A pleasant Regency romance between a near-destitute Duke and an adopted rags-to-riches orphan who accidentally kidnaps him while trying to retrieve a family heirloom. This didn‘t make a huge impression on me but it was light and enjoyable.

Premise? Wonderful. Sense of place? Lovely. Everything else? A total mess. This book is frustratingly repetitive. Characters are not fleshed out and are often problematic—the woman with the body of a model who doesn‘t know she‘s beautiful and whose “work is her lover,” the disabled kind-hearted martyr, etc. After I found out this is actually a novelization of a play, it made more sense.

With all the excitement around the new adaptation, it was finally time for me to read this modern classic in middle grade lit! As an adult knowing the basics of Greek mythology, you definitely see a lot of things coming but it‘s still a fun read and educational too. I don‘t think I‘ll continue the series but I‘m looking forward to the new film.

If we‘re going to have a future on THIS planet with THIS civilization, we need more books like this one. This work of climate fiction is exhaustively well-researched and ranges from horrifying to radically hopeful in its vision of the ways a “Ministry for the Future” within the UN and eco-radicals (to put it generously) could stop this headlong rush into climate catastrophe we‘re currently on. Worth the page count!

I was delighted to find this prequel to one of my favorite childhood reads at a used bookstore, never knowing it existed! The disastrously well-intended fairy Lucinda is back and in this case, transforming the young healer Evie into an ogre for rejecting her friend Wormy‘s proposal. It was wonderful to be back in the world of Kyrria—even if the characters aren‘t so endearing or richly drawn and the ending feels forced and unnatural.

This fairy tale retelling answers the burning question—why was Cinderella so…obedient? Perhaps when she was born, a wickedly well-meaning fairy gave her the “gift” of doing what she‘s told. Nevertheless, this Ella is fierce, strong-willed, and will stop at nothing to break her curse. The world-building, the romance, and THIS HEROINE make this book an all-time favorite that remains as immersive, as enjoyable, and yes, as enchanting a read as ever!

Not yet on Litsy — Expected June 2023 | Massive robot war machines meet spirituality, synthetic intelligence, and “soft queer feelings” in this ambitious work of mecha sci-fi! This first book in the Downworld Sequence is as violent and action-packed as it is tender and emotional, full of shocking betrayals and breathtaking breakdowns of the binary between mind and body, human and robot, self and other. 🤖🏳️‍🌈🤯

A group road-trip requires a David Sedaris audiobook—and he never fails to entertain and provoke! In this collection, he touches on the COVID-19 pandemic, his father‘s deathbed, Black Lives Matter marches of 2020, the value of corrective dentistry, and things people stick up their rectums! I do have to say Sedaris had me cringing with a couple places where his wealth and age have him a bit out of touch. Still worth a listen!

I‘m running up that hill and straight to my bookshelf for this round-up of the books that inspired some of my favorite Kate Bush songs! 💃📚⚡️

View the list here: https://bookshop.org/lists/9-books-that-inspired-the-music-of-kate-bush

In this follow up to A Spindle Splintered, Zinnia, a Sleeping Beauty with a fatal disease in our world, has been spending her last year alive traveling to other Sleeping Beauty stories in the multiverse. In A Mirror Mended, Zinna finds herself somewhere stranger—the story of Snow White…and the Evil Queen is actually pretty hot?! I really enjoy the fairy tale multiverse explored here, the different retellings, and the meta nature of this series!

This delightfully queer, decidedly inclusive urban fantasy is for everyone who‘s been hurt by a certain TERF in fantasy lit. In an alt-England where the government is aided by a secret royally-mandated coven of witches, four childhood friends have drifted after the end of a magical civil war. When a powerful, mysterious orphan appears, it seems another civil war may be on the horizon and this time the friends may find themselves on opposing sides.

This powerhouse collection brings to vivid life the experiences of Jamaican women from Florida to France to 1950s London to 1960s Panama and beyond. The very first story, “Florida Lives,” about a Black couple who move from San Fran only to suffer from the heat, bats, and tacky neighbors, is blazoned on my mind and I don‘t think I‘m ever going to look at tacky neighbors the same way again. Recommended for fans of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies!

The two essays in this classic work of American nonfiction are powerful, rousing, deeply moving, and at times both righteously scathing and unbelievably tender. I read this book expecting it to develop my understanding of racial injustice in my country—I didn‘t expect the radical spirituality the irreligious Baldwin offers here. Every other line is a gut punch and a revelation and I couldn‘t help exclaiming aloud while listening to the audiobook!

This was my favorite Heartstopper yet. It‘s truly remarkable how true to life these books are, handling such issues as mental illness, disordered eating, and self-harm, while being full to bursting with new love, queer joy, loving families, and supporting friends. I love this series so much 🥹

This third volume follows Nick and Charlie on a field trip to France, learning more about each other and getting more comfortable sharing their relationship. This volume does engage with some heavier subjects like self-harm and disordered eating, but as always in a caring and healing manner ❤️

More precious wholesome queer joy, with bisexuality rep too!! Yes!!

Absolutely effervescent, powerfully comforting, and downright wholesome 🥰🥰🥰 After watching the Netflix series, I had to pick up a copy of this first volume and it is just perfection. I can‘t wait to read the next one!

In this middle grade historical adventure novel, Syms Covington, a real boy aboard Darwin‘s famous expedition aboard the HMS Beagle through the Galápagos, finds himself marooned on a volcanic island with an endangered species—real, live dragons! The survival story will appeal to fans of I Survived or Hatchet and kids will learn a lot about both scientific and natural history at the same time.

When the poet Carolyn Forché was 27 years old, a man she‘d never met knocked on her door and asked her to come to his country, El Salvador, and witness “another Vietnam from the beginning.” She did. This memoir of that harrowing and eye-opening and worldview-altering experience is an incredible and vital read.

I love The Singing Hills cycle by Nghi Vo. Each novella is so short and yet so mythic, intricate, and immersive. In this third in the series, which can be read in any order, the wandering cleric Chih enters the Riverlands, a place haunted by legendary martial artists. I enjoyed the journey and Chih‘s new companions—but I did end the book a little unclear about something! I had a little trouble concentrating this time so might just be me!

This near-future novella follows four women in very different circumstances through one day—January 15th, the day Universal Basic Income payments are dispersed. A quick read and a really interesting way of engaging with political, social, and economic proposals like UBI—I‘d love to read more books like this!

Anyone looking for a little murder with your mycology or a little genderqueer with your gothic fiction? This fungi-infested retelling of Poe‘s Fall of the House of Usher is so satisfyingly creepy, deliciously gross, and made fantastically new and even stranger. The horror elements will get under your skin, but lovable non-binary sworn-soldier Alex Easton will too. A must read for fans of Mexican Gothic and of Poe‘s classic horror stories!

In this work of alternative-historical fiction, hundreds of thousands of wives and mothers seemingly spontaneously transformed into dragons in the Mass Dragoning of 1955–but society has repressed all acknowledgement of it. I love the premise of Kelly Barnhill‘s adult debut but I wish I‘d been better prepared for how focused on the quotidian it is, despite all the dragons. Still, recommend for fans of The Power and The House in the Cerulean Sea!

I love that Silvia Moreno-García takes us to different places and times in Mexico in every novel. This reinvention of the classic work of science fiction takes us to 1870s Caste War-era Yucatán and a remote estate full of experiments and secrets. For Carlota Moreau, it is an Eden—and the arrival of the debonair son of her father‘s patron will unearth hidden knowledge and transform the home and definition of human that Carlota has always known. ⬇️

If The Hummingbird‘s Gift was all about the fragility of life, The Hawk‘s Way is about the ferocity—and about intensity, instinct, and obsession. I learned a lot about hawks from this short work of nonfiction, but it also felt incomplete—and honestly like the author hadn‘t come to a deep enough understanding about why she was so drawn to hawks and hunting with them, given her commitment to vegetarianism.

In this lost queer dystopian horror novel from 1977, artists are under surveillance and threat of mutilation from “them,” a mysterious and pervasive mob. Dick is spare on the hard details and character development, but the sense of unease is masterful and in some ways this novella reminded me of the subtlety of Ishiguro‘s Never Let Me Go and the quotidian focus of Atwood‘s Handmaid‘s Tale. Important, but it doesn‘t make for a very satisfying read.

You can always enter a Locked Tomb novel knowing you won't know what the hell is going on, but you'll enjoy every moment of trying to figure it out—and Tamsyn Muir will always blow your mind to smithereens anyway, in the best way! As hilarious as it is gruesome, as mind-bending as it is heart-wrenching, Nona the Ninth is absolutely another rave-worthy installment in the best sapphic, necromantic space opera of all time!

While I really enjoyed the historical setting and events, including the Black Seminoles, suffrage and temperance movements, Black towns, and mail order brides of the West, I didn‘t love the pacing or, unfortunately, the romance. I think part of this may have been the audiobook narrator who had a humor in her voice that made me feel embarrassment for the heroine as she learned about sex and her own needs with a slightly paternalistic husband.

In this one and only short story ever penned by the great Toni Morrison, Twyla and Roberta meet as children in an orphanage then again as women and then as mothers. Their relationship is deeply impacted by their contrasting racial identities and yet we never find out who is Black and who is white. Morrison called Recitatif an experiment, and as Zadie Smith writes in her introduction, “The subject of the experiment is the reader.” —Zadie Smith

This was my least favorite of the three STEMinist novellas by Ali Hazelwood, but still a pick because it was a fun read and I did enjoy the NASA setting, bisexual heroine, and ginger love interest. I think I just read too many of hers back to back and the massive man/tiny lady dynamic got a little old. Also I think the pacing of this one was a little off. Still worth a listen—especially if you‘ve already listened to the other two!

This memoir by the education activist and youngest ever winner of the Nobel Peace Prize is as inspiring as it is harrowing. As a child, the daughter of a founder of girls‘ school, Malala Yousafzai saw Pakistan overtaken by the Taliban and her right to an education come under attack—resulting in Malala being shot in the head on her school bus home. Excited to share this with students in our community through our Diverse Books for West Georgia fund!

Badass woman in science, CHECK. STEM setting with real life issues, CHECK. Huge, hot, *secretly pining* fellow scientist with off-the-charts chemistry with said badass woman in science, CHECK. We have all the components of another supremely satisfying steamy STEM romance by Ali Hazelwood. I loved Love on the Brain!

This sequel to Tess of the Road broadens the scope of the story, following Tess and a cast of characters on a quest to the South Pole on the trail of the last great serpent—but more deeply, this sea-faring story is about colonialism and privilege and white saviorism and the messy struggle to be a better ally. This one was a little slower for me—I‘m not much for the open seas—but I loved and deeply appreciated the message and representation.

While this debut, already set to be an Apple+ TV series starring Brie Larsen, is in many ways enjoyable to read, ultimately it didn‘t work for me. The main character, along with her love interest, child, and even stray DOG are all complete geniuses who experience no character development over the course of the book—and with very few exceptions, everyone else is petty, vindictive, and jealous of their brilliance. I‘ll still watch the show though 😂

Licensed counselor Kc Davis, well known from her popular TikTok account (@)domesticblisters, here demonstrates her trademark self-compassion and strategies for taking care of care tasks like cleaning or cooking when you‘re neurodivergent, depressed, or struggling. I don‘t struggle with care tasks too often but I (and I think everybody!!) could use the strategies, ways of thinking, and self-compassion this kind and functional book promotes!

This novel by Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award–winning author and indie bookstore owner Louise Erdrich is about, among many other things, a bookseller haunted by her most annoying customer in the momentous year of 2020, so as an indie bookseller it was especially funny, moving, and even haunting to read! I felt like it lost some steam in the middle but the complexity of the plot and the strangeness of the historical moment account for that!

Fleabag meets high fantasy, with a messy heroine you‘ll follow anywhere—Tess of the Road! I cherished Seraphina, savored Shadow Scale, but Tess of the Road is the masterpiece of Hartman‘s Goredd books. I was skeptical of how much I‘d be interested in Tess given she‘s not half-dragon like her sister Seraphina, but it was her utter humanity that won me over heart and soul. This is a wise, kind, funny, and heartening book that I felt honored to read.

DO NOT SLEEP on these steamy STEM novellas by Ali Hazelwood, man 🥵🥵🥵 This time, two engineers with a past are stuck together on an elevator—a sweet, short, spicy enemies to lovers story. Again, the only thing that gave me pause was that the main characters have the exact same body types as the previous books. Not a huge deal but I‘d love to see more diversity at some point.

This book is not about anxiety—it‘s about addiction. And if you have any history with disordered eating, do not read this book without checking for TW. To me, it felt like there were more mentions and stories of weight loss than anxiety. A disappointing and honestly damaging read for me.

The representation and character development in this magical realist young adult novel were excellent. The two main characters are both neurodivergent trans masc non-binary Mexican-American teens and I was deeply engaged with their relationship and internal struggles, but this book just didn‘t deliver on the magical realism front. There really wasn‘t much to the “lake lore,” so it just felt like a really obvious metaphor—and a little too didactic.

I got this to gift to give my friend‘s son for his birthday as we‘ve been planning a trip to take him to Disney World in the next year or two. This is a great book for kids to read before or after a trip, with history, behind the scenes information, major rides, terminology, and more—including a fold out map. I learned some new things and enjoyed the read!

I got out of my usual genre for American hero Dolly Parton and patron saint of indie bookstores James Patterson! I listened on 2x speed and enjoyed the full cast of this audiobook full of mystery, action, but mostly behind the scenes stories from country music capital Nashville. The accompanying album of 12 original songs by Dolly Parton is also a major draw! Formulaic but fun 😊

I know this sequel to Seraphina gets mixed reviews but I loved it! I think I was just happy to spend time in Goredd (and beyond!) with all our half-dragon, human, and dragon friends. The expansion of the world-building and the drawing together of all disparate details from the first book were so interesting and satisfying to me. I‘m relieved there are two more books that take place in Goredd so I can go back right away, even if not with Phina!

Ali Hazelwood‘s out here putting the STEM in steam, and I‘m here for it every time! In this audio-novella, environmental engineer Mara and big oil-lawyer Liam find themselves sharing her late mentor/his aunt‘s grand old home after her will is read. Instant enemies + forced proximity = a super spicy happily ever after. The only thing that gave me pause is these protagonists have exactly the same body types as the ones in Love Hypothesis.

This graphic young adult fantasy follows Aiza, a young member of the oppressed Ornu people in the once-great Bayt-Sajji Empire, who aspires to be a knight, to gain both glory and full citizenship. Volunteering as a recruit, Aiza hides her identity, forges friendships, gains an unlikely mentor, proves herself as a warrior, and, in a brilliant reckoning with colonization and imperialism, slowly begins to question what exactly she‘s fighting for.

This richly-realized and emotionally-resonant fantasy is full of dragons and court politics and is all about the importance of truth, love, and art in the forging of peace. Mandy Williams‘ narration of the audiobook is just pitch-perfect and I listened on 1x speed, just delighted the whole time. Highly recommended for fans of The Goblin Emperor or Uprooted!

Head toward Secret Garden but take a hard turn at Coraline and you‘ll find yourself in Gallant! Olivia Prior has grown up voiceless, friendless, and orphaned, with only her late mother‘s journal, when she receives a letter summoning her to her ancestral home, Gallant, the place her mother warned her about. What Olivia finds there is a a beautiful manor—and its shadow, a terrible, threatening mirror world that holds the truth of her past.

My audiobook reread of my favorite childhood series is complete—Trini Alvarado narrates these books so beautifully, her voice will be Alanna‘s for me forever after this. Lioness Rampant is a satisfying conclusion to this epic series and made me excited to read the other series set in Tortall that I never got to as a kid!

Fans of secret societies, shadow magic, and urban fantasy will savor Holly Black‘s adult fantasy debut. Book of Night follows the recovering thief Charlie Hall, as she finds her plans to go straight, put her sister through college knocked off course, and enjoy the company of her shadowless boyfriend are all knocked off course when a ghastly figure from her shady past returns and she‘s swept up in dark and twisting plot full of murder and magic.

In Mary De Morgan‘s 2nd collection of fairy tales, a wicked princess strings her suitors into beads on her necklace, elves transform a busker into a harp when she breaks their curse over a town, a baker makes a deal with an imp to produce perfect, plentiful loaves that'll make him rich but everyone else miserable, 3 kings run away to learn trades and live happily ever after, & a wise princess with extraordinary powers searches for how to be happy.