her I’m gay. I use that lie to my advantage, persuade her to be my pretend girlfriend, to help protect my fake-sexual identity from my judgmental family. But what starts as a shameless excuse to be near her leads to crossed lines and midnight confessions. I’m not who I led her to believe. I’m sin wrapped in silk. Betrayal masked by beauty. And she’s not the only one with scars…” Inked Devotion by Carrie Ann Ryan is now live!! — “Brenna Garrett watched her best friend fall in love with another woman all the while keeping his darkest secrets from her. Now she’ll have to figure out who she is without him while not letting the rest of the Montgomerys see her break. When her family forces her on a road trip, she finds herself bringing Benjamin Montgomery with her. The problem? He’s her best friend’s twin, so there’s no escaping that familiar face. Benjamin didn’t want to leave his family in a lurch, but Brenna isn’t the only one who needs a break. Only a drunken mistake leads to a night of passion with unintended consequences. When it turns out they can’t walk away, they’ll have to make a choice: remain just friends or start something new and possibly risk everything. Including themselves.” Rules for Heiresses by Amalie Howard is now live!! — “Born to a life of privilege, Lady Ravenna Huntley rues the day that she must marry. She’s refused dozens of suitors and cried off multiple betrothals, but running away—even if brash and foolhardy—is the only option left to secure her independence. Lord Courtland Chase, grandson of the Duke of Ashvale, was driven from England at the behest of his cruel stepmother. Scorned and shunned, he swore never to return to the land of his birth. But when a twist of bad luck throws a rebellious heiress into his arms, at the very moment he finds out he’s the new Duke, marriage is the only alternative to massive scandal. Both are quick to deny it, but a wedding might be the only way out for both of them. And the attraction that burns between them makes Ravenna and Courtland wonder if it’ll truly only be a marriage of convenience after all…” Man For Me by Laurelin Paige is now live!! — “Brett Sebastian is the very best kind of friend. Who else would get me a job at one of the biggest corporations in America? And hook me up with his uber-rich cousin to boot? And let me cry on his shoulder every time said cousin blows me off? Okay, it’s pretty obvious that Brett cares about me in a different way than I do for him, but he seems fine with how things are, and our friendship works. Until one fateful night when I’m mooning over his cousin, and Brett utters four words that should make me happy for him, should make me relieved, should balance out our uneven relationship: “I met a girl.” Suddenly my world is crashing down around me, and I’m forced to ask myself—am I only interested in Brett now that he’s taken? Or have I been looking at the wrong man all along?” Moonstone by Helen Hardt is now live!! — “As Moonstone, she was held captive. Now Katelyn Brooks is starting fresh and is determined to reclaim her life. With the help of the Wolfe family, she’s working toward healing…which doesn’t necessarily include falling for a gorgeous waiter. Luke Johnson is a recovering alcoholic who just wants to fly under the radar. He’s not looking for love, but when Katelyn walks through the doors of the restaurant where he works, he’s struck by her beauty and her meekness. Circumstances throw them together, and neither is able to resist the attraction that sparks between them. But Luke has a secret—a big one—that could spell danger for both of them.” Archangel’s Light by Nalini Singh (Guild Hunter series) is now live!! — “Illium and Aodhan. Aodhan and Illium. For centuries they’ve been inseparable: the best of friends, closer than brothers, companions of the heart. But that was before—before darkness befell Aodhan and shattered him, body, mind, and soul. Now, at long last, Aodhan is healing, but his new-found strength and independence may come at a devastating cost—his relationship with Illium. As they serve side by side in China, a territory yet marked by the evil of its former archangel, the secret it holds nightmarish beyond imagining, things come to an explosive decision point. Illium and Aodhan must either walk away from the relationship that has defined them—or step forward into a future that promises a bond infinitely precious in the life of an immortal…but that demands a terrifying vulnerability from two badly bruised hearts.” Home for a Cowboy Christmas by Donna Grant is now live!! — “Tis the season—for everyone except Emmy Garrett. She’s on the run after witnessing a crime. But when it becomes clear that trouble will continue following her, the US Marshal in charge takes her somewhere no one will think to look–Montana. Not only is Emmy in a new place for her protection, but now, she’s stuck with a handsome cowboy as her bodyguard…and she wants to do more than kiss him under the mistletoe. Dwight Reynolds left behind his old career, but it’s still in his blood. When an old friend calls in a favor, Dwight opens his home to a woman on the run. He tries to keep his distance, but there’s something about Emmy he can’t resist. She stokes his passion and turns his cold nights into warm ones. When danger shows up looking for Emmy, Dwight risks everything to keep her safe.” One Christmas Wish by Brenda Jackson is now live!! — “Vaughn Miller’s Wall Street career was abruptly ended by a wrongful conviction and two years in prison. Since then, he’s returned to his hometown, kept his head down and forged a way forward. When he is exonerated and his name cleared, he feels he can hold his head up once again, maybe even talk to the beautiful café owner who sets his blood to simmering. Sierra Crane escaped a disastrous marriage—barely. She and her six-year-old goddaughter have returned to the only place that feels like home. Determined to make it on her own, Sierra opens a soup café. Complication is the last thing she needs, but the moment Vaughn walks into her café, she can’t keep her eyes off the smoldering loner.” WEEKLY NEW RELEASES RECAP Indigo Ridge by Devney Perry (small town enemies to lovers romance, The Edens series) Riggs by Sawyer Bennett (hockey romance, standalone in Arizona Vengeance series) Until April by Aurora Rose Reynolds (contemp romance, standalone in Until Him/Her series) Rebel North by JB Salsbury (NA romance, standalone in The North Brothers series) Inked Devotion by Carrie Ann Ryan (roadtrip romance, standalone in Montgomery Ink series) Rules for Heiresses by Amalie Howard (historical romance standalone) Man For Me by Laurelin Paige (friends to lovers, standalone novella in Man in Charge series) Moonstone by Helen Hardt (love after hardship, new series) Archangel’s Light by Nalini Singh (paranormal romance, Guild Hunter series) Home for a Cowboy Christmas by Donna Grant (holiday romance, standalone) One Christmas Wish by Brenda Jackson (small town holiday romance, Catalina Cove series) now live Purchase now live Pre-Order now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase WHAT KIND OF BOOKS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? __________________________________ Let me know if there are any other books you’re loving right now too!! 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BOOKWORM NEWS: Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey is now live!! — “Two weeks before Christmas and all through Manhattan, shop windows are decorated in red and green satin. I’m standing alone in front of the famous Vivant department store, when a charming man named Aiden asks my opinion of the décor. It’s a tragedy in ...Read More  >

BOOKWORM NEWS: Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey is now live!! — “Two weeks before Christmas and all through Manhattan, shop windows are decorated in red and green satin. I’m standing alone in front of the famous Vivant department store, when a charming man named Aiden asks my opinion of the décor. It’s a tragedy in tinsel, I say, unable to lie. He asks for a better idea with a twinkle in his eye. Did I know he owned the place? No. He put me on the spot. Now I’m working for that man, trying to ignore that he’s hot. But as a down on her luck girl with a difficult past, I know an opportunity when I see one—and I have to make it last. I’ll put my heart and soul into dressing his holiday windows. I’ll work without stopping. And when we lose the battle with temptation, I’ll try and remember I’m just window shopping.” Only One Regret by Natasha Madison is now live!! — Him: “My name came with big skates to fill. . At the top of my game, I had everything I wanted, or so I thought. . Being traded to Dallas was not what I was expecting but neither were the divorce papers I was served. . Now I’m a single dad in a city that isn’t my home.” | Her: “Handed my biggest client when I was twenty-two made my dreams come true. . Over time, our work relationship changed, and we grew closer, leaning on each other for support. . He was my rock, my best friend.. Then one drunken night changed everything, and I saw what was in front of me all along. . I just hope that when the dust settles, we won’t regret it.” Promise Me Forever by Layla Hagen is now live!! — “As a divorced single father, I live by three rules: 1. Make sure every day my daughter, Paisley, knows she’s number one in my life. No. Matter. What. 2. Keep contact with my cheating ex-wife to a minimum. 3. Turn Maxwell Wineries into a legacy that keeps Paisley set for life. When I hire Lexi to look after my daughter, I realize I need another rule: don’t pursue Paisley’s nanny. But even if I had that rule it wouldn’t matter. Because I’m breaking it already.” Boyfriend by Sarina Bowen is now live!! — “The hottest player on the Moo U hockey team hangs a flyer on the bulletin board, and I am spellbound: Rent a boyfriend for the holiday. For $25, I will be your Thanksgiving date. I will talk hockey with your dad. I will bring your mother flowers. I will be polite, and wear a nicely ironed shirt… Now everyone knows it’s a bad idea to introduce your long-time crush to your messed-up family. But I really do need a date for Thanksgiving, even if I’m not willing to say why. So I tear his phone number off of that flyer… and accidentally entangle our star defenseman in a ruse that neither of us can easily unwind. Because Weston’s family is even nuttier than mine. He needs a date, too, for the most uncomfortable holiday engagement party ever thrown. There will be hors d’oeuvre. There will be faked PDA. And there will be pro-level awkwardness…” Sealed With A Kiss by Erin Nicholas is now live!! — “What’s a girl to do when faced with a hurricane, her celebrity crush, and a power outage in their shelter? Keep her damned feelings to herself. And her clothes on… Naomi LeClaire is just a small-town girl who loves her quiet, simple life. Donovan Foster is a sexy, charming, wildlife rescuing internet sensation who loves the spotlight. What do these opposites have in common? Only an impossible-to-resist chemistry that, when they’re stuck together in a storm becomes, well, impossible to resist. But the aftermath of the storm gives them something else in common—a rescue mission to help victims. Oh, and a heat-of-the-moment kiss caught on camera by the local paparazzi. Not to mention an offer for a reality TV show documenting them falling in love while saving animals from crazy, dangerous situations…” Well Matched by Jen DeLuca is now live!! — “Single mother April Parker has lived in Willow Creek for twelve years with a wall around her heart. On the verge of being an empty nester, she’s decided to move on from her quaint little town, and asks her friend Mitch for his help with some home improvement projects to get her house ready to sell. Mitch Malone is known for being the life of every party, but mostly for the attire he wears to the local Renaissance Faire—a kilt (and not much else) that shows off his muscled form to perfection. While he agrees to help April, he needs a favor too: she’ll pretend to be his girlfriend at an upcoming family dinner, so that he can avoid the lectures about settling down and having a more “serious” career than high school coach and gym teacher. April reluctantly agrees, but when dinner turns into a weekend trip, it becomes hard to tell what’s real and what’s been just for show…” Serendipity by Kristen Proby (Bayou Magic series) is now live!! — “My sight is a gift and also a curse. It cost me the love of my life. We may have been young, but some things you don’t get over. Like being the cause of the biggest tragedy of your boyfriend’s life. It’s something I’ll never forget, and a reflection of who I am. But now that Jackson’s back in town, with scars and a hero’s badge of honor, it’s time for me to be brave, too. A malevolent evil hell-bent on making my sisters and me pay for rebuffing him is still stalking my family, and some ancient writings portended that the six were the only ones who could defeat him. Jackson Pruitt and I round out that magical number, which means I have to face the evil and the things Jack makes me feel, to save my family and my city…” Infamous Like Us by Krista & Becca Ritchie (Like Us Series: Billionaires & Bodyguards) is now live!! — “22-year-old Sullivan Meadows knew dating Akara & Banks would be complicated, but now that her relationship is public, everything has been put on blast: @HeatherB: Can’t believe Sullivan Meadows is dating TWO men and they’re like all together. Like OMG. Totally didn’t think the rumors were true. @YuiK: anyone know what happened to Sullivan Meadows? News is saying something bad went down. Seems bad. @PaulieP: Why is there no reporting on the thing that “allegedly” happened to that Meadows girl? They aren’t saying whether her boyfriends were there??? @TiffanyW: Y’all I can’t with Sullivan’s boyfriends. They just sandwiched her in PUBLIC to avoid cameras lmao @RiverT: Banks Moretti & Akara Kitsuwon are totally banging. I don’t make the rules @CarlaR: OMGOMGOMG Sullivan Meadows qualified for the Olympics! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! @LacieA: Celebrity Crush is saying ALL the families will be at the Olympics to root for Sullivan. Im dead #HalesMeadowsCobalts @GeorgieO: Dude no way she wins a gold medal. Sulli the Slut is too busy screwing anything that walks @VenusQ: I bet her boyfriends will distract her. Last Olympics, she was single. This one, she’s a MESS. Messiness isn’t getting gold #sorrynotsorry” A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L Armentrout is now live!! — “Born shrouded in the veil of the Primals, a Maiden as the Fates promised, Seraphena Mierel’s future has never been hers. Chosen before birth to uphold the desperate deal her ancestor struck to save his people, Sera must leave behind her life and offer herself to the Primal of Death as his Consort. However, Sera’s real destiny is the most closely guarded secret in all of Lasania—she’s not the well protected Maiden but an assassin with one mission—one target. Make the Primal of Death fall in love, become his weakness, and then…end him. If she fails, she dooms her kingdom to a slow demise at the hands of the Rot. Sera has always known what she is. Chosen. Consort. Assassin. Weapon. A specter never fully formed yet drenched in blood. A monster. Until him…” House of Shadows by KA Linde (Royal Houses series) is now live!! — “Kerrigan Argon, a half-human, half-Fae, has joined the Dragon Society against almost everyone’s wishes. A year of training is required with her dragon. First she must travel with the dark Fae prince, Fordham Ollivier, back to his home in the House of Shadows. Nothing but slavery and death has ever awaited a half-Fae in their halls. But something is wrong within their wicked world. A thousand year old spell is weakening. Cracks forming in the foundation. And Kerrigan may just be their ruin or their salvation.” WEEKLY NEW RELEASES RECAP Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey (feel-good holiday romance, standalone) Only One Regret by Natasha Madison (single dad hockey romance, standalone in Only One series) Promise Me Forever by Layla Hagen (single dad romance, standalone) Boyfriend by Sarina Bowen (hockey romance, standalone in Moo U Hockey series) Sealed With A Kiss by Erin Nicholas (opposites attract romcom, Boys of the Bayou Gone Wild series) Well Matched by Jen DeLuca (friends to lovers romance, standalone) Serendipity by Kristen Proby (paranormal romance, Bayou Magic series) Infamous Like Us by Krista & Becca Ritchie (Like Us Series: Billionaires & Bodyguards) A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L Armentrout (spinoff of Blood and Ash series) House of Shadows by KA Linde (fae romance, Royal Houses series) now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase WHAT KIND OF BOOKS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? __________________________________ Let me know if there are any other books you’re loving right now too!! 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BOOKWORM NEWS: A Moment For Us by Corinne Michaels is now live!! — “I was totally over Joshua Parkerson. Sure, I had a teenage crush on him way back when—and everyone knew it—but he never saw me as anything but his little brother’s friend, the girl who got tongue-tied any time he walked into a ...Read More  >

BOOKWORM NEWS: A Moment For Us by Corinne Michaels is now live!! — “I was totally over Joshua Parkerson. Sure, I had a teenage crush on him way back when—and everyone knew it—but he never saw me as anything but his little brother’s friend, the girl who got tongue-tied any time he walked into a room. I had long ago accepted the fact that his strong arms would never hold me, his lush lips would never claim mine, and his blue eyes would never see me as anything more than who I used to be. But now he’s back in Willow Creek Valley, and there’s a brand-new spark between us—even he can’t fight it. Our chemistry is explosive, and every time we’re together, I swear I can feel the earth shake. It doesn’t mean anything… how could it? I’m over him. Until I see that little pink plus sign, and the earth stops turning completely. Now I want it all again, a life with him. But Joshua built walls around his heart for a reason, and his secrets haunt him. How can I show him that the ghosts of his past don’t have to define our new family’s future?” Not Without Your Love by Lexi Ryan is now live!! — “Two and a half years ago, I hit rock bottom and lost everything. Since then, I’ve turned my life around—no more booze, no more drugs, no more self-sabotage. With a new business to run and old promises to keep, the last thing I need is smart-mouthed hellcat Veronica Maddox disrupting my world. Veronica’s as beautiful as she is infuriating. She pushes all my buttons. Maybe that didn’t matter before, but now she’s working for me. She keeps this place running. As a business owner, I appreciate that. As the man she hates and the one who can’t forget our wild night together, I’m slowly losing my mind. I told myself I could resist her, but we only get along when our hands are doing the talking. Before I know it, our relationship is anything but professional [and] no matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise, what started as two enemies has developed into something neither of us imagined possible. And while Veronica’s a complication I never wanted, she is exactly what I need.” Hold On To My Heart by Bella Andre is now live!! — “Nash Hardwin has been on the road full time since leaving his rough childhood behind when he was sixteen. Beloved by millions of fans around the world, he’s never had a real home and never trusted anyone enough to fall in love. Not until he meets Ashley Sullivan. After she unexpectedly steps in to help him out of a very tricky situation, he ends up having the best day of his life with her in Vienna. Ashley is sweet, beautiful and intelligent…with the biggest heart of anyone he’s ever met. When their perfect day together inevitably turns into an even more perfect night, there’s no denying that they make incredibly beautiful music together. But is there even the slightest chance that the small-town single mom and the road warrior rock star can make things work? Or will the realities of lives that are polar opposites make it impossible to hold on to each other’s hearts?” Fallen Royal by Rachel Van Dyken (Mafia Royals #4) is now live!! — “I grew up knowing it would happen one day. Believing that I would fall into my father’s footsteps… So I fought it. I lived. I loved. I teased. And then one day… I destroyed… She saw my rage, my madness, and tried to stop me from destroying myself, and I hated her for it, pushing her away past the point of no return. She was supposed to be mine. But there are some things people can never come back from. I hurt her, she hurt me, and now I’m living a lie. Telling the ones I love that I’m on one side when for years I’ve been forced to play both. I’m no angel. I’ve fallen… I will win her back… She fell for the bad one. She fell for the sinner. So why does that make me smile?” The Blood That Binds by Madeline Sheehan & Claire C Riley (Thicker Than Blood #3) is now live!! — “Two brothers. A childhood sweetheart. Life has never been easy for this trio, and especially not after the end of civilization as they knew it. Having had their formative years ripped from them, they were thrust into a shattered, savage world, a world where they only had each other. Love and loss. Weary travellers on the brink, there is a storm brewing, a turbulent tempest that has nothing to do with the weather. When tragedy strikes, everything changes in the blink of an eye– facades come undone, and loyalty is pushed to a breaking point. A diamond in the rough. Immersed back into something akin to normal society, a safe-haven in the midst of misery, our travellers are forced to finally confront their demons–long-kept secrets that have been haunting them for nearly a decade. Love is never easy; And love during the end of the world is a hell of a lot more complicated.” The Butler by Danielle Steele is now live!! — “Joachim takes a job working for Olivia as a lark and enjoys the whimsy of a different life for a few weeks, which turn to months as the unlikely employer and employee learn they enjoy working side by side. At the same time, Joachim discovers the family history he never knew: a criminal grandfather who died in prison, the wealthy father who abandoned him, and the dangerous criminal his twin has become. While Olivia struggles to put her life back together, Joachim’s comes apart. Stripped of their old roles, they strive to discover the truth about each other and themselves, first as employer and employee, then as friends. Their paths no longer sure, they are a man and woman who reach a place where the past doesn’t matter and only what they are living now is true.” WEEKLY NEW RELEASES RECAP A Moment For Us by Corinne Michaels (surprise baby/unrequited love romance, standalone) Not Without Your Love by Lexi Ryan (enemies-to-lovers office romance, standalone in The Boys of Jackson Harbor series) Hold On To My Heart by Bella Andre (single mom/rock star romance, standalone in The Sullivans series) Fallen Royal by Rachel Van Dyken (mafia romance, Mafia Royals series) The Blood That Binds by Madeline Sheehan & Claire C Riley (love triangle, Thicker Than Blood series) The Butler by Danielle Steele (women’s fiction, standalone) now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase LATEST BOOK SALES 45% OFF ★ Purchase 65% OFF ★ Purchase under $2 ★ Purchase 50% OFF Purchase 50% OFF Purchase under $1 Purchase under $2 Purchase under $1 Purchase under $3 ★ Purchase under $3 ★ Purchase 50% OFF ★ Purchase under $1 ★ Purchase UPCOMING BOOK RELEASES Oct 13 Pre-Order Oct 18 Pre-Order Oct 19 Pre-Order Oct 19 Pre-Order Oct 19 Pre-Order Oct 19 Pre-Order Oct 26 Pre-Order Oct 26 Pre-Order Oct 26 Pre-Order Oct 26 Pre-Order Oct 26 Pre-Order Nov 02 Pre-Order WHAT KIND OF BOOKS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? __________________________________ Let me know if there are any other books you’re loving right now too!! LET’S STAY CONNECTED To get these lists sent to you every week, subscribe by email. FOLLOW THE BLOG Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | BlogLovin’ | Google+ | Goodreads

BOOKWORM NEWS: A Small Hotel by Suanne Laqueure is now live!! — “It’s the summer of 1941. Europe is at war, but New York’s Thousand Islands are at the height of the tourist season. Kennet Fiskare, son of a hotel proprietor, is having the summer of a lifetime, having fallen deeply in love with a ...Read More  >

BOOKWORM NEWS: A Small Hotel by Suanne Laqueure is now live!! — “It’s the summer of 1941. Europe is at war, but New York’s Thousand Islands are at the height of the tourist season. Kennet Fiskare, son of a hotel proprietor, is having the summer of a lifetime, having fallen deeply in love with a Swedish-Brazilian guest named Astrid Virtanen. But the affair is cut short and the young lovers permanently parted, first by Astrid’s family obligations, then by America’s entry into the war. The rigors of military life help dull his heartache, but when Kennet’s battalion reaches France, he is thrown into the crucible of front line combat. As his unit crosses Europe, from the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium to Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria, Kennet falls into a different kind of love: the intense camaraderie between soldiers. It’s a bond fierce yet fragile, vital yet expendable, here today and gone tomorrow. Sustained by his friendships, Kennet both witnesses and commits the unthinkable atrocities of warfare, altering his view of the world and himself. To the point where a second chance with Astrid in peacetime might be the most terrifying and consequential battle he’s ever fought…” Wild at Heart by Zoe York is now live!! — “Everyone in Pine Harbour loves Will Kincaid—except the one person he cares about actually impressing. Can grown men have crushes on their frenemies? When Catie joins the small town’s Search and Rescue team, Will finds himself spending every Thursday night swapping glares with the hairdresser while they get in each other’s way. Catie Berton has a long list of reasons why Will is an arrogant jerk. But the more time she spends with him, the more she’s forced to admit sometimes they make a good team. That doesn’t change the fact that Will has always been her right crush, wrong guy. When the SRT goes on a road trip to a competition, she surprises herself by agreeing to ride shotgun in his truck. The long drive could be a chance to repair a shredded friendship, if Catie can get past her complicated feelings for the too-attractive-for-his-own-good school principal.” Mr. Park Lane by Louise Bay is now live!! — “I haven’t seen him in over a decade, but Joshua Luca can still get to me. And I hate it. At twenty-nine, I’m a doctor and I’ve traveled the world, but just the thought of him has me sliding my sweaty palms down my jeans and wishing I could steady my racing heartbeat. Joshua was an almost obsession until, at seventeen, he cost me my future. In one night, I grew up and let go of my silly crush. My infatuation for Joshua is dead and buried. Forever. It doesn’t matter that he’s my new roommate. Or that he still has that same sexy smile. I barely notice how, despite his billions, he’s the kindest man I know. Or that when he touches me, a thousand tiny fireworks explode all over my body. I’m completely over Joshua Luca.” Spark by Helen Hardt (Steel Brothers Saga) is now live!! — “Donovan “Donny” Steel is on a partnership track with a major Denver law firm. He loves his city career and his luxurious downtown loft, and life is going just how he planned it…until his mother, the city attorney for his hometown of Snow Creek, Colorado, asks him to move back and work for her when her assistant retires. Mom asks? Donny goes. Because he’ll do anything for the family who took him in twenty-five years ago. The fact that he can pick up where he left off with gorgeous Callie Pike is simply a fringe benefit. Caroline “Callie” Pike was looking forward to finally beginning law school at age twenty-six, but the western slope fire that destroyed most of her family’s vineyards put that plan on hold. At least she has Donny Steel’s return to look forward to. After she spent an evening with him at a recent party, he hasn’t strayed far from her mind…” Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis is now live!! — “On a snowy evening in March, thirty-something Noelle Butterby is on her way back from an event at her old college when disaster strikes. With a blizzard closing off roads, she finds herself stranded, alone in her car, without food, drink, or a working charger for her phone. All seems lost until Sam Attwood, a handsome American stranger also trapped in a nearby car, knocks on her window and offers assistance. What follows is eight perfect hours together, until morning arrives and the roads finally clear. The two strangers part, positive they’ll never see each other again but fate, it seems, has a different plan. As the two keep serendipitously bumping into one another, they begin to realize that perhaps there truly is no such thing as coincidence.” A Reckless Match by Kate Bateman is now live!! — “Madeline Montgomery grew up despising––and secretly loving––the roguish Gryffud “Gryff” Davies. Their families have been bitter rivals for hundreds of years, but even if her feelings once crossed the line between love and hate, she’s certain Gryff never felt the same. Now, she’s too busy saving her family from ruin to think about Gryff and the other “devilish” Davies siblings. Since he’s off being scandalous in London, it’s not like she’ll ever see him again…” Wild Heart by Laurelin Paige (Dirty Wild #3) is now live!! — “Secrets, surprises, and second chances. This trip down memory lane with Jolie has mended as much as it’s torn up. I promised her I could handle anything. Whatever she was hiding, my wild heart would always belong to her. But I could never have imagined this truth. And she can’t blame me for how this will all end.” WEEKLY NEW RELEASES RECAP A Small Hotel by Suanne Laqueure (military/love/family fiction) Wild at Heart by Zoe York (frenemies to lovers romance, standalone in The Kincaids of Pine Harbor series) Mr. Park Lane by Louise Bay (second chance/roommates romance, standalone) Wild Heart by Laurelin Paige (contemp romance, book #3 in Dirty Wild series) Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis (snowstorm/strangers romance, standalone) More Than Possess You by Shayla Black (romance novella, standalone in More Than series) Spark by Helen Hardt (romantic suspense, Steel Brothers Saga) A Reckless Match by Kate Bateman (historical romance, Ruthless Rivals) now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase now live Purchase WHAT KIND OF BOOKS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? __________________________________ Let me know if there are any other books you’re loving right now too!! 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196 countries, countless stories...

This writer came onto my radar thanks to Keith Kahn-Harris, author of The Babel Message: A Love Letter to Language, with whom I did a musical incomprehension experiment a few years back. He shared some information with me about Llanito, the language of Gibraltar (a British Overseas Territory at the southern tip of the Iberian […]

This writer came onto my radar thanks to Keith Kahn-Harris, author of The Babel Message: A Love Letter to Language, with whom I did a musical incomprehension experiment a few years back. He shared some information with me about Llanito, the language of Gibraltar (a British Overseas Territory at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula). It was, he told me, an amalgam of Spanish and English with bits of Maltese and Genoese thrown in. In fact, the literary scene in Gibraltar was similarly fascinating, a kind of experiment in answering the question of how small a population you need to establish a literary culture. Yorkshire-based M.G. Sanchez is a key player in this, having co-founded Patuka Press, which publishes anthologies of Gibraltarian writing. Indeed, several of Sanchez’s own books feature Llanito and his most recent has both an English and a Llanito edition. The title that caught my eye on his back catalogue, however, was Diary of Victorian Colonial and other Tales, my latest Book of the month. Originally published in 2008 through Rock Scorpion Books, a now-defunct publishing forum that Sanchez also founded after he struggled to find an outlet for Gibraltarian work, Diary is Sanchez’s second work of fiction. It features one novella and two shorter works that, according to its marketing material centre on ‘themes of emotional and geographical displacement’. The title work is the most ambitious piece. Chronicling the return of ex-convict Charles Bestman to Gibraltar, the land of his birth, in the nineteenth century, it explores what it means to belong and how history can entrap us in many senses. After this comes ‘Intermission’, a stream-of-consciousness account of a UK-based magazine publisher’s snap decision to give up the world and enter a French monastery. Last and, for my money, least is ‘Roman Ruins’, the story of an Italian lawyer’s attempt to save a homeless Kosovan man. Voice is one of the key strengths of Sanchez’s writing. The first two pieces lift off the page thanks to compelling, energetic and distinctive first-person narrators. The diary form is not easy to pull off and sustain for a whole work of fiction, and it’s credit to Sanchez that Bestman’s account is engaging, and peppered with telling observations. Meanwhile, the would-be monk of ‘Intermission’ is often extremely funny. His claim that the notorious British serial killer Fred West looked ‘a bit like an ugly Tom Jones’ had me laughing out loud. Although his spiel is occasionally repetitious and tips over into raw ranting on a few occasions, lines like this meant that I was more than happy to stay with him for the ride. There is a rich, mischievous seam to the writing in the first two-thirds of the book that put me in mind of anglophone authors such as Helen DeWitt and C.D. Rose, as well as the Brazilian writer Machado de Assis. It’s also fascinating to see colonialism and Britishness discussed from fresh angles, as Sanchez does in the first two pieces. There is a Trojan horse element to many of the passages, with certain ostensibly harmless or familiar formulations being used to smuggle in sentiments that challenge the status quo or reframe ideas. Some of these, such as the magazine publisher’s reflections on political correctness gone mad, now feel a little dated, but many are still disconcertingly fresh. There’s a meta element to the title work too. At the end of the text, an editor’s note informs us of the way in which the diary was discovered and praises Rock Scorpion Books for publishing it after it was rejected by many other outlets. Finding a way to be heard and recognised is, it seems, part of the story. Language has a big role to play in this. Llanito and Spanish feature in dialogue in the opening piece, while French appears in ‘Intermission’, and Italian and Serbian ring the changes in the final story. Multilingualism and pluralism are part of the fabric of this literary world, with Sanchez rarely choosing to translate on the page. Bewilderment and codeswitching are de rigueur. All that said, the final story is an odd fit in this collection. Whereas the first two pieces complement each other tonally, stylistically and thematically, ‘Roman Ruins’ feels as though it is out on a limb. From the retail blurb, I see that a story called ‘The Old Colonial’ is listed in its place in the collection, and I wonder if a late need for a substitution has led to this piece being shoehorned in. Certainly, there is a stilted, slightly unfinished quality to it. Characters often seem to exist to make arguments rather than to act in their own right, with several conversations featuring long expositions of the history of the former Yugoslavia and the atrocities committed during and since its collapse (although as I write this, I’m conscious that numerous literary traditions have a much higher tolerance for political and historical discussion than is generally accepted in anglophone literature – it may be that Gibraltarian literature does too). Coming after the mischievous, subversive antics of the first two pieces, the straightness of ‘Roman Ruins’ is hard to take. I also found the female lawyer less convincing than Sanchez’s male creations. All in all, the story felt uneven. But then perhaps evenness isn’t necessarily a virtue, or a quality essential to every work or literary tradition. It may be that Sanchez and his fellow Gibraltarian writers are nurturing a literary culture that works according to other standards – one that has no need to appeal to the sensibilities of a citizen of the country that once colonised their homeland. Sanchez has since published numerous works that may have taken his writing in any number of directions. I’m intrigued to learn more. Diary of a Victorian Colonial and other Tales by M.G. Sanchez (Rock Scorpion Books, 2012) Picture: ‘Gibraltar’ by John Finn on flickr.com

Last Thursday, I had the unusual experience of giving a paper at an academic conference. The event was about the future of English studies, and I was there because of a call for papers put out in association with Wasafiri magazine, a British publication championing international contemporary writing. I suggested that I might speak about […]

Last Thursday, I had the unusual experience of giving a paper at an academic conference. The event was about the future of English studies, and I was there because of a call for papers put out in association with Wasafiri magazine, a British publication championing international contemporary writing. I suggested that I might speak about my work with embracing not-knowing in reading, which forms the basis of my Incomprehension Workshops and forthcoming book, Relearning to Read. The organisers liked the sound of this, and so, last Thursday morning, I found myself joining other speakers and delegates in the gracious surroundings of York’s Guildhall for the start of the three-day event. The University of York’s Professor Helen Smith opened proceedings, saying that she felt the event was about survival and finding positive ways that the field of English studies could continue. As an English literature graduate myself, I was a bit taken aback – surely the subject couldn’t be in so much trouble? But as the discussion opened up and academics from universities across the UK began to speak, it became clear that there are many challenges facing those teaching English literature, language and related disciplines today. From the declaration last year that the English GCSE isn’t fit for purpose and the increased testing of performance all through school, to the encroachment of AI on students’ work practices, the sector seems increasingly restricted and hobbled. The main issue, as several of the people sitting near me said, was a lack of joy in the classroom these days. This made me sad. For me, reading has always been about joy. I was eight when I decided that I wanted to study English literature at university, having been entranced by L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. Reading was magic, it seemed to me. I couldn’t imagine a better thing than spending three years reading stories. How miserable to think of today’s young readers having all that pleasure squashed out of them. Still, when I thought about it, I could recognise what was being said. Last year, I ran an Incomprehension Workshop at a sixth-form college near where I live in Folkestone. It being World Book Day, I started the session by asking participants to write down how they would complete three sentences: Reading is… The world is… Stories are… At the end of the session, I invited students to read out what they’d written. One said this: Reading is boring The world is crazy Stories are exciting It was clear that something of that disconnect the university lecturers were describing had happened for that sixth-former. Although they still felt the power of stories, this had somehow become separated from reading for them. Books were not the source of connection and electricity they had been for me. I hope my panel helped propose some ways in which that gap might be rebridged. Titled, ‘Incomprehension and Living Between’, it opened with Turkish writer and translator Elif Gülez reading from her memoir about the culture clash she experienced growing up. The extract was powerful and resonated with the small but highly engaged audience, showing how personal narrative can cut through barriers and make experience live in other minds. Then, I spoke about incomprehension and how I try to foster a spirit of play in my work with this. I was particularly touched when one audience member said afterwards that the demonstration I had given had taken her back to the wonder of reading like a child once more. Lastly, we were joined remotely by Indian academic Gokul Prabhu, who delivered a fascinating paper on ‘Queer Opacity in Translation’ – considering how the attempt to make things legible and understandable may sometimes work against the spirit of a text, and how translators may sometimes need to leave gaps and jolts in work that does not intend to make its meaning plain. There was a marvellous electricity in the room, and this carried on into the afternoon, in a session on teaching creative writing, chaired by poet Anthony Vahni Capildeo, whose work-in-progress memoir I read as my Trinidadian pick back in 2012. The panel featured four writers who all teach at UK universities: J.R. Carpenter (University of Leeds), Joanne Limburg (University of Cambridge), Juliana Mensah (University of York), and Sam Reese (York St John University). They were honest about the challenges facing the industry and sector, but so full of enthusiasm and powerful insights that it was impossible not to be encouraged. I was particularly struck by Carpenter’s statement that a poem ought to unfold in the same way that it was gathered up, although, as Mensah observed, this idea is faintly terrifying when I think about the chaotic nature of my own creative process! I came away heartened to think that the academic branch of the field I love has such people working in it. And grateful that so many of those labouring under such pressure at the UK’s universities felt it was worth taking three days out of their hectic schedules to consider how better to foster and share a love of reading stories. I also felt a renewed energy for and commitment to the possibilities of embracing not-knowing and incomprehension too. More soon! Picture: ‘Municipal Offices and Guildhall, York, North Riding of Yorkshire, England’ by Billy Wilson on flickr.com

‘I’ve got a book I think you’d like,’ said bookseller Erin when I wandered into my local bookshop, The Folkestone Bookshop, a few weeks back. They were right. Waiting to Be Arrested at Night, translated by Joshua L. Freeman, is a memoir by Tahir Hamut Izgil, one of the leading contemporary Uyghur poets. It tells […]

‘I’ve got a book I think you’d like,’ said bookseller Erin when I wandered into my local bookshop, The Folkestone Bookshop, a few weeks back. They were right. Waiting to Be Arrested at Night, translated by Joshua L. Freeman, is a memoir by Tahir Hamut Izgil, one of the leading contemporary Uyghur poets. It tells the story of his decision to flee his homeland, along with his wife and children, in the late 2010s, following decades of mounting discrimination and persecution of the Uyghur population in Xianjiang, a nominally autonomous region in northwestern China. Through Izgil’s eyes, we live the experience of seeing your world contract to the point where there is no longer space for you to exist. The accounts of the imprisonments of many of Izgil’s friends and associates – often for minor or even unspecified breaches of the ever-shifting rules – are chilling and heartrending, yet it is the cruel absurdity of many of the directives that restrict everyday life that sticks in the mind. The requirement, for example, for Muslim clerics to participate in televised disco dancing competitions (and the brave attempt of one to embrace this insult as good exercise). Or the Looking Back Project, under which ‘many previous legal things had become illegal’, rendering authors vulnerable to being arrested for books that had been published with the censors’ blessing in previous years. Perhaps most horrifying of all is the List of Prohibited Names, a sporadically updated inventory setting out which names may no longer be used. In light of this, anyone may suddenly find themselves banned from using the appellation by which they have been known all their lives. ‘A name is a person’s most personal possession,’ as Izgil, writing through Freeman, reflects. ‘If he cannot hold on to his own name, what hope does he have of keeping anything else?’ The way language is weaponised to curb and control is similarly disturbing. As the Chinese government’s restrictions on the Uyghurs grow ever tighter, seemingly innocuous words turn traitor. People called in for questioning are said to be taking ‘tea’, those removed to the concentration and re-education camps have been sent to ‘study’, if you have a black mark on your record, you are said to carry a ‘dot’. Uyghurs too, learn to bury their meaning to keep safe: ‘A political campaign was a “storm”, while innocent people caught up in mass arrests or in a Strike Hard Campaign were said to be “gone with the wind”. A “guest” at home often meant a state security agent. If someone had been arrested, they were “in the hospital”. Yet, language is also a source of great joy and beauty in this book. As Freeman explains in his introduction, poetry is a way of life in Izgil’s homeland: ‘Verse is woven into daily life – dropped into conversation, shared constantly on social media, written between lovers. Through poetry, Uyghurs confront issues as a community, whether debating gender roles or defying state repression. Even now, I wake up many mornings to an inbox full of fresh verse, sent by the far-flung poets of the Uyghur diaspora for me to translate.’ Poetry is central to this memoir too. Several of Izgil’s poems appear. What’s more, there is a beautiful litheness and directness to the prose, which captures key moments in the story with memorable clarity. When Izgil’s wife, Marhaba, learns that after years of fighting bureaucracy the family have finally received the visas that will enable them to escape to the US, her face opens ‘like a flower’. Because of the quality of the writing, we feel the Izqil family’s bravery and the loss that goes with uprooting yourself from all you know (including necessarily severing ties with those who stay behind for their safety). As the best writing does, the story speaks for itself, urging itself on the reader, making the pages fly past. Nevertheless, as I read, I found a question surfacing repeatedly in my mind. There are many urgent and brilliant stories by writers from persecuted minorities in the world today. Most of them do not find homes with some of the English-speaking world’s biggest publishers as this one has (coming out through Penguin Random House on both sides of the Atlantic). If they make it into English at all, such stories are usually released by small presses, which, as I often say on this blog, are where most of the risky, exciting, boundary-pushing publishing happens these days. (Books like Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse’s The Convoy, translated by Ruth Diver and published in February by Open Borders Press, for example.) So what is it about this story that has enabled it to cut through? I think there are a couple of reasons. The first is that the book paints the West in a relatively flattering light. Although Izgil likens the contempt of the Han Chinese authorities to the attitudes of European colonialists and quotes a friend saying they wish China would conquer the world because the rest of us are so ignorant about the realities they are facing, the US is a place of safety for Izgil. It is where he can finally taste freedom once more and thrive. I think this is a picture that fits with what many of us in the English-speaking global north would like to believe about our homelands. The second is that the story necessarily reinforces certain narratives about China that happen to serve Western agendas. This portrayal of the Chinese authorities as harsh and unpredictable feels familiar and relatively comfortable. In this respect, although it may challenge other preconceptions, this book will resonate with significant aspects of many people’s prevailing world view. This is not to call into question anything Izgil has written: the atrocities he describes are well documented. Nor is it to detract at all from the brilliance of this book. Rather, it is to say that this may be a story to which many in the English-speaking world may be able to listen to more easily than we can to comparable narratives that do not align with Western agendas so neatly. If anything, this may make this book even more important. It may speak more directly and powerfully about the refugee experience to many anglophone readers because it will not invite the sort of resistance that can often arise when we read challenging books from elsewhere. By happening to echo ideas that feel familiar and safe, it may move us to deepen our sense of humanity and connection with those forced to leave their homelands. Waiting to Be Arrested at Night by Tahir Hamut Izgil, translated from the Uyghur by Joshua L. Freeman (Vintage, 2024)

This book came on my radar through fellow international bibliophile Suroor Alikhan, who kindly hosted me at an online event organised by the Hyderabad Literary Festival last year. A few weeks ago, she contacted me saying that she had found a website that she thought I’d be interested in, featuring a list of more than […]

This book came on my radar through fellow international bibliophile Suroor Alikhan, who kindly hosted me at an online event organised by the Hyderabad Literary Festival last year. A few weeks ago, she contacted me saying that she had found a website that she thought I’d be interested in, featuring a list of more than 100 books by Pacific Islanders. I was intrigued. The Pacific Island nations were among the most difficult countries to source stories from during my 2012 quest to read a book from every country. And although the criteria of the list’s compiler were a little different from mine – she included a number of titles by writers with Pacific Island heritage (including herself) – there were many fascinating-sounding works. The book I’ve picked to feature – Is Anyone Out There? And Other Stories by Julian Maka’a from the Solomon Islands – didn’t strike me as the most satisfying of those I read from the list, but I found it interesting for several reasons. The Solomon Islands are hard to source stories from: back in 2012, the best option I could find was The Alternative, a 1980s boarding school novel. So I was curious about what this much more recent short story collection would be like. My interest was also piqued by Maka’a’s statement on the back cover that the collection – which he self-published in 2012, 27 years after his first collection was brought out by the University of the South Pacific – draws on various aspects of his professional life, including efforts to build staff understanding about sexual reproductive health in his capacity as the manager of Wantok FM, part of the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation. This is reflected in frank descriptions of the treatment of and stigmas around sexually transmitted diseases in several of the earlier pieces. As with many of the books I read ‘from’ Pacific Island nations in 2012, the collection seems written with a consciousness of needing to represent its nation. ‘The themes and general messages [of the stories] are different and varied,’ writes Maka’a, ‘but the one thing that is common is they reflect what life is like in Solomon Islands’. To an outsider like me, this manifests itself most tellingly in the glimpses into local beliefs and customs, presented most richly in the title story, in which a legend about a philandering man ritually killed for breaking taboos haunts the narrator. The emphasis on education, so apparent in The Alternative, is also strong in Maka’a’s work. The most ambitious piece in the collection, a three-part story called ‘Is This Fair?’ centres on a teenage pregnancy at a boarding school and makes clear the sacrifices that the nation’s geography and economic situation demand of families keen to give their children opportunities. Some eight thousand students drop out of education every year, we learn, and just getting to school at the start of term often requires many stomach-churning hours in a boat. As is so often the case in books from elsewhere, it is the assumptions and things taken for granted that prove most intriguing. One of the central characters in ‘Is This Fair?’, for example, seems not to bat an eyelid at the notion that her parents will decide her career path, as set out in a letter her mother sends her: ‘In her brief letter which she wrote in language and pijin, she explained that she and dad always discussed about me. About the future that I would give them from my education – benefits to cut a long story short. She said they had differences in the job I should take up after I graduate in form five. My mother said she wanted me to become a nurse – that way I would help her when she gets sick or even my father. My father on the other hand wanted me to be a teacher.’ For all its interest, however, this book is a challenging and occasionally bewildering read. My knee-jerk reaction is to pin this on the fact that it has probably not been through the editorial processes of many traditionally published books in mainstream anglophone literature, with the result that there are structural idiosyncrasies, and spelling and grammatical oddities that are sometimes distracting. There seem to be some inconsistencies in the character names between the different parts of ‘I Am Fair?’ that make it hard to follow. There is also an abruptness to certain emotional shifts and transitions that risk interrupting the flow of the story. But I’m also aware that what I read as errors or idiosyncrasies may in many cases not be considered as such by readers in the Solomon Islands. There, a different form of English is used, one in which certain formulations and word uses that sound odd to me may be customary. Similarly, shifts between registers and emotional states that jar for me may simply reflect different norms or storytelling traditions beyond my experience feeding into this book. Regardless of how I read it, what remains is a sense of urgency. A desire to communicate. A hand stretched out from this place we in the UK rarely hear of, seeking connection and the chance to convey something. This is me, this book says. This is us. This is where we are. Is Anyone Out There? And Other Stories by Julian Maka’a (Xlibris, 2012)

One of the joyous things that has come out of this project is the way that I’m frequently invited to take part in discussions about writing and the ways stories travel. Often, these conversations take place at literary festivals or conferences, but they sometimes involve podcasts too. Last year, I was asked to produce a […]

One of the joyous things that has come out of this project is the way that I’m frequently invited to take part in discussions about writing and the ways stories travel. Often, these conversations take place at literary festivals or conferences, but they sometimes involve podcasts too. Last year, I was asked to produce a new podcast for the Royal Literary Fund, a UK charity that has supported professional writers for more than 200 years and with which I’ve been involved since 2017. Over the preceding decade, the RLF had built a sound archive featuring recordings of hundreds of writers talking about the creative process, and the challenge and joys of putting words on the page. Now the team wanted a new format to bring this rich bank of material to a wider audience. The Collected podcast is the result. Built around clips from the RLF archive, the episodes bring special guests into conversation with those recorded voices. Hosted by a brilliant team of presenters, including South Asia Speaks founder Sonia Faleiro, award-winning poet Julia Copus, and musician and crime writer Doug Johnstone, the conversations present a lively, funny, surprising and often moving account of what it means to be a writer in the early twenty-first century. The aim is to offer a more nuanced picture than we often see in the media, and it’s been wonderful to hear guests including Women’s Prize founder Kate Mosse, crime writer Howard Linskey, and visual artist and poet Ella Frears embracing the concept with warmth and frankness. Although the writers RLF supports are UK-based, it’s been a joy to reflect my interest in international storytelling in the line-up too. Examples include discussions with Kerala-born novelist Deepa Anappara, who talks thought-provokingly about the gap between the expectations of mainstream anglophone publishers and the sort of writing that interests her, and Colin Grant, director of RLF’s WritersMosaic platform for writers of the global majority, who draws on his Caribbean heritage in his writing on race and migration. Collected is available on all the usual platforms. I’d love to know what you think.

I’m not really a book blogger. Yes, I write about books on this blog – and yes, I did once upon a time review close to 200 books in a year here – but the commitment, stamina and output of other book reviewers in the virtual sphere now leave me and my once-a-month writeups in […]

I’m not really a book blogger. Yes, I write about books on this blog – and yes, I did once upon a time review close to 200 books in a year here – but the commitment, stamina and output of other book reviewers in the virtual sphere now leave me and my once-a-month writeups in the dust. In the international-literature arena, some of the names that spring to mind include Marina Sofia, Stu Allen and Tony Malone. These bloggers and others like them maintain an astonishing pace, easily equally my efforts in 2012 in many cases. And they’ve been going for years, bringing attention to thousands of titles that deserve to be better known by readers of the world’s most published language. Within the anglophone literature sphere, there is a whole raft of other, equally industrious reader/reviewers. I knew little about them until my publisher, Renard Press, organised a blog tour for my novel Crossing Over two years ago. For a month leading up to the release of the book, I had the initially daunting but ultimately lovely experience of seeing my story thoughtfully and generously reviewed by a different book blogger each day. It helped build buzz around the book and, at what can often be an oddly lonely and unsettling time for an author, allowed me to enjoy seeing my work going out into the world. I was so impressed by the blog tour that I wrote an article about it for The Author, the member’s magazine of the UK’s Society of Authors. As part of my research for this, I interviewed former English teacher Linda Hill of Linda’s Book Bag. I was amazed by what she told me: the volume of books she features is such that she operates a traffic light and scoring system to help her keep track of them, and she schedules her posts many months in advance. It sounds like a full-time job, except that, of course, for Linda and most other bloggers like her, it is unpaid: the only material reward they get for the hours and hours they spend reading, planning and reviewing are free advance copies. Because blog tours are less of a thing when it comes to international literature, and because I only rarely feature brand-new books (preferring to promote older titles that deserve a second look) and only do one review a month, I have never taken part in a blog tour. This month, however, I am making an exception for a title that is close to my heart. Where Snowbirds Play, Gina Goldhammer’s debut novel (published by Renard Press’s imprint Hay Press on 6 May 2025), takes us into the privileged world of 1990s Palm Beach, where British graduate Philip has just secured a placement at a new marine life institute. But all is not what it seems both among the super rich who fund him and in Philip’s own story. Soon, secrets, rivalries and financial scandals are bubbling to the surface, and as hurricane season looms it seems unlikely that everyone will escape unscathed. I love this book for two reasons. Firstly, I love it because I’ve had the privilege of seeing it develop over several years in my capacity as a mentor/editor to its author. Working with a writer and seeing their ideas fill and rise until they find their fullest expression is an extraordinary process, and one that I’ve had the joy of experiencing a number of times since I was published, most frequently as a mentor for the Ruppin Agency Writers’ Studio. But I particularly love this book because it is so singular and true to itself. Only Goldhammer could have written it. As I say in the supporting blurb I gave for the book, the novel offers an arresting perspective on a lifestyle few experience firsthand. Taking readers into the heart of privilege, Goldhammer spins a compelling story that lays bare the tensions, frailties, desires and self-deceptions that drive human beings everywhere. Sumptuous, witty and surprising, this novel will transport you to a world that is at once absorbingly fresh, and a charming – and alarming – reflection of our own. And I’m delighted to see that other readers are already recognising the book’s uniqueness. On one of the earlier stops in the Where Snowbirds Play blog tour, bobsandbooks wrote that they were ‘left feeling like this was something a little bit different’. I couldn’t agree more. Where Snowbirds Play by Gina Goldhammer (Hay Press, 6 May 2025)

A few months ago, I was contacted by Bridget Farrell, founder of Bullaun Press, an Irish publisher dedicated to translations. Would I be interested in reading an advance copy of The Rarest Fruit, translated by Karen Fleetwood and Laëtitia Saint-Loubert, the second novel they were publishing by Gaëlle Bélem and also the second novel by […]

A few months ago, I was contacted by Bridget Farrell, founder of Bullaun Press, an Irish publisher dedicated to translations. Would I be interested in reading an advance copy of The Rarest Fruit, translated by Karen Fleetwood and Laëtitia Saint-Loubert, the second novel they were publishing by Gaëlle Bélem and also the second novel by a writer from Réunion ever to make it into English? Since then, the first, There’s a Monster Behind the Door, also translated by Fleetwood and Saint-Loubert, has been longlisted for the International Booker Prize. To my mind, The Rarest Fruit, which comes out in the UK and Ireland later this week, easily maintains this standard. Based on the true story of Edmond Albius – an orphan slave raised by Ferréol Beaumont, a white botanist on Bourbon Island, as Réunion was known until 1848 – the novel explores appropriation and the injustices embedded in the economic forces that govern international trade to this day. When Edmond unlocks the secret to the pollination of vanilla, the consequences ripple out around the world, changing the Western palate and enriching many of those engaged in the commodity’s exploitation. But for its bright young discoverer, who harbours ambitions ‘to become the first Black botanist in this world of Rich Whites’ but ‘doesn’t have the right colour skin to have callings’, the repercussions are much darker and more painful, bringing him up against the systemic injustices and human cruelty that robbed him of his natural parents in the first place. Rhetoric and rhythms are at the heart of Bélem’s craft. She wields repetition with a barrister’s flair, driving home the force of what she’s presenting and, by getting the reader to look and look again, forcing us to recognise injustices and assumptions that we might at otherwise choose to ignore, or else be habituated to. Take this early passage obliging us to unpack the significance of the first question Ferréol asks when he lays eyes on baby Edmond: ‘What is it?’ ‘It’ – this ebony child that casts him into partial shadow as it comes between the curve of a pale sun and his screwedup eyes. ‘It’ – three kilos and six hundred grams of tender flesh, wrapped up like a black lamb in a woollen cloth. ‘It’ – a living bundle of obvious trouble. Juxtaposition plays a similar role. As Edmond’s life turns towards ruin and jail, and, in the wake of so-called emancipation, he, like many others, finds himself bound by a ‘freedom that shackles him’, we read of the vanilla-infused delicacies dreamed up by leading chefs to grace the tables of the beau monde. Structures like these make the injustices at the heart of the story evident without Bélem needing to state them. By writing in this way, she leads us to construct the points for ourselves rather than proclaiming them. We collaborate with her and the book seems to throw its arms around us, bringing all readers into the human story rather than excluding and shaming those who might take criticism of colonialism as a personal attack. This profound understanding of human motivation soaks the novel in empathy. Instead of two-dimensional actors in a morality play, Bélem gives us human beings in the round. For all his blind spots and hypocrisy, Ferréol is a vulnerable, lonely creature whose world is enriched by the relationship he forms with his adopted son. Likewise, Edmond for all his hopefulness and brilliance, is not immune to exhibiting internalised racism and double standards. We see systemic injustice, but we also see human ingenuity and specificity – the ability to manoeuvre around seemingly immovable obstacles and build bridges against the odds. All of which makes Edmond’s betrayal and the fallout from it particularly poignant. That these two people should be able to hold themselves aloof from social mores for so long only to collapse beneath the weight of expectations and their own conditioning is a tragedy – a painful revelation of the dangers of failing to recognise the limits on our own thinking when we imagine ourselves to be free. Bullaun Press’s edition of The Rarest Fruit publishes in the UK and Ireland on 1 May. And for readers in the US, another version, translated by Hildegarde Serle, comes out from Europa in June. It would be very interesting to compare both English versions. The fact of their release only a month apart is surely testament to the power of the original text. The Rarest Fruit by Gaëlle Bélem, translated from the French by Karen Fleetwood and Laëtitia Saint-Loubert (Bullaun Press, 2025) Photo: ‘Vanilla’ by Linda De Volder on flickr.com

I’m not a travel writer. At least, that’s what I’ve always thought. This year, however, I do seem to be spending quite a lot of time speaking, writing and thinking about travel. Not only am I preparing to cover the literary trip of a lifetime for a national newspaper later this summer (watch this space), […]

I’m not a travel writer. At least, that’s what I’ve always thought. This year, however, I do seem to be spending quite a lot of time speaking, writing and thinking about travel. Not only am I preparing to cover the literary trip of a lifetime for a national newspaper later this summer (watch this space), but I’ve also taken the stage at two travel writing festivals. The second of these was the Sherborne Travel Writing Festival, which took place earlier this month. Now in its third year, the three-day event in Dorset, UK, is the brainchild of Rory MacLean, who is celebrated for writing genre-busting books about moving across and beyond national borders. His debut, Stalin’s Nose: Across the Face of Europe, was published in 1992 and is still startlingly relevant (and very funny) today. Much like MacLean’s work, the festival celebrates travel writing in the broadest sense. The traditional formula of the white European reporting on how he finds remote corners of the globe was not much in evidence in this year’s line up. Instead, the programme included an extraordinary range of speakers, from the brilliant Nandini Das, who held the audience captive with a talk on Britain’s first bungling attempts to forge diplomatic relations with the Mughal Empire, to Kapka Kassabova, who spoke movingly of the three months she spent living with Europe’s last moving pastoralists in the mountains of her native Bulgaria while researching her latest book Anima. I was privileged to take the stage twice. I started off in the interviewee’s chair, spending a wonderful hour talking about Reading the World with journalist and fellow translation champion Rosie Goldsmith (you can see us pictured above). Ten years on from the launch of the first edition of that book, it was a pleasure to reflect back on the journey so far and look forward to the publication of Relearning to Read this September. Goldsmith is one of the best in the business when it comes to chairing literary discussions. If you’re a fan of book podcasts, the Slightly Foxed Podcast, which she hosts, is well worth a listen. Then it was my turn to ask the questions. I was joined on stage by Xiaolu Guo, who I had the privilege of chairing at Cheltenham Literature Festival last year. An artist who has travelled in many senses (across the world, between languages, between media, through books and across numerous periods of literary history), Guo is a fascinating writer and speaker. We focused on her memoir, My Battle of Hastings, which draws on a year she spent living in the British seaside town of Hastings, where William the Conqueror routed the Anglo-Saxons in 1066. But it was also great to touch on her new novel, Call Me Ishmaelle, a feminist retelling of Moby Dick. Offstage, there were many similarly fascinating discussions. It was a joy to meet many enthusiastic readers and writers, and a testament to the warm welcome Rory MacLean and his team offer that so many authors from the first two editions of the festival were also in attendance. The weekend was crowned by the announcement of a new annual travel writing prize attached to the festival, the Sherborne Prize for Travel Writing, which will be awarded for the first time next year to a published British or European author whose work encourages understanding between peoples and across societies. Given the breadth and creativity of the team’s vision of travel writing, it’s exciting to think of what this new award might do to broaden the field. And I wonder if in future years the organisers might be persuaded to expand the remit even further to include works published in English from all over the world. In my experience, there are two kinds of literary festival – those that capitalise on culture and those that nurture it. Sherborne Travel Writing Festival is firmly in the second camp. I left fizzing with ideas and thrilled by new connections. It will be exciting to see where the festival takes us next. Picture: courtesy of Rosie Goldsmith.

This book was given to me by the Cameroonian writer Ernis, who I was lucky to meet in Assam last month. Conscious that I had not read any Cameroonian literature since Peter Green’s translation of Mongo Beti’s 1956 classic Mission to Kala, I asked her what contemporary writing from the country (in addition to her […]

This book was given to me by the Cameroonian writer Ernis, who I was lucky to meet in Assam last month. Conscious that I had not read any Cameroonian literature since Peter Green’s translation of Mongo Beti’s 1956 classic Mission to Kala, I asked her what contemporary writing from the country (in addition to her own, of course) I should know about. Her response was to press this novel into my hands. Days Come and Go by Hemley Boum, translated by Nchanji Njamnsi, is the story of three generations of women navigating a changing and turbulent world. Obliged to accept her daughter Abi’s care as she faces death, the historically aloof Anna reflects back on the events that have led her from Cameroon to Paris, and the education that at once enriched and distanced her from her roots. Abi, meanwhile, must contend with family breakdown and the pressures of caring, while Tina, a friend of her son Max’s back in Cameroon, finds herself caught up in a violent new threat sweeping her home region. This is a book that disarms with its directness. Boum’s insights and the clarity with which she expresses them through her characters’ voices are startling and winning. Whether it’s the familiar setting of Paris made strange through Abi’s critical gaze or ‘the undeniable, exquisite delight in succumbing to violence and corruption’ that comes through in several of the episodes, there is a frankness to the writing that speaks to the humanity in people everywhere. Often, this frankness centres on the ruptures caused by colonialism and the imposition of a foreign way of seeing, thinking and learning on a culture that operates by other means. ‘Today, I believe Western knowledge is both simple and despotic,’ states Anna. ‘There is only one God and he is present in church. Education is found only in textbooks. Art is separate from spirituality, confined to specific spaces. The law applies equally to everyone and all values have a price.’ Such thinking jars with the more sensuous, embodied, holistic ways of knowing that used to be common in her home region. ‘Our people never claimed detachment from the world nor dominion over it.[…] We were the world and the world was us: water, wind, sand, the past, the future, the living, the dead… we were all woven into the fabric of the world.’ Falling into the gulf between these two ways of being is a violent experience from which none of the characters in Days Come and Go escape unscathed. Boum makes us feel what this is like, taking us through the stages by which the women are led to conspire in their oppression and suffering so that we seem to live their experiences, from Anna’s grappling with maternal ambivalence and the toll this may have taken on her relationship with her daughter to Abi’s struggle to parent amid marital breakdown. The most powerful section in the book is Tina’s account of how she and two friends got drawn into the terrorist group Boko Haram. This is an astonishingly insightful and compelling delineation of how people can be made to commit the worst acts, including suicide bombing. ‘Nobody asks a grenade about to explode, “Why?”‘ says Tina. ‘The reason is obvious: it has been unpinned. All they do is pull out our pins and throw us at good people.’ Boum makes us feel how those pins get pulled out. And in so doing, she commits a deeply humane act – making it impossible to ignore the humanity we share with those who do the worst things we can imagine, with all the hope and challenge that comes with this. With this understanding, we can make sense of things that might seem unfathomable to us, such as Tina’s silent appeal to Michelle Obama to stop speaking out against Boko Haram because such well-intentioned, distant activism only makes her tormentors crueller. Yet an embodied approach to knowing does not mean a reduction in intellectual rigour. This is, in many ways, one of the most erudite novels I’ve read in a long time. It includes critiques of the work of John Steinbeck, Michelangelo and Frantz Fanon – Anna is not a fan of the latter: ‘my disinclination resides in the fact that there are people indeed more invisible than the damned of the earth – their wives.’ This is a novel that walks to a different beat than the sort of writing commonly celebrated in the anglophone literary world. As a result, readers used to mainstream English-language literature may stumble here and there over pacing that will not meet their expectations, and the inclusion or exclusion of certain statements or details. There is also drama-offstage, some declamatory monologuing and various other things traditionally frowned upon on creative writing courses. And that’s precisely the point. Boum’s storytelling operates by standards other than Western norms, knitting together the emotional, spiritual, physical and intellectual, and presenting these things as a glorious, moving, troubling unity. It is a book of extraordinary range and power. ‘What does a life boil down to?’ asks Anna. This, Boum shows us. This. Days Come and Go by Hemley Boum, translated from the French by Nchanji Njamnsi (Bakwa Books, 2022)

I heard about this title from María Reimóndez, a brilliant Galician writer, translator, interpreter, academic and feminist campaigner who I met at Dibrugarh University International Literature Festival earlier this month. Moved by what she had to say about the erasure the Galician language and culture has battled, I asked for her recommendations. She mentioned several […]

I heard about this title from María Reimóndez, a brilliant Galician writer, translator, interpreter, academic and feminist campaigner who I met at Dibrugarh University International Literature Festival earlier this month. Moved by what she had to say about the erasure the Galician language and culture has battled, I asked for her recommendations. She mentioned several intriguing authors whose work ought to be translated into English, among them Begoña Caamaño (whose two published novels rewrite male-authored classics) and María Xosé Queizán. And for work that has already made it through the translation bottleneck into the world’s most published, language, she directed me to Small Stations Press, an indie that carries an impressive number of works in translation by Galician female authors, including Luísa Villalta and Anxos Sumai. The title that stood out for me, however, was and they say by Susana Sanches Arins, translated by Kathleen March. Drawing on the author’s family’s involvement in the atrocities of the 1936-39 Spanish Civil War, it is, according to Reimóndez, ‘a wonderful lesson in how to answer the question that many people in the West sometimes ask – what do we do with people in our families who have been perpetrators or complicit with the most terrible crimes in history?’ As soon as I got back to the UK, I ordered a copy. It’s just as well that Reimóndez recommended the book so warmly because I might have found the blurb and surrounding text a little offputting had I picked it up independently. The book is framed as uncategorisable, written ‘its own genre’ as translator March puts it or a ‘mosaic of miniature narrations’ according to María Xesús Nogueira in her introduction – descriptions that struck me as a little self-conscious and effortful, as though the writing would try too hard to be clever and impress. But then I started to read. My goodness. The cleverness is there in spades, yes, but it is an embodied cleverness, suffused with feeling. As Arins grapples with the actions and omissions of her forebears, particularly, those of the sinister uncle manuel, she smashes up against the limits of a storytelling framework designed to silence dissent and minimise the transgressions of the powerful. ‘they say history is written by the victors, but it’s also true that they unwrite it. that’s how uncle manuel, who was bad and acted badly, is only in the registers of local history as the mayor of his town for a few years. and that’s all.’ All structures, including language itself, this book demonstrates, have been set up to muffle the truths the author needs to express. As such, the radical, genre-busting elements of the book establish themselves as attempts to break free from constraints and embrace a larger, more generous mode of expression. From the eschewal of capitalisation and the use of repetition, revisions and contradiction, to the presentation of the text as fragments and the striking deployment of line breaks, we experience this text as a remaking of what it is to use language to explore the human condition. While the book may forge its own kind of genre, as March claims, it has kinship with a number of other titles that smash accepted frameworks in order to approach unmentionable truths. Two that spring to mind are A Book, Untitled, by Shushan Avagyan and translated from Armenian by Deanna Cachoian-Schanz (which I discuss in my forthcoming Relearning to Read) and Zong! Canadian poet M. NourbeSe Philip’s radical excavation of the murder of around 130 African slaves for insurance purposes in 1781 told solely in words taken from the 1783 court case that determined their drowning was legal. As in those works, an extraordinary empathy flows through the pages of and they say. The text considers the suffering and joys of all the living beings it enfolds, from oxen dragging heavy loads through to school children arguing over what duty they have to consider the wrongs of the past decades after the fact. One of the book’s most striking elements is its readiness to embrace and own the fallibility of the author herself. Several times, we see accounts being challenged and revised. Readers even pop up in the text, disputing what was claimed pages before or correcting details. Memory, Arins repeats, is a ‘slippery eel’ and it would be ridiculous to claim that she has some sort of unquestionable authority (the sort of authority paraded by uncle manuel, perhaps) simply because she has set her words down in a book. As a result of this, the book never ends. The edition I own is an ‘expanded version’, incorporating feedback and stories supplied by the first wave of Galician readers. ‘stories are always undone, and redone. voices are like hands that remove brick after brick.’ Indeed, in the acknowledgements, Arins writes, ‘the best thing that came out of the book for me was a phrase: i have to tell you a story.’ Even the notion of closing the final page and stepping away is undone in and they say. This is a book that invites us in rather than proclaiming a narrative we must meekly accept. It is one in which we participate, regardless of our knowledge of the events it explores, joining its community by virtue of our shared humanity. and they say by Susana Sanches Arins, translated from the Galician by Kathleen March (Small Stations Press, 2021)