Content notes: parental death, parental illness, cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease Dear Madeline Bell, Tess Bright is an American actor who became famous on a teen sitcom “Chuck Brown”, based loosely on the Peanuts comic strip. After her mother became ill and then died, her grief led to her showing up late ... more >
Ravi Abhiramnew’s job is simple: hunt down and neutralize supernatural threats. That is until he meets Cayenne, a charismatic time traveler who claims to know everything about him—even his most closely guarded secrets. Going to dinner with Cayenne is probably a bad idea, and a romantic island getaway definitely is. ... more >
I pivoted in my Amazon First Reads recently and eschewed a thriller in favor of a genre I have rarely read – Young Adult. I have long been into New Adult novels, but they have a very different vibe to me – the difference is a few years for the ... more >
Dear Mark Lawrence, Earlier this year I read and fell in love with your Book of the Ancestor trilogy (Red Sister, Grey Sister and Holy Sister), a marvelous mix of fantasy, science fiction, action, and coming-of-age novels. The books follow an unforgettable protagonist, Nona Grey, from age nine until early ... more >
Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail by Ashley Herring Blake This book had a cute start and an interesting premise. I really liked the author’s earlier book, Delilah Green Doesn’t Care, but although this book wasn’t bad, it wasn’t quite as good. Astrid, whom we met in the last book, is standoffish ... more >
Only a Monster by Vanessa Len This YA fantasy novel, Vanessa Len’s debut, was recommended highly by two people I trust, so I stuck with it even though it had a slow and seemingly pedestrian beginning. When Joan, a British East Asian girl, is little, her grandmother tells her that ... more >