Suzanne Collins’ Sunrise on the Reaping marks the fifth entry in The Hunger Games series and the second prequel after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. This latest installment returns us to the brutal and dystopian world of Panem, unveiling the origins of Haymitch Abernathy—one of the series’ most enigmatic and tragic characters. Taking place […]
T.J. Klune’s The Bones Beneath My Skin is a novel that effortlessly intertwines science fiction, family drama, and queer identity into an emotional and immersive reading experience. The story follows Nate Cartwright, a man on the brink of self-destruction, who stumbles upon Alex and Artemis—a man with a dark past and a child with an […]
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The Antidote by Karen Russell
Karen Russell, a literary powerhouse known for Swamplandia, Vampires in the Lemon Grove, and Orange World, returns with The Antidote—a sweeping historical novel infused with magical realism, folklore, and a biting critique of settler amnesia. The story, set in the Dust Bowl era, blends surrealist storytelling with raw historical truths, spinning a multi-perspective narrative about […]
We Never Took a Bad Picture by Ashley N. Roth Genre: Literary Fiction / Family Life ISBN: 9781953932334 Print Length: 284 pages Publisher: April Gloaming Publishing Amazon Bookshop Reviewed by Peggy Kurkowski | Content warnings: death of a teenage child Infidelity, broken promises, and unspeakable tragedy—a fifty-fifth anniversary party is the catalyst of one family’s […]
We were standing outside my house when the sky opened—a blessed relief at the tail end of the Los Angeles wildfires. We pulled up our hoods, letting the rain shimmer over us. “They’ll be okay,” I said to my friend. “Kids are resilient.” She looked unimpressed by my dazzling use of an empty platitude. “Are they, though?” Months later, I haven’t stopped thinking about this conversation. Are kids resilient? My instinct is to shake my fist at anyone who would dare say “no.” I […]
She Is a Haunting marks Trang Thanh Tran’s debut novel—an ambitious blend of gothic horror, coming-of-age narrative, and post-colonial commentary that creeps under your skin with the persistence of the parasites that inhabit its pages. Set against the misty backdrop of Đà Lạt, Vietnam, this novel follows Jade Nguyen, a Vietnamese-American teenager visiting her estranged […]
In the crowded landscape of contemporary romance, Charlotte Stein’s “My Big Fat Fake Marriage” delivers a delightful twist on the beloved fake relationship trope. This novel serves up the perfect blend of heart-melting sweetness and scorching heat that Stein’s fans have come to expect from her work. Following her success with “When Grumpy Met Sunshine,” […]
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Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson
Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson on January 28, 2025 Genres: Fiction / African American & Black / Historical, Fiction / Literary, Fiction / Women Pages: 512 Format: Audiobook Buy on Amazon Goodreads Charmaine Wilkerson delivers a sweeping, multi-generational novel in Good Dirt, a powerful exploration of grief, inheritance, and the inescapable pull of the past. […]
Kills Well with Others picks up the threads left dangling in Raybourn’s breakout hit Killers of a Certain Age, reuniting readers with our favorite group of sixty-something assassins who can’t seem to stay retired. In this sequel, Billie, Helen, Mary Alice, and Natalie are summoned back from their brief respite to face a new threat—one […]
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I Leave It Up to You by Jinwoo Chong
In his sophomore novel, Jinwoo Chong delivers a narrative as meticulously crafted as a perfect piece of nigiri – deceptively simple in appearance but requiring immense skill to execute properly. I Leave It Up to You follows Jack Jr., a Korean American man who wakes from a two-year coma to find his advertising career, Manhattan […]