Subscribe now

One of my fav things to do at the desk or “info pod” is to review the new books newsletter, on order books and staff lists. unfortunately, I have no clue when we’ll get any of our on order books since the system hasn’t found a new distributor yet but… we’ll see. but, reading those lists is the easiest way for me to find interesting reads and recommendations for others in our system. I am fully loving being Sawyer’s “LILF”, I’m sure y’all can guess what that means. however, I am not technically a librarian, yet. You guys know I’m always waiting for another reason to get a third degree.

Okay, so behind the desk… most if not all of my day consists of helping seniors use computers, showing people how to print (and make copies) and for some reason, having to tell people they can’t bring drinks and food in the library. It still shocks me that I have to say that. and not to children, but sometimes people older than me.

But, sometimes, I get to help people find books for themselves and their kids and give recommendations, which is the best part for sure. My coworker always says I’ll keep collecting stories as I keep working in the system and I definitely am shocked by the amount of tomfoolery and general misbehavior in the branch. But, I really love getting federal holidays off. It’s also pretty crazy to see how many people don’t know how to use doors. I’m serious. People genuinely don’t know how to use doors. They don’t understand our automatic doors (you need to press a button or push the door!!!!!). We have two sets of handicap doors that you have to press a button to open, outside of the building, inside the lobby and inside the branch to exit. Y’all can only imagine the number of times I’ve seen people stand in front of the doors as they close, or try to squeeze through them and stand on the inside just waiting for the door to open. There is a lot of teaching I have to do at this job, which is fine, generally. But a lot of people truly don’t want help, they just want someone to talk at or complain to. Which is super fun for me and everyone else. My coworker likes to say that peoples brains turn off as soon as they enter the branch.

It’s fine. really. totally fine. We don’t go through nearly as much as other branches. I won’t name names, but one branch in the ATL area always, always has multiple issues a week. A few months ago, a patron pooped in front of the branch doors and another patron at the same branch flung a cup full of pee at staff. And don’t get me started on porn man. That’s exactly what you think it is folks. Getting that email was great. And let’s be clear, a lot of this boils down to poor mental health and lack of resources, but a lot more of it is just terrible fucking people.

Anywho, January’s displays are: Series to start in the new year and Banned Books!!!

I may post the lists for these later.

Here are some interesting books I found this week:

• Peaces by Helen Oyeyemi

• You’d look better as a ghost by Joanna Wallace (I actually just found a copy of this for $3)

• The Schoolhouse by Sophie Ward

• The Whistler by Nick Medina

• Horizontal Vertigo by Juan Villoro

• Food Person by Adam Roberts

while I don’t discuss more than books here (typically), life has been a bit of a whirlwind and once I actually find the time, I may start a mini “behind the desk” series. why? because your girl works in a library now!!!! ~

isn’t that so exciting? (yes)

i’ve been a little obsessed with the “anti-rot agenda” trend. I think it’s so fun, and I unfortunately never take any notes. my whole week (besides work) is just rotting, and that should change. but this weekend, for the most part I’m going to try and listen to an audiobook instead of watching tv. I need to read, but I unfortunately just not in the mood. sad I know.

but lets just chat for a minute. I have 25 books checked out currently, mostly fiction and a few cookbooks. using my library resources guys!!!! ive read some great things lately, but unfortunately haven’t had the energy to do reviews (or post) sorry guys. and I keep forgetting what I read (thanks storygraph for helping me keep track!!) i’ve also been reading more physical books because of the library.

okay, so here are all of the books i’ve read since august:

Familiar by Leigh Bardugo - I loved this book. I really do find myself enjoying historical fiction, especially when it has to do with religion. I also did some research in undergrad on Spain (hehe). there were some interesting criticisms, but I quite enjoyed this.

The Medusa Protocol by Rob Hart - I made an oopsie and didn’t realize this was a sequel lol, but it was so good I finished it in a day. adventure, spies, silly jokes, its all there.

The Homewreckers by Mary Kay Andrews - i’ve never read any of her books before, but we have so many in the library I had to try. I loved this book honestly, it was such a “beach read”. nice escape from the thrillers I normally read, and I have another one of her books ready to try.

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson - the British…… this book was good, it was! super interesting and a nice read. but it was so slow to start I just couldn’t lol. but it finally got better, unfortunately I gave up on the sequel for the same reason. I will definitely try again because I need a new detective series to read while I wait for the next Pendergast book.

My Life with the Walter Boys by Ali Novak - I had to. the show was so good and now I hate it because it’s NOTHINg like the book!!! why did they make Alex suck so hard in the show? i’ll never understand. but the book was great and i’m number 117 on the waitlist for the sequel.

Women of Good Fortune by Sophie Wan -oh so good. SOOOO good. I love a heist, especially when its to spite terrible in laws. I will absolutely recommend this book to everyone, I loved the romance, I loved the mystery and I may have shed a tear or two.

The Tenant by Frieda McFadden - so, this was my first Frieda book. and I liked it! it was so weird, soooo strange, but I was shocked. maybe I don’t pay enough attention, but I didn’t see the twist coming at all. will I try her other novels? unsure.

Another Fine Mess by Lindy Ryan - 10/10. thats it. Southern vampires, coming of age stories, and people failing to stay at rest. this is a sequel, and both books are incredible. absolutely a spooky book recommendation.

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley - I love Lucy Foley, sorry guys. I’ll like anything she writes and this is no exception. every twist and turn was so good, and truthfully unexpected. I loved it!!!!! I love her!!!!

Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan - again an author I love, I haven’t read a bad book yet. the drama!!!!!! I love it. and I loved how much of this book was not just silly will they/won’t they. there was so much interesting plot here and scheming from everyone.

With a Vengeance by Riley Sager - a third author i’m obsessed with. this was a little different from the other novels i’ve read, murder mystery: yes. but the plot!!!! the drama!!!! the revenge!!!!! I started it and couldn’t put it down. I think I also finished it in a night or two.

I’ve already recommended most of these, and will continue to do so. I have finally started looking into sending out book mail (yay!). but I have Two Step Devil checked out and Blasphemy, both kind of faith based novels, and a little timely with all of RaptureTok going on, but I’m excited to read them and get into the meat of it.

see you soon for that loves!!!!

Subscribe now

in July, I found Ginny Baird. I started with Right Girl, Wrong Side, a cute forbidden love and childhood friends to lovers story.

Busy flower shop manager Evita Machado can't wait to get to Nantucket. With a bad breakup behind her, relaxing at the shore with her folks and her brothers and their families sounds like the sure cure for heartache, and their vacation destination looks like an amazing place! But when they arrive at the quaint rose-covered cottage, another group has already put down stakes: the Hatfields.

Ryan Hatfield was Evita's former crush from high school, but their business rival moms refused to let them date. Now history professor Ryan is here for a week with his parents, who won them this oceanfront rental in a society silent auction. Once it's clear there's been a double-booking due to a bidding mistake, Ryan's mom digs in her heels, meaning to stay. When Evita's mom won't back down either, both sides tepidly agree to share the luxury accommodations by dividing the cozy space. (Goodreads)

It didn’t take much to win me over, I’m really a simple girl. You know, we always say that romances follow a very specific formula, and they do. But, what doesn't? And either way, it’s nice to know what to expect. The Romeo & Juliet thing, minus the teenagers, and deaths, always gets me. plus lovely but misguided Puerto Rican family. I finished this book in about a day, starting during a very very slow work shift (oops). Then, I started another book, a holiday story!

I love a Hallmark romance, it’s almost impossible not to. well… I know some of you cold hearted people don’t enjoy a good cheesy holiday romance. ahem. I can not relate. it was just my luck that another Ginny Baird book was available: The Holiday Mix-Up.

Lonely-hearted waitress Katie Smith has nowhere to go for Christmas, and a huge crush on her gorgeous diner patron Juan Martinez. So when Juan asks Katie to pose as his girlfriend for holiday festivities at his family's winery, Katie leaps at the chance… that is, until an accident lands Juan in a coma right after giving his folks the "news."

Katie knows she should tell the Martinezes the truth, but when they immediately embrace her, Katie is reluctant to let her fantasy of a family holiday go. And then there's Juan's brother, Mateo, whose smile tugs at her heartstrings just right—and who tells her perfect Juan might not be everything he seems. (Goodreads)

Poor, poor Katie, fallen for a man who doesn’t know she even exists. She’s just the coffee girl. I love the fake relationship trope. It’s my JAM, and they really jammed this up. But, it is a doozy of a story and a lovely little read if you need something to brighten up your summer. Consider it your “Christmas in July” read… even though it’s August.

Now, as we’re in this time of POC romances, let’s add in one of my favorite authors: Kevin Kwan. The author of none other than the Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy. I loved those books, I read and listened to them all in about a week. 10/10 series. But, this post will be about Lies and Weddings.

Rufus Leung Gresham, future Earl of Greshambury and son of a former Hong Kong supermodel, has a problem: his family fortune, the legendary Gresham Trust, has been depleted by decades of profligate spending. While magazine covers and Instagram stories display impeccably designed manors and shiny new yachts, the secret reality holds nothing more than a gargantuan mountain of debt. The only solution, put forth by Rufus’s scheming mother, is for Rufus to seduce a woman with money, thereby securing the family's precarious financial future.

Should he marry Solène de Courcy, a French hotel heiress with honey-blond tresses and a royal bloodline? Should he pursue Martha Dung, the tattooed venture capital genius who passes out billions like lollipops? Or should he follow his heart, betray his family, squander his legacy, and finally confess his love to the literal girl next door, the humble daughter of a doctor, Eden Tong? (Goodreads)

Of course there’s more to it, sooooooo much more. the DRAMA of it all. my god, this man can write a book. Like, really, by the time you’re a third though it’s like ‘oh duh, I know what’s next’. WRONG. This novel is full of confessions, family secrets, terrible women and fun facts about the way the other side lives. If you like a POc love story, always pick up something from Kevin Kwan.

there is always space for love, and love stories are the best part of being alive. so consider your loves, and leave us some of your summer of love reads in the comments.

Subscribe now

i’ve never actually truly curated a top ten or reading list, but I actually did put a little of thought and effort into this list. so I hope you find something worthwhile here.

1. The Cabin at the End of the World

   a really good movie came from this book, and I love when that happens.

   end of the world dystopian novels are not typically my cup of tea, but Paul Tremblay is in my top something list. if you’re looking for something that makes you question your sense of being and purpose this summer, try this one.

2. The Ruins

   another book turned movie, a vacation gone awry.

   now this one is actual horror, and if you’re not into that—skip to number three. but if you are? stick around… learn what happens when you don’t listen to the signs that say don’t go up the creepy vine covered ruin.

3. Relic

   these first three ended up being a series of their own: books that are also movies.

   now, this movie is not widely loved, it strays a lot from the original media, but alas. I’ve read this book three times now, recommended it many, and even gifted a copy or two. I love museum horror lit, and this one right here? so good! if you’re looking for something that makes Night at the Museum seem not so cool and fun, pick up a copy of Relic.

4. The Girls

   cult. cult. cult. CULT.

   I know people on here talk about girlhood and coming-of-age stories all the time, and it gets a little repetitive, but this one is a little different. if you liked Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, or have general knowledge about the Manson family, try The Girls.

5. The Force of Such Beauty

   more “dark” girlhood. Becoming a princess is every girl’s dream, right? but what happens when that dream becomes waking nightmare? sometimes, its not so bad though. for those that want to cry just a little bit, pick up a copy.

   for remembering that you’re more than your body

   "You wanted things and you couldn't help it, because there was only your life, only yourself to wake up with, and how could you ever tell yourself what you wanted was wrong."

   —The Girls, Emma Cline

6. Strange Houses

   releasing June 3.

   while I haven’t read this one yet, but absolutely plan on it, I still want to add it to the list. the other novel, Strange Pictures, is so good but I needed this one to be on the list. I loved Strange Pictures, I love Japanese fiction, but if you’re planning on breaking your book buying ban anyway why not on Strange Houses?

7. Homesick for Another World

   otessa read, of course.

   I really think she’s an acquired taste, but also comes off as a bit of a pretentious read sometimes, in my opinion. she tries very hard to be controversial, to me, but I would recommend this before anything else. I actually listened to the audiobook, but did eventually receive a paperback copy. I may read this again with you all this summer, so if you like weird little books, check this one out.

8. Brutes

   teenage girls suck.

   okay, so I said I wouldn’t fall victim to the girlhood/coming-of-age agenda, but i’m a bit of a liar sometimes. I promise it wasn’t my original plan. I would say if you’ve ever been curious about what a wilder version of your teenage self would’ve been like, try Brutes. it gets weird though. they always do.

9. Joyland

   its a Stephen King novel, but its not as creepy, ghosty, or dead animal-y as his others.

   okay, remember what I just said about how I wasn’t going to do a coming-of-age/girlhood thing? I officially lied guys. I guess technically this is boyhood, though? what of it! he’s a teenager though so its not the same. anyway, creepy amusement park, murder, love. if you’re looking for a good mystery…

10. Galapagos

    hot girls read Vonnegut.

    i’m rereading this book again, its fun and silly and a great beach read in my opinion. now I could’ve recommended a few other good Vonnegut novels for your summer reading lists, and still will if you ask. it’s a good read about Darwin, evolution and the great crisis of the human brain. if you’ve wanted to read a Vonnegut, but weren’t sure where to start, start here.

ah, my loyal readers, I hope that you’ve found some solace in this list. i’ve been struggling to start (and finish) with my May reads, and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

I’ve loved horror since I was around 12. and every time I talk to my dad about the last thriller I read, he says “I don’t know where you got that from, I do not like scary stuff.”, and he’s not wrong— I had to persuade him to read Relic, one of my favorite books about a museum monster. Great book— check it out folks, and I will even let you borrow my copy.

I remember watching nick cage in The Wicker Man, with my mom. a man on a mission— ending up on a secret island being sacrificed to the gods by a cult of women, and his daughter. it’s one of my favorite movies. The Skeleton Key and Case 42 were the next movies I remember watching with my mom, and I still think about these movies to this day. on the other side of that coin is a child who grew up on The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock. The Birds is still one of my favorite movies, and is why I am always nice to black birds. because, while its unlikely every bird would start to attack people, the probability is never zero. there is something so good about the unexplainable, but something so horrific about something that could maybe eventually happen at some place at some time.

Cujo is one of my favorite books, and movies, and was one of the first books I recommended to my boyfriend as he started his adult literary journey. he was not a huge fan (3.5/5), which hurt. Cujo was one of the first “scary” books I read, in my trend of reading all of the classic Stephen King novels.

I remember watching Cujo for the first time, either before or after I read the book— probably after, with my dog Bella who was maybe 10 weeks old at the time. as soon as Cujo found his first victim, I looked at her, sleeping in the tiniest little ball and told her she better not ever. she hasn’t, but that could be the mix of rabies vaccines and the fact that she’s 20 pounds at 13 years old. but my god, Cujo was scary! the sweetest dog you’d ever imagine, doing what dogs do— chasing an animal, then boom rabid. but not just regular rabid, terrifying and dangerous, turning on his family, ripping peoples throats out rabid. and spoilers ahead non readers, tad dies in the book. their sweet, sweet 4 year old son dies in the car from heatstroke while he and his mother attempt to hide in the car from their evil family pet. now thats just down right horrifying! who would’ve thunk it…

“It would perhaps not be amiss to point out out that he had always tried to be a good dog. He had tried to do the things his MAN and his WOMAN, and most of all his BOY, had asked or expected of him. He would have died for them, if that had been required. He had never wanted to kill anybody. He had been struck by something, possibly destiny, or fate, or only a degenerative nerve disease called rabies. Free will was not a factor.”

above all, it was sad. it was a sad story about a family falling apart and an animal, being an animal and succumbing to a disease that was going to take him one way or another.

[some spoilers ahead for middle of the night by Riley Sager]

ghosts are always easier, right? while we’re in the month of grieving things lost and past, lets go to dear Ethan. the main character of the novel Middle of the Night. A “survivor”, as his friend disappeared from his backyard one night in the 80s, never to be seen again. Ethan is perpetually haunted by his friend’s disappearance for decades, unable to sleep and exist properly he unfortunately returns to his childhood home after a series of unfortunate events (wink wink). he sees ghosts, and is haunted by secret codes that only he and his lost friend shared. but he starts to investigate the disappearance, learning that the institute that lived so close near his home was at the heart of something sinister. or was it?

you think its ghosts right? I thought it was ghosts too. I thought the institute sacrificed his friend in a creepy midnight cult, because that’s what thrillers are, you know. because what else would it be? something not so spooky? something more realistic even?

what is scary about something real? and I say the with the utmost kindness, but everything. it is SO much scarier knowing that something I read in a silly little book could be true! I mean shit.

[SPOILERS AHEAD READ NO FURTHER IF YOU WANT TO READ THIS BOOK]

y’all. it was a fucking teenager. after all of the mysteries and the paranormal activity and the hauntings, which were the actions of the missing boy’s younger brother— assuming that Ethan had killed the kid. it was the freaking babysitter! drunk and on her way home from a party she shouldn’t have been at, driving a car she shouldn’t have been driving. an action that was sadly foreshadowed when our missing boy almost walks backwards into a road running straight through the forest. that was it. that was the ending. she hit him. and like a drunk teenager would do, I guess, wrapped him up in a blanket and threw his body off of a waterfall into a lake. not saying a word for nearly 40 years. after which she is convicted for vehicular manslaughter and hiding a body.

that’s it. mystery solved, haunting over.

she’s in jail and Ethan gets to sleep now I guess. what the fuck? is that not the most horrifying thing you’ve ever read? who picks up a book expecting ghosts but the perpetrator is a dumb ass teenager. that’s what I mean by realistic horror. this shit happens. and it’s scary as hell. I think I basically slammed this book closed, whispering “what the hell?” to myself over and over, because I just couldn't believe it. she would’ve kept that secret forever. she already had for 4o years !!!!!! apparently what’s 40 more? people are scary. humans are scarier than any supernatural creature. and thats what makes this genre so riveting, but also why I couldn’t read Mr. Mercedes. you read the first page of that book and get back to me. i’m serious. people are fucked up beyond repair. why use reading as an escape if what you’re reading could be true? I don’t know. what I do know, is that like Cujo, I feel sorry for Ethan. a victim of circumstance. a little boy who didn’t know what to do, and couldn’t do a thing anyway. he too had been struck by something…

I am in parts after reading these novels.

I had been recommended I Who Have Never Known Men by Pinterest primarily, but a very dear friend was listening to it recently and while I’d had the book on hold for weeks at that point I was consumed by the need to follow a recommendation from someone who’s literary opinion I respected. (love you beks)

There is something about a dystopian novel during this political climate that is truly terrifying and disheartening, but at the same time there is an err of resistance that our main character has throughout the book, even though she really doesn’t know why. I mean, nor does she know anything really. I wouldn’t dare spoil the book here, but I implore you, dear reader, to attempt this book. it is so beautifully written, so scary.

I was borne by an impulse so powerful, that had a guard appeared at that moment, even if he were twice my size, I’d have knocked him over and trampled him underfoot; I was possessed by a wild joy that was heedless of all else.

I had to sit with this for a while, much longer than with any other book I’ve read recently. But does that say more about the novel or about me? Have I been so full of mysteries, thrillers and general fiction that I don’t know how to consume this type of media anymore? I mean that can’t be the case right? I was an English minor, an Art Historian— someone who consumed so much thought… and yet. As a woman who has known man, who has known men, what difference does it make? A silly, rhetorical question, I promise. She knew no one else but the women she spent her life with, and then herself. How sick and twisted of a timeline must this be? Our main character, like many women, doesn’t understand, doesn’t know. I implore you, dear reader, to learn. To take heed of the world around you and take this book with a grain of salt. Not as a blueprint for our future, but a better way to comprehend our past.

I am not an annotator by any means, often, I find it tedious and pointless. Especially in romance and fantasy, I mean it can’t possibly have been that thought provoking. However, in Bad Fruit there were far too many things said that I felt in an almost primal way. If you, dear reader, have ever had a difficult or painful conversation with a mother or mother figure, this book is for you. There is trauma, intergenerational trauma, and more fucking trauma, that being said I say now: take heed. This book is beautiful, but it is traumatic. And I loved every moment of it.

I’m a dying star held together by a handclasp.

To be completely truthful with you, this was my third attempt at Bad Fruit. The first time I started this book, was November 2024. I had 6 books checked out, and the one that received all of my focus was Anansi Boys followed by The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Bad Fruit was no comparison for these at the time. The second time, I have to say, it couldn’t compete with Funny Story, Strange Pictures, or A Good House for Children. That being said, it isn’t a bad book by any means, but I was in a certain mood both times and the beginning chapters of Bad Fruit just couldn’t catch my attention. It was more than worth it in the end though I promise. But the point… as it seems I’ve lost it.

Mothers. Bad mothers. Mothers who are hurting, and have so much pain, anger and trauma in them it courses through their bones, releases in their children and damn near releases through their pores. Women who have been so irreparably harmed that they have basically no choice but to harm others. And God forbid, it’s always a child (or three). May is a horrible woman, we learn that very quickly… But she is also a victim. And how do we treat the evil woman who has been victimized so horribly that she causes so much pain? It’s hard. And our main character Lily learns that through attempts to protect herself and protect a grown woman, who, let’s be frank… needs to learn to protect her goddamned self.

Francie swallows. This is Mama’s gift, turning everything to ash. Gently, she pushes Mama’s hand down so the phone is flat on the table. “I’m sorry for you,” she whispers.

But then, we fall into the conversation of women of color and the worst “T” word there could be…therapy. GASP! Iknow, I know I said it. Shoot me. God knows I need therapy for a myriad of things, and this might be the thing that really pushes me. We have all known a woman that hurts people. And of course, somewhere down the line of our adolescence we learn why she hurts others, who has hurt her, etc. But we also learned that she didn’t seek help. She didn’t try (or didn’t know how) to break the curse that burdened her mother, herself and eventually her daughter. And I mean what the fuck guys? Why has everyone else’s pain continued to be our burden to bare? As a woman, and a black woman at that what the fuck? and I mean it. Why do we have to keep carrying everyone else’s shit? And boy do I salute Lily for everything she did in the novel, I could never have been as strong as her at 18. I was too busy traumatizing myself and everyone else for shit that was no one fault. And drinking. Sorry.

Guilt is liquid, poured out by the person to whom it belongs, taken up by someone else entirely different.