The Forty Rules of Love

I have been meaning to read something, anything, by Shafak for years. She's a prolific author, and everything she writes seems to have really solid reviews. Plus, I follow her on social media and her advocacy and activism for feminism is really inspiring. I know this isn't one of her most well-known books, but I…

Advertisement

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride

An adult fiction fairy tale from a beloved YA author, described as "a sumptuous, gothic-infused story about a marriage that is unraveled by dark secrets, a friendship cursed to end in tragedy, and the danger of believing in fairy tales." Yes, please. And bonus, I had access to the audiobook thanks to Libro.fm, which had a full…

Calling for a Blanket Dance

This is the fourth Aspen Words Literary Prize 2023 longlist read that I've gotten around to this year. Even though the shortlist has already been announced, I'm still planning to read the ones that have seemed most interesting to me, regardless of whether they moved on or not. I don't think I have it in…

We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies

I'm not actually sure how this one came across my radar. I don't think I've seen anyone else review it, which is normally how I find books. Nor has it been on any lists, I don't think. Perhaps this is one that I talked to a patron at the library about? Usually book recs go the…

In an Absent Dream

It's been awhile since I read the previous book in this series (Beneath the Sugar Sky), but starting all the way back with Every Heart a Doorway, this has been a comfort read sort of series for me. I felt very seen by the first book, and since then, while they are none of them particularly happy…

VenCo

Thanks to William Morrow for the review copy (and then a surprise thanks to Libro.fm for the ALC version). I love a story about witches, so I was pretty much sold on giving this a try just based on that. Even as I started to see some mixed reviews come through (as HarperCollins *finally* freaking worked through…

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…

How High We Go in the Dark

Look at this cover...gorgeous. Also, this was billed as being for fans of Station Eleven (which I loved) and Cloud Atlas (which I read a long time ago, way before I began reviewing/blogging, but do remember really enjoying). So onto my "to be read" list it went. How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu “Death had…

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…

Alif the Unseen

This is a backlist book that I have had on my TBR longer than almost any other. And every once in a while I'd remember it and be like "I should get that from the library!" and then get distracted by a shiny new release... But I found a copy of this at a local bookstore…