North Sun: Or, The Voyage of the Whaleship Esther by Ethan Rutherford Genre: Historical Fiction / Speculative ISBN: 9781646053582 Print Length: 386 pages Publisher: A Strange Object Amazon Bookshop Reviewed by Erica Ball A feverish historical novel on the hubris of the exploitation of the natural world Told through the doomed expedition of a fictional […]
Last spring, I visited with schools in Charlotte, NC. My favorite part of any school visit, is the Q&A because the kids ask so many great questions! Invariably, someone will ask, “When’s your next book coming out and what’s it about?” I was eager to talk about my soon-to-be published book, Octopus Moon. Yet, I hesitated. Was its subject too tough? […]
In her second Martini Club mystery, Tess Gerritsen plunges readers into a deceptively serene Maine summer that quickly turns sinister when a teenage girl goes missing and secrets from the past rise to the surface like bodies in a pond. The Summer Guests serves as a worthy follow-up to The Spy Coast, returning us to […]
Emma Donoghue’s “The Paris Express” is a breathtaking achievement that pulls readers into the beating heart of Belle Époque France. This meticulously researched historical novel transforms the infamous 1895 Montparnasse train derailment—captured in a series of haunting photographs—into a kaleidoscopic portrait of humanity facing the precipice of fate. With clocklike precision, Donoghue weaves together the […]
The Hymn to Dionysus by Natasha Pulley is a beautifully written, psychologically astute, and mythologically rich novel that breathes new life into the god of madness, revelry, and revolution. Pulley, known for her mastery of the fantastical and philosophical (The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, The Kingdoms), reimagines ancient myth through a deeply human lens, delivering […]
How Birds Fly by Peter Cavanagh Genre: Nonfiction / Birds ISBN: 9780228104865 Print Length: 336 pages Publisher: Firefly Books Amazon Bookshop Reviewed by Toni Woodruff An abundance of knowledge & discoveryâa full-color, action-shot book unraveling the mystery of bird flight Peter Cavanagh might be an expert on aircraft flight aerodynamics, anatomy, and biomechanics, but he’s […]
Ava Morgyn’s The Bane Witch arrives like a velvet-wrapped dagger—beautifully sharp, unsettling, and deeply intentional. With its intoxicating mix of gothic atmosphere, poisonous lore, and seething female rage, the novel evokes a heady blend of Practical Magic and Gone Girl, yet forges its own path through the misty woods of genre fiction. Here, witches do […]
In her remarkable debut novel “Malinalli,” Veronica Chapa breathes vibrant life into one of history’s most misunderstood women. With lush prose and a masterful blend of historical fact and magical realism, Chapa reimagines the story of the woman known variously as Malinalli, Marina, Malintzin, and La Malinche – the Nahua interpreter who facilitated communication between […]
A King’s Trust by S.E. McPherson Genre: Fantasy / Romance ISBN: 9798992254310 Print Length: 382 pages Amazon Bookshop Reviewed by Toni Woodruff Tantalizing and dripping with tensionâa slow-burn romantasy that explodes when things get hot Beau is content in being the second prince—the imperfect, unbothered prince; the one who won’t inherit the crown but will […]
Hunchback, Saou Ichikawa’s provocative debut novel about a woman with a severe disability navigating desire, dignity, and autonomy, arrives in English through Polly Barton’s nuanced translation. As the first author with a physical disability to win Japan’s prestigious Akutagawa Prize, Ichikawa brings a perspective that feels both revolutionary and necessary to contemporary literature. While this […]