The first I ever head of Alex North's debut novel, The Whisper Man, was when it was a Book of the Month selection last August. Instantly, I knew I needed to read it - the cover and synopsis both alighted my imagination, and I love anything scary, especially if it might be supernatural. So I... Continue Reading →
Jessie Burton's The Miniaturist is one of those books that was on my radar for a long time before I finally got it. Its peculiar cover and intriguing title both caught my eye, and it went onto my long list of wanted books. Fast-forward five years, and I finally bought it as a gift for... Continue Reading →
Continuing in my reading journey through history, and following two books set in the early 1600s (The Familiars and The Mercies), my next book took me to Iceland in 1686. I first discovered Caroline Lea's The Glass Woman when I was perusing Barnes & Noble shortly before the holidays. I'd hoped to get it as... Continue Reading →
I have a goal for myself this year to travel more of the world through the books I read. I've read novels set in places as far apart as Ecuador, Nigeria, and Japan, but there are still so many countries I've never visited - in real life or even in my books. One day in... Continue Reading →
Three months ago, I was visiting my sister in Limerick, Ireland when we popped into a book store. (We actually went to several book stores during my visit; I have an obsession!) I decided I needed to get a book (or 10) as a souvenir, and the first one I chose was Stacey Halls' debut,... Continue Reading →
It was 2013 when I first learned about the infamous Elizabeth Báthory. My boyfriend (now husband) had introduced me to a Swedish metal band called Ghost, and their first album featured a song called "Elizabeth." I had no idea who the titular Elizabeth was, but then my boyfriend explained about the serial killer countess who... Continue Reading →
A week ago I finished Madeline Miller's Circe; immediately after, I dove right into The Silence of The Girls by Pat Barker. The two novels have much in common. Both were published in 2018, both were Book of the Month selections, and both center on famous figures from Greek mythology. More so than Circe, The Silence of... Continue Reading →
I remember when Madeline Miller's Circe first came out in April 2018. It was all over the bookstores and its shining cover drew me in. But it wasn't until January 2019 that I finally bought the book, signing up for Book of the Month to get it. Now, over a year after that purchase, I've... Continue Reading →
I first came across Christine Féret-Fleury's The Girl Who Reads on the Métro while exploring a nearby Barnes & Noble. It instantly captured my imagination and drew up memories: I was once a girl on the métro (or rather, subway), reading during my morning and afternoon commutes between Queens and Brooklyn. Though I've never been... Continue Reading →
Amy Harmon's What the Wind Knows gently fluttered into my awareness last year when I saw it featured in some bookish email newsletters. But while the title and cover caught my eye, the summary catapulted it to the top of my to-buy list. There are three reasons... First: It's set in Ireland, and I have... Continue Reading →
At the beginning of this year, I decided to subscribe to Book of the Month. One of my favorite things about BOTM is that I discover some amazing books that I hadn't heard of before. In September, my favorite Book of the Month discovery was Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore, the first in... Continue Reading →
Three months ago, I discovered Little Darlings by Melanie Golding thanks to Book of the Month. Its spooky cover and title captured my interest, and with the description, I was sold. Along with Riley Sager's Lock Every Door and Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Gods of Jade and Shadow, Little Darlings become my third and final July 2019... Continue Reading →
Following Ruth Ware's thrillers, In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, and The Lying Game, her fourth novel, 2018's The Death of Mrs. Westaway, presented a new, more gothic side to her storytelling. This theme carries over into Ruth Ware’s newest book, The Turn of the Key, released last month. I've decided to read... Continue Reading →
There's a trio of books I've been planning to read in succession, all related to living in another's home as part of your job duties. Before I get to Ruth Ware's The Turn of the Key and Riley Sager's Lock Every Door, I decided to start with The Au Pair by Emma Rous. Published in... Continue Reading →
One year after releasing her fourth novel, The Death of Mrs. Westaway, Ruth Ware just shared a companion novella, The Tale of Mrs. Westaway. It's her first short story, and it's also her first release available only as a free ebook. If you - like me! - loved The Death of Mrs. Westaway, then you'll... Continue Reading →
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides has been getting a lot of buzz since it was announced, and I was excited to finally get it. I ordered it as part of my April Book of the Month box (along with The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker... I certainly was in a mood that... Continue Reading →
It looks like I'm entering into my next mystery/thriller phase, and this time Lexie Elliott's The Missing Years kicked it off. I came across this recently-published book a few months ago, and was instantly transfixed by both its title and its cover. There's something mysterious and intriguing about both, and they make you imagine a... Continue Reading →
A few months ago, I came across The Binding by Bridget Collins online, and I was immediately enraptured. It wasn't out yet, but I counted down the days until I could buy it and read it. I'm in something of a historical fantasy mood lately, and The Binding was exactly what I needed in my... Continue Reading →
I stumbled across G. Willow Wilson's The Bird King on Goodreads shortly before it was published. Though I don't often read fantasy, this book's enchanting cover and summary drew me in, and I knew I needed to get it as soon as it was released. Like the last book I read - The Sisterhood by Helen... Continue Reading →
For my birthday this year, my lovely sister got me three books. The first one I decided to read was The Sisterhood by Helen Bryan. It's set in Spain, and my sister knows I love anything related to Spain. That plus the word "sister" in the title made it an ideal gift. The Sisterhood is... Continue Reading →
Jessica Shattuck's The Women in the Castle is a book I've been holding onto for about two years. Published in 2017, I'd been waiting for the right time to read it. After finishing Craig Russell's The Devil Aspect, set just before the start of WWII, it felt like the perfect time to dive into this... Continue Reading →
A few weeks ago, I stumbled across The Devil Aspect by Craig Russell on a display shelf at a book store. It's one of those books that instantly grabs your attention, with its intriguing title and unsettling cover art. I knew I wouldn't be able to wait long to read it. The Devil Aspect is... Continue Reading →
Imogen Hermes Gowar's debut novel, The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock, is among the most unusual books I've read. It doesn't fit into the types of books I normally read; while I love historical fiction, it's only recently that my interest in fantasy and magical realism started growing. However, even here, The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock... Continue Reading →
Besides reading books, my other major passion is music. I got my master's degree in music business, and in addition to Amanda's Book Corner here, I've also run a music news site called Hidden Jams since 2014. So when my two passions collide, I get extra excited. One such collision is in Rachel Joyce's The... Continue Reading →
