Book Reviews

‘Diavola’

Family drama with all of its undercurrents and toxicity is not a new concept for a book, but mixing that particular brand of unsettling anxiety with the slow dread of a deliciously gothic haunted house story is so much fun. Jennifer Thorne is at the top of her game in this genre-blending new novel that absolutely swept me away.

Something is wrong in the beautiful old villa the Pace family has rented in the Italian countryside. And it’s not just one sister’s biting remarks or the parents’ willing ignorance of the exhausting family dynamic. Anna is the clear outcast in the family and the only one who notices the creepy vibes in their temporary home. The villagers clearly know something about what is going on, but Anna is left alone to navigate both her caustic family and something even more insidious on this vacation that will leave all kinds of scars.

This meticulously paced and immensely satisfying book is easily one of my favorites for the year. I highly recommend it for all the black sheep out there who get a shiver up their spine when they hear the words “family vacation.” ♦ — Review by Julie Goodrich

‘The Age of Magical Overthinking’

When I read something that feels like therapy, I tend to make a scrunchy face. Mental health books are not my jam. However, Amanda Montell is different. Her witty, sharp writing can cut me to the quick, but I’m usually laughing too hard to feel the ick.

Fresh off of her bestselling book, “Cultish,” Montell has decided to show us the equivalent of “this is your brain on social media.” With plenty of relatable personal stories, research and compassion, she dives into why magical thinking is so prevalent right now, and the ways in which it twists even our closest relationships.

Montell isn’t against TikTok tarot card readers or the worship of Taylor Swift. (She boldly shares her own foibles in this regard.) Instead she builds a very timely and forgiving story that shows us why we’re all so anxious these days and the gasping attempts we’re making to gain a little control over the bonkers world in which we’ve found ourselves.

For a book that seemed destined for my “not for me” pile, I was shocked by how much I loved this one. Who knows? Maybe it was just good vibes made manifest. ♦ — Review by Julie Goodrich