Disco. Witches. Fire Island. Those four words say it all, and Blair Fell's novel delivers on each and every one of them. I've been telling friends (and anyone who will listen) that Fell's novel, The Disco Witches of Fire Island, is the "more lighthearted" version of Rebecca Makkai's The Great Believers (another novel that I will talk to... Continue Reading →
Kansas author Sarah Henning has penned a dozen books. Most are geared towards young adult readers, but her novels are also popular with adults who enjoy the YA genre. Henning’s latest fantasy novel “The Lies We Conjure” is a 2025 Kansas Notable Book, one of 15 titles recognized by the State Library of Kansas. “It... Continue Reading →
As anti-LGBT rhetoric intensifies, the queer community needs stories of political engagement — and triumph — more than ever. C.J. Janovy’s 2018 book “No Place Like Home: Lessons in Activism from LGBT Kansas” is full of such accounts. A newly released version is arriving at just the right time. The University Press of Kansas reached... Continue Reading →
Each creative family is creative in its own way, and it’s that uniqueness of artistic expression that Derby Arts Council offers for consideration in their “Art in the Family” exhibition on display through June 24 at the Derby Public Library. The library sits just off the bustle of Rock Road, yet the building is quiet,... Continue Reading →
Burn before reading. What starts as a puzzling statement unravels in the sweeping novella This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. Red and Blue are at odds, and they might also be in love. They might always have been in love, and its their stories - past, present,... Continue Reading →
Family heirlooms, travel items link immigrant stories to lives in the Midwest at the end of the 19th century, on view at the Kauffman Museum at Bethel College through June 1. "Unlocking the Past: Immigrant Artifacts and the Stories They Tell," at the Kauffman Museum in North Newton, Kansas, foregrounds the stories of Mennonite immigrants.... Continue Reading →
Rules for Ghosting is a great read for anyone who enjoys novels like The Dead Romantics or the Seven-Year Slip (both by Ashley Poston), and shows like Six Feet Under.
Here's a fun, new segment: archived book reviews! I'll post these for funsies as they pique my interest (and as long as they don't embarrass me too terribly much). Many of these first appeared in newsletters for Watermark Books and Cafe, a local, independent bookstore where I worked as a bookseller (and for a five-year... Continue Reading →
Most people here know I'm an English teacher, an avid fan of Shakespeare (we have the same birthday), and an even bigger fan of Scotland (a Caledonophile). So when my sister-in-law gifted me Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid, I put it at the top of my TBR pile. And it doesn't disappoint. Shipped from Breizh... Continue Reading →
In all the ways that food can call us to gather, it can also show us ways to rebel and to feed our resistance to power. And that’s the focus of Julia Turshen’s tiny but powerful cookbook; she gathered recipes from chefs and activists seeking a way to feed those who helped push for change... Continue Reading →
shelly. walston. writes. 