They call it the Frequency Illusion (or the Baader–Meinhof Phenomenon), that once you see something, you can't stop seeing it. And now all I can see is Icarus flying, falling. It started with Private Rites by Julia Armfield. Our queer book club loved Armfield's debut novel Our Wives Under the Sea so much so that when her sophomore novel came out, we immediately placed it on our to-read piles. The novel's drenched in literary allusion...
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 →
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 →
Here's another installment (the second!) of archived reviews from my time as a bookseller and marketing manager at Watermark Books and Cafe. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, translated from French by Alison Anderson, is perhaps one of the most beautifully written books I’ve ever read. I don’t make this statement lightly, for... 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 →
As soon as Halloween is over, I'm in full holiday mode. I want cocoa spiked with peppermint and warm, fuzzy socks by a fireplace (or a space heater). And I definitely want a holiday romance novel. In fact, I want all of them. The first holiday romance of the 2024 season for me was an easy... Continue Reading →
I know, I know. Baseball season is “technically” over, but KT Hoffman’s debut queer sports romance The Prospects is a line drive straight to your heart. Every baseball season starts with one thing: hope. The hope that your team will go farther, run faster, and make it to the playoffs. And that’s the case for... Continue Reading →
shelly. walston. writes. 