Space Station Mir

 Last week was a holiday for me--Shana tova if you celebrate!--so I decided to share my fall TBR this week, in addition to book covers that give off fall vibes. I think we did something similar with the fall vibes a few years ago (five, to be exact ), so I tried to find a few new ones.  Happy Top Ten Tuesday! My Fall 2025 TBR Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas--I didn't want to continue with ACOTAR, but checking out this series, and I am cautiously optimistic! The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater--I got to meet her at the Baltimore Book Fest and bought her latest book--adult historical fiction with a side of mysticism set in 1940s Virginia at an out-of-the-way hotel/resort. All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert--Preordered since I've loved and reread all of her books, and it was very special to get to see and hear her speak on her book tour! Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins--I know I'm going to love this (and probably cry)--waiting for the right rainy day.  G...

 Unfortunately, I missed last week's Top Ten Tuesday  and it was just as inspiring of a topic as this week's, so I thought I'd do a combo! Plus, while these types of topics are more interesting, it's harder to come up with as many, so I think this will split the difference nicely. Let me know what you think! My Five Favorite Villains Magneto--Everyone's favorite X-Men villain is also mine--from Ian McKellan's memorable portrayal and especially the recently released X-Men '97 cartoon--it's hard not to think, sometimes, Magneto was right. Thanos--Also a comic-world villain whose ultimate goal can be strangely relatable--nobody loves his methods or his treatment of his daughters, but he certainly looms large as an alternative to climate change.  Gretel from Ian Tregellis' Milkweed Triptych --She is absolutely irredeemable--but her villainy is so terrifyingly pure and her foresight ability used so mercilessly, it's hard not to be impressed.  The Marq...

August was an excellent reading month. I got to read some hotly anticipated books for review, and I had a few intriguing book club reads. My favorite part of book club is when I enjoy a book I would never have chosen myself--or even if it's just a good book to discuss. Books Read in August 2025 Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller (Book club read)--An ensemble novel centered around a Little Free Library with undercover banned books--it's wrapped up a little too neatly and the characters are a little too black-and-white, but definitely a comforting take on the issues in our country in miniature. Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders (Read for review from the author)--Loved this moody, melancholy, and beautiful novel, an ode to 18th century British women writers, fraught mother-daughter relationships, and the nature of reputation in our world.  Jackpot Summer by Elyssa Friedland (Other book club read)--Interesting ethical conundrum--3 s...

  Happy Top Ten Tuesday! This fun topic was chosen by Hopewell's Public Library of Life. I also got a little creative with the idea of "occupation," but I do think all of these genuinely fit, even if some are a bit fantastical! Books With Occupations in the Title The Fire Apprentice by Jane Buehler--A cozy fantasy romance I highly recommend (as long as you're ok with spice)--the title could refer to two characters who become blacksmith's apprentices--or to a character who becomes apprenticed to a fire-breathing dragon to learn to control her fire magic. Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb--Probably needs no introduction to most fantasy readers; the title character is exactly what it sounds like! The Muralist by B.A. Shapiro--The fictional muralist in question works for the Works Progress Administration during the 1930s in NYC. The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro--Maybe not a technically legal occupation but the eponymous character really does make her living as an...

 A Storm In Every Heart by Kate King (Enchanted Legacies #2) Release Date: September 1, 2025 If you like dark romantasy with twisted Disney beats, this is the book for you! This is the second in a series, and although it could stand alone in terms of the characters, I think I had a better handle on the world and what to expect from having read the first book, A Thorn in Every Heart .  King conjures clear and specific allusions to Disney movies, notably The Little Mermaid here, and others that I won't spoil😉. Millenials and anyone who grew up on those movies will enjoy the references, although rest assured these NSFW tales are much darker, deeper, and more twisted.  Siren Odessa and her prince Kastian are caught up in tempests not of their making, but as they figure out how to reverse or overcome their "poor unfortunate souls," the reader explores more of the complex lore of Ellender, where the inhabitants have centuries of secrets to hide and scores to settle. This is ...

I've put blogging on the backburner for a bit, but I read a lot of books in July, including book club books, books for review, and escapist contemporary romances from Kindle Unlimited. The Let Them Theory is a book I'll be thinking about for a long time--it's basically a distillation of boundaries/thought exercises you can learn from therapy, but I liked how Robbins broke it down and supported each chapter with expert advice and research. Books Read in July 2025 Nine Women, One Dress by Jane L. Rosen (Book club read) The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins The Best Advice by Amy Dressler (LibraryThing review) The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See (Another book club read) The Best Book Boyfriend by Holly June Smith The Worst Guy Ever by Holly June Smith The No Rules Roommate by Holly June Smith

Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders Release Date: August 19, 2025 I was honored to be one in a chain of readers sharing an ARC from the author. It was a pretty cool idea; we each were mailed a copy, read it, and received an address to mail it on to the next person. As one of the last readers, when I received it, the inside cover was almost filled with messages and signatures from previous readers! No one, however, had marked the book in any way, so I will have to wait until I get my own preordered copy to do all my underlining and annotating! This was such a beautiful, melancholy yet hopeful, contained yet genre-expansive, story of an 18th century Brit lit grad student who teaches her mother magic, with somewhat disastrous consequences. I enjoyed the embedded 18th century Brit lit discourse and the interpolated fictional 18th century novel, and particularly the spotlight on real 18th century women writers (Sarah Fielding, Jane Collier). The novel wrestles with the eth...