books
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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 — ‘Dragon Pearls’ by Deborah Rose
If you’re a writer, you probably have that one story scribbled down in a journal from when you were fourteen that will never see the light of day. Getting lost in faraway worlds and imagining dynamic characters fostered a goal of maybe, one day, becoming a real author. The manifestation of every young writer’s dream…
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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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In conversation with Srijani Mitra: reflections on the making of ‘Mantras of the Moon’
“It has always been my dream to publish a book of poetry,” said Srijani Mitra, a poet based in Bangalore, India. Now, with her debut collection, Mantras of the Moon, she can finally say it has come true. Born and raised in Kolkata, India, Mitra has been a poet ever since she was a child.…
