Posted April 06, 2022in Book Review
‘When We Were Birds’ I can write this review in one sentence: This might be the perfect magical realism novel; go read it. Yejide has a complicated relationship with her mother, to say the least. Bitterness and neglect and a strange family burden crack the mother-daughter relationship beyond repair. When
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Posted March 02, 2022in Book Review
‘Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas’ Anthropology is not always an accessible topic for general reading. It’s often dense, and despite its subject being humanity, it can seem cold and remote to the general public. Not a small part of this is the historically racist, insensitive and inhumane way
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Posted February 02, 2022in Book Review
‘Last Night at the Telegraph Club’ I’m such a sucker for well-written, historical novels that don’t feel like historical fiction. Melinda Lo is known for her darkly beautiful stories, and this one hit that note just right. Unexpected romance, a turbulent time in our recent history, and a coming-of-age story
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Posted January 05, 2022in Book Review
‘Iron Widow’ The wide world of fantasy novels has so much more diversity these days, and I, for one, cannot be more excited about it. “Iron Widow” is just such a story, taking place in an alternate world in which a culture with Chinese influences is haunted by an alien
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Posted November 03, 2021in Book Review
‘Comfort Me with Apples’ This is not an easy book to review. The pervading, intensely creepy feeling established from the first page of this short novella never diminishes. In fact, it just grows and expands to new heights as the pages fly by. Nothing Catherynne Valente writes is ever simple,
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Posted October 06, 2021in Book Review
‘A Spindle Splintered’ If you’ve been following along, you’ll have likely caught on to my addiction to fairy tales, myths, timeless stories of all varieties. So it’ll be no surprise to hear I’ve fallen head over heels for this gorgeous, deliciously subversive retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Zinnia’s life revolves around
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Posted September 01, 2021in Book Review
‘She Who Became the Sun’ Some stories are so old and so human that they feel like a part of our DNA. Fables, faerie tales, myths. Reading this book felt like recalling a story I’d always known. I must warn you, though, this one hurts — an ache so profound
Read More →‘Black Sun’ I have been aching for a vacation lately. A universal feeling, it seems these days. If you’re like me and can’t get away just now, then I have the book for you. Reading “Black Sun” is an experience. Filled with heart-stealing characters and writing that is so lush and
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Posted June 02, 2021in Book Review
‘We Are Watching Eliza Bright’ Advance warning: This is not an easy read. Both in structure and in subject matter, Osworth demands a lot from readers, but it is worth the effort. This is a timely and important novel rich with powerful themes that feel painfully relevant. This may not
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Posted May 05, 2021in Book Review
‘Burning Girls and Other Stories’ Fairy tales, myths, fables… there is a lot of power hidden in innocuous stories. The kind of power that Veronica Schanoes wields like a torch in her debut collection — both dangerous and delightful. The title story is the tale of an immigrant girl who
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