The Wangs vs the World meets Crazy Rich Asians. Asian superstitions, astrology, and fortune telling plague a wealthy Chinese clan as the sole matriarch believes the eldest son should be chosen to produce a male heir to inherit the billion dollar fortune. Enter the CEO running the corporation who happens to be gay and given this task. Family dysfunction and secrets are brought to light in this comedy drama fictional novel.

A feminist retelling of the Greek mythical heroine, Otrera, the founding queen of the legendary Amazons. From an impoverished, battered wife of an abusive husband to slowly becoming an activist for women and later a warrior in her own right, author Hanna Lynn gives a voice to this iconic figure in mythical history. In addition, she would later become the spouse of the Olympian god Ares, birthing his daughters and establishing an all female clan.

A World War 2 exploitation film thought to have been destroyed is found. Cut to the 1980's, a closeted film archivist is tasked with restoring the work for some wealthy producers. As she digs deeper into the lore of the movie, a strange possession is unleashed, leading to the release of suppressed desires, carnality, and a sinister curse in this feminist horror novel.

A satirical homage to those comical "How to..." guides but, in this case, make it horror. Camp ground owner Kate has to deal with supernatural entities and folklore monsters as she has to co-exist with them and protect visitors from being killed. Add to the fact that corporate greed is trying to take her precious business as well as some Big Bad causing a ruckus and you a fun, cozy horror with comical elements!

Banned for its lewd, obscene, and pornographic content, Henry Miller's journals of 1920's-1930's Bohemian Paris certainly can be seen as subversive literature. His work as raw, unapologetic, unfiltered, and certainly un-PC for its time, shocking and repulsing in reference to the numerous morally corrupt characters he encounters. Overall, Miller is a literary, epiphanic writer but sluggish with his frenetic ramblings and glacial storytelling.

What the most haunting reads that gives off a true crime fiction. During the 1900's, a group of Australian schoolgirls from affluent families head off on a coastal field trip to a place called Hanging Rock. Three of the girls go off to explore the caverns and vanish without a trace. What happens next is a deterioration of the community, the staff, and faculty as the mystery is explored. An atmospheric read of speculative fiction

A classic book of philosophical teaching that drew attention from the monarchy and the upper echelon. Machiavelli's political treatise advised rulers on keeping their power including challenging morality and personal ethics to maintain power, fear should be instilled instead of love, and military strength should be enforced. Condemned for its political idealism more than its realism, it's certainly one to review in terms how it relates today.

A fun, little rom-com focusing on the obsessive, fandom community. A copywriter infatuated with a fictional, fantasy hero of her favorite romantasy series discovers that he is the inspiration for a real life person. Deciding on a trip to meet him (stalking much?), she is accompanied by a cynical relationship avoidance buddy of her sibling. How long before the enemies to lovers trope occurs as romantic tension mounts between the pair?

Magical realism and Native folklore combine to create a story of a writer reflecting on his time spend in a juvenile detention alongside a another talented teen Cherokee artist. As the survive their incarceration, their cultural traditions and stories are woven through a series of literary prose and meditative words in this indigenous fictional novel.

A closed, queer closeted Palestinian man opts to come out on his upcoming birthday but dysfunctional family issues, personal baggage, a love triangle, workplace drama, and the Israeli-Palestine conflict get in the way in this tragic-comedy novel.

A look at Afghanistan's changing and turbulent political climate. From the eradication of Westernized ideals during the 70's to a more traditional and extremist takeover, the story of the county's history is viewed through a trio of stories from the women who are asking for freedom and independence to the followers swayed by the Taliban's movement and their cause. Finally, the interference by foreign powers is noted in the conflict.

A memoir of the Filipino American experience as threaded through food and recipes. Having endured the Marcos dictatorship of the 80's, Jill Damatac's family emigrated to the US in the 90's as undocumented immigrants under the pretense as refugees. Trying to reconcile with the modern American lifestyle versus keeping a sense of cultural traditions and values, she would rebel against her family's expectations and migrate to the UK to find herself.

An homage to the horror slasher genre. A tragedy convinces protagonist Hannah to participate in a wellness healing retreat in the desert. As her fellow participants are picked off, she realizes a serial killer of urban legend is stalking them in this psychological horror with plenty of twists and turns.

Argentina's long history of political turmoil is examined as various dictatorships, and Facist regimes plagued the country. As citizens rebelled and staged a coup, many of its people and their offspring were abducted and disappeared. In the late 70's, a group of grandmothers, Las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, organized and challenged the government asking for questions on their missing grandchildren. This is their story.

This has been getting mixed reviews but personally I liked this book. Translated from Japanese, this charming novella focuses on a woman who rebuilds her life after her cheating ex dumps her. After accepting a job at her estranged uncle's used bookstore, she learns about life and helps her uncle in the process. The rest of the series is her learning about her patrons and the human experience, in general.

Based on an 80's urban legend of a cursed video game, an aspiring computer programmer accepts an arcade position in her little California seaside town. As the patrons flock to try out the newest arcade sensation, Polybius, it becomes apparent that something is off as the residents begin experiencing subliminal messages, turning them into mindless, violent drones. It's up to a group of unaffected citizens to save everyone in this sci-fi horror.

A reinvented fairytale as a warrior woman partners with a foppish dandy to kill an enchanted beast terrorizing the land. Expect some Terry Prachett humor thrown in as this unlikely pair have a heroic mission to carry out.

In a dystopian future, a bloody war recognizes California as an independent nation away from the U.S. From the wreckage, a group of robots are reactivated and decide to rebuild by starting a successful noodle shop in the Bay Area. As their popularity grows, so do their detractors as negative reviews, xenophobia, politics, and anti-robotic sentiment attempts to tank their restaurant as they continue to persevere in this cozy sci-fi novella.

Mystical cryptids and magical realism seeps through this literary novel of a generational observation for a quartet of women affected by the Australian cove. In the modern world, a medium has visions of her missing sister and journeys to find her. The vanished artist sibling struggles with her own baggage. In the 1800's Irish twins struggle to survive a penal colony. All are connected by family, secrets, and resilence.

A cornucopia of transgression, subversiveness, and avant garde, frantic musings as told through an unreliable, flamboyant narrator through his fictionalized memoir as he struggles to write while jetsetting internationally from Paris to New York. Introducing a colorful cast of supporting players that is a part of the 70s underground, Bohemian gay alternative culture, he comments on love, sex, loss, and violence in this classic queer literature.

The emancipator and freedom fighter is making a comeback! And she's doing it by releasing her first hip hop album debut and child...she ain't playin' as she spills the tea about what it's like being a historical icon! That's the premise of RuPaul's Drag Race alum Bob the Drag Queen's debut fictional satirical novel filled with social and political themes. Imagine Miss Tubman's own words in a modern contemporary setting and pulls no punches!

A sarcastic substitute teacher, a naive Midwestern airhead, a southern sexpot, and a ornery curmudgeon walk into a bar; rather, four 'Golden Girls' room together in a house in Miami and solve crazy crimes. That is the premise in this new fanfic homage to the popular 80's sitcom. During Rose's wedding planning for a relative, Dorothy's date for the event dies leading to a cozy mystery investigation.

Progressive for its time and a commentary on Japanese cultural, traditional norms, this classic 50's manga is a more adult version of Disney where divine intervention created Princess Sapphire, a being with dual hearts of both sexes. Disguised as a boy prince, Sapphire goes on epic adventures that explores gender identities, sexuality, equality, and feminism while presenting all the fairytale tropes.

A surreal and frenetic look at love, sex, and dating as told through its protagonist, ironically named Reality Kahn. As Reality navigates through the social and cultural community of her city, she sets her sights on a hipster bro named Ariel and goes on a quest to become the perfect girlfriend. Certainly, this has some comical moments but it's hard to relate to a millennial read that is really trying to be Renata Adler or Caitlin Moran.

The school I work was doing a Scholastic Book Fair and the trailer was really intriguing to my students. A young, bullied protagonist opts for remote learning to a rural school in Alaska where the attendance is just 13 students. When she gets the opportunity to travel to the state to meet her new friends, she discovers an abandoned school and gravestones listing all 13 of her classmates! What is happening in this paranormal, horror middle reader!

A horror political satire that is going to appeal to a certain demographic. A bizarre media source transforms closed-minded individuals and their audience into possessed violent zombies. Those trying to escape the chaos are pitted against this cult of monsters until society and civilization eventually deteriorate. A good premise, but the repetition of prose could have been tweaked and requires more editing.

This was fun, especially with the trend of romantasy being big now! A reinterpretatoon of the Arthurian legend as a naive, young Kansas girl struggling with her mental health is whisked away to the enchanted kingdom of Avalon. As she is held captive by the tyrannical 'dark prince', Mordred, she must discover her inner mystical gifts to liberate the land while battling her own feelings for her enemy in this first book of the Iron Crystal series.

Enemies to lovers trope as a high school teacher returns to her small town and still hasn't dealt with her feelings for her unrequited, bearded childhood crush. After a faux pas pairs her with her crush's loathsome twin brother, a comical courtship ensues as the pair navigate small town politics and personal ambitions in this steamy rom-com.

Based on the historical haunts and ghosts of Japan, this horror manga of gore and shocking imagery demonstrates the sins of man cursed by vanity, selfishness, greed, corruption, and cruelty. A morality story of karmic retribution taking place around Kyoto as the backdrop.

Thoroughly researched from articles, bios, essays, and her own personal memoir with Andrew Morton, this new take on the late Princess Diana Spencer explores everything, including her aristocratic background, her upper middle class upbringing and her relatability that made her the 'people's princess'. Growing up humble and down to earth, the book looks at her path to navigating a world of rigid expectations and the royal legacy she left behind.

Spokane, WA author, Jess Walters, returns with his latest concerning family ties and politics. A senior recluse living off the grid is forced to take in his grandchildren after his estranged, flaky daughter drops them off on his doorstep. Adding to this complication is his conspiracy zealot son-in-law and his extremist religious allies that are trying to take the children across state lines to Idaho reflecting our tough political climate.

Surrealist gaucho novel translated from Spanish and Portuguese. A dystopian future where extreme climactic changes creates a bleak planet where capitalism and the wealthy exploit the impoverished and suffering mainly in Argentina. From this horrible society, a mutant hybrid mosquito human is born known as Dengue Boy, a non-binary humanoid will rebel and will eat the rich with disease . A satire on politics, class, and environmentalism.

Ali Hazelwood is either hit or miss with me and Deep End is no different. Competitive college aquatic sports athletes end up in a torrid romance. Unfortunately, the female MC is unlikable and the promise of kink exploration never happens. It's all talk but no delivery and it's your basic vanilla flavoring. Also, the revelation at the end just irritated the heck out of me. Just an okay spicy romance read!

This book is bonkers! A mixture of body horror, cosmic chaos, and extreme horror. A junkie houses an evil entity known as The Divine Flesh that wants to bring about chaos. A visceral read of gore and grotesqueness that is metaphor for addiction and mental health that is both surreal and has elements of magical realism. Be aware there are plenty of trigger warnings in this title.

Remember the 80's film Mannequin with Kim Cattall? Yeah, this gives off this same vibes. A divorced, nerdy museum conservator in Chicago breaks a curse and sets free a medieval knight in armor from being a statue. Now, a fish out of water, the warrior must adapt to the modern world while wooing the woman who released him from an evil spell in this light and spicy rom-com.

Jude Deveraux is your classic historical romance author that is synonymous with the genre so the reissue of this time traveling title from the late 80's appealed to me. Sadly, this does not hold up. Instead of a strong female protagonist with a masculine name Dougless, we're treated to a whiny main character and a long winded plot line of a knight and ingenue.. In addition, the ending is terrible and convoluted. Hard pass on this one!

Inspired by serial murderess Giulia Tofana whose poison Aqua Tofana was utilized by 17th century women to rid themselves of abusive and dangerous men in Rome, this is a feminist historical fiction retelling of a women's liberation during the European Renaissance period. From her early teachings by her mother to building a network of accomplices, Tofana was a woman feared by the patriarchy and the corrupt Church.

Prepare for cuteness overload!!! Hakumei and Mikochi are teeny tiny, itty bitty, eensie weensie impish creatures living in an enchanted woodland forest where they live their daily lives from performing in town festivals, farming, preparing for winter, and riding beetles to and from in every adventure. They're so adorable, you want to have plushies made out them! For fans of farming games like Stardew Valley or Farmville in this manga!

Underneath this humorous memoir is a subtext of abuse and dysfunction. The matriarch of 'Dirtbag Queen' is Renay Corren, a non-practicing Jewish, chainsmoking, alcoholic, plus-size single mom raising six kids in impoverished southern community. Between her questionable life choices and her taste in partners, her son Andy always looks at the silver lining as he deals with his burgeoning sexuality and life decisions in this okay, slow paced read.

A new insight into the complicated and sibling -like bond between songwriting icons John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Author Ian Leslie uses their song list to paint a history that reflects their rise as struggling musicians to becoming the band known as The Beatles, detailing with documentation, journals, and interviews to showcase the difficult but loving relationship between the two including the breakup aftermath & impact of John's death.

Since my first introduction to Everett's earlier spy spoof Dr. No, which was just as brilliantly written, I'm so happy I finally got around to reading James. A more in-depth characterization of the supporting player to Huck Finn, James gives a more compelling story of slavery as told through the perspective of the protagonist. Here, Everett gives a better view of the Jim Crow era no shying away from bigotry, racism and violence. A must read!!

An adorable, teen rom-com. Out and proud, Joaquin is thrown a queer quince by his supportive father and sister. Much to the chagrin of his homophobic mother, rumors surface of a possible boyfriend leading him to a fake dating situation with his longtime crush until their agreement leads to real feelings in this charming young adult title.

A spicy rom-com set in the Scottish highlands of loch ness. Keyanna 'Key' MacKay returns to her ancestral home after her father's death to reconnect with her paternal relatives. A chance encounter with the rugged local, Lachlan, leads to secrets uncovered and a mystical connection to the legendary cryptid Nessie. It definitely fits the trope of shifter/monster romance.😉😅🤣

A M/M spicy rom-com that plays on the mythos of the holiday themed season. Rebellious 'Cole' Claus refuses to bow down to the old ways of a corporate, elitist Christmas tradition that is being instilled by the reigning Santa Claus, his father. With an arranged marriage to his BFF, an Easter royal, and all these PR nonsense, he finds a growing connection to his rival, Hex, the prince of Halloween. Think Red, White & Royal Blue but holiday themed!

A feat of lyrical beauty. Set during Elizabethean England, Alexander 'Sander' Cooke is young actor earning acclaim in both male and female roles while being a major player for Shakespeare. His partner is the outspoken Joan, a budding feminist who challenges the patriarchy. As their actions catch the attention of Francis Bacon and the queen, both are looped into political espionage and treason.

A romantasy novel of sexyal freedom and healing set during the 80's AIDS epidemic. Two gay friends, one of whom lost his lover to the disease, head off the annual decadence of the Fire Island celebration. There, they encounter the Disco Witches Coven who need assistance in ridding a threat of evil at the party. Enter hunky mythical creatures, the supernatural, and some queer pop culture and you have a fun gay magical realism story!

An epic cultural novel of classism, politics and gender roles. 1800's China, young Lotus Flower is forced into having her feet bound in order to land a wealthy husband. Instead, she sold as a servant to the ambitious heiress, Linjing, whose petty rivalry with her causes her family's downfall. Both forced into the strict, conservative Celibate Sisterhood, the pair will need each other to survive. For fans of Pachinko and Island of Sea Women.

All right hunties, let's kiki, spill the tea, and throw some shade in this UK drag queen mystery. When mild mannered queen, Misty Divine's drag mother, Lady Lady, does a literal death drop, it's up to this girl to solve the crime. Expect the wigs, boas, heels, and sequins to go flying in this hilarious, camp mystery as the characters werk and slay the investigation. Yaaaaas queen!

Demons, werewolves, and now aliens...Oh my! This was a fun, campy read as a wildlife biologist, a POC protagonist (score!), gets kidnapped by aliens and goes on an intergalactic adventure with some hunky, anthropomorphic extraterrestrials. Expect plenty of spice as this becomes Lara Croft meets Ruby Dixon!

A nice, quick page turner with an unreliable narrator. A woman is hired as a housekeeper for a wealthy family as things go off rails as secrets and lies are exposed on this psychological thriller.