book-review
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In conversation with Sophie Riley: self-publishing and character-driven storytelling in ‘It’s Not the End of the World’
Writers get inspiration from a variety of sources: their personal lives, the news, movies, television shows, or even writing prompts. Sophie Riley got hers from a 2014 Tumblr post. “I had saved that [post] so long ago and just put it in my brain,” Riley said. “I just got this idea for a book about…
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REVIEW — ‘Murder at the Hotel Orient’ by Alessandra Ranelli
Alessandra Ranelli’s debut novel, Murder at the Hotel Orient, delivers sex, humor, mystery, and intrigue all bottled up like top-shelf champagne about to pop. The flirty fever dream opens the night that two guests are murdered at the Hotel Orient, one of Vienna’s most mystifying attractions. Sterling Lockwood is the alluring and ever-loyal concierge at…
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REVIEW — ‘Heart the Lover’ by Lily King
With no pun intended, I am a lover of Lily King. She is the ultimate indie literary darling, frequently appearing on the Indie Next List and loudly supporting independent booksellers; King provides a proud voice within the multifaceted community of indie writers. So, naturally, I needed my hands on Heart the Lover as quickly as…
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REVIEW — ‘Canticle’ by Janet Rich Edwards
We are living in a period swamped with literary fiction. The stocked shelves of bookstores and BookTok doom-scrolling all point to its dominance, specifically in the cult of superiority fostered through its dry intellectual engagement riddled with irony and realism. To be a cool and well-rounded reader is to be a reader of “lit fic.” …
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REVIEW – L.L. Madrid’s ‘My Lips, Her Voice’
“Memory is a bitch that haunts like no ghost can.” L.L. Madrid doesn’t hide from hard feelings in her debut novel My Lips, Her Voice. The story follows Audrey, a teenager grieving the recent loss of her cousin Mara, in a small town haunted by its own past. Audrey reunites with Mara’s spirit in a…
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REVIEW – ‘The History of Sound’ by Ben Shattuck
If you’re someone who pays attention to new and upcoming movies, chances are you might have heard of a new film set to release in theaters this September, The History of Sound. Featuring beloved Irish actors Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor, the movie is an LGBTQ+ historical romance declared to be “a cinematic romance for…
