March has been rough. My brain flat-out gave up, and refused to participate. I found reading extremely difficult because I couldn’t focus. Maybe it was because it had been a year since the COVID crisis really blew up in Los Angeles, and I subconsciously wanted to mark the occasion with a bout of mental stillness? … Continue reading Beware the reading slump…
February 2021 Reading Round-Up
If you’re just interested in the list, let’s kick off with that. The Atmospherians, by Alex McElroy (Atria Books, released May 18, 2021)Happening, by Annie Ernaux (Seven Stories Press)Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, by Winifred Watson (Persephone Books)The Voice in my Ear, by Frances Leviston (Jonathan Cape)The Twisted Ones, by T. Kingfisher (Simon & … Continue reading February 2021 Reading Round-Up
February Fiction Recommendations
2021 is still on its treacherous uphill climb toward who knows what, so here is some fantastic fiction to see you through the shortest month of the year. On Fragile Waves, by E. Lily Yu (Erewhon) If I haven't already convinced you that On Fragile Waves is one of the most amazing books of the … Continue reading February Fiction Recommendations
Review – Revival Season, by Monica West (Simon & Schuster)
Disclaimer: This book isn't out until June! Huge thanks to Simon & Schuster for the ARC. This one is worth the wait, I promise! Literary coming-of-age stories with a supernatural twist are my kryptonite. Especially when it involves a teenage girl with potentially magic powers. For this reason, Revival Season was an absolute must-read as … Continue reading Review – Revival Season, by Monica West (Simon & Schuster)
Book Review – The Last Good Man, by Thomas McMullan (Bloomsbury)
I am an absolute sucker for unsettling tales set in weird little pockets of England, as I am from a very odd bit of northern England. I particularly enjoy stories of weird rituals, or backwards societies, similar to The Wicker Man, or Midsommar. Stories that are slightly unnerving, because they are dangerously on the cusp … Continue reading Book Review – The Last Good Man, by Thomas McMullan (Bloomsbury)
My 2021 Book Picks
Well, this is all very exciting, isn't it? New page design, new domain name, same bookish content! Welcome, if we've never met before. Lovely to meet you. Let's get right to it. I spent a lot of 2020 reading, in order to block out the nonsense. And given how the first week of January is … Continue reading My 2021 Book Picks
My Top 2020 Reads
I’ve read a lot this year. To escape from the madness of reality? Yes, absolutely. So, in no particular order, here are my favorite books that were released in 2020. Things in Jars - Jess Kidd A strong central female character, a strange kidnapping, and a thoroughly entertaining ghost? Sign me up! Also, a love story … Continue reading My Top 2020 Reads
When Autumn Leaves…
It's not autumn/fall here in Southern California. The only visible reddish hues are from the wildfires. Ideally, one day I'll have a house in Vermont in which I can spend these autumnal months, so I can live in a sweater, tea in one hand, book in the other. But for now, it's hazy LA days, … Continue reading When Autumn Leaves…
Bookish Bluster – July 31, 2020
On My Read-Ar Two very exciting books were released this week. Laura van den Berg's new collection, I Hold a Wolf by the Ears, described as "an urgent and unsettling collection of women on the verge". Yes please! And I'm incredibly intrigued by Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings. "A beguiling story that proves that gothic delights … Continue reading Bookish Bluster – July 31, 2020
Literary Yammerings – July 17th 2020
My brain is a bit messy at the moment, and this is reflected by the disjointed nature of my reading this week. I bashed through Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, in a matter of days. It's wonderfully written, with a fierce central female character. Lots of oddball characters too. An incredibly engaging story, in a … Continue reading Literary Yammerings – July 17th 2020
California Reading 