Sickos! Monday's are for updates so let me know what book cheeks you're spreading this week (or what you finished last week) in the comments and let's get to what I've been up to..

READING

REVIEW

PARABLE OF THE SOWER - [Parable #1] by OCTAVIA E. BUTLER (dystopian speculative fiction)

Progress: Finished

I picked up Parable of the Talents last week while finishing this, so that should tell you how much I loved our Fiction Sickos pick for this month. This is a grimdark, dystopian fan's dream, and the Discord forum was full of people commenting on how it just continues to get more dark and bleak. It's unrelenting; at no point does anything feel safe. I gotta write up my full review (I may do it w/Talents included) but yeah, this was exactly what I'd hoped it would be and I'm jazzed for Talents (which I heard is, somehow, darker).

LONDON FALLING: A MYSTERIOUS DEATH IN A GILDED CITY & A FAMILY'S SEARCH FOR TRUTH by PATRICK RADDEN KEEFE (narrative historical nonfiction)

Progress: 168/331

PRK just has a knack for weaving together multiple angles of a story and making it all work and flow. While I think I prefer stakes and subject matter of Empire of Pain and Say Nothing at this point (I'm not sure I care yet why a narcissistic, pathological liar ate it in the Thames), it's still fun watching PRK lay out this web of deception and everything around it. I do feel like PRK is leaning into the mystery bit of it with the way he's slow dripping info that could've been revealed earlier. Either way it's still a very solid read at this point and the final half may change my mind on the stated issues.

CARTHAGE'S OTHER WARS: CARTHAGINIAN WARFARE OUTSIDE THE 'PUNIC WARS' AGAINST ROME by DEXTER HOYOS (academic historical nonfiction)

Progress: 93/192

The Punic Wars are an obsession of mine but how Carthage became a superpower in the Western Mediterranean leading up to that often gets breezed through. Just finished their near 40 years of jockeying and warfare in Sicily with the tyrant Dionysius I of Syracuse (what a scamp). Despite several dramatic swings, it amounted to not much changing in re: territory. Ultimately though Carthage achieved its main goal of maintaining the east/west divide in Sicily, preventing Dionysius from dominating it. The next section covers their conflict with the fratricidal, tyrant-slayer Timoleon of Corinth who, IIRC, hail mary ass pounds all of Sicily.

I shared a snippet with in the history/nonfic Discord channel yesterday as I thought this Nicomo Cosca-coded moment was humorous:

WE DO NOT PART by HAN KANG (historical fiction)

Progress: 43/256

Super early doors but I'm not surprised to already feel like I'm in a fever dream with a Kang book (see: The Vegetarian). This ties into the Jeju Massacre where the South Korean government, along with support from the U.S. military, violently suppressed an uprising. So I expect it to also feel somewhat like Human Acts (which was about the later Gwangju Uprising) too as we get further in while still having this eerie, poetic quality to it.

PREVIEW

I haven't given much thought to what's next other than Butler's Talents but I have sampled some of The Roman Empire in Crisis and may make that my next nonfiction read. I'm curious how Mike Duncan will be able to mold this same period into something for a general audience because there's so many challenges around writing a complete narrative around it. I trust 'em though.

PUBLISHING IMPRINT NEWS

Getting close to knowing more about a second potential book acquisition, should know how it's trending sometime this week.

UPDATE: As soon as I published this, I checked my email, and OUR SECOND BOOK IS A GO! Final terms are agreed upon but the contract is still being finalized so I have to keep all the details confidential, but still, HUZZAH! Can't wait to share everything about this one with y'all!

Also, have you pre-ordered A Complement of Scoundrels yet?! And if you missed it, yes, the audiobook is in development!

EVERYTHING ELSE

I put on Breaking Bad in the background as I started reading the Carthage book and now I'm already at S3E3. So, I guess we're doing a second re-watch. It's one of those shows, like Mad Men or Game of Thrones, that I can randomly put on and gobble through it. Game of Thrones is kind of on hold as I usually watch it at night (don't need the wee emperor seeing all the floppy dong and breasts flapping about every 5 minutes) and despite my Flyers predictably getting bounced by the Hurricanes, I'm still all in on hockey playoffs.

Hope all the moms out there had a wonderful Mother's Day! Me and the boys got a Switch 2 for my wife so she's now hooked on that, and I may sneak in some game time on it this week.

Got my ass kicked two sessions in a row at the climbing gym but my finger tendons are recovered and I'll hopefully be back to projecting more V4/V5 later this week.

FINAL REMINDER that I'll be at BookNet Fest in Orlando, May 15-16! Get your tickets and swing through!

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Book Club Deep Dive & Starter Reading Kits: The Rain Catcher by Buck Turner 

If you’ve ever wondered what healing actually looks like after loss the messy, nonlinear, quietly hopeful kind this book might just stay with you longer than you expect.

Our book club took a deep dive into The Rain Catcher by Buck Turner, and this one sparked one of our most thoughtful, emotionally layered discussions yet. It’s not a flashy, plot-twist-heavy read but it is the kind of story that invites you to slow down, sit with your feelings, and really reflect.

🌊 The Heart of the Story: Grief That Lingers

At its core, The Rain Catcher is about grief but not just the initial, all-consuming kind. It explores what happens after the casseroles stop coming and the world expects you to move on. Diane’s journey feels incredibly grounded as she balances motherhood, career uncertainty, and the lingering ache of losing her husband.

What really stood out to us was how the book portrays layered grief. Just as Diane begins to open herself up to the possibility of happiness again, she’s hit with another loss. That emotional backslide felt painfully realistic, and it led to a big discussion in our group: Does grief ever truly resolve, or does it just reshape itself over time?

🎨 Second Chances & Soft Love

Enter Nathan Garner the artist with a quiet presence and a lot of patience. This isn’t an instant-love situation, and honestly, that’s what made it work for most of us. Their connection builds slowly, rooted in shared understanding rather than dramatic declarations.

Some of us loved the tenderness of their relationship, while others wished for a bit more spark or tension. But overall, we agreed that the romance serves the story’s deeper message: love doesn’t erase grief, it learns to coexist with it.

🏡 Setting as a Character

The Kitty Hawk beach setting deserves its own spotlight. The coastal atmosphere adds this reflective, almost meditative tone to the story. The ocean becomes a subtle metaphor throughout, sometimes calm, sometimes overwhelming, always present.

For our more vibe-driven readers, this was a major win. For others, it occasionally slowed the pacing. Which brings us to…

🐢 Pacing: A Love-It-or-Leave-It Element

Let’s be honest this is a slow book. If you’re going in expecting high drama or constant momentum, you might struggle. But if you’re in the mood for something introspective and character-driven, the pacing actually enhances the emotional depth.

Our club was split here:

• Half of us appreciated the deliberate, reflective storytelling

• The other half wanted a bit more plot movement to stay fully engaged

So yes, your enjoyment may depend on your reading mood.

💬 Book Club Discussion Highlights

This book gave us a lot to talk about:

• How do you know when you’re ready to move on after loss?

• Can opening yourself up to love again ever feel like a betrayal?

• Did Diane’s choices feel empowering or avoidant at times?

• Was Nathan fully developed, or more of a symbolic presence in Diane’s healing?

⭐ Final Thoughts

The Rain Catcher is a quiet, emotional read that leans heavily into themes of grief, resilience, and second chances. It’s not trying to rush you to a happily-ever-after instead, it gently reminds you that healing is uneven, love can return in unexpected ways, and sometimes survival itself is a kind of triumph.

It won’t be for everyone but for the right reader, it hits deep.

✨️Thank you The Book Club Cookbook,  Page and Vine and Buck Turner for sharing The Rain Catcher with us!

💬Bookish question: Do you prefer stories where love helps heal grief or ones where the focus stays solely on personal growth without romance?

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"Twenty-nine is nothing. Thirty is nothing. If I wanted to start again at fifty, I would. Time is just that - time. It dictates too much of our lives already for us to start letting it dictate what we can and can't accomplish."

GENRE: Comtep. Romance
RATING:4.75/5
FORMAT:eBook
Tropes:Enemies to lovers, Office Romance, Anxiety, Self-discovery

Review:
This one hit so close to home for me because of how Maddison is a type A personality with so many notebooks (honestly, highly relate to that) and it was such a sweet story, with character developments that I enjoyed

Quarter-Love Crisis is exactly what it is, a crisis right before Maddison hit the 30s, especially since she hasn't achieved any of her big things on her list yet and the moment it clicks in the book? It's all so worth it seeing it coming together. I think Jasmine Burke did such an amazing job of showing how sometimes, its the things we ask of ourselves that put so much pressure on us and drive us mad. This book truly captures that feeling of being in your 20s and feeling like you're truly running out of time due to anxiety, pressure and so many other things.

Watching Maddison let these notions go (especially as that's a journey I've done myself recently and still undergoing) and embrace living in the moment with the help of Aiden Edwards made the book a fun ride and I finished it in less than 24 hours (with a pause to sleep because I am too old to stay up at night now lol)

I think this was an amazing debut and I will say that, usually with single POVs, you get to focus on one character and don't really learn much about their love interest. I think Burke did a good balance in here by bringing Aiden's story without letting it out-shine Maddison's. And I loved getting to know her friends group too

I cant wait to read more by Jasmine Burke, I love Romance books set in the UK and this one was set in London plus the dynamic & writing won me over! It's a perfect book for those of us entering our 30s and realising that actually, we've just start our lives while enjoying Maddison & Aiden's relationship blossom and her friendship + family thrive!

Hey all - another delayed witchy holiday post. This one because I was moving literally on May 1st and have since been unpacking + gearing up for BookNet Fest this weekend. All of that combined with getting items needed for this specific apartment (a frustrating after-moving task), my laptop charger breaking, and Tali having a UTI and going to urgent care (she's fine now - on antibiotics)... Needless to say, I haven't been online much. And so far this year, life and external forces have prevented me from celebrating any of the wheel of the year so far this year. But I am hopeful about summer and fall, especially now that I'm settled.

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE: BELTANE

Beltane is a fire festival halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice, and in the modern definition, it represents the first spoke in the light half of the year. This is when we really start to see it warming up and spring is definitely here, even if the chill is still hanging on in your neck of the woods. Spring flowers like tulips and daffodils have sprouted and the sun continues to shine later into the day. Many people start their gardens right before or right after this time (for me in Chicago, many people consider Mother's Day to be a good marker for when to plant seedlings and have them survive). Like many of the festivals during the spring and summer months, Beltane is primarily a fertility festival. In various traditions around this time, a May Pole is danced around, which is a phallic symbol, and there are various stories of different gods and goddesses unions being celebrated around this time. But fertility can mean many things. It is primarily about growth, and now is a good time for lighting that creative spark.

For reading this month, because Beltane is the most "passionate" of the wheel of the year holidays, it is a good time to involve some romance in your life. Now, if you want to keep it simple and just read a romance book, great. But if romance isn't really your thing, you can take this whatever way you want. For non-fiction readers, engaging with the history of marriage or even about relationships outside of romantic relationships. Fiction readers also don't have to go the romance route entirely. Maybe choose a book set in a setting you find romantic, whether real or fictional.

Other than reading, you have a plethora of activities to engage in that coincide with spring. Last holiday, at Ostara, I encouraged you to start coming out of hibernation and begin the spring cleaning process. That's sometimes a long process so keep it up! With moving, I have been continuing to make adjustments to my living space and it feels very aligned with spring and nesting :) Continue to be out in nature. Get to know what birds start coming through your area at this time. Pay attention to local plants. Slow down and notice the changing weather. Do things to spark your creativity. The veil is also thinner at this time of year, much like Samhain is on the opposite side of the wheel. But this time of year, I find the veil is thinner in relation to fae and otherworld creatures vs ancestors. Both are present, I just find ancestors to be moreso in autumn. So if it aligns with you, take some time to get in touch with your local land spirits this time of year.

SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE: SAMHAIN

Ah Samhain - the most classic of the wheel of the year holidays. This time of year is all about releasing, reaping the final harvest, and settling down into winter. The leaves are falling from trees, animals are going into hibernation, and everything is starting to slow down. This time of year is about those final preparations for winter.

Reading wise, this is a good time for finales. Finish up a series, or finally DNF something you've been hanging on to. Maybe unhaul some books that have been taking up space and don't resonate with you anymore.

Outside of reading, now is a good time to get in touch with ancestors and the past. The veil is thin at this time of year, and it is a great time for introspection and ancestor work. Take up (or return to) journaling or a tarot practice. Make plans for how you are going to lean into winter and enjoy it for what it is. Say goodbye to this years growing season and take those lessons with you.

See you all at the solstice!

Sometimes as a book reviewer, your eyes get a little bigger than your metaphorical book-digesting stomach, and you sign yourself up for an unwieldy amount of ARCs. Sometimes that person is me. I have signed up to read too many books. ALAS! I will prevail, but it does mean that my reading schedule for the next six months or so is fairly set.

Some of those books I need to get to are published by the lovely people who run this website, and I am very excited for those, but it also means that there are many a book on my physical shelf that need to be on the back burner for a while. I will try to sprinkle them in between these review copies, but I imagine the big-boy fantasy books on my list are going to be late 2026 projects at best. (With that said, my wife and I are trying to figure out how we can go to Dragonsteel Nexus this year, and I would like to finish up The Stormlight Archive before/if we go).

Anyway, here are some books I would love to get to sometime soon, and some that I will definitely get to before the end of the year.

• Speaking Bones by Ken Liu: I have been slowly making my way through the Dandelion Dynasty for the past four years or so, and frankly, the only reason I haven't finished it yet is because I don't want it to end. I maintain that Ken Liu is operating at a level so much higher than other authors that reading him feels like eating caviar or some other food that y0u only bring out for special occasions. As much as I love Sanderson and the like, Liu's world that he has built with these books is so infinitely fascinating and detailed that it's hard for me to really see anything else in the same light. These books are no easy task (see the insane list of characters that only grows bigger as the books go on), but they are among the best pieces of literature I've ever consumed, and I suggest you get on them as soon as possible. I've been on the Ken Liu train for a long time now, and it seems that others are finally catching on. Genius in motion.

• Children of Dune by Frank Herbert: In an effort to get up to speed before Denis Villenueve's Dune Part 3 comes out later this year, I have been making my way through the novels that have inspired the films. I finished Dune Messiah early this year and came away feeling like I could read all six of these bad boys. Children of Dune has been sitting by my bedside ready for me to dig into it for a couple of months now, but I probably won't get around to it until the end of the year comes closer. An absolutely lovely phenomenon it is when both the source material and adaptations are excellent.

• The Dog Stars by Peter Heller: I know almost nothing about this book, BUT, the guy who wrote it lives in my general vicinity and one of my coworkers has raved about it so I have it on a suspended hold at the library. I'm a massive fan of Station Eleven, so if this book is even remotely like S11, I know I'm in for a treat.

There are MANY more books I would love to get into sometime soon, but these ARCs are standing in the way (for now).

• A Compliment of Scoundrels by S.V. Lockwood

• Buzzard by Inez Ray

• Tales from the Territory by Travis Baldree

• As You Wake, Break the Shell by Becky Chambers

I am also trying like hell to get my hands on the new Ken Liu short story collection, The Passing of the Dragon, as well as book three in the Shadow of the Leviathan series, A Trade of Blood.

Anywho, what are you all reading? What catches your eye on the upcoming release schedule? Let me know.

Shawn

The recent online discourse surrounding R.F. Kuang's Taipei Story leaked ARC line has been heated at best, ideologically uncritical at worst. My stance on this issue is not neutral, but I can't help but notice the cyclical arguments and the demographics that comprise of each "side."

On one hand, I've seen an outpouring of support for Kuang from majority White audiences who laud her work as the pinnacle of anti-imperialist narratives in the modern canon. On the other, I've seen a majority of SWANA voices and their allies questioning the validity of including the settler-occupier identity in the narrative of the story. I've seen the valid point being made that without the full subtext, we can't draw an informed conclusion on the gravity of this choice by Kuang. I've also seen the equally valid point that normalizing settler-occupier identities of an active genocide-perpetrator is unnecessary in any capacity. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but what I've noticed from this discourse is the continued perpetration of tone and voice policing of SWANA, particularly Palestinian, voices.

Since the general elections in 2024, we've seen the genocide-apologist narrative take center stage. Folks continue to antagonize the Muslim vote who overwhelmingly supported third party candidates with the Democratic Party's handling of the genocide in Gaza as the key factor in how they casted their vote. To this day, I continue to see vitriol aimed at those who refused to be complicit (myself included) and this extends into the bookish space with ease. We see it with this particular instance when White creators thinks they have the authority to publicize their think-pieces on the subject without stopping to think about who is actually raising these concerns. In sharing your solidarity with your beloved celebrity author, have you considered the Palestinian and Muslim-diaspora voices you might be speaking over?

Some common defense arguments riddled with logical fallacies and whataboutisms I've seen in the past week have been:

• "Why don't we have the same reactions when American characters are mentioned?"

• "Not mentioning Israeli identity is erasure and erases the harm they've caused."

• "R.F. Kuang's politics have been clear, we need to trust her."

• "Everyone's cancelling R.F. Kuang meanwhile other Zionist authors get movie deals."

• "There are other authors perpetrating real harm while we argue over one line."

• "Why are we so much harder on authors of color?"

While all these statements can be dissected and analyzed individually, the greater theme I'm seeing is confusing solidarity with celebrity. And when that celebrity is an Asian author who has capitalized on stories of colonization, the question that comes to mind is are folks defending her because she's a person of color? The infantilization of Asian women has a deep legacy rooted in orientalism, and many of the arguments I see online border on this deeply racist trope. Nobody is infallible, and in pursuit of being an "ally" in her defense, many folks have subverted the values they claim to uphold.

I'd like to pose a few alternative questions.

• Why are BIPOC readers expected to stay silent when BIPOC authors make mistakes? Why are we supposed to give them more grace when we wouldn't do the same to their White counterparts?

• Why do non-BIPOC folks feel the need to intellectualize issues they have no personal stakes in?

• Is it easier to speak on declining literacy rates than it is to empathize with a Palestinian or Muslim person?

• What would your reaction be to seeing something on a page that humanizes the perpetrator of years of genocide you've watched your kin endure?

• Does your endorsement of a well-loved BIPOC author negate the remaining work you have to do in allyship?

There are the jaded and cynical parts of my mind that question whether this whole debacle was a stunt from the publisher to create more buzz around Taipei Story. While I agree that we will not have answers to our questions until we read the book, I implore the bookish space at large to take a step back and truly assess with care and nuance before jumping into the discourse.

Hi there besties ❤️

Happy Sunday & Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!

I wanted to share a few thoughts about my most recent reads and give you a sneak peek at what's coming this week in the world of SBB.

First, let me just say that Yesteryear has TAKEN over my life. I binged it last Sunday and Monday and haven't stopped compulsively thinking about it since. I've written the equivalent of a 10-page paper that I will be publishing exclusively to Bindery this week, and I'm putting the finishing touches on a long-form video review for Youtube (my first ever video dedicated solely to one book) and a short-form Instagram post. I'm sure I'll edit that thesis down to a few paragraphs for a blog post at some point, but there's too many thoughts floating around in my head right now to condense it much further. For now, I'll just say that I plan to give it four starts, but I'm not convinced everyone should read it. More to come...

As you requested in last week's poll, I started Mrs. Benedict Arnold, and, boy, what a treat! It's a combination of Jane Austen, Diana Gabaldon, and various Regency Romance authors I've read and enjoyed (Sophie Irwin, Manda Collins, India Holton, etc). It's packed with history but is very much a character-driven book, so the history seems more palatable. I think it will be perfect for folks who enjoy a little romance with their historical fiction. Plus, it's perfect for the upcoming 250th anniversary of America this summer.

I'm back on the Go As a River bandwagon and glad that I am. I told myself to give it another shot, and surprisingly I'm enjoying it again. The surprise pregnancy trope put me off for a bit, but the character arc shifted back to an empowerment story so it's more my jam. The prose is really lovely, reminding me of some of the things I loved about Where the Lost Wander and In the Great Quiet. I should finish today, but it's looking like a solid 4⭐️ read for me.

The Woman and Her Stars is my go-to-bed read, so I'm slowly plugging away (I've been so tired lately that my eyes start drooping as soon as my head hits the pillow). I'm really enjoying it and am hopeful to finish soon. Haw is a masterful storyteller, so I have a feeling it will be another 4⭐️+ for me.

We've been spending a lot of time watching sports (both in person and on t.v.), having dinners with friends, and Spring cleaning. When life gets busy like this it's hard to balance it all, and naturally my content creation becomes less of a priority. I'm thinking next month will be a catch-up month for me since we have no trips and only one Dodger game. As for the rest of May, it's jam packed with trips and games. I'm headed home to Louisiana later this week, so look for a few alligator pics next week!

ICYMI:

• May new releases Youtube video

• Monday book mail

• 4 AAPI historical fiction recommendations

• Tudor non-fiction recommendation

• Yesteryear conversation starter

• Don't forget about our Discord server!

Hear It Here First:

Again, LOTS of Yesteryear content coming very soon, as well as a sneak peek at my new historical fiction TBR jar prompts!

Until next week, happy reading!

xoxo

C

It's time to wrap up Deep Trouble and Kick off The Scarecrow Walks At Midnight!

WRAP UP

This is one that I remember reading back in sixth grade. I obviously forgot most of the details but remembered some things here and there! I definitely enjoyed this one.

Questions:

1. What was your favorite part?

2. Would you ever swim with any kind of sea creature?

KICK OFF

Now it's time to kick off THE SCARECROW WALKS AT MIDNIGHT

Synopsis:

Jodie loves visiting her grandparents' farm. Okay, so it's not the most exciting place in the world. Still, Grandpa tells great scary stories. And Grandma's chocolate chip cookies are the best.But this summer the farm has really changed. The cornfields are sparse. Grandma and Grandpa seem worn out. And the single scarecrow has been replaced by twelve evil-looking ones.Then one night Jodie sees something really odd. The scarecrows seem to be moving. Twitching on their stakes. Coming alive . .

Happy Sunday, mis internet amigxs,

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there! 💐

Today we hold space for celebration, but also for the complicated feelings of love, grief, estrangement, or loss that may accompany this day.

No matter how today finds you, sending you all extra love and a hug today. xo

Please note there's a poll included with this roundup...I'm very interested in your response and thoughts.

And now, here are the remainder of May releases...

May 12th Latine Releases

NONFICITON

Migrant Heart: Reyna Grande (Audiobook) Memoir in essays that illuminates the hidden cost of the American Dream and the complex journey of healing that follows survival

ROMANCE

The Last Page by Katie Holt (Audiobook) Bookish contemporary romance for fans of Emily Henry

Burnout Summer Jenna Ramirez (Audiobook) Beachy friends-to-lovers romance taking place post-grad summer

MIDDLE GRADE

Our Fair Share by Sarah Marie Jette (Audiobook) Follows friends as they reunite at a county fair in Maine to overcome both their personal troubles and take care of their community in need

POETRY

Canícula / Dog Days by William Archila and Translated by Mario Zetino: Bilingual poetry collection El Salvadoran poet, Archila

WOMEN'S FICTION

Please Don't Go by E. Salvador (Audiobook) From the cover, I thought this might be a romance (I usually will just pick up books without reading the synopsis), but don't be like me...I began listening to this audiobook thanks to an advanced listening copy from LibroFM and I had to put it down. It was too sad and grief-stricken for me to continue. I got about 20% of the way into it and had to put it down.

TRANSLATED FICTION

Electric Shamans at the Festival of the Sun by Monica Ojeda (Audiobook) Ecuadorian author, Ojeda, is back with a psychadelic novel of girlhood, violence and the loss of innocence.

May 19th

MEMOIR

The Keeper of My Kin by Ada Ferrer (Audiobook) Cuban historian, Ferrer's, memoir of migration, separation and love.

ROMANCE

I'm Gonna Get You Back by Eva Des Lauriers (Audiobook) Second chance contemporary romance

Running Home To You by Samantha Saldivar (Audiobook) Sapphic sports romance from the author of Play You For It.

TRANSLATED LITERARY FICTION

Tarantula by Eduardo Halfon and Translated by Daniel Hahn: Lessons for childhood sleepaway camp return in this dark historical fiction.

NONFICTION

What Science Says about Astrology by Carlos Orsi: 2026 has been my metaphysical and astrology year, so this one has my interest quite piqued.

May 26th

PICTURE BOOK

Finding My Wave by Alexandra Katona and illustrated by Sara Palacios Children's picture book A girl who goes surfing with her Lita and finally makes friends with her fears and catches her first wave!

MIDDLE GRADE

Five Days at the Hotel Adams by Hailey Alcaraz (Audiobook) Clue x The Room Where It Happens about 2 Mexican girls uncovering a mystery in a famous hotel in territorial Arizona

The Chismosas Only Book Club by Laekan Zea Kemp and Illustrated by Heidi Moreno (Audiobook) Is this about Bien Leidos book club? NO....this is The Sisterhood of the Travellling Pants meets Mexikid about 4 friends and the magical bookstore that holds them together.

YOUNG ADULT

How to Love You When You’re Gone by Gabriela Gonzales (Audiobook) Falling in love for the first time while grieving in this complex, hysterical and heartbreaking YA.

We Could Be Anyone by Anna-Marie McLemore (Audiobook) White Lotus meets Mexican Gothic--2 teen con artists must execute an impossible scam

LITERARY FICTION

Pretend You're Dead, I'll Carry You by Julián Delgado Lopera (Audiobook) Set in Colombia's queer underground scene--I'm listening to this right now and it's a chaotic and vibrant queer explosion. Can't wait to review it.

xo,

Carmen

Some books entertain you while you’re reading them. Others quietly settle somewhere deeper and follow you around for days after you finish.

This week felt very much like the second kind.

There were ghosts and reality dating shows and corporate AI nightmares and dungeon chaos, yes, but underneath all of that, I kept finding myself circling back to stories about identity. About the roles people are pushed into. The systems that shape them. The expectations they carry. The versions of themselves they’re allowed to become.

And apparently, I processed all of that while walking Link this week.

The Supper Club Saints

This is one of those books that hurts because it understands something too well.

On the surface, it’s about motherhood. But underneath that, it’s about expectation. About guilt. About the impossible balancing act women are expected to perform while simultaneously being told they’re failing no matter what choice they make.

And what struck me most is that the book never simplifies any of it.

Every woman here feels fully realized in her own fears and contradictions. Cass returning home after living in a cult-like “Mommune.” Erin navigating pregnancy anxiety. Hilary struggling with the slow erosion of identity that can happen when your entire life revolves around caring for everyone else first.

There’s no singular “good mother” presented here. No easy answer. Just women trying, failing, surviving, grieving, loving.

And honestly? That’s what made it so emotionally devastating.

The miscarriage discussion especially wrecked me. Not in a manipulative, tearjerker kind of way, but in that quiet, deeply honest way that suddenly makes you realize how rarely certain experiences are written about with this level of vulnerability.

It’s the kind of passage that makes you stop reading for a minute because you need to sit with it.

The Girl with a Thousand Faces

This book unfolded slowly for me…and then completely consumed me.

At first, I wasn’t entirely sure where it was going. The pacing is deliberate, almost hazy in places, like the story is pulling you underwater inch by inch before you fully realize it.

Then suddenly I was obsessed.

What starts as a ghost story gradually reveals itself to be about inherited trauma, war, memory, abandonment, occupation, loneliness, and the things grief turns people into when they’re left to carry it alone for too long.

And what I loved most is that the ghosts never feel metaphorical in a detached literary sense. They feel earned.

The horrors inflicted on these characters linger physically within the city itself. The dead remain because history refuses to let them leave peacefully. There’s something deeply cathartic and heartbreaking about the way vengeance and grief intertwine here.

The historical backdrop especially adds weight to everything. The book doesn’t sensationalize the brutality of war or occupation, but it also doesn’t soften it. Some scenes are genuinely harrowing, particularly in how they explore the vulnerability of women and lower-class civilians trapped within systems they cannot escape.

But despite all of that darkness, there’s still humanity woven throughout the story. Mercy’s arc slowly becomes less about surviving the past and more about whether healing is even possible after unimaginable harm.

Also: Bao the ghost cat deserves his own book immediately.

Abyss

You know that creeping feeling when technology stops feeling helpful and starts feeling… hungry?

That’s this book.

What worked so well for me here is how disorienting everything feels from the beginning. Joe enters this office already emotionally detached from himself, and then the environment around him starts amplifying that disconnect until reality itself feels unstable.

The office is empty. The productivity culture borders on religious fanaticism. Nobody explains anything clearly. The AI system is omnipresent in this suffocating, quietly invasive way.

And the longer the story goes on, the more it starts feeling less like horror fiction and more like an exaggerated version of things we already normalize every day.

That’s what made the book unsettling for me.

Not the Lovecraftian elements.
Not even the surveillance.

The recognition.

The idea that people willingly hand pieces of themselves over to systems that reward convenience, efficiency, and constant optimization without fully questioning what’s being taken in return.

There’s also this dark absurdist humor running through the novella that balances the dread surprisingly well. The endless swearing. The bizarre office dynamics. The redacted signs. It all feels just grounded enough to be funny before it loops back around into deeply uncomfortable territory.

I do think the novella length limits how fully the story can explore some of its strongest ideas, because honestly? I could have spent another 150 pages descending into this nightmare.

The Gate of the Feral Gods

At this point, Dungeon Crawler Carl has fully crossed the line from “fun series” into “I am emotionally invested in this ridiculous chaos.”

And this installment felt different in a really good way.

The structure immediately worked better for me than book three. Splitting the floor into distinct castles and challenges gave the story momentum without losing the insanity that makes the series work.

But more importantly: Carl finally feels less lucky and more genuinely terrifying.

There’s something satisfying about watching him evolve from reactive survivor into someone actively manipulating the systems around him. His solutions are still completely unhinged, but now they feel earned instead of accidental.

And honestly? That evolution matters because this series has always been smarter than people give it credit for.

Underneath the explosions and absurdity and AI game show chaos, there’s a very real thread about exploitation, performance, audience consumption, and survival under systems designed to commodify suffering.

Also the audiobook continues to be one of the best audiobook experiences I’ve ever had.

The Foursome

This is one of those historical fiction novels that immediately sends you spiraling into research afterward because your brain refuses to accept that these were real people.

And what fascinated me most is that despite the premise revolving around Eng and Chang Bunker, the emotional center of the novel becomes Sallie.

Through her perspective, the story slowly shifts away from the public spectacle surrounding the twins and into something much more intimate: marriage, motherhood, identity, resentment, obligation, public scrutiny, and the exhausting emotional labor women are expected to absorb quietly.

What I appreciated is that the novel never tries to flatten anyone into easy heroes or villains.

The Bunker brothers are sympathetic in some ways and deeply troubling in others. Their experiences with discrimination exist alongside their support of slavery and the Confederacy. And the novel doesn’t try to resolve those contradictions neatly because history rarely allows for that kind of simplicity.

That discomfort becomes part of the point.

It’s a story about fame and spectacle, yes, but also about the people forced to build ordinary lives inside extraordinary circumstances.

And honestly? Some of the logistics of this family dynamic were so emotionally complicated that I kept having to pause and think, “How did anyone navigate this in real life?”

The Franchise

This one is frustrating because I can see the better version of this book so clearly in my head.

The premise is phenomenal: a fully immersive fantasy production where actors lose themselves so completely inside their roles that their identities essentially cease to exist outside the narrative.

That should be incredible.

And occasionally, it is.

There are moments where the story brushes against genuinely fascinating ideas surrounding performance, media consumption, AI, autonomy, exploitation, and the ethics of entertainment.

But the deeper the book went, the more it became buried beneath its own structure.

Timelines overlap. Scenes repeat from different perspectives. Lore piles onto lore. Meta commentary stacks endlessly on top of itself. And instead of deepening the story, it slowly started smothering it.

What frustrated me most is that the novel continuously introduces morally horrifying concepts…and then moves on before fully interrogating them.

The implications surrounding consent, bodily autonomy, identity erasure, labor exploitation, and race are all there. The book sees them. It gestures toward them repeatedly.

But it rarely sits with them long enough to say anything meaningful.

And that left me feeling oddly detached from a story that should have absolutely consumed me.

Still, I can’t deny the ambition here. I’d almost rather read a messy, overly ambitious book than something completely forgettable.

Hart’s Landing

After several emotionally heavy reads, this felt like exhaling.

Not because the story avoids difficult things; there’s grief and guilt and fractured friendships woven throughout the book, but because it approaches those emotions with softness instead of devastation.

And honestly? Sometimes that’s exactly what I need.

Mila and Everett’s relationship works because it’s built on history. There’s tension there, yes, but also familiarity. Longing. The ache of unfinished feelings that never really disappeared.

The small-town setting also feels genuinely lived in rather than idealized. Family dynamics are messy. Friendships drift and reconnect imperfectly. Home is comforting and painful at the same time.

And I loved that the story allowed Mila to slowly rediscover pieces of herself instead of framing romance as the sole solution to her unhappiness.

It’s tender in a way that feels earned.

Reality Bites

This was just fun to read.

But underneath all the chaos and flirting and reality dating show nonsense, there’s actually a pretty sharp commentary running through the entire thing about performance and manufactured identity.

Grace entering this influencer-heavy environment as someone completely disconnected from social media makes her feel constantly out of sync with everyone around her, and that discomfort becomes one of the book’s funniest and smartest elements.

Because while the story absolutely leans into the absurdity of reality TV, it also understands how emotionally manipulative those spaces can become.

The producers shaping narratives. The contestants performing versions of themselves. The pressure to remain marketable at all times. It’s exaggerated, but not by that much.

And the romance itself is genuinely adorable. This feels like the kind of rom-com specifically designed for reading poolside in one sitting.

A Very Vexing Murder

I love when retellings understand that the goal isn’t to replace the original story; it’s to play inside it.

And this one does that well.

Shifting Harriet Smith into the role of detective immediately changes the energy of the story because it forces her into a level of agency she never fully gets in Emma itself.

The mystery remains relatively light and cozy, but the real fun comes from watching familiar Austen dynamics filtered through an entirely different perspective.

Harriet becomes sharper here. More observant. More capable. And giving her a slightly devious streak ended up being one of the more entertaining choices the book makes.

Did it redefine Austen adaptations for me? No.

But it absolutely felt like spending time in a familiar literary world from a fresh angle, and sometimes that’s exactly the kind of reading experience I want.

Some weeks leave me with clear favorites. This week mostly left me with questions.

About identity.
About performance.
About motherhood.
About systems.
About grief.
About the roles people willingly step into versus the ones forced onto them.

And somehow all of these wildly different books ended up circling those same ideas in completely different ways. Funny how that happens sometimes.

April was full of strange women, unraveling minds, body horror, caves, literary magic, and at least one scene that permanently altered my brain chemistry.

📖 LOVED

The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer is easily in my top three books of 2026 so far. I related to the main character so much and the anxiety running through this book felt painfully real at times. The tension never lets up. It just slowly tightens around you until every interaction feels wrong in the best possible way. One of those books where you start questioning everyone and everything alongside the protagonist.

Decomposition Book by Sara Van Os completely caught me off guard. Weird, sexy, feral, uncomfortable. Exactly the kind of book I love stumbling into without really knowing what I’m about to experience. It felt messy and human and emotionally raw in a way that really worked for me.

Headlights by C.J. Leede proves once again that C.J. Leede apparently refuses to let readers know peace. There is at least one scene in this book that is going to live in my brain forever like a cursed VHS tape. I loved this more than American Rapture, though Maeve Fly still owns a permanent section of my soul.

The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer had me from the first few pages. A blend of whodunnit, fantasy, and literary love letter with the kind of cozy magic that makes you want to disappear into a rainy bookstore for a weekend. I already know this is a reread for me.

Her Last Breath by Taylor Adams was our book club pick and Taylor Adams really knows how to create panic-inducing situations. The cave imagery especially got under my skin in a very claustrophobic way.

Dead Weight by Hildur Knútsdóttir... that ending. Absolute chef’s kiss. Quietly unsettling in a way that sneaks up on you.

📖 LIKED

The Cove by Claire Rose had a really strong atmosphere, but the plot became a little confusing for me by the end.

My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Part 2 by Emil Ferris is still visually incredible, but I just wasn’t as emotionally pulled in as I hoped to be.

Obstetrix by Naomi Kritzer had a fascinating concept, though the pacing felt a little repetitive for me at times.

📖 NOT FOR ME

Odessa by Gabrielle Sher just never fully grabbed my attention.

Seek the Traitor’s Son by Veronica Roth leaned way too heavily into world building for my personal taste.

Body Count by Codie Crowley unfortunately just didn’t work for me. The dialogue and character voices felt a little too cringy and whiny.

Abyss by Nicholas Binge sounded like something I should have loved on paper, but it never fully hooked me emotionally.

Shoot Me in the Face on a Beautiful Day by Emma E. Murray wasn’t bad at all, it was just a little too emotionally heavy for me personally without enough light breaking through by the end.

❓What was your favorite read of April?

💍 Till Finals do they part...

✨ Clover got admitted to her dream school, but now needs a way to get into their special housing program. Only one person can help - her current enemy and ex-bestfriend, Bennett. They both get MARRIED, but only for a semester. Of course, things are going to brew with the closes proximity 😉

✨ What I liked -
Bennett is so possessive and angsty🔥
ONLY ONE BED 🛏️
Body positivity 💕
Black market grilled cheese 🧀 😂
Their mum's friendship (reminds me of tsitp)

✨ 8/10 ✨

💍 BOOK PUBLISHED! Go read now 😄🤌🫶

✨ Author - @andimjulie

✨ Thank you so much @macmillanusa for this gifted copy in exchange of an honest review

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