Book Reviews

By John Manuel Arias
8/25/26
352 pages
$29.99
Bloomsbury Publishing

‘Crocodilopolis: A Novel’

This is a dreamy jungle of story, set in the dreamy jungle of Costa Rica, and filled with a lush prose that takes the dreaminess to yet another level. This is a book that very much fills itself to the brim with its themes with stunning results. Witty, weird and wise; It would be a great choice for a book club.

Seth and Osario were born to be both brothers and rivals to their family’s rich and powerful empire in Costa Rica. Set against each other from the beginning, the rift between them turns into a war that consumes them, their country and their souls with the same relentlessness of the eponymous crocodiles that haunt their story. Their ambitions and resentments finally come to a head in a spectacular political act of betrayal. Exile follows, and soon a murder plot both familiar and inevitable.

Hilarious and propulsive, I finished this both gasping and grinning in less than a weekend. I just couldn’t stop waiting for the next devious twist. A modern, fast-paced story that feels like myth;
the perfect pitch balance of power politics, family fractures and decadent drama —
I loved every second –– even if I ended up dreaming of crocodiles. ♦ — Review by Julie Goodrich

By Tananarive Due
9/22/26
512 pages
$32
Simon & Schuster

‘Mazywood’

If you have been following these reviews for a while, you know I prefer to read anything that is not labeled “traditional.” If a book is hailed as a sterling example of its singular genre, I will go find something weirder. Like any good human, though, I am full of contradictions. Tananarive Due is a traditional, classic horror writer whose books I will pick up every time, without question. She’s just that good.

Johnny Washington is the grandson of a famous actress from the golden age of movies. Continuing his family’s legacy, he’s a talented screenwriter but has recently hit a wall. Taking some time away with his family at his grandmother’s cabin, he is forced to confront the shadows in grandmother’s history; the pain, sorrow and ever-present weight of racism and the past will not let go easily.

Twisting between the past and the present with sharp pacing, this is a brilliant story full of dread, daring, and rage — and what inheritance really means. The history and the horror are blended perfectly, and I loved the theme of loneliness threading through it all. No one writes “traditional” horror quite like Tananarive Due, and I hope she never stops. ♦ — Review by Julie Goodrich