Reviews as of August 15, 2025

The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love, by India Holton
A very fun regency romance with magical birds and everyone being ridiculous
~ Stacy @aceofstace

Ace Voices, by Eris Young
Whether you’re exploring asexuality, know that you’re ace, or want to learn more, this nonfiction collection puts together many ace experiences, as well as provides plenty of definitions of specific ace terminology.
~ Stacy @aceofstace

Red Sauce: How Italian Food Became American
A micro history of pasta, red sauce, and other staple Italian American dishes. The history is told through stories and while the chapters can be a bit dense just from the sheer amount of anecdotes at times, it’s a very accessible read.
~ Stacy @aceofstace

Junior High, by Tegan Quin and Sara Quin
This graphic novel is a reimagining of Tegan & Sara’s middle school years. It’s a fun and sweet story about them discovering music, their queer identities, and dealing with the friendship dramas of middle school along the way
~ Stacy @aceofstace

Crush, by Tegan Quin and Sara Quin
The sequel to “Junior High,” this graphic novel continues the story! Still just as delightful as the first book
~ Stacy @aceofstace

Being Ace: An Anthology of Queer, Trans, Femme, and Disabled Stories of Asexual Love and Connection by Madeline Dyer
A lovely collection of short stories and poems to represent different ace experiences.
~ Stacy @aceofstace

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
A slow-paced literary crime novel that gradually grips you by the heart until you fall hopelessly in love with the found family cast of bent and broken characters.
~ HipHopAnonymous

The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter Vol 5 by Kazuki Irodori
I’ve got mixed feelings about the series in many ways because I dislike the trope of someone coming in and seeing all the wrong things and fixing them with their tried and true higher morality. These are obvious, glaring faults with a world that should be fixed but somehow aren’t? and the magical outsider somehow knows how to fix everything? From a purely fantastical point of view, I can get behind it. Magic made their lives too easy and they’re complacent, but there are some glaring faults overall on the supremacy of culture and ideology that feels very… PUSHED. Part gentrification, part ethnocentrism, part glorification mixed with a manifest destiny bequeathed by an all mighty fantasy god who always knows what’s right. I’ll keep reading the story for the romantic tension between the two male leads, but there’s more and more that make the story hard to swallow.
~ FrazzledWriter

Cold Fear by Brandon Webb and John David Mann
I have never been much for military thrillers, but something about the locked room premise of Steel Fear caught my eye. After throughly enjoying it, I wondered whether a sequel set on land could hold my interest…and the answer is a resounding yes. The week between Christmas and new year’s is its own kind of locked room, and the darkness and remoteness of Iceland provide a surprising amount of the same feeling of being trapped that permeated Steel Fear.

As a main character, Finn is too much of an enigma to be fully engaging (likely an intentional strategy so his secrets can be revealed as the series moves forward), but as in Steel Fear he is surrounded by an array of supporting characters who have their own backstories and agendas. The nature of the series doesn’t allow for carryover of these folks from book to book, but there are several who could merit their own spinoffs - Krista, especially.

This is the perfect escape from the summer heat and should absolutely be in your beach or pool bag this summer.

Thank you to Goodreads for the free copy.
~ meganreal

The Small Animal-Like Lady is Doted on by the Ice Prince Vol 3 by Mugi Sawa, Hisui, and Agu Ao
Meh. This was just a big old ball of meh. I’m kind of disappointed in myself for even investing into the series. It’s a wish fulfillment fantasy written for teens with all the tiring miscommunication and pitfall tropes of young romance that I find annoying. It goes nowhere fast.
~ frazzledwriter

The Summer Hikaru Died Vol 6 by Mokumokuren
I’m delighted to say that this new installment of the beloved creepy coming-of-age does not disappoint. The stakes are high, the lore is rich, the characters are so deep and intoxicating that you can’t help but devour the story. The art is exquisite, both in its ability to convey deep emotion and atmosphere, and it’s no wonder the story is so well recognized. Every character stands out as a star, while never overshadowing our two male leads, but the wear of constant anxiety is clearly starting to show and the end result is an equally anxious reader desperate for more.
~ FrazzledWriter

The Summer Hikaru Died Vol 7 by Mokumokuren
I’m screaming and crying and throwing an absolute mental conniption fit because I have to wait for the next volume to get answers. While technically left on a cliffhanger, it’s more of a chance to let the mangaka breathe because holy shit that was a bullet train to hell and back. I cannot say much more because I’m still reeling from that trip. It’s undoubtedly in my top favorite stories of all time, managing to balance folklore, love, family, and an internalized fear that has rotted the center of this reality. I’m in love.
~ FrazzledWriter

With a Vengeance by Riley Sager
Anna gathers a group of people on a one-way train ride to account for their crimes. What Anna doesn't expect is for one of the people to turn up dead...

This was sadly a miss for me and my review would probably just end up being a rant so I'll leave it at that, lol! I can see how people would enjoy it, though!
~ Bookloverstede.bsky.social

The Vampire Knitting Club: Cornwall by Nancy Warren
I didn't like this but I always find it funny to read things set in places where you live/have lived. And authors always go crazy on Cornwall hehe.
~ Highwaystars

Blood and Smoke by Stephen King
Trio of stories read by the author:

1408- an author who learns hauntings don’t always involve ghosts.

LT’s Theory of Pets- people are similar to their pets with an axe murderer thrown in.

Lunch at the Gotham Cafe- lunch with a side of murder.
~ killerweasel

Canis—Dear Hatter— vol 1 and 2 by Zakk
It took all of ten minutes for me to reconsider my original plan to wait this one out or continue the series, and boy am I glad I continued it. The first book does a wonderful job of setting up the quaint little haberdashery in Japan run by a modestly famous hatter and his crew of three. It follows his life, inspirations, struggles, and the burgeoning romance between two world-weary souls that have their own share of secrets piling up between them. The most striking part of this series is the art and the attention to detail. the character designs are so unique that, while the story is also compelling, the emotive drawings are really what capture the audience.
~ FrazzledWriter

Very Bad Company, by Emma Rosenblum
Sometimes you just need an absolute flaming dumpster fire of a story to take your mind off life. When that time comes for you, this is a good one. There is a mystery to be solved- but the real star of the show is the insane personal and professional interactions between the members of the executive team of a (fictional) tech company in the midst of being acquired. Anyone who somehow believes that those at the top of the corporate food chain are somehow smarter or harder working than the average worker will quickly disabuse themselves of that notion - perhaps the most redeeming feature of the book - and the rest of us can just continue to sip our tea and watch the world burn. The audio is particularly well done with just the right tone of narration to prove that the narrator is there for the same reason the rest of us are - fun and drama. This is the perfect accompaniment to your vacation, staycation - or just your next drive. You may miss your exit, though - it will suck you in.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
~ meganreal

The Celts by Simon Jenkins
I picked this up because it seemed like it would piss me off and I wanted to be challanged. It pissed me off. It is mostly a history of rule in this island which I knew very surface level but wow has the English government taken the most evil option time after time, even as it makes things worse. And then on top of that this author has some questionable opinions and conclusions. I won't say more in case my visa renewal gets denied, lol.
~ Highwaystars

Umberto Eco "The Name of the Rose"
banger, loved it just as much as i expected. engaging and informative at the same time, allows you to understand all the theological debates and to feel super smart because of it. the mystery is fun & i want william to be my bestie
~ florenceafter12.bsky.social

Umberto Eco "Postscript to the Name of the Rose”
now i want umberto eco to be my bestie. turbo fun read, i wish every book came with explanations and writing advice.
~ @florenceafter12.bsky.social

The Guest - Emma Cline
This is the second Emma Cline book I've read and I can't work out if I like them or not. She writes well but I don't know if her plots and characterisations are for me. Other reviews talk about how anxiety inducing this is but I feel like it never quite pushes far enough. That being said, the setting is amazingly done, perfect to read on a beach as I did.
~ rueforyou

The Examiner by Janice Hallett
Janice Hallett's style is apparently a bit marmite but I have eaten up everything she's written, I can't get enough to obsessively reading other peoples texts! And the short form style means it's so easy to just keep reading for 'one more page'. The plot was a little far fetched but it's so fun to read I didn't care.
~ rueforyou

Mitji—Let's Eat: Mi'kmaq Recipes from Sikniktuk by Margaret Augustine and Lauren Beck
I wouldn't normally read a cookbook cover to cover, but this one takes a strong storytelling approach and has features on community members in and around the Elsipogtog First Nation and a lot of information on Mi'kmaq foodways. The recipes were a mix of nostalgic and brand new to me, and all are straightforward to prepare. I can personally recommend the blueberry cake!
~ Delphi

Boys, Beasts & Men by Sam J. Miller
This collection of SFF and horror short stories (with a through line of male coming-of-age and queer male sexuality) didn't quite hit where I was personally hoping it would, despite some premises that appealed to me and some obvious strong core writing skills on the author's part. The author's bios often mention that he's from a line of butchers, and I admittedly couldn't shake that from my head while reading. Everything was just a little too bloodless, chilled to safe temperatures, and packaged for easy sale and consumption for my tastes, when I think I prefer my darker queer speculative fiction on the hotter and gamier side.
~ Delphi

Crash Test, by Amy James
This is a tough one to rate, so in the spirit of Amanda’s thought exercises in the story, I’m going to break down the good and the bad.

Like Jacob, I’ll start with the bad.

1 - For those of us of a certain age, there was a period of time when every queer story was about AIDS. A central feature of many of those stories was the exclusion of lifelong partners from medical decision making and being present during sickness and death because the biological relatives, even if they hadn’t seen the sick person in years, had the legal rights. Kids, if you don’t understand why marriage equality and general equal legal rights are important, seek out some of these stories and/or ask your elders. The first half of this book, with a few minor changes, could be one of those stories. By starting the book with that scenario before we’ve even had a chance to meet any of the characters in better times, the lightening of tone as the story progresses feels somehow forced - which is unfortunate, because the actual story the author is trying to tell here is an important one.

2 - I listened to the audiobook, but also had access to an ebook copy. In the written version, it seemed pretty clear that Travis is a young British man. So it was rather jarring to hear him voiced by an American who sounds like he’s smoked 4 packs a day for the last 30 years. The dynamic between Travis and Jacob comes across very differently when they’re presented as both being American and Travis being significantly older. Since the narrator adopted a British accent for Heather and Hunter, and since the first half of the book is almost difficult to understand at times since Travis is voiced in a teary, choked tone, this seems to be an intentional choice rather than a case of deciding to just read the book rather than doing voices (an approach that I’m fine with, by the way).

The Good:

1 - Most traditional romances end with the couple skipping off into the sunset alone together with the promise that they won’t ever need anyone else since they each provide everything the other needs. Anyone who’s ever been in a real life relationship knows that is…not optimal. Even (especially) the happiest couples need friends and/or family (found or blood) for all kinds of reasons. But toxic family or friend groups can break up even the strongest relationships. Ultimately, that’s a big part what this story is about, and while Jacob’s family is cartoonishly horrible, Travis’s journey to his own circle is wonderfully done, with characters interesting enough to hold their own in any future installments.

2 - Jacob’s family is straight out of one of the 1980’s-90’s queer tragedies from the first item on the list. But in the second half, we get past them to the really relevant issue - Jacob’s own internalized homophobia and lack of understanding of what a healthy relationship should look like. And it’s even done in a way that seems fairly plausible for a privileged 23 year old - believe me, if you e ever had the pleasure (?) of listening to a boy that age, straight, gay, or otherwise, try to talk about their feelings, you will be lovingly rolling your eyes.

So in summary - read the printed version, if possible, to avoid the narration issues. And the overall experience will feel like someone wrote the first half in 1985, set it down for 40 years, and did the second half with no revisions to the first. But overall, the five star second half is worth the two star first half.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
~ meganreal

30 Days of Night Deluxe Edition Volume One by Steve Niles
Vampires attack a town in Alaska once the sun goes away for thirty days. Book contains three sets of graphic novels and some bonus issues. It’s a really cool idea & the movies aren’t bad either.
~ killerweasel

Becoming Ted by Matt Cain
I love this book. You know exactly where things are headed from the first page, but that’s OK. Because there’s a reason these stories (Kinky Boots, The Full Monty, Billy Elliot, etc.) are the ones we keep coming back to - they give us hope in a world where dreams come true, families and friends show up for each other, and love always wins. This one is right up there with the best of them - I wouldn’t want to be friends with anyone who doesn’t root for Ted (or Denise or Oskar or Stanley). Give yourself a vacation from the real world for a few hours and disappear into Ted’s world - you’ll come back feeling better, I promise.
~ meganreal

Arctodus by L.J. Vitanza
Not quite as good as Dirus (to me), the second in the series of extinct predators secretly being alive and among us still had me in its claws. This time, the focus is on the short faced bear in Wyoming, feasting on people from the town as it tries to survive. The series is made so you don’t HAVE to read them all, but I do recommend it, as there are tie-ins here and there to other books in the series.
~ IzzyHandsArt

Aether Beyond the Binary (anthology)
4* - I mostly enjoyed these, some more than others. I particularly loved the horror(-adjacent) stories, because they built tension so quickly. Definitely recommend picking through this and figuring out which ones suit you!
~ fpwoper

Adieu Birkenau: Ginette Kolinka’s Story of Survival by J-D Morvan
Graphic novel autobiography of Ginette Kolinka, a survivor of the Holocaust. Later, she would tell students about her experiences.
~ killerweasel

Mockingjay: Suzanne Collins
A great end to Katniss' story. I think it dragged a bit, at times. But I really enjoyed it. I think Katniss deciding to settle down towards the end and have kids was actually a nice fit. She was in a place of comfort, a place of safety. She wasn't a poverty trapped kid like in the beginning where she said she didnt want to have children. I think that she came off a bit standoffish and shut down about her kids though, i think it would've fit a bit more if they had names outside of just 'the boy' & 'the girl' but also it was the end of the book, so eh. I...am so mad that Finnick died. He was my boy 😔. I do wonder if they decided to go with the capital hunger games after snow was killed.
~ Trashdog13

A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by KJ Charles
I enjoyed the first book, but I went into this one wondering how she was going to make me care what Luke was up to years later. She definitely succeeded! I might be slightly obsessed with Luke and Rufus; they have a fantastic dynamic. This book definitely has less action than the first, which is completely okay with me, but it picks up on all the threads left hanging in the first one and wraps them up wonderfully.
~ unfunpleasures

Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
I loved the writing so much I couldn't stop reading. the plot was interesting, the ending was a bit meh but not so bad
~ Feña

Princess Princess Ever After by K. O'Neill
So cite graphic novel, I wish I were a kid enjoying it. Really sweet.
~ Feña

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg
A quirky non-linear look at aging and identity
~ moderatecitrus

Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown by Candace Fleming
Well this was some scary shit. As for the book itself: After reading the introduction I expected there to be more analysis of what happened and discussion of the psychology of how/why people fall into cults generally and this one specifically than there actually was, but what was there was a pretty solid and readable accounting of events. This is another title that's technically aimed at a YA audience but would have plenty of appeal for adults as well, especially if you don't know much about Jim Jones/Peoples Temple/Jonestown already.
~ remreader

Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia and the Birth of History by Moudhy Al-Rashid
This book used specific objects from an ancient Mesopotamian archaeological site (that may even have been an ancient museum!) as a jumping off point to explore different aspects of ancient Mesopotamian history. It was really cool to learn about so many little snapshots of individual lives that we have record of through cuneiform tablets and other artifacts and the writing style did a great job of highlighting the ways in which these ancient people were similar to us and building that human connection. However, and I feel like I've had to point this out in so many of the non-fiction books I've read lately, there were no pictures! The whole thing was centered around several specific objects, with briefer mentions of many others, and there were no visuals at all for any of them! The back matter did include sourcing on where to find images of the main artifacts so there was at least that, but they really should've been included in the book itself.
~ remreader

You Don't Have to be Mad to Work Here by Dr Benji Waterhouse
4.5* -
I didn't think I'd enjoy this book so much, but when I was recommended to go see Dr Benji Waterhouse at the Fringe and enjoyed his WIP show, I figured I might as well pick up the book. Definitely not a bad decision; the book reads like he talks, and it was a very enjoyable read. Wouldn't call it "fun" because it's still a book by a psychiatrist (so please check the content warnings, too), but it was definitely a good insight into the NHS and the type of work a psychiatrist has to deal with.
~ fpwoper

Love and Other Sins by Amelia Ares
Now this is some old-school YA - trauma upon trauma, adults (mostly) on the sidelines…if today’s fluff and personal growth has you rolling your eyes, this one’s for you.
~ meganreal

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
This is one of the best books I've read in a LONG time. I loved every bit of it.
~ Aletea

Reviews as of August 8, 2025

Una Habitación Propia by Virginia Woolf
Funny and interesting
~ Fena

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Listened to the audiobook and absolutely loved it. My heart is full and my face is leaking with joy. A scientifically beautiful story of reluctant heroes and unlikely bonds of friendship across galaxies. Very highly recommended!
~ HipHopAnonymous

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate
I'm not exactly the demographic for this book, but I picked it up because I had a free book reward from Thriftbooks and because I saw that KA Applegate was in full support of trans rights. It reminded me of what a huge Animorphs fan I had been as a kid, and wonder what her more recent books are like. I'm glad to see that the younger generations are also getting great animal facts and hopefully inspired to be biologists, veterinarians, ecologists and the like just like we were with Animorphs.

This is such a sweet and unfortunately realistic book of a young boy being comforted by his imaginary friend as his family experiences economic instability for the second time in his short life. He loves animals and gives all the animal facts, which gave me such nostalgic memories of reading Animorphs around the age that the narrator is. Things work out in the end but it is not a magical fix and there is a sense that things could go bad again - I feel like KA Applegate understands children very well and writes to them at their level, but with the kind of honesty and sincerity that adults typically reserve for each other.

I'm glad I bought this book, because it means I can gift it to the Free Little Library in front of the local Boys and Girls Club. For the next generation ❤️
~ wannabewesley

The Duke's Sister and I - Emma-Claire Sunday
So, I got this book as a mystery-date-with-a-book. I was initially a bit put off that it was a Mills & Boon historical romance because traditionally I'm an absolute snob who saw those harlequin romances as things my nan read. Well, I was wrong! I read it in under 24 hours! It is an easy read, there are no real surprises here, but it's compelling - the characters are interesting, it comments on lost female and queer voices in history, on identity, and best of all A SAPPHIC HAPPY ENDING! In a regency romance! Ultimate curl up with a cuppa on a Sunday read. I am humbled by queer Mills & Boon and apparently romances are just better gay 🙂‍↕️
~ Mags (Magziraphale)

That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming
I appreciated the multiple POV’s. Gave the characters more personality than in the first. An extra .25 star for the line - “I do not know if my tits were built for murder. I don’t even think they were built with my back in mind.” 3.75/5
~ FelinePharma (Bluesky)

Babycakes by Armistead Maupin
The fourth installment of the Tales From The City series, which I've been reading in order on and off, is the darkest and most politically aware so far, but still full of humour and found family
~ moderatecitrus

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
An anti-war classic that I never got around to reading in school, so I read it this summer with my teenage kid. I knew basically nothing about it going in so everything was a delightful, horrible surprise.
~ alimasin

Trans History From Ancient Times to the Present Day a graphic novel by Alex L. Combs & Andrew Eakett
This was a pretty solid & accessible overview of trans history. It's listed as teen/YA but I think adults could get a lot out of it as well.
~ remreader

Finna by Nino Cipri
Another reread of a favorite! I love things that are both absurd and heartfelt, and this novella is plenty of both. Kind of makes me want to go get lost in an Ikea. You never know where you’ll end up…
~ acesaru

Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation by Kate Bornstein and S. Bear Bergman
An interesting collection with distinct highs and lows, like most anthologies. I read it for a trans history book club, and in that way it was interesting as a snapshot of a more recent moment (it came out 15 years ago)
~ acesaru

It Lasts Forever and Then It's Over Anne De Marcken
I've read better zombie books and I've read worse. It was an interesting take, but I wasn't in love with it.
~ callous

Arena One: Slaverunners Morgan Rice
I... Like the concept. It's an interesting, but dark story, that didn't quite scratch the itch that I hoped it would.
~ callous

The Gravity Between Us by Kristen Zimmer
I’m not sure who the intended audience for this is, but I think they’re gonna need a Time Machine to get to it. From the references to blackberries and low riding jeans, my guess is that the setting of the story is supposed to be the early 2000’s - but since that is never explicitly stated, there’s a weirdly anachronistic feel to the proceedings - as if the main characters are visiting the 21st century from the 1980’s or 1990’s.

The vaguely afterschool special feeling reinforces that timestamp - like most stories from those, the references to jobs, school, and the wider world in general are vague enough that we could be in any country or city - while New Jersey and Los Angeles are the settings, neither features in enough detail that it couldn’t be dubbed in as Toronto or Liverpool or Auckland or whatever market it’s in. Kendall’s acting and Peyton’s music could easily be substituted for sports, politics, or any other public-facing roles.

Making the central characters nineteen year olds adds to the vagueness - is this for young adults? If so, why do they act like it’s 1995? Not that there isn’t homophobia in 2025, but the vague discomfort (not to mention the over the top bizarreness of Kendall’s mother) with the entire concept of LESBIANS (no nuanced spectrum of sexuality in this book’s vocabulary) does not come across as believable in the era of Cara Delevigne, Tessa Thompson, Janelle Monae, etc.

The romance, such as it is, is firmly G-rated. I’m not much for explicit love scenes, but in the context of the book’s general tone of queer shame the closed doors come across as hiding something unspeakable more than preserving mystery.

The idea of using two narrators for an alternating perspective story like this is well established…but it helps if the two voices are distinguishable from one another. I was genuinely surprised at the end to learn that there had been two different people - their voices were nearly identical.

Reading or listening to this book is a great reminder of how far we’ve come as a society and in queer representation in media over the past few decades - I’m just not sure that we need more reminders of the bad old days at the moment.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
~ meganreal

Run Away With Me by Brian Selznick
This is a lovely and bittersweet YA novel about two boys falling in love in Rome in the 1980s. Like all this author's work, it has beautiful illustrations and really interesting historical details and research. I read an interview with the author where he explained that since he didn't come out until his 20s and fell in love for the first time at 30, he wanted to write the experience of a first teenage love that he never had. 😭
~ alimasin

Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I was really enjoying it most of the way through, but the writing never sold me on the two leads being in love. If I ignore that element, I love how the book was written, as a series of interviews telling the band’s story years later.
~ Lindsay (wildflowerstede)

High Rise by J.G Ballard
One of my new favourite opening lines to start a horrible little book. Not sure if I could call the reading experience enjoyable but it certainly was an experience!
~ rueforyou

Bad Cree by Jessica Johns
Maybe not as spooky as I wanted it to be, though it had one moment that had me curling my toes and clenching my teeth and I love it when horror books do that. Also, it subverted one of the worst tropes in horror when the main character told everyone that something terrible was happening and they all just believed her. Perhaps a story more about grief and female community than anything truly spine-chilling but that's not a bad thing at all.
~ rueforyou

How to Solve Your Own Murder - Kristen Perrin
This was fine, which I mean with no shade at all. I liked the characters, the setting was interesting, I wasn't all that invested in the mystery but it was fun going along for the ride. it was quintessential cosy crime. I'm not a huge fan of embedded narratives but the diary here wasn't too egregious and I'll probably read the follow up if I stumble across it.
~ rueforyou

The Girl From The Other Side Deluxe Edition III by Nagabe
Slip into a dreamlike monochrome world of monsters and men in a fantastical tale of the Other Side. Gorgeous drawings bring to life this bittersweet tale of a world gone wrong, struggling to survive under the capricious whims of a god and goddess that treat their offspring like toys in their endless machinations. What started off as a simple tale of a cursed guardian and a tiny girl has become something so monumental to the very foundation of this society, one that unfolds in a mysterious way sure to leave you desperate to read more if not for the story than the absolutely exquisite art.
~ frazzledwriter@bsky.social

The Girl from the Other Side Deluxe Edition IV by nagabe
I cannot say much without spoiling the story, but the art is still breathtakingly gorgeous, the story as engrossing as ever, and the ending as bittersweet as you’d expect. An absolute masterpiece of a dark fairy tale that feels both ancient and new, a beloved story that haunts you well past the last chapter and the final pages bid you farewell. I loved every second.
~ FrazzledWriter

Network Effect by Martha Wells
Gosh I loved this story SO MUCH. For the first time, Murderbot broke away from its shorter novellas into a full length novel, and my god what a novel it was. It was full of the sassy humor that I adore about Murderbot, some really fun new characters and a particular returning character that had me cheering out loud, and I just. Gosh I love these books. I’ve been listening to the audiobooks too and if you can do them, I highly recommend them! Kevin R Free does the narrations and he does such a phenomenal job.
~ Kerry / CommunionNimrod

Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland
I love this book so damn much. May we all live a life which grants a touching eulogy at a cake competition.
(Read the physical copy back in January, and just re-“read” the audiobook).
~ @felinepharma.bsky.social

The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
This is by far not the first time I've read the original trilogy, but I finally read the prequels earlier this year and decided to keep going with audiobooks. It's been several years (and a pandemic and the state of the world and having my own daughter) since I've read them and I am struck even more this time by how much of all of the stories revolve around unresolved and unacknowledged trauma. I ache for Katniss who has been let down by every adult in her life, and I also ache for her mother who didn't have the support she needed when her husband was killed.

Also I still love Peeta so much. Team Peeta forever.
~ michellethefan

Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
Trauma 2: Electric Boogaloo. There's even more frustration now because not only does no one help Katniss, they actively manipulate her. And I know it's just going to keep going! But on we go to Mockingjay!
~ Michellethestan

Bad Houses by John Elizabeth Stintzi
I was really excited for this - I'd heard that it was whimsical yet dark, my favorite combination. And I suppose that's true - but in focusing on the whimsical and dark there doesn't always seem to be a lot of space left for character development or plot. I know, I know - they're short stories - but the best of these (Dumb House, Elephant, The Troll Patch, Engagement, Which House) show that the author is right up there with the best short fiction writers in packing depth and meaning into a small package. The problem is that by theming the collection around houses and living spaces with some degree of malevolent sentience, they may have limited their ability to tell a wider range of stories that would stand apart from one another. As individual stories, any of these would stand out in an anthology or magazine - but as a group they begin to feel repetitive. The very Canadian narrator (excellent choice) does a fine job, but having a variety of voices may have also helped with differentiation. I hope that this will someday be a minor growing pain in a vast catalog of work - this is clearly an author with a lot to say and some innovative ways of saying it - but for now this might be a better one to read in installments rather than listening straight through.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
~ meganreal

MADK vol 2 by Ryo Suzuri
Much like the male lead Makoto, I have a deep love/hate relationship with this story. I love it for being created and I hate it for making me love it. The story revels in the grotesque, making the horrific beautiful without holding back on the absolute depravity of humanity and the demon realm. I feel like I’ve sold my soul to read this series and I have no regrets.
~ FrazzledWriter

MADK vol 3 by Ryo Suzuri
I really didn’t want it to be over. Each page felt like a new revelation in horror. Time slipping past quicker and quicker as the inevitable end rushed up and split the world in two. I’m not good at describing this story because it is an absolutely grotesque experience that defies words and demands your attention whether you like it or not. To say I enjoyed it is both an under and overstatement, I was in its chokehold up until the very end. I wish there was more but I doubt there’ll ever be another story like it.
~ Frazzledwriter

Catching fire : Suzanne Collins
I loved it, it was a phenomenal sequel to the series!
~ Trashdog13

Time Is a Mother by Ocean Vuong
I’ve never been the best with poetry—my brain is clunky, doesn’t know what to do with poems even when they’re good—but even I could appreciate how beautiful this book was. Reading it soothes and stings at the same time, in the best kind of way.
~ acesaru

The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
Loved it. Love Lestat as character although some parts felt too long, in general I still just love Lestat so much and I feel the same way after reading the book. Not really a review sorry
~ Feña

The Raven Boys (graphic novel) by Maggie Stiefvater
I’ve been waiting for this adaptation for YEARS. The art is gorgeous, from the character designs to the backgrounds. What a wonderful way to revisit this world, though I wonder how it will read to series newbies.
~ acesaru

Audrey Hepburn by Michele Botton
Was an interesting read. I knew about her being an actress, but had no idea about all the humanitarian work she did.
~ killerweasel

Pet Sematary by Stephen King
This book is the result of King’s son almost being hit by a truck. It’s the only book of his he says frightens him.

You get a good look at grief & what comes after. It drives someone to do the unthinkable, with terrible consequences.
~ killerweasel

The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji
I really enjoyed it! It was my first time reading a mystery novel translated from Japanese and it took me a little while to get used to the narration and tone but I thought it was an exciting and well constructed mystery. It reminded me strongly of both Agatha Christie and Christopher Pike (although Pike was probably influenced by this). A lot of entertaining misdirection and a very satisfying conclusion. I immediately wanted to read more by the author but our library system only has this one.
~ Trees

Reviews as of August 1

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
Given the current backslide of reproductive rights and my still relatively new motherhood (which I was able to choose to begin on my own time), this novel hit me like a ton of bricks. I want to scoop every girl into the biggest hug and never let them go. I want to scream at every adult. Without spoilers, the way magic as an escape for women is treated is brilliant. I laughed and I cried probably in equal measure. The characters are rich and well imagined-even and perhaps especially the adults, who seem to all believe what they are doing is best for everyone.

Fantastic read if you can handle the subject matter right now.

CW for discussion of sexual assault and rape, graphic depiction of childbirth, graphic self-mutilation, forced adoption
~ michellethestan

“P.S. I Miss You” by Jen Petro-Roy
Okay… I thought the reflective tone in this was lovely, and the author did an amazing job of building the relationship between Evie and June, especially when considering blossoming feelings for tweens. But that twist… sorry to get into this but I need to kvetch. Spoilers ahead for everyone!! So much of this book centers on Evie writing letters to her older teenage sister, who had been sent to live on a great-aunt’s farm because she got pregnant. Evie’s sister is not replying to her letters and she is being kept in the dark about her sister, only knowing that she’s been enrolled in a Catholic all-girl boarding school. After she and her friends sneak to find her at said school, it is revealed that all the letters Evie sent following her sister giving birth were read and responded to by her parents. Why? BECAUSE HER SISTER DIED IN CHILDBIRTH AND THEY JUST DIDN’T TELL HER.
Listen, I’m all for novels not inherently being reflections of an author or what they would do in a given situation. But Evie’s apparent forgiveness of her parents by the end of the book, to the point of having a memorial with them for her sister, all while still accepting that they have their beliefs is insane. These people let their religious beliefs alienate their daughter, send her to an underfunded and rural medical facility, all while lying to their child, family, and community about the death of their sixteen year old that they indirectly caused. AND ALSO THERE’S A ONE OFF LETTER WHERE EVIE FINDS OUT HER PARENTS HAD A MISCARRIAGE BEFORE HER OLDER SISTER WAS BORN, A CHILD THAT WAS CONCEIVED OUT OF WEDLOCK AND SHE IS JUST LIKE “OH WELL MOM SAID THATS WHY THEY BECAME GOOD CATHOLICS BECAUSE THE CHURCH SAVED THEM”!?!? Maybe it’s my own personal anxieties around teen pregnancy and Catholicism, but the bullshit ending of “well, it’s hard to accept, but at the end of the day, we’re all grieving” message had me losing my shit. They lied about her sister dying for almost a year, and were an indirect cause of her death, and we see no real repercussions to that. Hell, there is more time spent on Evie reconnecting with her parents than there is on her dealing with the fact that her sister was DEAD for more than two-thirds of this book.
Idk. Maybe my anger is displaced. But this book has like an average 4/5 star rating, and it reminds me a little of “The Outsiders”, in that people love the concept of it so much that they don’t look critically at the fact that sometimes, shit can’t be forgiven and it shouldn’t be.
~ Delaney @lavenderluxury

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
Fun fake dating set up, flawed of careers who you cheer for and who get on your nerves in turn. Would have loved a little more of the quirky friend group shenanigans too! 4/5
~ tightenupmate

Indigo and Ida by Heather Murphy Capps
Indigo is an aspiring journalist who wants to stand up against the racial injustices at her school. She finds herself running for class president, but the journey is not easy. Indigo takes comfort in letters she finds from Ida B. Wells-Barnett, feeling encouraged to continue to stand up for what's right even if she's standing alone.

This was a wonderful, heartfelt middle grade book with a focus on social activism. I was rooting for Indigo throughout the rollercoaster of emotions and situations she faces.
~ Bookloverstede.bsky.social

Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television by Todd S. Purdum
I saw this one on my library's new book display and decided to give it a go. The title oversells itself a bit imo but the book was still plenty interesting. The writing is a very straightforward accounting of events style; it held my attention well enough but I could definitely see some people finding it somewhat dry.
~ remreader

“Across So Many Seas” by Ruth Behar
This was beautifully crafted and a solid means of realistically showing middle grade readers the intensity of Jewish persecution over time without either going too intense or focusing exclusively on the Holocaust. However, reading this with the knowledge of what’s going on in Palestine and the way the genocide there has been largely at the forefront of social media was difficult. I’m Jewish and while this text ached me deeply, I had a hard time reflecting on how there are other Jewish individuals who use the events from this text to excuse what Israel is doing. That’s not the fault of the book or the author, but it just made it hard to engage.
~ Delaney @lavenderluxury

Freedom House by KB Brookins
A highly recommended poetry collection by a Black, queer, and trans writer. Hard to narrow down my favorite poems to just a few, but some standouts are:
-"Curriculum Vitae"
-"T Shot #8"
-"A List of Things I Want Before This Life Lets Me Go"
-"Freedom House Manifesto"
-"He/they in the streets, they/them in the sheets" (poem encourages donating to Transgender Education Network of Texas)
-"Good Grief"
-"S.B. No. 8: Erasure"
~ Bookloverstede@bsky.social

“Good Different” by Meg Eden Kuyatt
This was a reread but remains one of my favorite middle grade books, especially as explicit autism representation in young girls. Wonderful read.
~ Delaney @lavenderluxury

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
I watched the Winona Ryder version of Little Women over and over again as a kid, but somehow I had never read the book until now. I didn’t realize how much 19th century moralism would be packed into its pages, but overall I enjoyed it. I probably would have enjoyed it less without the childhood nostalgia attached to it.
~ Lindsay (wildflowerstede)

A Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by KJ Charles
I prefer romance with a bit of adventure and high stakes. This second installment in the Doomsday story doesn’t have as much action as the first, but makes up for it with a bit of angst and high Family Drama.
Luke Doomsday was going through a lot in the first book and he still understandably has many feelings about it all here, thirteen years later-which was a good carry over to the new plot.
Although I would have loved a straightforward sequel with Joss and Gareth, I thought the new characters were interesting and enjoyed the appearances of so many previous ones, along with a lot of call outs to those who couldn’t appear directly on the page along with past events. Even beetle hunting gets a mention or two. Another ten ⭐️ read. Oh, and if you haven’t read the first book, it’s a total Stede and Ed au.
~ FelinePharma

The hunger games (book #1) Suzanne Collins
I LOVED it, by far one of my new favorite books. I'd always been a fan of the movies but never read the books. Now i'm working through the series. Sad to say, I am going to fall into the Peetah VS. Gale wars...on Gale's side lol. But I'm also only starting book 2, so my opinion may change! Anyhow, I relate to katniss so deeply i adore her. She's my new favorite girl.
~ Trashdog13

Warp Your Own Way by Ryan North, with art by Chris Fenoglio
I'm a big fan of Ryan North's Squirrel Girl comics so of course I had to track down a copy of this after finishing watching Lower Decks. It captures the feel of the show really well and there are some cool unexpected twists, even for a format (choose your own adventure) that's basically built on twists already.
~ remreader

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
“Mama used to say Life isn’t fair when he cried over not getting his way, but he hadn’t known then that unfairness was so big, covering the world.”

Brilliantly written historical horror about the Deep South during the height of Jim Crowe; in which the ghosts aren’t nearly as terrifying as the human villains. A gripping and powerful read.
~ HipHopAnonymous

World War Z by Max Brooks
The book is people in various walks of life & different parts of the world sharing their personal experiences of the Zombie War.
~ killerweasel

Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie
Wonderful conclusion to the trilogy! Very satisfying ending.
~ Aletea

Impossible creatures - Katherine Rundell
This book grabbed me front the start, full of mythical creatures and a nice twist on creatures from our world being viewed as mythical in the other world. Some elements were a little predictable but not to the point that it took from the story.
~ Robotpinemarten

The Hymn of Dionysus by Natasha Pulley
Incredible and moving. A must read for any fans of Madeline Miller or of myth retellings in general.
~ wannabewesley

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
This is a good one - as long as you go in with the right expectations. I went in with absolutely none, but now that I've finished and seen that it is promoted as a thriller or mystery, I can see how it might seem lacking if you're expecting a typical whodunit. Not that there are no moments of thrills or mystery, but the central theme here is working through childhood trauma by looking back at what actually happened with more data and an adult perspective. There is absolutely a (view spoiler), but the central story of Jessica, Norah, and Alicia stands on its own without it. The audiobook makes this a bit challenging by lacking a transition to indicate that the therapy sessions are different from the rest of the chapters with alternating narration, but that is likely intentional since it builds suspense about the source and truth of the story told there.

The narrator does a good job of keeping things on track without doing different voices for the characters - the phrasing generally makes it clear who's talking (or whose inner monologue we're hearing). There are some Aussieisms, and for Americans the casual relationship between the police and the central characters will seem implausible - but the children's services and legal systems are similar enough that US readers shouldn't have any trouble following the action.

This is a great book club pick, since it opens up discussion about parenthood, childhood trauma, and the various coping mechanisms used by the characters - just be aware that there are non-explicit scenes of (view spoiler) if those are hard limits for anyone in your group.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
~ meganreal

Man, Fuck This House by Brian Asman
Fun twist on the whole 'family moves into a haunted house' trope. It was different and enjoyable. If you like humor with your horror, check this out.
~ killerweasel

The God and The Gumiho by Sophie Kim
Nice way to learn more about Korean mythology specially because we meet certain creatures lots of times so I got a lot of chances to get familiar with the names!
~ Highwaystars

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M Miller Jr
I wish I’d liked it more than I did! It was fine but it was a little tough to get through. The parts that really felt like they focused on the post-apocalyptic setting at the start of the book and then towards the end were so fascinating. In between, though, it felt slow and dry. I wish it had kept that same energy throughout, I would have loved it a lot more overall.
~ CommunionNimrod

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
I liked it! It had twists in it I didn’t even consider til the end.
~ @silverbatwing.bsky.social

Firefly Wedding Vol 3 by Oreco Tachibana
I really enjoyed this installation of Shinpei and Satoko’s unconventional relationship. Still stuck on the inescapable island, still struggling to get back home, and still lying about their feelings towards each other as the stakes get higher and the peril toward’s their lives increases.
~ frazzledwriter@bsky.social

Wicked by Gregory Maguire
I first read this book in high school when it was pretty new (I’m aging myself) and I remember enjoying it but can’t recall much else.

With all the recent acclaim of the movie I thought to revisit and I’m not disappointed. Warning for anyone who is a fan of the musical/movie- this is not the same in many ways. Many things are changed and characters you know do not follow the same arcs. It does hold a lot of the same ideas and themes but it’s very much darker and sadder. You also don’t get the flash and whimsy of seeing them sing out their feelings and it feels grittier. In some ways I also feel the book is even queerer than the movie as well if that is possible.

Overall a great read with some problematic characters and plots, but that’s the beauty of a good story. Makes you think and be challenged.
~ AJ McKay (ajmckay)

Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century By Kim Fu
This was an anthology of short stories. I went in expecting to have some good and not good (as most anthologies go) but honestly they were all just ok. Worth reading as it’s a quick read and maybe someone else can glean more out of them, but nothing that stuck with me or made me question things. It felt like a season of Black Mirror where all the episodes were ok and enjoyable in the moment, but forgettable.
~ AJ McKay (ajmckay)

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
Martha Wells has perfected the short novel form (her books in this series barely hit 150 pages). She gets right down to business making us laugh, giving us sci-fi adventure, and a nonbinary/asexual storeyteller that makes many people feel scene.

Murderbot is the protagonist and it loves its favorite tv show so much but also its now making its own decisions yet trying to shake off its old programming habits. I won’t say too much but if you want queer rep sci-fi this is the book series for you.

Also, even when Wells writes side characters that only appear for one book (remember how short they are) we care about them. She is writing in a style few others can seem to master.
~ AJ McKay (ajmckay)

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells
Third book in the Murderbot series and holy hell did this one deliver. Wells gives us an action packed story and makes us once again care about the minor characters introduced.

I don’t want to give it away but this one left me reeling and I had to stop and really think about some things at the end.

Overall my fave in the series so far and just as hilarious as the first two.
~ AJ McKay (ajmckay)

The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell King
It's some cruel timing that I finished this book on the same day that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the home of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, has announced that it has to close in the wake of the administration's horrific funding cuts. I picked up this book because like a lot of people, I'm in desperate need of a reminder of the good in the world. Thankfully, it provided just that.
~ Lindsay (wildflowerstede)

The Library Book by Susan Orlean
Lots of good stories, you just have to get past the jumping around the timeline part.
~ meganreal