For those, like me, who might be put off by words such as "praying" and "sacred," first things first: this is not a religious book. Truly. What this book is, is a shockingly intimate series of essays (or as the author calls them, sermons) that dig deep into the novel Jane Eyre to extract meaning … Continue reading The Sacred and the Profane: Praying with Jane Eyre by Vanessa Zoltan
Take a mystery featuring an eagle eye detective; an astute sidekick along for the ride; an atmospheric setting that conjures the obscuring, damp chill of pea-souper fog; railway journeys and train platforms; scholarly rivalries; tea and scones; and a soupçon of pining. You might be imagining Victorian London. You might even have had a certain … Continue reading Move Over Sherlock Holmes: The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older
It’s been a while since I’ve been so emotionally devastated by a book. I realize, in retrospect, that I’ve been doing a lot of comfort reading. Books where, even when bad things happen, I know that a happy ending is guaranteed. I didn’t know of any such guarantee when I started The Kingdoms. I had … Continue reading That time Natasha Pulley shattered me into tiny bits and then delicately put me back together again (i.e., I read The Kingdoms)
The trees are a flare of colour, the sky is a steadfast blue, the smoky and sweet scents of bonfires and pumpkin spice are in the air — yes, it's autumn, the best season of them all. I've been saving Comet Weather by Liz Williams for just this moment in time, and it was the … Continue reading The Perfect Book for Autumn, Prove Me Wrong: Comet Weather by Liz Williams
I thought I was done with summer books for the year, and onto autumn reads. Hence, my dark academia binge. Luckily for me, I read Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo just in time, when the last dog days of summer were still upon us, even as school bells were ringing in the distance. May I … Continue reading The Necessary Discomfort of the Southern Gothic — But Make it Personal: Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo
This reading journal was inspired by my dissatisfaction with all the reading journals I've ever owned. This is my personal take on the ideal reading journal — I hope you enjoy it! Here is a quick rundown of its components: The basics — title, author, publisher. I deliberately included publisher here because there are so many … Continue reading Free Downloadable Reading Journal
Call it September vibes if you want, but I'm on a bit of a dark academia binge at the moment (the genre, not the aesthetic—although I do love me some corduroy, if you must know). In pursuit of which I just read the viral sensation The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake. I have conflicting thoughts … Continue reading Dark Academia: The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
The Nomeolvides women are bound by three things: 1. Anyone they fall in love with vanishes.2. If they leave the bounds of La Pradera, the estate they live on, they will die. 3. They can make flowers grow from their fingertips. Feiwal and Friends, 2017 Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore is a gorgeous fairy tale … Continue reading Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore
Content warning: child abuse, ritual sacrifice This novella was not quite what I was expecting. It tells the story of seventeen-year-old Silvie, who, along with her parents, is accompanying a group of university students and their professor on a 2-week "experimental archaeology" camp to reenact Iron Age life in northern England. Silvie is not a … Continue reading Heat, Haunting, and Heartbreak: Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss
A heat wave book if I ever read one. You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi is a book that colourfully conjures sun, sweat, and that shimmer in the air on a hot, hot day. Oh, yes, and a little splash of blood, too. Simon & Schuster, 2022 It is … Continue reading Furiously Alive: You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi
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