books

After recently realizing that my love of rom-com movies could also be satiated by rom-com novels in the form of The Rom-Commers, I went on the hunt for other books in the genre. There I found The Lodge by Kayla Olson, and I’m glad I did, as I loved every page of it. The Lodge … Read more

On Friday I had the pleasure of attending a book signing that ended up being much more than that. The event, organized by St. Louis bookstore The Novel Neighbor, was for author Fredrik Backman. I was introduced to his works via the Beartown trilogy, followed by the Anxious People Netflix miniseries and the move A … Read more

I love rom-com movies. One of my favorite genres, by far. Yet I can’t say I’ve ever read a rom-com book…until now. Amidst all the fantasy and sci-fi I read, for some reason I decided to read the first few pages of a Kindle sample called The Rom-Commers. I wasn’t expecting to buy it, but when … Read more

I recently finished a great new novel from Fonda Lee (author of the excellent Jade City series) and Shannon Lee (daughter of Bruce Lee), Breath of the Dragon. It’s about a rising martial artist named Jun who seeks entry into the Guardian’s Tournament, a once-every-six-years event that determines the person who will guard a sacred … Read more

It took me two months of reading every night for 45-60 minutes to finish Brandon Sanderson’s epic conclusion to the first half of the Stormlight Archives, Wind and Truth, but I finally did it! It was worth the time. Sanderson “cosmere” spans many books, and the Stormlight Archives have become the backbone of this literary … Read more

My mom is on a streak of great recommendations. First “A Man on the Inside” on Netflix, then the audiobook of “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby van Pelt. It’s literary fiction with the slightest dose of magical realism. The book follows a few entwined characters who don’t realize just how entwined they are. They’re written … Read more

When I was a kid, I read a great little mystery novel called The Westing Game. Here’s the synopsis from Wikipedia: Wealthy businessman Sam Westing dies. At the reading of his will, it is revealed that his named heirs are all tenants at the adjacent Sunset Towers apartment building. The will states that one of … Read more

I enjoyed Lev Grossman’s “The Magicians” trilogy so much that I’ll order anything else he writes, sight unseen. I’m glad I made that choice for his most recent novel, The Bright Sword, as it’s one of my favorite books of 2024. As a kid, I was fascinated by the legend of King Arthur. Medieval knights, … Read more

The Hunger Games meets vampires with a touch of romantic intrigue, aided by excellent writing and characterizations? That summarizes my latest obsession, The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent. I stumbled onto this book among Amazon’s Kindle recommendations while looking up something else, and I’m so glad I did. It reminds me … Read more