These reviews, which were promoted in CBR social media, on our homepage, and in Pajiba Love, appear below by review publication date, not by date featured.
The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons
What do I often say I want in a book? I say I want a nice standalone fantasy novel. But when I read a standalone fantasy novel that I enjoy, I find myself thinking, “No wait! I want more time with these specific characters in this world.” I guess you have to be careful what you wish for because you might just get it. Now that I’ve finished The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons, I’m sitting here wanting more. For this review, I also […]
Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q Sutanto
CBR 16 Bingo – Bananas. If a rom-com mixed with a murder mystery happening at a wedding isn’t bananas, I don’t know what is! Like many of my bingo reads this year, this book has been on my TBR for a while, and I used bingo as a reason to finally read it. This isn’t the type of book I’d usually read, but it came recommended and seemed like it could be fun, so I added it to my TBR and eventually picked it up. […]
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
3.5 stars Nowhere Books Bingo: Banned books (Wasn’t published until 27 years after Bulgakov’s death, and only then in a censored version. ) CBR16 Bingo: Cult (cult classic, and there’s the whole Devil and his entourage as a central plot point – that’s pretty cultish, right?) I can’t remember exactly how long The Master and Margarita has been on my TBR list, but it’s certainly more than twenty years. A quick glance on Goodreads shows me that 15 of my friends have rated it four […]
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic had been on my to read for a bit as one of the more visible challenged and banned books since its publication in 2006 (31st most challenged in the decade 2010-2019 according to the ALA) that I hadn’t gotten to yet, but moved higher up as it was challenged locally to me twice since 2020 (it’s been retained both times). So, it found its way to my September reading as my personal choice for Banned Books Week 2024. As […]
Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
I saw a TikTok where the author of a book had stitched a meeting of a local school board. They were proposing to ban the book because of foul language and depictions of drug abuse. This is a YA autobiographical graphic novel of the author’s life through the end of high school. The author is also the illustrator. It starts with depictions of him as a child having nightmares; seeing his mother with several men; and, spending his night on the floor outside her room. […]
House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas
House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas
House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
I know it’s cool to hate on Sarah J. Maas books, but I am a huge fan of her work. Are they high literature? No, but A Court of Thorns and Roses got me back into reading after too long of an absence. A Court of Silver Flames helped get me out of bed after 6 pets died in 6 months and I was in a depressive fugue. She does character development like nobody else, and her books are unputdownable. Book 1: House of Earth […]
