Being the fifth wheel in a group of couples is never easy. Ever. And it's certainly not easy for Margot. Her best friend is the mogul behind a Happily Ever After Dating app, and he wants nothing more than for Margot to find her soul mate. Only Margot isn't sure she believes in soul mates.... Continue Reading →
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune is the magical, cozy book that you never knew you needed. And you do. You need it. When meek and mild-mannered Linus Baker is sent on a secret assignment to the house on the sea, he plans to be his meticulous self: he'll record his observations... Continue Reading →
Have I mentioned how much I love an adult queer romance? Especially one that isn't singularly about coming out? Don't get me wrong, coming out is a HUGE part of queer folx lives, but it's not the only story that queer folx experience when it comes to love. With Payback's a Witch, the first in... Continue Reading →
I came out of a romance reading dry spell when I landed on Helen Hoang's The Heart Principle. And thank goodness; with the days getting shorter and the nights getting longer, I needed this novel to bring a little loving light into my life. Hoang doesn't disappoint: her characters deliver, and her storyline compels even... Continue Reading →
If you're looking for a novel that is intelligently written, comes replete with fully-formed characters, features memorable locations, and passes the Bechdel Test, then look no further than Sarah Penner's debut novel, The Lost Apothecary. I think it's well documented that I favor a novel with parallel narratives (see The Ex Talk and anything by... Continue Reading →
March 26 would've been Opening Day 2020 but for The Virus. And while I've found a routine that is somewhat satisfying considering the circumstances of quarantine, the incongruity of beautiful, crisp spring days without the solid *thwack* of a baseball bat is harrowing to my baseball-loving soul. Thank the heavens for The Resisters by Gish... Continue Reading →
As the end of Black History Month approached, I wanted to celebrate the genius of a woman of color. I found this desire's fulfillment in Luster by Raven Leilani, a debut novelist. The back cover touts an ingenue, an artist, a self-loather searching for meaning and love in the hustle and bustle and (roach-infested) frenzy... Continue Reading →
Savor this book. Let Roshani Chokshi's language roll around on your tongue, and let the underground world of Paris 1880s come to life in your imagination. It's worth it. The Gilded Wolves, a masterful tale of life and death, love and loss, and the inter-workings of The Order, tells the story of five exceptional, though... Continue Reading →
Sarah Moss's sparse novel Ghost Wall is the story of Silvie - short for Sulevia, an ancient British goddess - her soft-spoken mother, and her Iron Age-loving father. The three inhabit the northern ends of Britain, Northumberland, and Silvie's father, a truck driver, volunteers them to partake in an Experiential Archaeological study conducted by a local professor during his two-week vacation.
What makes Groskop’s memoir so solidly readable is the finesse with which she interweaves the histories, with the novels, with her life and experiences both in Russia and out of Russia. The memoir will make you want visit a country-side dacha, brew some chay, and chat with your babushka about who you are and the history of your people. Zamechatel'na!
shelly. walston. writes. 