Her stories centre on a variety of Black women and their relationships to both the Church and marriage. Their strengths are invisible or taken for granted and Philyaw lays bare the abuse and exploitation they suffer as a result of their colour, their gender and their sexuality.
Each story is a microcosm of heartbreak but because the women are both ordinary and remarkable the vital sparks of hope, intimacy and love are what really shine through.

I just wanted something fun to read and after aimlessly trawling though my TBR I realised that there's ALWAYS a solution to that problem and it's either Terry Pratchett or Georgette Heyer. This time I've gone for Heyer.

Bleak but beautiful. A terrifyingly plausible vision of the future. Broke my heart ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Utterly spellbinding. Groff tells the story of Marie de France, medieval poet and reluctant nun who takes her nunnery from starvation to prominence through force of will, imagination and ingenuity. It's a powerful story of a female community, full of wonderful characters and a brilliantly realised historical setting. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Original, gruesome and funny. Not something I would normally pick up but I enjoyed this. Hendrix's female characters are full of guts and gristle beneath those polite Southern exteriors and his take on vampire lore brings new horror to a familiar foe.

Wow, this is a wild ride. Yoder tackles motherhood furiously and fearlessly and it's funny as hell. And also extremely dark and difficult. The unnamed mother is finding her stay-at-home role increasingly difficult, and the harder she finds it the more she suspects that she's turning into a dog...It's brilliantly done, I raced through it.

😂 😂

A wonderfully sweet story about Spencer a trans teen trying to find his way in a new private school. He joins the football team, develops a crush on a teammate and joins the QSA but isn't out as transgender after a mysterious but definitely awful episode at his old school. Perhaps it's a teeny bit trite and the issues are resolved surprisingly easily but I will take it in such a warm, positive, big-hearted story of trans masculine experience.

Loving this ridiculously sweet YA romance and this line made me tear up (at work, no less). I think a lot of LGBTQ+ people need to hear this, especially trans people who pass ❤️ 🏳️‍🌈

There were times I wanted to shake Ivy and say “It's so OBVIOUS!“ when it came to the mystery but overall I enjoyed the book. It was fun, quirky and original.

One of the most original novels I've read. Surprising, mesmerising, horrifying and very powerful. @TheAromaofBooks #bookspin

Surely everyone in their 30s isn't this childish? No-one I know is. Mildly entertaining but I soon got quite tired of the melodrama and the constant judgemental attitude of the narrator and other characters @TheAromaofBooks #bookspin

There are some lovely, vivid descriptions but very little mystery in this classic, sensationalist story. It lacks the suspense and clever literary techniques that make Wilkie Collins the master of the genre. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

Late to the party but looking forward to this month! Some of these books have been on my bingo card for so long, I feel sorry for them 😅 @thearomaofbooks #bookspin

@TheAromaofBooks #bookspin

Now THAT'S how to write a novella. An incisive distillation of how racism seeps into every aspect of the unnamed narrator's life and thoughts despite her apparent success, leaving her, as she sees it, with nothing but stark choices. Sparse, spare prose, every word hitting its mark #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

Dark, uncomfortable and very interesting. This story of two sets of sisters whose stories intersect in a tragic way really drew me in. Themes of ableism, grief and complex family dynamics but I do wish Lyon had addressed the actual consent issue more directly, particularly with Mattie but also with Jenny. There are only outside views and compared to guilt and resentment consent didn't really feel like the focus. @TheAromaofBooks #bookspin

I loved it. Such a powerful, authentic depiction of 1980s Glasgow as well as a moving, empathetic portrait of addiction without sentimentality or excuses. The characters are so, so strong and I don't think I've ever rooted for any so desperately. Heartbreaking but ultimately uplifting. For a debut novel this is absolutely mind-blowing. @TheAromaofBooks #bookspin

Ah, Barbara Pym. What can you say except that it's funny, sharply observed with that air of tenderness that make them so readable. Less than angels is all of these, with its gently absurd characters and their complex relationships. Perfect for cosying up in a holiday cottage in the Isle of Mull while the rain pours down. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

I really wasn't sure at first. It seemed disjointed, and drifting and a bit heavy-handed but in the end I absolutely loved it. Some of these passages are so powerful and the message so strong and full of love and anger that it took my breath away. And then there's that final chapter, that isn't really part of the story but it's also the whole point of it. Beautiful. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

Love a #bookmail and love my Galley Beggars subscription.

As is so often the case with short story collections this is a mixed bag but McCracken is a wonderful writer. My favourites were Proof and Birdsong from the Radio. And it's another bingo! #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

Ugh. No. Full of over-wrought metaphors, no depth, weirdly sexualised prose. An unconvincing story that takes itself extremely seriously and just feels a little juvenile and silly in the end. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

You know those times when you read a line and think "this was definitely written by a man"? That. This is a mother looking at her young teenage daughter ?

The fact that this book was published in 1948 is remarkable. It's a powerful story that lays bare the reality of poverty, racism and misogyny #doublespin @TheAromaofBooks

There was something so heartwarming and likable about this book and it's protagonist, the wonderful, flawed, shape-shifting Paul. It's full of early 90s references from the fashion and music to the AIDs crisis. It's very explicit, very funny and very well-written and a fascinating take on genderqueer culture from a gifted non-binary author.
@TheAromaofBooks #bookspin

This is a story that wears a lot of faces. Coming of age, immigrant story, ghost story, thriller. It's full of Cho's funny, pacy, pugnacious style and Ah Ma is a real hoot. But it also goes to some dark places on homophobia, misogyny and violence against women. I loved it #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

For sheer compulsive reading this had to be a pick. There were a few issues with pacing and plot and the twists weren't quite as surprising as the author thinks but I could not put it down @TheAromaofBooks #bookspin

Lovely atmospheric reverie on the process and consequences of creation. A struggling author retreats to the Swiss Alps to wrestle with the idea of monsters, fixating on Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

Terrible. Wall to wall clichés, no suspense and every character is paper thin. The women are there to mother the main character or have sex with him. But it was a quick one for my #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

Let's read more in May! 📚📚💪💪 #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

Didn't get through at many this month what with returning to work so there are a lot of rollovers, but here's May's #bookspin list. @TheAromaofBooks

Loved this atmospheric, beautifully written debut. The sender of impending doom and the feeling of place and time were exemplary. @TheAromaofBooks #bookspin

I can't resist a story set in my beloved Auld Reekie. Edinburgh is a character in its own right and Schwab uses it well in this fun MG/YA tale @TheAromaofBooks #bookspin

Despite hinging on a huge coincidence I really enjoyed this story. It's compulsively readable and full of nuance. Emira is a brilliant main character because her pragmatism and uncertainty make her so believable. I look forward to Reid's next book #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

Oh my, a new book from Hannah Kent is coming. I LOVED Burial Rites and The Good People

Honestly? I got really tired of the resets and I never really connected to Ursula despite all the tributaries of her life #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

I enjoyed a lot about this book but the climax felt rushed so the end was left lacking #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

When working from home translates as reading outside

Lovely, lyrical family story in the time of Armistice and the Spanish Flu. Maxwell had a delicate touch with words and characters. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

There is so much to unpack in the novel, take it slowly. I've rarely read a work of fiction that had made me think so deeply and I'm so grateful to Torrey Peters for making me really consider my own experience of womanhood. She tackles feminism, femininity, misogyny, transphobia and more with real nuance and never shies away from difficulties and contradictions. It's dark, funny, disconcerting, iconoclastic and humane. #doublespin @TheAromaofBooks

This breaks my heart, even more so with the vitriol leveled at Torrey Peters online. So much of this sentiment is true for cis women too it's like a gut punch #transwomenarewomen

Dark, difficult but well done. The cover and title are deceptive, I wouldn't call it a thriller or a mystery but a subtle psychological family drama. TW for child abuse and trauma but it's not graphic or detailed. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

Wow