1/5 star The Book of Love , by Kelly Link (2024) This should have been a short story. Instead it was SIX HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE PAGES. I enjoyed Link's quirky book of short stories, Magic for Beginners - creative little dramas about witches and zombies, and a lot of interesting interactions between the world of the living and the world of the dead. I was curious to see what her first full length novel would bring. It did bring a lot more of that fuzzy line between life and

60 books this year: Authors - 32 Female, 16 Male, 2 Non-Binary 56 fiction, 4 non-fiction Years published ranging from 2016 - 2025, with two outliers from 1991 & 1998 (underlined books = links to my reviews) Top 5 The Book of Doors , by Gareth Brown The Girl in Red , by Christine Henry Lost Boy , by Christine Henry Those We Thought We Knew , by David Joy World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments , by Aimee Nezhukumatathil Loved it (highly

4/5 stars The Writing Retreat , by Julia Bartz (2023) This is one of those books where it’s best to go into it knowing only the very basics - like, what’s on the back cover - so I won’t say too much. But I really enjoyed this literary murder mystery / thriller / haunted house story! Rosa Vallo is a famous author known for her feminist horror novels. She lives a reclusive life in a large estate in the Catskills, but once a year she invites a small group of female writers to h

4/5 stars The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches , by Sangu Mandanna (2022) Delightful! "A warm & witchy hug of a book" is right! Reminded me a lot of The House in the Cerulean Sea , but with female witches (kids and adults) instead of the motley crew of various "magical youths." Mika Moon is witch, but has been taught all her life that she must not only hide her magic, but stay away from all other witches, save for once a year when a group of about 10 get together for

5/5 stars Field Guide for Accidents , by Albert Abonado (2024) This is Al's second collection of poetry (his first being Jaw , published in 2020), and it is truly something to savor. Abonado writes with scrutiny about his Filipino identity, his immigrant parents, and the challenges of growing up with a (non-white) dual-identity in America. America, which, "at the airport asks for the name of my tribe, compliments me for the Vietnam in the poems another man read. An honest mi

3/5 stars Things Don't Break on Their Own , by Sarah Easter Collins (2024) TW: Domestic & child abuse Friends Willa and Robyn meet in boarding school, not long after Willa's younger sister Laika disappears. Throughout the year at school, they slowly develop a strong friendship, which develops into a romantic relationship. But the relationship fizzles when Willa learns that her father may be responsible for Laika's death, and leaves school to return home. As time passes, Will

5/5 stars World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments , by Aimee Nezhukumatathil (2020), Illustrator: Fumi Nakamura This is a beautiful debut of nonfiction essays about nature, how the author relates to the world around her, and how and what animals and plants can teach us. The essays include very cool facts about animals and plants, side by side with anecdotes about the author's past - where she grew up, the many different places she live

2/5 stars The Staircase in the Woods , by Chuck Wendig (2025) I cannot recommend this book because of all the needlessly disturbing content. Honestly, if there's a trigger, this book has it. TW: Blood & gore, Extreme violence, Sexual abuse, Pedophilia, Self-harm, Drug & alcohol abuse, Death of a child/parents, Torture, Rape, Incest, Addiction, Domestic abuse .... you can view them ALL here: Storygraph - Content Warnings . With that in mind, it's hard to review this book beca

2/5 stars Somewhere Beyond the Sea , by T.J. Klune (2024) I wanted this to be great, because The House in the Cerulean Sea was great. In the end, though, we really did not need this sequel. I'll just say at the top here - if you loved Cerulean Sea , don't bother with this one. Just treasure your happy memories of the first book! Here, we return to Marsyas island to rejoin Arthur and Linus and their ragtag gaggle of magical children, who are all up to the same old antics. A

3/5 stars Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil , by V.E. Schwab (2025) This is a story about three women. In 1532 in Spain, Maria, a young tomboy who has begun to blossom into a beautiful young woman, is forced to marry an older man who cares nothing for her. She dreams of escape, and finds that dream realized when she meets a mysterious, seemingly immortal widow, Sabine, who shows her a way out. Maria accepts, and, in so doing, takes more from Sabine than was on offer. In 18

3/5 stars Model Home , by Rivers Solomon (2024) TW: Racism, homophobia & transphobia, child sexual abuse, emotional abuse, parent death,...

3/5 stars How to Solve Your Own Murder  and   How to Seal Your Own Fate , by Kristen Perrin (2024 & 2025) How to Solve Your Own Murder ...

4/5 stars Make It Scream, Make It Burn , by Leslie Jamison (2019) One of my favorite nonfiction books is Leslie Jamison's The Empathy...

3/5 stars Strange Pictures , by Uketsu (2022) Translated by Jim Rion This is an unconventional little murder mystery that has the feel...

3/5 stars The Last Murder at the End of the World , by Stuart Turton (2024) "Solve the murder to save what's left of the world..." It's...

4/5 stars The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales & Dangerous Magic , by Leigh Bardugo (2017) Illustrated by Sara Kipin I guess I'm...

3/5 stars Magic for Liars , by Sarah Gailey (2019) Private investigator Ivy Gamble's meat-and-potatoes work is mostly following cheating...

4/5 stars Green Frog: Stories , by Gina Chung (2024) Short story collections can be tough for me. Often I feel like some are great while...

3/5 stars The Antique Hunter's Death on the Red Sea , by C.L. Miller (2025) Not quite as fun the first book, An Antique Hunter's Guide to...

5/5 stars The Girl in Red (2019), and Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook (2017) , by Christina Henry Trigger Warnings (both...