I am loving the female-centric takes on historical fiction that seem to be filling bookshelves more and more. Only recently have we begun to view our history through the female lens; what was it like to be a woman before we were considered equals to men? How did women cope, when were they able to…
Like many people, I picked up this book because of the title. I haven’t gotten sick of ‘quirky’ yet, so I gave Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin a go. Is it just me, or does this book look American to you? I’m not sure why I feel that way,…
If you haven’t read a book by Kim Echlin yet, you really should. Her latest, Speak, Silence is a beautiful yet horrific meditation on women who are testifying at a trial at the Hague against the systemic rape they experienced during the Bosnian war. The topic is obviously a difficult one, and there were times…
I’m finding myself drawn to collections of essays more and more as I get older. Perhaps it’s because I have less time on my hands, so reading self-contained chapters is more rewarding, or maybe it’s because I’m just curious about other people’s perspectives, and an essay is the perfect way to dive quickly into someone…
I knew going into this book that it would be about being a young person. As in, the life of a 20-something with no kids, a part-time job, renting with friends kind of story. As a 30-something, I get a real kick out of reading these kind of books. Because I moved in with my…
This past holiday season, I took advantage of all the beautiful Christmas pictures books we have and used them as decorations mixed in with our little twinkly lights and santa figurines. Although we didn’t have any guests over to comment on my clever use of books (because Covid) I was quite chuffed with my creativity,…
In a work of fiction, one of the most enjoyable experiences to read about is a protagonist striking it big, finding the perfect person, landing that killer job, or realizing one’s dreams, whatever that may be. Bootleg Stardust by Glenn Dixon is a great example of what makes fiction so damn fun to read; as…
The publishers that I typically review books from know that I lean towards particular genres; thrillers, mysteries, some literary fiction. I read pretty widely in general, but when it comes to books I consider ‘fun’ to read, I’ll go darker. It should come as no surprise then, that I just finished reading The Girls Are…
Bookworms are especially perceptive. I may be biased of course, but for those who read as much as I do, I think we all share the ability to acknowledge the thousands of perspectives we can find in the pages of books. Unintentionally, I read two books, one after the other, that pains a picture of…
In the past few months I’ve reviewed a few works of climate fiction, but apparently they didn’t cause me enough anxiety so I kicked it up a notch with some non-fiction about our impending climate disaster instead. On Time and Water by Andri Snaer Magnason, translated from the Icelandic to English by Lytton Smith, focuses…
I’m currently working on a project at my day job centered around Juneteenth, and much to my embarrassment, I had never even heard of this day before our American partner so kindly educated us. I’ve been doing a bit more research since, but I still have much to learn. It’s typically celebrated on June 19,…
At the risk of sounding cliché, Bath Haus by P.J. Vernon is a sizzling sexy read. It captures a snippet of time in the life of two men in a long-term relationship together as their various secrets are coming back to haunt them. I’m just terrible at withholding information from people, (especially my husband) so…
