pickYou think the Grimm fairy tales are dark and twisted. Just wait until the women of the story decide that they‘ve had enough.
13 beautiful, lyrical, and dark retellings of 13 different fairy tales. I desperately need to listen to these on audio during a dark autumn evening. All about the patriarchy‘s control of our bodies and voices, and the feminine rage unleashed to control our stories. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗
pick3.5 Stars • Next of Kin by John Boyne (2006) is a twisty thriller set in 1936 London. Owen Montignac, a broke aristocrat, gets snubbed in his uncle‘s will, leaving everything to his cousin Stella. Facing a huge debt to a shady casino boss, Owen schemes to steal art, blackmail, and even kill to get what he thinks is his. He ropes in Gareth, the lazy son of a judge, and things spiral into a messy web of lies and murder. ⬇️
pickI nearly gave up on this in the first few pages because of the wildly descriptive beginning. Then I read this was adapted from a play by Keane, so I was able to see that as the stage directions for Act 1, Scene 1. And then the action started. The love triangle was not for me, but I very much liked Aunt Anna Rose.
pickBook 2 of 2025. This is the sequel to All Our Hidden Gifts and was just as good as the first one! If you like witchy books, this trilogy may be for you! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
so-soThis is a post-apocalyptic Frankenstein retelling. It was okay. The twist ending was good.
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#ReadOrDonate @julieclair Read and will be donating
Funny but didn't grip me so much. Lets try another one
pickJenny Ireland‘s debut YA romance has a well drawn female main character and does a great job of showing what it‘s like to live with arthritis. However Juliet‘s relationship with Tara interested me more than the romance with Ronan, mainly because Ronan‘s backstory didn‘t ring as emotionally true with his relationship with his mother in particular feeling undercooked. That said I enjoyed reading this and will happily check out Ireland‘s next book.
pickThis series is just so fantastic at capturing the feelings and growing pains and interpersonal challenges of the teen years, all while fighting religious fundamentalism with witchcraft, queer love, and the power of friendship. This installment especially excels with representations of queer, racial, neurodivergent, and disability marginalization—and with portraying the suffering so often behind the worst actions—and it‘s just a fun ride!
CW 👇🏻 (edited) 1w