I've read a lot of books this past July and August, and I've been too behind on writing about them. I feel guilty!! But here's the last three I read in a shorter review style. I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman This book has been on my TBR list for a while, so I was happy to finally get the chance to read it. I Who Have Never Known Men is, in my opinion, a kind of fucked-up love story. It's kind of one of those books that explores the feeling of discovering that

In all transparency, I finished this book months ago and only found the words to write about it now. As you can imagine, I have a very backed up list of book reviews. [spoilers ahead] In all transparency, I finished this book months ago and only found the words to write about it now. As you can imagine, I have a very backed up list of book reviews. There’s been so much online discourse about Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it and see for

This is the second book of Uketsu's that I've read. It's his second book in the series, but I'm apparently reading the series backwards (Strange Houses is next on my agenda). I was very excited to read and write about this one because I really enjoyed Strange Pictures. It's probably the first series in a while that I've read, if I'm being honest, so it's definitely sparked that love back in me. As you can assume from the title, Strange Buildings is, in fact, about strange bui

To be blunt, this book was fucking awesome. Set in 1922 Macon, Georgia—Jim Crow South, one year after the Tulsa Massacre, the KKK running rampant, and Birth of a Nation popular enough to be screened in the White House. Horrifying. It follows three badass Black girls who hunt Ku Kluxes. And no, Ku Kluxes aren't just the guys in white robes—they're also literal monsters, maybe even demons not of this world, blending in among the rest of the Klan and feeding off their palpable h

Is it shameful to admit that I'm so curious and fascinated by trad wives? It's just a concept so foreign to me that I want to learn more about them, almost like how many people are intrigued by cults and their ideologies. I wish I could've thought up the concept for a book like Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, because there is something so thrilling and deeply unsettling about trad wives, especially in today's political climate. Although I have yet to read Yesteryear, it's al

Motherthing was unusual in the sense that it really tackles the idea of wanting to be a mother and also wanting to be mothered. It's a super interesting juxtaposition with the horrific element of your mother-in-law's ghost possibly living in the dark corners of your basement. That in itself is an absolutely scary thought, but coupled with the eerie descriptions of your husband slowly spiraling into a mental crisis after his mother dies, completely shifting from the person he

My mom actually encouraged me to buy this book after she was flipping through it and a glossy image fell right out. She looked at it, completely perplexed but intrigued. I read the flaps and immediately knew I had to read it; thriller, horror, and eerie, unsettling images inside, it was a no-brainer, so I added it to my pile before checking out. At first, I thought this book was more of an anthology, using images to tell separate, unrelated stories, but I was wrong. Strange

I’ve been thinking about starting to read more banned books so I can dedicate one of the shelves in my room as a “Banned Bookshelf.” I read 1984 by George Orwell in high school, either sophomore or junior year, and it was one of my favorite books I’ve ever read for class. So when I was in The Strand the other week and saw Animal Farm on the banned books table, I felt like I had to pick it up, especially since I never got the chance to study it in school. All animals are equ

Now, this book was a much-needed palate cleanser from all the thrillers and horror books I’ve been reading. But don’t worry, I’ve already made a trip to the Strand and picked up some classic horror, new thrillers, as well as some age-old political commentaries that I’ll be reading and writing about soon. This was such a sweet book. It honestly strikes the perfect balance between heartwarming and heart-wrenching. Although it’s only 196 pages, there is so much to unpack in this

I’ve been meaning to read this ever since it was published. Horror, gruesome crime scenes, and hungry ghosts? Yes please. Before I get into what this book is about let me start with this: books that use COVID as a backdrop can sometimes feel distracting or forced, and having lived through that period myself, it’s often a signal for me to steer clear altogether. But Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng handles it beautifully and with real intention. Rather than relying on

I wanted to dive deeper into the horror/thriller space with this one, and I liked it. Before We Used to Live Here , I hadn’t fully bought into haunted house stories, but this book genuinely made me feel insane, in the best way possible. It follows a queer young couple, Eve and Charlie, and their dog, Shylo (who is very important to me, can’t forget her), as they settle into their new home. Not long after moving in, Eve hears a knock knock knock at the door. On the other side

Okay, full honesty: I finished this book weeks ago, back in early January. Now it’s the first week of February, and I’m only just sitting down to write about it. I think I was so disappointed that I couldn’t find the motivation to put my thoughts into words. But I’ve realized that I owe it to myself, and to my bookshelf, to stay consistent. Holding myself accountable was one of my goals for 2026, and that means showing up even when a book doesn’t live up to my expectations.

This book had been on my TBR for a few months, and I finally got the chance to read it over winter break. It completely consumed me—I became deeply absorbed in the story, which was both thrilling and a little unsettling. The dystopian worldbuilding and Offred’s characterization were incredibly detailed, which only added to the tension and left me distraught at some points in the book. I have so many thoughts about this book, but I’ve chosen to focus on a few key points that s

For Christmas, I told my brother that he could simply get me books as a gift. One of them was The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. I was especially excited because I love memoirs. I’d heard of it before but never read it in high school or college, and I’m glad I waited—reading it now, with a more fully developed perspective, allowed me to better understand and appreciate the story’s complexity. I loveeeeeed it. The writing style is simple yet incredibly effective; with its s

I finished reading this book on the same day I’m writing this, and clearly my curiosity for weird, dystopian circumstances hasn’t faded because here I am once again with Severance by Ling Ma . Heads up, there are some spoilers. When a spore-born virus hits New York City, Candace Chen, a millennial product coordinator at a publisher that produces Bibles, is left to fend for her own survival. Her company offers her a substantial sum to continue working through the Shen Flu outb

As you may or may not have noticed, I’ve been really into the horror genre lately, so naturally I wanted to keep diving deeper into the genre. Having not many friends who read horror, I thought that the only place I could get solid recommendations was Bookstagram. That’s when I stumbled upon The Reformatory by Tananarive Due. Set in 1950s Florida at the height of Jim Crow, The Reformatory follows twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens Jr., who is sentenced to six months at the Gr

This dystopian world takes shape after a virus affecting animals spreads across the globe with no cure. The only way to contain it is through the total eradication of all animals—livestock, pets, and wildlife alike. You’re probably wondering what happens to the world once all the animals are gone. To make up for the loss of meat and other food sources, this dystopian society begins breeding and farming humans in their place. Tender Is the Flesh i s undeniably gross, morbid,

Where to begin on this one…I was so blown away by Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang. Being that October is the spookiest month of the year, I really wanted to try to get into the horror genre. I love horror movies and truly all things scary, chilling, or gory, and I was a little worried that reading horror wouldn’t translate. I can surprisingly say that I really enjoyed reading it. Natural Beauty is one of those books you can’t stop thinking about after you’ve finished it.

Music has always been a huge part of my life, and it feels kind of corny to say, but I play guitar, piano, and I sing, it’s true, I do all that stuff. I’ve loved music and performing since I was, I want to say, eleven. I performed in school musicals, acapella, recitals, and my favorite stage, my bedroom. I loved it so much that I thought I might actually go to school for it. But as I prepped for audition after audition to get into performing arts colleges, I started to really