Blog

Black Author, Books, Fantasy, Fiction, Satire

Pym by Mat Johnson is an interesting read if you like satire and fantasy

Pym by Mat Johnson My rating: 3 of 5 stars (rounded down from a 3.5)I want to start out this review by mentioning that there's a good amount of crass language in this book, so if that's not your jam you may not want to pick it up. The first few chapters have a lot… Continue reading Pym by Mat Johnson is an interesting read if you like satire and fantasy

Books, Fantasy, Fiction, Latinx, Mystery, Queer, Romance, Trans, YA

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas is a wonderful queer YA debut novel

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas My rating: 5 of 5 starsCW: violence, mis-gendering, exploration of parent death, references to blood magic and ritualsFirst things first, narrator Avi Roque does an amazing job reading this book. I was glad to see that not only is the book #ownvoices, but so is the narration! Please note that… Continue reading Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas is a wonderful queer YA debut novel

Books, Contemporary, Fiction, Queer, Romance, Sci-Fi

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston is a fun queer romantic comedy with a lot of diverse representation

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston My rating: 4 of 5 starsOur protagonist August is a 23-year-old student who's been college and major-hopping for a while because she doesn't know what she wants to do with her life once she's done with college. That's partly because she grew up with a mother entrenched in the… Continue reading One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston is a fun queer romantic comedy with a lot of diverse representation

Books, Fiction, Horror, Indigenous Author, Suspense/Thriller

The Last Final Girl by Stephen Graham Jones has a cool premise but may have been better as a screenplay

The Last Final Girl by Stephen Graham Jones My rating: 3 of 5 stars (rounded down from a 3.5)I really enjoyed the overall plot of The Last Final Girl by Stephen Graham Jones. However, there were a few things about the book that I didn't enjoy, and that's why I'm only giving it 3 stars.The… Continue reading The Last Final Girl by Stephen Graham Jones has a cool premise but may have been better as a screenplay

Books, Fiction, Mystery, Suspense/Thriller

Final Girls by Riley Sager reminds me of B-movie horror films, in a good way

Final Girls by Riley Sager My rating: 4 of 5 stars (3.5 stars rounded up to a 4)I have heard a lot of good things about Riley Sager. Final Girls is both his first published novel and my introduction to his works. CW: sui mention, violence/slasher themes, substance abuse (drugs, alcohol), toxic relationships, questionable sexual… Continue reading Final Girls by Riley Sager reminds me of B-movie horror films, in a good way

Asian Author, Books, Contemporary, Fiction, Romance

Love, Chai, and Other Four-Letter Words by Annika Sharma is a cute multicultural slow-burn/strangers-to-friends-to-lovers

Love, Chai, and Other Four-Letter Words by Annika Sharma My rating: 4 of 5 starsThe Chai Masala Club series by Annika Sharma, which begins with Love, Chai, and Other Four-Letter Words, has a lovely premise. Four South Asian friends with various backgrounds are living in New York City. They're all in their thirties, and decide… Continue reading Love, Chai, and Other Four-Letter Words by Annika Sharma is a cute multicultural slow-burn/strangers-to-friends-to-lovers

Books, Non-Fiction, Self-Help

Atomic Habits by James Clear is a great self-help book for people trying to figure out how to create and maintain good habits and avoid bad ones

Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear My rating: 4 of 5 starsI originally started listening to the audiobook version of this from the library, but soon realized that I really enjoyed how James Clear broke down a method to first create new habits… Continue reading Atomic Habits by James Clear is a great self-help book for people trying to figure out how to create and maintain good habits and avoid bad ones

Books, Fantasy, Romance, YA

The full-cast recording of Fairest by Gail Carson Levine is a great YA fantasy for Broadway-lovers

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine My rating: 4 of 5 starsI remember enjoying Ellla Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine when I was younger, so I was excited to try Fairest, another book in that universe. In this installment, Levine uses several plot elements from the classic Snow White story.Our first person point-of-view character, Aza, is… Continue reading The full-cast recording of Fairest by Gail Carson Levine is a great YA fantasy for Broadway-lovers

Books, Feminism, History, Medicine, Non-Fiction, Science

Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn is a well-researched feminist history of women’s health

Unwell Women: Misdiagnosis and Myth in a Man-Made World by Elinor Cleghorn My rating: 5 of 5 starsUnwell Women: Misdiagnosis and Myth in a Man-Made World by Elinor Cleghorn, the author's debut, is an in-depth history of women's health published earlier this year by Dutton Books. I was happy to see that in the introduction,… Continue reading Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn is a well-researched feminist history of women’s health

Fiction, Romance, YA

Girl, Unstrung by Claire Handscombe is a pleasant contemporary YA novel that shows needed love to violists

Girl, Unstrung by Claire Handscombe My rating: 4 of 5 starsGirl, Unstrung is a contemporary YA book about Clara, a high school freshman who has three siblings and semi-famous parents in her blended family. She auditioned as a violist to attend LACHSA, the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, but did not make… Continue reading Girl, Unstrung by Claire Handscombe is a pleasant contemporary YA novel that shows needed love to violists