Elizabeth

I think this book mostly made me sad. I know much of the content is already out in the world, and I expect readers who are not particularly interested in the workings of the British royal family will find this a slog. I am glad that Harry was able to tell his story in his own words, and I hope it brings some healing to his family.

This series has my heart. This was a particularly dark installment - pay attention to the author's trigger warnings at the start - and then prepare to fall in love all over again, and meet another scrappy, resourceful child who has the (mis)fortune of opening a Door, and believing they are sure.

Fantastic sequel to an amazing debut novel. Jordan Ifueko is an exciting new voice in YA fantasy, and I hope she has lots more stories to tell. 

Sarah Gailey is a must-read author for me, and Just Like Home once again proves why - every genre they choose to tackle feels like the one they have been writing in forever. Their prose is gorgeous, their protagonists complicated and unforgettable, and their stories take me places I couldn't imagine.

This particular novel is fully gothic horror, with the creepy house, the potentially dangerous stranger, the mother near death - all the things the genre requires. But because it's Gailey, it's so much more - lonliness, anger, jealousy, and the core question, “Who is the monster”. This is a slow burn, so be prepared to be patient, soak in the atmosphere, and wait for the scares to start.

This book is Very Literary with beautiful writing and sparse plot. Themes of loneliness, isolation, family ties, and a strong sense of place. I don't know if I necessarily enjoyed the reading, but could see the excellence of Robinson's craft.

Lovely collection to start out 2023. Baer writes about topics that hit at the heart of being a women in the world today - motherhood, relationships, loneliness - with some politics and pandemic poems for good measure. Her words always pack a punch, and make me feel seen. Favorites for me in this collection include Influencers, And Yet, and Marvel.

Fun holiday romp - I think I want to decorate Christmas Trees for a living now?? 

Sweet romance featuring over-50 queer protagonists. Great visuals - really fun read.

Good collection of poetry, short stories, and a play. I very much enjoyed the short stories, and felt the play was the weakest section of the collection. (Full disclosure - I don't generally enjoy reading plays.) 

While I found the writing lovely, this was a very slow-moving trek. I thought the device of using the book as a narrator was interesting, but am not sure it always worked as well as the author intended. I did ultimately enjoy it, but don't think this novel will be for everyone.

First book finished in 2022 and it was incredible. The author has a fascinating way of weaving together history and culture, and.then tying both into his own personal life. Nearly every essay found me researching online to find a performance, or a picture, or more information about a topic. The writing was strong and poetic and tender and alive. An absolutely fantastic read.

This was absolutely delightful. 

Really enjoy the addition of Cora to our rag tag group of characters.

Interesting idea for a Sleepy Hollow retelling but for me there were too many loose threads & unanswered questions at the end to make the story feel satisfying.

Really strong fantasy/sci-fi collection. As per usual, not all the stories were to my taste, but discovering so many new authors to dive into makes it a highly worthwhile read.

The bulk of the essays were engaging but for me they got a bit repetitive toward the end.

Zakaria makes some very striking arguments about the ways in which white feminism (the brand of feminism that centers whiteness) has let down and in many cases hurt women of color throughout the world. As a white women who is attempting to remove “whiteness” from my worldview, there were parts of the book that were uncomfortable to read. I'm not sure all of the author's arguments persuaded me, but she says herself that discussion and dissent are still and must remain an integral part of feminism. Lots to think about in these pages, and I will definitely read more by this author.

Hello I do not have enough stars to express how much I love Jack and Jill.

This is a fantastic novel. The author allows each of her characters so much space - to love, to regret, to make bad decisions, to pick themselves up - I grew to care about each one and absolutely loved spending a year in their lives with them.

I wanted to love this book but it never felt like it fully delivered on it's promise. I was hoping for a novel full of witchy teen friendships but mostly it was just young girls being kinda awful to each other.

Fascinating work that combined memoir, historical investigation, and a little bit of creative nonfiction to bring to life the stories of the women who led slave revolts during the 1700s in America, and on slave ships traveling the Trans-Atlantic Slave Route.

Absolutely phenomenal collection. The author spans genres, writing with assurance and ease, bringing a multitude of different characters to sparkling life. I enjoyed every single story in this collection, and will certainly read it again. Fantastic.

I was so captured by this re-imagining of the Gatsby story. Jordan Baker and Nick Carraway come to life and the story becomes so much more through thier eyes. Really good writing - I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

Delightful polyamorous romance - fun, sexy, joyful.

I think for someone who has not read extensively about the Partition of India (see:me), this is probably an excellent starting place. I was quite wrapped up in the story throughout, and hoped along with the characters for resolutions to their broken relationships. This books holds a lot of trauma, and the sadness is palpable through the author's words. I found it to be an emotional and rewarding reading experience.