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Looking for a dark, yet quirky fantasy quest? Look no further. Nettle and Bone (2022) delivers with the story of Marra, a princess determined to save her sister from an abusive marriage. Of course she needs help on her quest and help comes in the form of a dust-wife (a witch who can speak to the dead), a dog made of bones, an honorable knight saved from goblins, a fairy godmother with dubious talents and a demon possessed chicken.  

Written in the Stars (2020) by Alexandria Bellefleur is a romance (very) loosely inspired by Pride and Prejudice. When Darcy’s brother Brendon sets her up on a blind date with Elle, the evening is a disaster.

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) begins with the story of Evelyn Wang, a Chinese American immigrant, and her race to keep her teetering family business running. A high-stakes meeting at the IRS with Evelyn's husband and father takes a sharp and completely unexpected turn, and Evelyn finds herself suddenly thrown into an interdimensional, surreal adventure.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart is a #1 New York Times bestseller, won the Goodreads Choice Award and was Amazon’s #1 Young Adult novel of 2014. But does this book live up to its hype? In my opinion it does.

After I finished this brief (160 pages), unexpected, quirky gem of the book, I didn't have the words to describe it. Long after I finished Convenience Store Woman (2018) by Sayaka Murata, I kept thinking about it. This offbeat, moving story follows 36-year-old Keiko, who has spent half her life working at a convenience store. She’s content with her life.

To say Xingyin has lived a sheltered life is putting it mildly. She, her mother, and her mother's attendant live alone in the Palace of Pure Light on the moon, for Xingyin's mother is the moon goddess.

Rating: 4/5

This graphic novel takes place in a magical universe in a special town. There is magic, a seer, quirky tech, a bakery, a musician, a mystery and romance. This is a cozy, magical read with some adventure.

SeinLanguage by Jerry Seinfeld is perfect for anyone who has sat there thinking, "Boy, nothing sounds better right now than reading the first 90 seconds of every Seinfeld episode in one sitting," which is what I said to myself right before checking out this book.

Rating: 5/5

This is an extremely cute romance graphic novel series with beautiful art. This series has recently been adapted by Netflix. Charlie Spring was outed and heavily bullied his first year at Truham Grammar School for Boys. Entering year 10 Charlie is hopeful about the new year. Until he develops a crush on Nick Nelson, a year 11 in the rugby team, a possibly, maybe not, entirely straight cute boy.

Loosely based on true events at a Russian nuclear facility in the 1960s, The Half Life of Valery K (2022) follows the story of a Russian nuclear scientist, pulled from a freezing gulag to lend his expertise to what seem to be human radiation trials at the mysterious City 40. Never sure who to trust and who to fear, he picks his way through a minefield of misinformation and mystery. 

Crossroads (2021) is the first novel I’ve read by Jonathan Franzen, an author who made a big splash when his first novel, The Corrections, was released, just over twenty years ago now. Franzen has gone on to write other popular novels (with single word titles), including Freedom and Purity, along with multiple essay collections.

Rating: 5/5