book-review
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REVIEW — ‘Saturn Returning’ by Kim Narby
“Jordan felt a similar desperation to be Silvia’s friend that she’d once felt with Trace. It was something she wanted to tamp down inside herself. It seemed so embracing to pine for friendship, but something about Silvia was addictive.” If the Fleetwood Mac album Rumours were a book, it would be Saturn Returning. Messy relationships,…
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In conversation with Erica M. Reilly: beach reads and the community behind the stories
For local author Erica M. Reilly, beach season is never really over. As a self-published author of The Swells of Stone Harbor and The Shallows of Avalon, Reilly’s writing always brings her back to the Jersey shore. “It was something I’d always wanted to do,” Reilly said about writing a book. Having grown up in…
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REVIEW — ‘I Could Be Famous’ by Sydney Rende
“A lot can happen in a year. I could become a whole new person. I could be famous by then.” This paragraph wraps up I Could Be Famous by Sydney Rende in a bow. This eleven-story collection is a darkly comedic and somehow timely book that touches on the lives of celebrities and those who…
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REVIEW — ‘Lake Effect’ by Hillary Behrman
“All the enchantments of the place were gone.” Hillary Behrman scours the human condition with no time to slip on rose-colored glasses in Lake Effect. This debut short story collection received the 2024 Mary McCarthy Prize for Short Fiction, a distinguished award firmly rooted in the indie literary world. Its recipient is chosen by a…
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REVIEW — ‘Verity Guild’ by Mai Corland
What do you think of when someone says the word “romantasy”? Medieval worlds full of castles? Dragons and magical creatures? Warriors and queens? The popular subgenre that combines fantasy and romance has slowly become a monolith that promotes a singular aesthetic vision; yet, Verity Guild veers away and paves its own path. Written by Mai…
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REVIEW — ‘Orange Island’ by Vanessa Frances
In the world we’re living in today, we can all relate to the feeling of doom we get from watching the news. We’re surrounded by endless reports of the devastation felt around the world, and then we turn to social media, drowning out the noise with our favorite influencer’s newest vacation vlog. We watch the…
