The Swimmers

This is not a book that was originally anywhere on my radar, but after seeing how much @thestackspod loved it (and she is pretty discerning in the fiction books that get her recommendation), I decided to give it a try. Plus, it's just so small - so definitely worth the short reading time to see what…

People Person

I read Carty-Williams' debut novel, Queenie, a few years ago when it came out, and I really enjoyed the messy, genuine titular character. So this sophomore novel was on my TBR longlist as soon as I heard about it. I was actually able to grab an ARC copy from my library's "up for grabs for staff" pile…

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Alright, everybody was doing it, so I did too. But for real this book topped all the popular-vote-based "best of" lists for 2022. And you know I always want to see for myself what the hype is about. Plus, I had a few people that I know well recommend it to me (from a variety…

The Town of Babylon

I was already on the library waitlist for this one when the 2023 Aspen Words Longlist was announced and this one was on it! Love when that happens. As I said in my review for How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water, I am not sure if I’m doing to full longlist reading…

Nightcrawling

Apparently, I decided to start this year's reading on an intense note. Not on purpose, but this is when my hold on this novel came through and honestly, I have heard only good things about it, so I was super ready to see for myself. It should be clear from the jacket blurb that this…

Vladimir

This is one of those books that caught enough low-key buzz upon publication to get me interested. I can’t say that it would have been enough to get me to pick it up without the ALC from Libro.fm on hand as well, so shoutout to them for that. And shoutout to me too, for fitting…

How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water

I had checked this one out from the library on impulse (having enjoyed Cruz's first novel, Dominicana, and having seen a number of great reviews for this one). And literally while I had it checked out, the Aspen Words 2023 longlist got announced and this was on it! I haven't decided yet if I am planning to…

Counterfeit

The combination of this cover and the vibes of the book made me think this was going to be a cross between Portrait of a Thief and the Crazy Rich Asians series, both of which I found pretty entertaining, solid reads, so I had this one on my shortlist when I was next looking for a…

Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm

This title/cover combination is one of the most soothing, and thematically inter-supportive. Together they just give vibes of music and physical intimacy that are, in fact, the cornerstones of this novel. Shoutout to Libro.fm for the ALC, which both helped me move through this (very) character-centered work, as well as added to the rhythm and…

All My Rage

This is two years in a row that I happened to start reading the National Book Award winner for Young People's Literature the same week it was announced. Last year, it was Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Melinda Lo and this year's is All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir. Two years of happy coincidences in a row. And two years…