In The Shadow of Lightening

 By: Brian McClellan

Location: FIC MCC

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Magic is a finite resource—and it’s running out.

Demir Grappo is an outcast—he fled a life of wealth and power, abandoning his responsibilities as a general, a governor, and a son. Now he will live out his days as a grifter, rootless, and alone. But when his mother is brutally murdered, Demir must return from exile to claim his seat at the head of the family and uncover the truth that got her killed: the very power that keeps civilization turning, godglass, is running out.

Now, Demir must find allies, old friends and rivals alike, confront the powerful guild-families who are only interested in making the most of the scraps left at the table and uncover the invisible hand that threatens the Empire. A war is coming, a war unlike any other. And Demir and his ragtag group of outcasts are the only thing that stands in the way of the end of life as the world knows it.

Review by Zak

In the Shadow of Lightning is an easy read with a clear destination that takes a surprising turn toward the end. Not the ending itself—that was everything you expected it to be, in a good way—but the direction of the world and series. There is a lot to enjoy about this book, but it is the promise of where the series is headed that excites me the most.

My favorite parts of this book were the pacing and the magic. Once again, McClellan has created a fully fleshed out magic system that interacts gracefully with the world, cultures, and economics. It's also just super cool, which, honestly, is also important. As an author, I found myself feeling similar pangs of jealousy as when I read Jade City, wishing I'd come up with it! And for the pacing, this really just kept me engaged throughout with the mysteries, investigations, engineering, and more.

While there were a few beautiful moments between characters, I do think that those readers looking for more character-driven books will find this one lacking. For me, I liked each of the characters and enjoyed this quite thoroughly.

Tress of the Emerald Sea

 By: Brandon Sanderson

Location: FIC SAN

Genre: Sanderson has his very own

#1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson expands his Cosmere universe shared by The Stormlight Archive and Mistborn with a new standalone novel for everyone who loved The Princess Bride.

The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death?

Matts review

"Going into this book, I was quite confident that it wasn't going to be for me. In general, I haven't really like the Brandon Sanderson one-off books in the past, and knowing that this book is more YA (a category I don't normally enjoy), this had "DNF" written all over it.

And while reading the first 20% of this book my predictions were correct, I didn't like the characters, didn't love the setting, and thought the writing style was trying to be far too humorous, which I don't think Brandon Sanderson excels at.

To my incredible surprise, the plot quickly picks up the pace and turns into an incredibly fun adventure full of amazing characters with great personal growth, an enchanting world, an inventive and fun magic system, great plot twists that I truly didn't see coming (but should have - the hallmark of a great twist), and a wonderful ending.

By the end of this book I was full of smiles while reading, and was regretting getting to the end of this book. I can't wait for my kids to get older so I can read them to them and see the wonder in their eyes as they experience this fantastic adventure story."

The Book Of Cold Cases

 By: Simone St James

Location: FIC STJ

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

A true crime blogger gets more than she bargained for while interviewing the woman acquitted of two cold case slayings in this chilling new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel .

In 1977, Claire Lake, Oregon, was shaken by the Lady Killer Two men, seemingly randomly, were murdered with the same gun, with strange notes left behind. Beth Greer was the perfect suspect—a rich, eccentric twenty-three-year-old woman, seen fleeing one of the crimes. But she was acquitted, and she retreated to the isolation of her mansion.
 
Oregon, 2017 . Shea Collins is a receptionist, but by night, she runs a true crime website, the Book of Cold Cases—a passion fueled by the attempted abduction she escaped as a child. When she meets Beth by chance, Shea asks her for an interview. To Shea’s surprise, Beth says yes.
 
They meet regularly at Beth’s mansion, though Shea is never comfortable there. Items move when she’s not looking, and she could swear she’s seen a girl outside the window. The allure of learning the truth about the case from the smart, charming Beth is too much to resist, but even as they grow closer, Shea senses something isn’t right. Is she making friends with a manipulative murderer, or are there other dangers lurking in the darkness of the Greer house?

"i did not go into this expecting to read a ghost story but, surprisingly, i enjoyed it! i thought the paranormal aspect worked well with the plot and made this particular cold case mystery all the more thrilling, if not more spooky.

this also incorporates blogs and podcasts and all sort of popular true crime reporting used today into the narrative, so i think that will appeal to a lot of readers. its fun and engaging and has the right atmosphere for a ghost story.

this is only the second book that i have read by SSJ, but this has me wanting to read more!" Jessica

The Isles Of The Gods

 By: Amie Kaufman

Location: FIC KAU

Genre: Fantasy, Pirate, Romance

"Gorgeously detailed and thoroughly enchanting, the first book in Amie Kaufman’s new epic fantasy series is a masterfully immersive, high stakes adventure story that I can guarantee will have you on the edge of your seats."

Selly has salt water in her veins. So when her father leaves her high and dry in the port of Kirkpool, she has no intention of riding out the winter at home while he sails to adventure in the north seas. But any plans to follow him are dashed when a handsome stranger with tell-tale magician's marks on his arms commandeers her ship under cover of darkness: He is Prince Leander of Alinor, and he needs to cross the Crescent Sea without detection so he can complete a ritual on the sacred Isles of the Gods.

Selly has no desire to escort a spoiled prince anywhere, and no time for his entitled demands or his good looks. But what starts as a leisure cruise will lead to acts of treason and sheer terror on the high seas, bringing two countries to the brink of war, two strangers closer than they ever thought possible and two dangerous gods stirring from centuries of slumber...

"I’m obsessed with this book and I need the next one NOW!!! The sea setting was exquisitely done, the mythology and magic system surrounding this new world is extremely cool, and the characters are just amazing!!! I love Leander, Selly and Keegan with all my heart and I hope we get a ton more of Jude in the next one.
This story is full of adventure, magic, high stakes, banter and romance, and it’s definitely a must read." Goodreads.com

I Was Born For This

 By: Alice Oseman 

Location: FIC OSE

Genre: LGBGT, Contemporary, Fiction

'I'm gonna die. I'm literally gonna die.'
'Wouldn't recommend that,' says Juliet, as if she's been on a two week holiday to Death and gave it a two out of five on TripAdvisor.

For Angel, life is only about one thing: The Ark – a pop-rock trio of teenage boys who are currently taking the world by storm. Being part of The Ark’s fandom has given her everything – her friend Juliet, her dreams, her place in the world.

Jimmy owes everything to The Ark. He’s their frontman – and playing in a band with his mates is all he ever dreamed of doing.

But dreams don't always turn out the way you think, and when Jimmy and Angel are unexpectedly thrust together they find out just how strange and surprising facing up to reality can be.

Funny and wise, I Was Born for This is a stunning reflection on the power of believing in something - especially yourself

A Hunger of Thorns

 By: Lili Wilkinson 

Location: FIC WIL

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, LGBGT

I cry out for every girl who was told to comb her hair and wash the mud from her face. To keep herself contained. To be ashamed of her voice, her hair, her flesh. To be quiet and good and nice. Girls are not nice. Girls are wild and fierce and powerful, and I will not let anyone take that away. Not ever again.

Be swept up in this brilliant witchy tale about forbidden magic and missing girls who don't need handsome princes to rescue them. Perfect for fans of the Serpent & Dove series.

'Completely entrancing. I have never read anything like this book. It's full of magic - the real thing. And it's full of feminine power, dark mysteries and unforgettable characters. The luscious depth of the world-building and the effortless skill with which it is conveyed make me utterly jealous.' - Amie Kaufman

Maude is the daughter of witches. She spent her childhood running wild with her best friend, Odette, weaving stories of girls who slayed dragons and saved princes. Then Maude grew up and lost her magic - and her best friend. Storytelling is her only gift that remains.

Odette always hungered for forbidden, dangerous magic, and two weeks ago she went searching for it. Now she's missing, and everyone believes she's dead. Everyone except Maude.

Maude is sure she can find Odette inside the ruins of Sicklehurst, an abandoned power plant built over an ancient magical forest -a place nobody else seems to remember is there. The danger is, nobody knows what remains inside Sicklehurst, either. And every good story is sure to have a monster ...

'A lush, spellbinding tale with dangerously enchanting characters, A Hunger of Thorns is filled with gorgeous emotion and sapphic yearning that will leave you breathless.' - CS Pacat

'Maude's quest will take you to deep, dark, festering places and bring you soaring back out into the light.' - Margo Lanagan

'Unlike anything else. Wilkinson creates a whole new kind of magic - enchantments woven from family, from living things, and from the marrow of Story itself.' - Scott Westerfeld

'Wilkinson crafts a lovely fairy tale of childhood fierceness, curiosity, loss and finding.' - Catherynne M. Valente, author of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

'This is my kind of fairy visceral and dark, lush and lovely, and filled with feral girls who know how to save themselves. A Hunger of Thorns is a beautiful, ferocious vine that will work its way inside you and linger.' - Kate J Armstrong

A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons

 By: Kate Khavari 

Location: FIC KHA

Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction

"Cozy mystery meets historical thriller with romantic vibes and a stunning artsy cover is a dreamy package for my suspense cravings!"

The Lost Apothecary meets Dead Dead Girls in this fast-paced, STEMinist adventure.

Debut author Kate Khavari deftly entwines a pulse-pounding mystery with the struggles of a woman in a male-dominated field in 1923 London.

Newly minted research assistant Saffron Everleigh is determined to blaze a new trail at the University College London, but with her colleagues’ beliefs about women’s academic inabilities and not-so-subtle hints that her deceased father’s reputation paved her way into the botany department, she feels stymied at every turn.

When she attends a dinner party for the school, she expects to engage in conversations about the university's large expedition to the Amazon. What she doesn’t expect is for Mrs. Henry, one of the professors’ wives, to drop to the floor, poisoned by an unknown toxin. 

Dr. Maxwell, Saffron’s mentor, is the main suspect and evidence quickly mounts. Joined by fellow researcher--and potential romantic interest--Alexander Ashton, Saffron uses her knowledge of botany as she explores steamy greenhouses, dark gardens, and deadly poisons to clear Maxwell's name.

Will she be able to uncover the truth, or will her investigation land her on the murderer’s list, in this entertaining examination of society’s expectations?

Better Than The Movies

 By: Lynn Painter

Location: FIC PAI

Genre: Romance

“Sometimes we get so tied up in our idea of what we think we want that we miss out on the amazingness of what we could actually have.”
― Lynn Painter, Better than the Movies

Perfect for fans of Kasie West and Jenn Bennett, this “sweet and funny” (Kerry Winfrey, author of Waiting for Tom Hanks ) teen rom-com follows a hopelessly romantic teen girl and her cute yet obnoxious neighbor as they scheme to get her noticed by her untouchable crush.

Perpetual daydreamer Liz Buxbaum gave her heart to Michael a long time ago. But her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away. Now that he’s back in town, Liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar—and maybe snag him as a prom date—even befriend Wes Bennet.

The annoyingly attractive next-door neighbor might seem like a prime candidate for romantic comedy fantasies, but Wes has only been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. Pranks involving frogs and decapitated lawn gnomes do not a potential boyfriend make. Yet, somehow, Wes and Michael are hitting it off, which means Wes is Liz’s in.

But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz noticed by Michael so she can have her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love—and rethink her own ideas of what Happily Ever After should look like.

The Atlas Paradox

 By: Olivie Blake 

Location: FIC BLA

Genre: Fantasy Fiction LGBT

The Atlas Paradox is the long-awaited sequel to dark academic sensation The Atlas Six—guaranteed to have even more yearning, backstabbing, betrayal, and chaos.

Six magicians. Two rivalries. One researcher. And a man who can walk through dreams. All must pick a side: do they wish to preserve the world—or destroy it? In this electric sequel to the viral sensation, The Atlas Six, the society of Alexandrians is revealed for what it is: a secret society with raw, world-changing power, headed by a man whose plans to change life as we know it are already under way. But the cost of knowledge is steep, and as the price of power demands each character choose a side, which alliances will hold and which will see their enmity deepen?”

Great interview with the author here:

Can we expect more Filipino characters in the future? Can you give us a hint on what they’ll be like?

There is another character coming in the next installment of the Atlas series who is Filipina in origin. Even in book 1, before she arrived in the story, I knew I was going to face the subject of climate change and global resource inequity head-on from the perspective of someone from a country without Western political capital—a country that, despite being severely affected by climate change, would be unfairly overlooked on a global stage. Like, say, an island nation that stands to lose millions of dollars and hundreds of lives annually as sea levels continue to rise and extreme weather poses a constant threat, but doesn’t register for long on the average American-dominated Twitter feed.

It’s pretty ugly to phrase it that way, I know, but I think it’s a realistic ugliness—just as imperialism has determined the location of the Alexandrian Society, colonialism has determined who gets to dominate the narratives we read. It was a conscious choice for me to take someone with the motivations and rhetorical prowess of Greta Thunberg, but with arguably higher geographic stakes and without the whiteness that makes her more universally palatable. (Which is not to diminish Greta, who is admirable in countless ways—it’s just to point out what might potentially serve as added social capital, or what might be taken as more of a threat purely as a result of the optics.)

The Filipina character of Belen Jiménez isn’t like Bel Maier, who is based on my personal experience growing up first-gen. But Belen is still personal in that she’s the kind of woman who dominated my familial narrative. She’s partially modeled off the way my godmother dressed after she first arrived in California; she’s named after my mom’s best friend at university and carries my grandmother’s maiden name; her adopted moniker comes from my great-grandmother. Belen will likely be called a minor character in terms of being outside the series’ six main points of view, but she is critical to the story I’m telling about knowledge and power.

Nubia

 By: Omar Epps

Location: FIC EPP

Genre: Sci fi, Dystopia, Fantasy

"I really enjoyed this cultural urban fantasy tale. Climate change, racism, social classes, political corruption, abuse, death, friendship, family ties, ancestry, magic and more. It had just enough and never too much."

From beloved actor and producer Omar Epps and writer Clarence A. Haynes comes the biggest epic fantasy of the year. A powerful saga of three teens, the children of refugees from a fallen African utopia, who must navigate their newfound powers in a climate-ravaged New York City. Perfect for fans of Black Panther and Children of Blood and Bone.

For Zuberi, Uzochi, and Lencho, Nubia is a mystery. Before they were born, a massive storm destroyed their ancestral homeland, forcing their families to flee across the ocean to New York City. Nubia, a utopic island nation off the coast of West Africa, was no more, and their parents' sorrow was too deep for them to share much of their history beyond the folklore.

But New York, ravaged by climate change and class division, is far from a safe haven for refugees, and Nubians live as outcasts, struggling to survive in the constantly flooding lower half of Manhattan, while the rich thrive in the tech-driven sky city known as the Up High.

To many, being Nubian means you're fated for a life plagued by difficulties and disrespect. But Zuberi, Uzochi, and Lencho are beginning to feel there might be more. Something within them is changing, giving each of them extraordinary powers. Extraordinary and terrifying powers that seem to be tied to the secrets their parents have kept from them.

And there are people Up High watching, eager to do anything they can to become even more powerful than they already are. Now Zuberi, Uzochi, and Lencho will be faced with the choice--do they use their inheritance to lift their people, or to leave them behind. The fate of their city, and their people, hangs in the balance.

Review from Goodreads

The cover alone is stunning, but, the story really blew me away. Around 40% I could not stop reading this book.

I loved how the story was told from the different perspectives of the characters. It was a unique futuristic story but still had some current aspects. The writing is good, the characters were likable, and the flow of the story was pretty good paced. It was carefully detailed and I could totally picture things as they happened.

The Nubian people are a group of outsiders living in the slums of New York in the late 2090s & they are at the bottom of the totem pole. However, the younger Nubians notice different things happening to them and it is revealed that they have special powers- the Awakening. I liked the suspense around the young characters coming into their new powers. The villain in the story played a huge role-the corruption and brainwashing caused all kind of chaos in the story. I am really curious to see if there will be more of this story because the ending alludes to there being more. I am advocating for a tv series or movie adaptation, I want more. Good read!

The Driver

 By: Mark Dawson

Location: FIC DAW

Genre: Thriller

AND we are getting more in to fill out the series!

This is John Milton THREE- One and Two are coming!

John Milton had started to hope that he might have a future. He has a job driving a taxi around the streets of San Francisco. He has his anonymity and his solitude. Being invisible has become a comfortable habit. He doesn't want to be found.

But when a girl he drives to a party goes missing, Milton is worried. Especially when two dead bodies are discovered and the police start treating him as their prime suspect. Milton is a fugitive from the British Secret Service and a man in his position needs extra attention like he needs a hole in the head.

As unpleasant secrets leak out, and the body count rises, one thing is for sure: Milton might just be the right guy in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The Driver is a taut, nail-biting adventure which once again stars Mark Dawson's irresistible hero, the maverick ex-MI6 assassin John Milton.

An Agency For Scandal

 By: Laura Wood

Location: FIC WOO

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance

Kai says "Love love love me a Victorian all-female underground spy and revenge agency diamond heist romance novel"

n all-female detective agency righting wrongs at the end of the nineteenth century; infiltrating a scandalous upper class world straight out of Bridgerton and using their wit and bravery to unmask a villain. Eighteen-year-old Isobel Stanhope is keeping a lot of secrets. There's the fact that she's head over heels in love with a Duke who doesn't know she exists; there's the fact that her family is penniless but nobody in society knows about it; and then there's her job at the Aviary, an investigative agency run by women that specializes in digging up scandal on powerful men. When Izzy finds herself pulled into a case that involves gaslighting, blackmail, and missing jewels, as well as the Duke who holds her heart, can she and her friends untangle the web of secrets and lies to uncover the truth and protect the innocent? And when the stakes are so high, what happens when the crush she's been hiding begins to turn into so much more?

Aya

It was a fun and charming book about a group of women helping women in need when nobody would stand by them. I enjoyed the action, mystery and romance, Laura Wood managed to keep the plot interesting and gripping.

This book was great for anyone who was looking for something light and cozy with abit of humor thrown into it.

Seven Percent of Ro Devereux

 By: Ellen O Clover

Location: FIC OCL

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Stem

Fans of Emma Lord, Rachel Lynn Solomon, and Alex Light will love this clever, charming, and poignant debut novel with a masterful slow-burn romance at its core about a girl who must decide whether to pursue her dreams or preserve her relationships, including a budding romance with her ex-best friend, when an app she created goes viral. Ro Devereux can predict your future. Or, at least, the app she built for her senior project can. Working with her neighbor, a retired behavioral scientist, Ro created an app called MASH, designed around the classic game Mansion Apartment Shack House, that can predict a person’s future with 93% accuracy. The app will even match users with their soulmates. Though it was only supposed to be a class project, MASH quickly takes off and gains the attention of tech investors. Ro’s dream is to work in Silicon Valley, and she’ll do anything to prove to her new backing company—and the world—that the app works. So it’s a huge shock when the app says her soulmate is Miller, her childhood best friend with whom she had a friendship-destroying fight three years ago. Now thrust into a fake dating scenario, Ro and Miller must address the years of pain between them if either of them will have any chance of achieving their dreams. And as the app takes on a life of its own, Ro sees that it’s affecting people in ways she never expected—and if she can’t regain control, it might take her and everything she believes in down with it.

“This is the worst,” Miller says. We’re a foot apart, and he doesn’t touch me. “There is no silver lining. This is impossible, and you’re going to get through it.” He doesn’t tell me it’s okay. He doesn’t say: but you’ll get through it. He gives me the gift of the truth—that if I do make it past this, it will be an and. I will be all right, and this will devastate me. Both things true at once.”
― Ellen O'Clover, Seven Percent of Ro Devereux

Chaos and Flame

 By Tessa and Justina Ireland 

Location: FIC GRA

Genre: Fantasy, Romance ,Dragons

An assassin, a soldier, a prince . . . and a deadly game of power, where no one knows the rules. Prepare to enter the world of Chaos and Flame

When Darling Seabreak's family were murdered by the ruthless House Dragon, she swore she'd get revenge. And as a deadly assassin, there's no one she'd rather take out than their bloodthirsty war general, Talon Goldhoard.

Talon Goldhoard has no problem defending his lands from threats - even ones he hates, like the whispers of madness that surround his brother, the High Prince. So when he battles a ferocious girl who looks exactly like the one Caspian has painted obsessively, repeatedly, for years, Talon knows he must capture her alive - and find out exactly what kind of a threat she really is.

What Talon is unprepared for is the thrilling chaos that Darling will bring into his life. With the world they both know appearing to catch fire all around them, these unlikely allies must navigate a game of power, betrayal, destiny - and love - that neither of them could ever have expected.

Immortality- A Love Story

 By: Dana Schwarts

Location: FIC SCH

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

Series: #2 in the Anatomy Series

Cover art winner!

Hazel Sinnett is alone and half convinced the events of the year before—the immortality, Beecham’s vial—were a figment of her imagination. She doesn’t even know if Jack is alive or dead. All she can really do now is treat patients and maintain Hawthornden Castle as it starts to decay around her.

When saving a life leads to her arrest, Hazel seems doomed to rot in prison until a message intervenes: Hazel has been specifically requested to be the personal physician of Princess Charlotte, the sickly granddaughter of King George III. Soon Hazel is dragged into the glamour and romance of a court where everyone has something to hide, especially the enigmatic, brilliant members of a social club known as the Companions to the Death.

As Hazel’s work entangles her more and more with the British court, she realizes that her own future as a surgeon isn't the only thing at stake for her. Malicious forces are at work in the monarchy, and Hazel may be the only one capable of setting things right.

Strange Sally Diamond

 By: Liz Nugent 

Location: FIC NUG

Genre: Mystery

Question: What would you get if you mixed Eleanor Oliphant with Room?
Answer: Strange Sally Diamond!

Sally Diamond cannot understand why what she did was so strange. She was only doing what her father told her to do, to put him out with the rubbish when he died.

Now Sally is the centre of attention, not only from the hungry media and worried police, but also a sinister voice from a past she has no memory of. As she begins to discover the horrors of her childhood, recluse Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, finding independence, and learning that people don't always mean what they say.

But when messages start arriving from a stranger who knows far more about her past than she knows herself, Sally's life will be thrown into chaos once again . . .

Scary Stories in the Dark

 By: Alvin Schwartz and Stephen Gammell

Location: FIC CG

Genre: Scary Stories in the Dark

 Justin said this...In anticipation of the new movie, I dusted this off and made the foolish decision of reading in an empty house, well past the twilight hour. About halfway I got too creeped out to continue. Had to finish the rest this morning.

The iconic anthology series of horror tales that's now a feature film!

This is a new edition of the complete original book. Stephen Gammell’s artwork from the original Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark appears in all its spooky glory. Read if you dare!

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a timeless collection of chillingly scary tales and legends, in which folklorist Alvin Schwartz offers up some of the most alarming tales of horror, dark revenge, and supernatural events of all time.

SOON TO BE A MOVIE!!!!

Review by Khan from Goodreads

Warning: SCARY PICTURES. Do not click on this review if you don't want to be plagued by nightmares. I don't care how old you are. Fear transcends all age barriers.

I'm a supporter of childhood literacy, but I beg you. Please, for the love of all that is holy, do not make the mistake of giving this book to your children. They will never forgive you. Think of all the therapy costs.



When I was a little girl, I was terrified of the dark. I couldn't sleep without my rituals. All blankets had to be tucked in completely around me. All closet doors must be closed. Before bed, the room must be checked to for all odd-looking shadows that might morph into something terrifying when I open my eyes in the middle of the night.

Above all, all toes must be secured, or else something will munch on them.

It didn't help me when I was 12.



I read 5 pages of this book, and I couldn't go on. I don't know if you've seen the drawings, but this book is absolutely fucking terrifying. If you have children, please, please do not give this book to your child. It will scar them for life.

It took me years to summon the courage to open this book again. I was 16. I had just watched It. I couldn't sleep for 2 weeks afterwards for longer than 30 minute increments. I could barely stay awake in class. It was horrible. Surely, after surviving the horrors of Pennywise the Clown, I could...possibly? maybe? take on this book again?

I was wrong.

I got to "THE THING" before shoving it into the back of the closet (IF I CAN'T SEE IT, THE MONSTERS DON'T EXIST) and ran to the living room.



Monsters won't eat you when you're with your parents.

The artist for this book is Stephen Gammell. Thank you, Mr. Gammell. I hope you sleep well, you diabolical crafter of nightmares. Who knows how many children and adults you have scared. Who knows how many hours of terror and sleepless nights this book has wrought. Stephen King has nothing on you.

I'm a grown-ass woman, and tonight, I'm still going to sleep with one eye open.

Vile Stars

 By: Sera Milano

Location: FIC MIL

Genre:  Contemp, LGBGT, Romance  

What a line this is ...   "Grief is just Love with nowhere to go"

"An important, poignant book about the insidious nature of a toxic relationship. It gripped my heart on page one and still hasn’t let go. Absolutely stunning.

(TRUE) LOVE
(TOXIC) LOVE
(LOST) LOVE

This is a different kind of love story.

17-year-old Luka isn't looking for love. She's trying to piece her life back together after a heartbreaking loss. But when she meets the gorgeous and charismatic Cosmo under a meteor shower at the Greenwich Observatory, it feels like destiny has played a hand. Surely theirs is a love written in the stars.

But Cosmo isn't what he seems, using Luka's love for him to slowly take control of her life. As the pandemic starts to make headlines and lockdown sets in, she is trapped emotionally and physically in a coercive relationship. Luka's friends and brother can see what's happening, but struggle to reach her. Something will have to be sacrificed so Luka can set herself free - but what will be left of her when she does?

Luka's story is told from many points of view: through her letters, and through the voices of her brother, Alec, his boyfriend Theo and Luka's best friend, Roisin. Each of them holds a fragment of the story - it's time to put it all together.