Looking for your next read? Here you’ll find my honest, thoughtful reviews of the books I’ve been reading, from cover design and writing style to characters, themes, what worked, what didn’t, and everything in between. But I’m also interested in what happens beyond the pages: who a book might be right for, who might want to skip it, and what choosing it can tell us about the kind of reading life we actually want. Whether you’re looking for your next great read or trying to decide if a particular book belongs on your TBR, pull up a chair and have a look around.
An alien comes to Earth expecting the worst of humanity. Instead, he discovers poetry, peanut butter, and a few reasons to stick around. Matt Haig’s The Humans is a funny, feel-good read with some thoughtful reminders about what makes life worth living.
Ever read a book that makes you want to highlight every other page because you feel so seen? Kim Hooper’s Woman on the Verge brought back some complicated feelings about motherhood, and I wasn’t expecting just how validating it would be.
A remote island, a missing patient, and a psychological thriller everyone seems to know. Shutter Island had the ingredients I wanted, but did it deliver? Here’s what worked, what didn’t, and why I left wanting more.
I needed a little help getting into the Halloween spirit, and The Bewitching seemed like the perfect solution. Witches, dark academia, gothic atmosphere, three timelines, and a mysterious disappearance? Yes, please. Here’s what I thought of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s latest spooky read.
The cover of Strange Houses immediately caught my attention. Floor plans, a strange mystery, visual puzzles? Sign me up. Unfortunately, the book inside didn’t quite live up to the intriguing package. Here’s why this short Japanese mystery left me disappointed.
I expected Nomad to be a quiet story about grief and life in the Arizona desert. I didn’t expect it to hit quite so close to home. Cynthia A. Johnstone’s debut surprised me with its beautiful writing, complicated characters, and one very persistent stray dog. Here’s why this one stayed with me.
I don’t consider myself a horror reader.
Which makes it particularly funny that I requested a book about blood witches, body horror, magical science, and a creepy mansion in the Appalachian Mountains.
But *The Forest Bleeds* caught my attention on NetGalley with two words: “arcane bioengineering.” Add a blood witch and a gorgeous cover, and apparently that was enough to make me click Request.
I’m glad I did.
Rachel Kitch blends science and magic into a creepy, atmospheric story with complicated characters, dark academia vibes, and enough hopefulness to balance out the horror. I even gobbled it up in two days.
Sometimes following the thing that makes you curious leads you somewhere you didn’t expect to enjoy.
Read my review of *The Forest Bleeds* to find out why this non-horror reader is already feeling ready for spooky season.
I probably wouldn’t have picked up *Rainwater* on my own.
I’d never read Sandra Brown, barely knew what the book was about, and wasn’t looking for a Depression-era historical romance. But a friend sent it to me as part of an annotated book exchange, and suddenly the reading experience became about more than the story.
*Rainwater* took me into a Texas I hadn’t encountered much in fiction, where drought, poverty, prejudice, and desperation shape everyday life. It’s a quiet story with a memorable cast, an unexpected twist, and a few things that didn’t quite work for me.
But the best part? Reading a book covered in someone else’s notes felt surprisingly intimate, like getting to experience the story alongside my friend even though we live in different states.
Read my review of *Rainwater* and find out why this was a book I wouldn’t have chosen for myself, but was glad to read.
I don't read a lot of dark romance, which means...
