Author: thelibraryladiesmn

Book Club Review: “Superman Smashes the Klan”

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We are part of a group of librarian friends who have had an ongoing book club running for the last several years. Each “season” (we’re nerds) we pick a theme and each of us chooses a book within that theme for us all to read. This June we celebrated our 10 year anniversary of book club. So in celebration of that milestone, we are re-visiting authors we read way back in those first few years of our book club. For this blog, we will post a joint review of each book we read for book club. We’ll also post the next book coming up in book club. So feel free to read along with us or use our book selections and questions in your own book club!

Book: “Superman Smashes the Klan” by Gene Luen Yang & Gurihiru (Ill.)

Publishing Info: DC Zoom, May 2020

Where Did We Get This Book: Kate owns it; Serena got it from the library!

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Repeat Author: Gene Luen Yang

Book Description: The year is 1946, and the Lee family has moved from Chinatown to Downtown Metropolis. While Dr. Lee is eager to begin his new position at the Metropolis Health Department, his two kids, Roberta and Tommy, are more excited about being closer to the famous superhero Superman!

Tommy adjusts quickly to the fast pace of their new neighborhood, befriending Jimmy Olsen and joining the club baseball team, while his younger sister Roberta feels out of place when she fails to fit in with the neighborhood kids. She’s awkward, quiet, and self-conscious of how she looks different from the kids around her, so she sticks to watching people instead of talking to them.

While the Lees try to adjust to their new lives, an evil is stirring in Metropolis: the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan targets the Lee family, beginning a string of terrorist attacks. They kidnap Tommy, attack the Daily Planet, and even threaten the local YMCA. But with the help of Roberta’s keen skills of observation, Superman is able to fight the Klan’s terror, while exposing those in power who support them–and Roberta and Superman learn to embrace their own unique features that set them apart.

Kate’s Thoughts

This isn’t the first time I’ve read this book, as I’m sure some of you will remember that I reviewed it a couple years ago (and it even ended up on my Best Of list that year). But I knew that when I was going to select an author to revisit I was going to to Gene Luen Yang, and “Superman Smashes the Klan” just seemed like the correct choice. And my opinion hasn’t changed too much since I first read it. I still really love this graphic novel.

Yang takes a very heavy (but still all too relevant) story about racism and prejudice in America, f0llowing the Lees, a Chinese American who have just moved to a predominantly white neighborhood in Metropolis after living in Chinatown, in the 1940s. As they all have their own strategies (and struggles) in adjusting, it doesn’t help that the Klan of the Fiery Cross (a clear analog to the KKK) has started targeting them. Meanwhile, Superman befriends the Lees, and his still coming to terms with his own identity, as an alien who has tried to pass as human when he is Clark Kent, and who is revered in his Superman identity, though he knows that people could shift on him at the drop of a hat. I loved the comparing and contrasting of the Lees and Superman and their inner conflicts about how to assimilate and how to be ‘ideal’ without being threatening. Yang actually took a previous story from the Superman radio show and expanded it in this story, and he makes it so easily accessible to his target audience, making it very digestable and very relatable and readable. And as I said, the themes in this book of racism and bigotry and Othering are still far too relevant, which makes it all the more necessary reading for kids, and packaged so well with such a fantastic interpretation of a beloved comic character who always symbolizes the very best of us.

“Superman Smashes the Klan” is still a fantastic read. I enjoyed it just as much this time as the first time, and it fostered from great conversations in our book club.

Serena’s Thoughts:

Unlike Kate, I hadn’t read this one before. But like Kate, I am a massive Superman fan, so was excited to check it out! And I can definitely see what all the fuss was about! This was an excellent graphic novel in pretty much every way.

The story manages to take on some very heavy themes (pretty easy to guess which based on the title alone) but does so in a manner that is both approachable to kids and useful to adults. Even more impressive, for covering some difficult topics, the reading experience is still an expression of joy and hope. I think this is incredibly important for any Superman story and was pleased to see how well the overall tone of Superman was captured. This probably shouldn’t be a surprise as I know that the author has written other Superman stories as well.

I particularly enjoyed the exploration of the immigrant experience and how Superman’s own alien origins played into this. As most Superman fans know, the character was originally presented without the ability to fly, only the ability to “jump over tall buildings.” Here, that idea is taken on and presented as Superman’s concerns of expressing his full abilities due to an incident when he was younger in which the people of Smallville reacted with fear to the full range of his “otherness.” It was such an interesting way of tackling not only an interesting fact about the character but of the many challenges of the immigrant experience.

I also very much appreciated the historical aspects of the story, especially author’s note at the end that went into more details about the origins of the story itself. This is a great read for any Superman fan and well worth a read!

Kate’s Rating 9: Still a great read and still all too relevant, “Superman Smashes the Klan” is a fantastic piece of historical fiction and a wonderful look at the immigrant experience in the face of prejudice, whether you are from Earth or Krypton.

Serena’s Rating 8: Tackling tough topics while maintaining the sense of hope in humankind that is so crucial to the Superman mythos.

Book Club Questions

  1. What did you think of the story of the Lee Family and how it brings together a story of culture, assimilation, racism, and identity?
  2. Were you familiar with some of the timelines described in this book in regards to the KKK in this country’s history? Did any of these revelations surprise you?
  3. What were your thoughts on the comparison and contrast between Superman’s experience as an Other and that of the Lee family?
  4. Did you enjoy how Yang incorporated Superman’s original leaping powers into this story, as well as other powers that evolved over time?
  5. What were your thoughts on the reveal of the identity behind the Grand Mogul? What do you think Yang was trying to say with that twist?
  6. Let’s talk about the different kinds of racism and bigotry in this book, from out and out Klansmen to more ‘acceptable’ and covert forms of racism (i.e. Chuck’s mom, even Mr. Lee’s prejudice against Black people). Thoughts on that?
  7. Who would you recommend this book to? How would you use it as a connector to today’s social issues?

Reader’s Advisory

“Superman Smashes the Klan” is included on the Goodreads lists “Superheroes, Comics, and Social Justice”, and “Best of Superman”.

Next Book Club Pick: “Summer Days and Summer Nights” by Stephanie Perkins (Ed.)

Serena’s Review: “A Sorceress Comes to Call”

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Book: “A Sorceress Comes to Call” by T. Kingfisher

Publishing Info: Tor, August 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Cordelia knows her mother is unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms, and her mother doesn’t allow Cordelia to have a single friend—unless you count Falada, her mother’s beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him. But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don’t force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren’t sorcerers.

After a suspicious death in their small town, Cordelia’s mother insists they leave in the middle of the night, riding away on Falada’s sturdy back, leaving behind all Cordelia has ever known. They arrive at the remote country manor of a wealthy older man, the Squire, and his unwed sister, Hester. Cordelia’s mother intends to lure the Squire into marriage, and Cordelia knows this can only be bad news for the bumbling gentleman and his kind, intelligent sister.

Hester sees the way Cordelia shrinks away from her mother, how the young girl sits eerily still at dinner every night. Hester knows that to save her brother from bewitchment and to rescue the terrified Cordelia, she will have to face down a wicked witch of the worst kind.

Review: I can’t emphasize enough just how much self-control it has taken to diligently get through my June and July books before reading this one. Thanks to NetGalley/Edelweiss/publishers, I have the opportunity to read these books sometimes months in advance, and man is it tempting to skip right to my most-anticipated titles! But, at last, here we are! Another T. Kingfisher book to review!

It’s hard for me to say which type of Kingfisher book I like best. I’ve love all of the original fantasy books that she’s written that exist within one world (there are several different series and a few stand-alones all in this same world). I’ve enjoyed her horror stories, several of which Kate and I have joint reviewed on the blog. And then, of course, I’ve gobbled up her fairy-tale re-imagings. This book is one of the latter, this time seeing Kingfisher tackle a loose re-telling of “The Goose Girl.”

Honestly, I’m not as familiar with this fairtyale as I am with others, but in some ways that may have worked in my favor. Not only did I not have expectations about which story beats needed to be hit when, but I was also better able to flow with the shifts in focus that Kingfisher took in the story. That said, there are elements that she takes from the original and twists in very…um…disturbing ways! If you’re familiar with the original story, you’ll remember that the talking horse companion ends up meeting a fairly grisly fate. Kingfisher saw that version of the story and decided to raise the creepiness factor to about an 11! (Another side note: I love reading her author note’s at the end because they are often just as entertaining as the book itself. This time it was particularly funny because as I read this book, I found myself getting stuck on the thought that this author sure does write a lot of creepy horses. And then low and behold, in her author’s note she goes “You may be wondering just what my problem with horses is…” Why, yes, I was! I won’t spoil the explanation, but it’s as amusing as everything else from her!)

One of the things that most impresses me about Kingfisher’s work is the manner in which she balances many different tones all in one, fairly contained book. In this story, we not only have the trappings of a re-told fairytale, but we have comedy, we have tragedy, we have romance, and we have a healthy dose of horror. And none of these elements over shine the others! I will say, the horror aspects stand out particularly well in this one. Not only with the aforementioned horse, but also with the sorceress herself and her disturbing powers. Up to the very end, I was on the edge of my seat worrying how our characters were going to get out of this situation!

I also loved all of the characters. And again, I’m impressed by how Kingfisher works against stereotypes in this area. I personally often struggle with child/middle school aged main characters, but Cordelia was a fantastic lead character. She was believably written for her age while also serving an important role within the story. It’s all too easy to have young characters in books like this who are either side-lined because there is nothing for them to contribute, or are written in a way that makes them come off as a person much older than they are. Not so here!

But I loved Hester most of all, the 50-year old woman who first suspects that there is something strange about Cordelia and her beautiful mother. This was perhaps less of a surprise, as I’ve now read several older women characters written by this author and they have all been fantastic! I also very much enjoyed the love story here, though it was definitely a sub plot to the challenge of the dealing with Cordelia’s mother. That said, while I loved the romance, this is also where the book fell from a 10 to a 9. Throughout the book, we get great insight into Hester’s mindset and the mental challenges she’s faced with aging and her perception of herself as a romantic partner. This was all excellent and incredibly relatable. But as the story continued, I never felt like this was truly resolved. The romantic interest is never brought into what Hester is thinking, and as this has impacted their decades-long one-and-off relationship, it really felt like he deserved to understand what was going on here. We didn’t need to have a “Hallmark moment” type scene, but some sort of resolution on this front would have really tied it together.

So, no surprise here, I loved this book! I’ve had my pre-order in for months now, and I as justified as ever in continuing to buy her books the second they come available! Fans of fairytale re-tellings should definitely check this one out, as well as any/all Kingfisher fans out there!

Rating 9: Truly a master storyteller! Kingfisher makes the process of jumping from genre to genre look easy!

Reader’s Advisory:

“A Sorceress Comes to Call” can be found on these Goodreads lists: My favorite Fairytale Fantasy novels. and The Goose Girl Retellings.

Kate’s Review: “Welcome to St. Hell”


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Book: “Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure” by Lewis Hancox

Publishing Info: Graphix, June 2022

Where Did I Get This Book: I own it.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: A groundbreaking memoir about being a trans teen, in the vein of FUN HOME and FLAMER… and at the same time entirely its own.

Lewis has a few things to say to his younger teen self. He knows she hates her body. He knows she’s confused about who to snog. He knows she’s really a he and will ultimately realize this… but she’s going to go through a whole lot of mess (some of it funny, some of it not funny at all) to get to that point. Lewis is trying to tell her this… but she’s refusing to listen.

In WELCOME TO ST. HELL, author-illustrator Lewis Hancox takes readers on the hilarious, heartbreaking, and healing path he took to make it past trauma, confusion, hurt, and dubious fashion choices in order to become the man he was meant to be. It’s a remarkable, groundbreaking graphic memoir from an unmistakably bold new voice in comics.

Review: I remember that last year at some point I found myself in St. Paul all by my lonesome, and I decided to check out my favorite Twin Cities book store The Red Balloon Bookshop. It focuses on children’s and young adult literature, though you can find adult lit there too. I like supporting them as much as I can, and decided to treat myself to a spontaneous book purchase. Since I’m not a spontaneous person this kind of winging it can stress me out, but pretty quickly I saw “Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure” by Lewis Hancox. I had not heard of it but decided this was the spontaneous purchase! And then I let it sit on my shelf for awhile, as I tend to do sometimes. But then I decided to pick it up on a whim, and once I started, I was kicking myself for waiting for so long.

This is a pretty straight forward story, following Lewis Hancox as he tells us his experience of being a trans teenager before coming out and fully realizing his gender identity, starting as a tween in 1999 and going through the beginning of his transition years later. I didn’t know what to expect about this book, but what I found was a very personal and in a lot of ways very hopeful and optimistic story as Lewis, then known as Lois, slowly realizes his transness. The device used is having present day Lewis visiting and dipping in on past Lois, explaining the context of what he was going through at the time and assuring Lois that things will ultimately be alright. It’s a fast read, and I found it very readable and basically devoured it in one evening. It’s not all optimism and joy, as Hancox did have some struggles with dysphoria and an eating disorder during the times he was really trying to make his body disappear, but I appreciated that we also get to see the close friendships he had at the time, as well as his at times stumbling but ultimately accepting family as he explores and reveals his identity. It’s made clear that in his case Hancox always knew that he wasn’t a girl, even if he couldn’t really untangle those feelings for awhile, and seeing that journey on the page, with a lot of supportive people around him, is such an important story, especially for trans teens who may be looking for assurances or a mirror into their own experiences. It’s also a great example of showing how Hancox had not only a loving and in place support system (many of whom are still in his life today), but also how once he DOES get the gender affirming care he needs its a game changer. Again, Hancox is honest about some of the harder things that he had to go through to get there, but there is so much hope and joy in this memoir that it feels like an important read as well as an enjoyable one.

This was also an incredibly funny memoir at times, as Hancox has such a wry sense of humor and can find the funny bits in his experiences as he figured out his true self. There were so many moments that had me chuckling out loud as he either has a sarcastic quip, or how he presents his mother at times, or even just the really relatable teenage moments of awkwardness and insecurity (assuredly magnified in his case has he wasn’t out as trans yet, and in many ways hadn’t really figured it out yet). There was one particular panel involving over-plucked and a bit too high eyebrows that were SO OF THE TIME it was absolutely hysterical to see. Even though Hancox isn’t at all afraid to be honest about some of the real struggles during this time, the tone is always held afloat because of this engaging sense of humor.

And finally, the art. I wasn’t sure WHAT I thought about the art at first, but as the story went on its simplicity really added to the story because it made it so that the story itself was at the forefront. By the end of it I really liked the artwork.

(source: Graphix)

“Welcome to St. Hell” is a great memoir that is so important for this moment where trans people are being targeted and Othered. It’s a well done story with a lot of heart, but it also shows just how crucial acceptance and gender affirming care can be for trans youth, while also being super relatable. I quite enjoyed this one.

Rating 8: A personal, candid, and at times deeply humorous account on being able to live your truth and the journey along the way, “Welcome to St. Hell” is a must read graphic memoir.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Welcome to St. Hell” is included on the Goodreads lists “LGBT!+ Comics and Graphic Novels”, and “Books for Baby Queers”.

Serena’s Review: “The Dead Cat Tail Assassins”

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Book: “The Dead Cat Tail Assassins” by P. Djeli Clark

Publishing Info: Tordotcom, August 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Eveen the Eviscerator is skilled, discreet, professional, and here for your most pressing needs in the ancient city of Tal Abisi. Her guild is strong, her blades are sharp, and her rules are simple. Those sworn to the Matron of Assassins―resurrected, deadly, wiped of their memories―have only three unbreakable vows.

First, the contract must be just. That’s above Eveen’s pay grade.

Second, even the most powerful assassin may only kill the contracted. Eveen’s a professional. She’s never missed her mark.

The third and the once you accept a job, you must carry it out. And if you stray? A final death would be a mercy. When the Festival of the Clockwork King turns the city upside down, Eveen’s newest mission brings her face-to-face with a past she isn’t supposed to remember and a vow she can’t forget.

Review: I got to meet this author back when Kate and I went to ALA in Chicago in 2023, so he’s been on my list of writers to check out for a bit. Not to mention, I’m always interested in a fantasy story featuring assassins, so this book was an obvious request for me! Plus, the title is intriguing as heck!

This was one of those books that felt familiar and a bit like a homecoming in the best of ways. This isn’t to say that the story, characters, or world were unoriginal, more so it was the fact that they all so neatly referenced many other familiar, beloved traits found in similar fantasy stories. Eveen, in particular, while still very much her own character, also reminded me of other beloved similar characters (Keesan from “Godkiller” comes to mind). She was that perfect combination of hardened, rather sarcastic warrior woman who finds her straight-forward approach to the world suddenly challenged. She was funny, powerful, and charismatic, and I would read more books about her any day of the week!

I also really enjoyed the world-building that went into this book. It’s a novella, so the author had to be judicious with how to build in the framework of this world while not cutting into the fast-paced action of the story. The entire story takes place over a 24-hour period of time, and yet between all of the fighting and running and scheming scenes, I still felt as if I understood this world of undead assassins and the powerful families who would wield them for their own goals. The concept of the undead assassins was also very interesting; it was one of those ideas you find in fantasy stories that are deceptively simple and yet brilliant when played out on the page.

While some of these fantasy elements and characters (both main and side) felt vaguely familiar (again, in the best way), the ending of this book packs a major punch with the way it resolves the greater conflict. I can truly say I didn’t see that last twist coming at all, and not only was it clever, but it perfectly wrapped up many of the threads of the story that had begun to feel impossibly knotted.

I also really enjoyed the numerous side characters sprinkled throughout the book. Eveen will always be my favorite, but her greatness was supported by the variety of other “Dead Cat Tail Assassins” we meet throughout the story, each with their own unique fight style. Rounding out the cast was the target of Eveen’s assassination mission, a young woman with a connection to Eveen’s forgotten past that is shocking and propels the entire story forwards.

I enjoyed the heck out of this story! I sat down and read it one sitting (this is helped by it being a fairly short story), completely drawn in by the fast-moving plot and hilarious main character. I definitely recommend this one for all fantasy readers, especially those looking for an action-packed story that features a compelling leading lady!

Rating 9: Crackling with action and humor, I finished the last page wishing for only one thing: more!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Dead Cat Tail Assassins” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Best Outside-the-box Speculative Fiction and Adult Fantasy/Sci-fi/Speculative Novellas by BIPOC Authors

Kate’s Review: “House of Bone and Rain”

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Book: “House of Bone and Rain” by Gabino Iglesias

Publishing Info: Mulholland Books, August 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from the publisher.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: In the latest from Shirley Jackson and Bram Stoker Award-winning author of THE DEVIL TAKES YOU HOME, a group of five teenage boys, living in Puerto Rico, seek vengeance after one of their mothers is murdered; a doomed tale of devotion and the afterlife of violence.

For childhood friends Gabe, Xavier, Tavo, Paul, and Bimbo, death has always been close. Hurricanes. Car accidents. Gang violence. Suicide. Estamos rodeados de fantasmas was Gabe’s grandmother’s refrain. We are surrounded by ghosts. But this time is different. Bimbo’s mom has been shot dead. We’re gonna kill the guys who killed her Bimbo swears. And they all agree.

Feral with grief, Bimbo has become unrecognizable, taking no prisoners in his search for names. Soon, they learn Maria was gunned down by guys working for the drug kingpin of Puerto Rico. No one has ever gone up against him and survived. As the boys strategize, a storm gathers far from the coast. Hurricanes are known to carry evil spirits in their currents and bring them ashore, spirits which impose their own order.

Blurring the boundaries between myth, mysticism, and the grim realities of our world, House of Bone and Rain is a harrowing coming of age story; a doomed tale of devotion, the afterlife of violence, and what rolls in on the tide.

Review: Thank you to Mulholland Books and Hachette for sending me an ARC of this novel! Special thanks even, as they were super kind to send me an ARC after I had missed out on getting one at ALA, and took down my information once I told the reps at the booth how much I was looking forward to this book. It was a very kind gesture and it was a lovely book mail arrival!

I know by now that if I am going to read a book by Gabino Iglesias, it’s going to be a rough go with lots of visceral violence, dark themes, and yet a gorgeous lyrical journey to boot. It stands to reason, then, that “House of Bone and Rain” was a tip top priority on my list, even if it was going to no doubt really kick me in the teeth, emotionally. But I have really enjoyed everything I’ve read by Iglesias, and because of that I knew that his newest horror novel needed to be a priority, even if it was a bit unclear what the horror components, at least the supernatural ones were going to be. But ultimately, I shouldn’t have been surprised that while the supernatural ones were grand and well done, it was the real life ones that would REALLY cut to the bone.

I don’t really want to spoil the horror aspects of this book, as there is a reason it is kept a bit close to the vest in the description. Iglesias packs a wallop of a punch with the reveal, and it made me go ‘wait…. what?!’, but in the best way possible. I will say that some of the ins and outs of it felt a bit Cosmic-y, with an impending storm surge churning up something otherworldly, and while it’s not full on Cthulhu or Old Gods in its execution, the largeness and inevitability of it was really heavy throughout the narrative. Which is a lovely theme in tandem to a monster storm that is about to bear down on an island like Maria did. Some of the descriptions of the big reveal were very creepy, and I loved how it was presented and how it fit in with both the hurricane as well as the threats that Gabe, Bimbo, Xavier, Tavo, and Paul are all dealing with in the wake of Bimbo’s mother’s murder. The violence is supernatural and all too real, and it makes the horror beats feel all the more unnerving as the story goes on.

But horror elements aside, this book reads just as well as a drug kingpin thriller with real world tragedies and horrors at the heart. Gabe, Bimbo, Xavier, Tavo, and Paul are best friends brought together by their shared experience of living a difficult life in Puerto Rico, where the ghosts of colonialism have led to lots of corruption, wealth disparities, and lots of experiences with violence, even before Bimbo’s mother’s death. As Bimbo and his friends are driven by vengeance, and as Hurricane Maria is about to barrel down on the island and cause mass devastation on top of that, our characters are pulling together in the face of terrible odds, and for a sense of a need for justice that they won’t be able to achieve due to their circumstances and the systemic disparities they are living within. I was on the edge of my seat watching them all make these decisions, because while I KNEW that these were sometimes TERRIBLE decisions, I felt like Iglesias perfectly captured why they were doing these things because I understood the realities they they were living, and how it shapes each of them. Bimbo is especially a complicated and intriguing character, because while his mission to take out a VIOLENT DRUG KINGPIN with no real plan, and putting his friends in severe danger (and not being super forthcoming in some ways but that is all I will say) was absolutely CRAZY to me… but I also know that the grief and the loss meant that he had nothing to lose, and I couldn’t really fault him to a point. Iglesias is the kind of author who shows a huge picture of complex characters and dire circumstances, and you generally know that happy endings in his tales are hard to come by, but they are still great reads because he pulls out such emotion and poignancy with the bleakness. The repeated phrase in this book, ‘all stories are ghost stories’, is especially moving as we see their reality laid out bare.

“House of Bone and Rain” didn’t disappoint! Gabino Iglesias has created another unrelenting horror thriller that got under my skin, and surprised me in a lot of ways.

Rating 8: A merciless, creepy, and devastating story about friendship, revenge, desperation, and loss, with sprinkles of Cosmic-ish horror to go with the real world ones.

Reader’s Advisory:

“House of Bone and Rain” is included on the Goodreads lists “Horror to Look Forward to in 2024”, and “2024 Adult Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Speculative Releases by BIPOC Authors”.

Highlights: August 2024

In the midst of mid-summer, we’re both doing what we seem to do every year. Serena has fled West to the lovely dry heat of Washington and northern Idaho, and Kate’s has holed up inside dreaming of fall. Of course, regardless of location, we’re always on the lookout for the next great read! Here’s what we’re looking forward to this August.

Serena’s Picks

Book: “A Sorceress Comes to Call” by T. Kingfisher

Publication Date: August 6, 2024

Why I’m Interested: This is probably the least surprising pick of the year from me. Kingfisher has quickly become one of my all-time favorite authors, so I’m always thrilled when she comes out with a new book. And this one sounds like another fantastic blend of horror and fairytale re-telling, this time tackling a loose re-imaging of “The Goose Girl.” I’ve had my pre-order placed for this one for months now, and I can’t wait to check it out!

Book: “Ghostsmith” by Nicki Pau Preto

Publication Date: August 13, 2024

Why I’m Interested: Last summer, I read “Bonesmith” very much on a whim. I’d read YA book by this author that I didn’t hate, but I also didn’t wildly love, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from her new duology. Turns out, I absolutely loved this new series and it was a good reminder never to write off an author, even if the first experience was a hit. There was a fairly significant cliffhanger at the end of the first book, so I’ve been counting down the days until I could check this one out! The stakes are sky-high, so I can’t wait to find out how it all gets resolved!

Book: “Asunder” by Kerstin Hall

Publication Date: August 20, 2024

Why I’m Interested: While the first two picks were either from beloved authors of mine or part of on-going series, this one is a completely new book for me! While Kerstin Hall has published other fantasy novels, I have yet to read any, so this upcoming title seemed like a great chance to check out her work! And based on the description alone, this sounds like a wild ride! A woman who has made a compact with some sort of demon now on a quest to not only save herself but also the a stranger who contains secrets of his own. I really have no idea what to expect from this, but I can’t wait to see what’s in store!

Kate’s Picks

Book: “Practical Rules for Cursed Witches” by Kayla Cottingham

Publication Date: August 27, 2024

Why I’m Interested: I have enjoyed Cottingham’s other two novels, and now that she is tackling one of my favorite horror sub-genres (WITCHES!) I am fully amped and ready to see what she does with it. Delilah is an aspiring young witch from a well known magical lineage, her father a known cursebreaker and her mother from a long line of cursed-in-the-romance-department witches. She is hoping to break her family curse as her Calling… but is told that she is instead supposed to break the family curse of a more powerful and elite family, the Pelumbras, as every generation twins are born and one succumbs to weakness as the other succumbs to becoming a monster. So Delilah teams up with Kieran and Briar to try and help them with their curse…. only to find herself drawn to Briar. This sounds more fantasy than horror this time around, but I’m definitely interested to see what Cottingham does with it!

Book: “House of Bone and Rain” by Gabino Iglesias

Publication Date: August 6, 2024

Why I’m Interested: I really loved Iglesias’s previous book “The Devil Takes You Home” so it stands to reason that his newest thriller novel would be a high priority for me. And seeing as it is being compared to “Stand By Me” I feel like that makes it all the more intriguing. Best friends Xavier, Gabe, Bimbo, Paul, and Tavo live in Puerto Rico and are thick as thieves, existing in a violent reality but leaning on each other. But when Bimbo’s mother is murdered in the street, the friends all promise that they will avenge her and kill her murderers, no matter what. But when it turns out that those behind her death are involved with a dangerous kingpin, they know they have to plan and be careful if they want to survive. To make matters worse, a hurricane is headed straight for the island as they go on their quest for revenge. I am sure this is going to be devastating, but I’m ready to be devastated.

Book: “Through the Midnight Door” by Katrina Monroe

Publication Date: August 13, 2024

Why I’m Interested: If you are sensing a pattern in my Highlights picks this month in that they are all authors I’ve enjoyed and therefore I am looking forward to their follow ups, you would be correct! But once again, I really loved Monroe’s previous novel so of course her new one was on the list of must reads! Three sisters were so close when they were young, always looking to explore abandoned houses and buildings in their hometown for a fun adventure. But when they found a house that had impossible features and terrible things within they gave up on their adventures, and tried to rebuild their lives. But when the youngest sister is found dead in that house years later, the ones left behind want to find out the truth of what happened to her… and to try and stop whatever it was that has been haunting all of them. Monroe’s stories are always scary as well as very emotional, so I am very ready for this.

What books are you looking forward to this month? Let us know in the comments!

Kate’s Review: “Beyond the Bounds of Infinity”

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Book: “Beyond the Bounds of Infinity: An Anthology of Diverse Horror” by Vaughn A. Jackson (Ed.) & Stephanie Pearre (Ed.)

Publishing Info: Raw Dog Screaming Press, July 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an eARC from the editor.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: Welcome to a world of horror viewed through a kaleidoscope lens. Embark on a journey to untangle the writhing tendrils of human terror in a dimension where the possible and impossible blend-an unstable realm where comfort can be found in the coldest pits, and dark gods feast upon the sweetest suffering-where infernal sounds birth silent letters that drift along midnight shores and the unexplained lurks beneath crumbling urban structures. Step over the edge of what you think you know, and find yourself…Beyond the Bounds of Infinity!

Featuring stories by L. Marie Wood, S.A. Cosby, Jessica McHugh, and Mary SanGiovanni-alongside newer voices like Cassius Kilroy, Jessica L. Sparrow, and Vicky Velvet-Beyond the Bounds of Infinity offers a collection of weird fiction and cosmic horror stories that are diverse down to the cellular level. From Taíno folk horror to the horror of identity in a world that just doesn’t understand, from cozy to apocalyptic, and everything in between, let these authors show you what fear really is, and what it means to them.

Review: Thank you to Stephanie Pearre for sending me an eARC of this collection!

I don’t really collection many things, but one thing that I DO collect is hardcover annotated classic novels. I have about seven as of now, from “Dracula” to “Anne of Green Gables” to “The Hobbit” and more. One that I have that is a bit of an outlier is “The Annotated Lovecraft”, as I haven’t actually READ anything by H.P. Lovecraft, but wanted yet another Annotated tome for my shelves. One of the reasons I haven’t checked it out, in spite of his works being SO formative for horror, especially Cosmic horror, is because of what a bigot he was. Because of this, I’ve stayed away and relied on the cultural zeitgeist to be informed about Cthulhu and the Old Ones and all that. So when I was approached by Stephanie Pearre to read “Beyond the Bounds of Infinity: An Anthology of Diverse Horror”, I thought this was the perfect chance to finally dive into a bunch of Cosmic horror tales, written specifically by Own Voices authors whose works reclaim a sub-genre jump started by a bigot.

As I always do with short stories collections, I will review my three favorite stories, and then review the collection as a whole.

“Effigies of Monstrous Things” by Pedro Iniguez: While there are PLENTY of horrifying stories in this collection, I think this was the one that really cut to the bone for me. A single father living in poverty is working on trying to solve the mold problem in his apartment complex in a neighborhood where children are going missing. When he stumbles into a crawlspace and finds a terrible effigy, he realizes that mold may be the least of his problems. This one was not only a deeply upsetting tale involving decay and death, it was also an insightful take on poverty, microaggressions, racism, and how some populations are easier targets for violence or inaction because of their marginalized status. This one really made me shudder.

“A Dampened Embrace” by Christopher Hann: If any of the stories had a hook right from the jump in this collection, it was this one, as it describes a mother dying, then her body being dug up under mysterious circumstances. A son is mourning his mother’s death, while also grappling with a family legacy of worshiping a deity at the cost of so much. Now he tries to figure out what is next, when inevitability may be the only outcome. This one was an interesting blend of generational trauma, family loyalty, and the way that children can suffer at the hands of well meaning parents, and it had moments of beauty as well as moments of despair.

“24 Points” by S.A. Cosby: This is honestly just a good reminder that I need to read S.A. Cosby’s novels, as I have been meaning to but haven’t done so yet. Because wow, this one was so, so utterly unnerving! Three hunters, a boy and his father and his uncle, go into the woods looking for a deer, and see the biggest deer that they have ever seen. But when the uncle shoots it, it becomes quite clear that they should have left it well enough alone. I felt that ultimately this story was more of a folk horror tale than cosmic, but there were definitely things that overlapped between sub-genres that worked well. And that ending! DANG. I won’t spoil anything, but DANG. I think this one may have been my favorite.

As a whole collection, “Beyond the Bounds of Infinity” has some real stand outs, and some stories that didn’t connect as well for me. But I did really appreciate the wide swath of topics, perspectives, and levels of horror that were within its pages. As I mentioned above I am not someone who is super versed in Cosmic horror, but I really got a good sense of the sub-genre and its beats from this book. And what a great way to reclaim a sub-genre that was in many ways created by and still defined by a bigoted creep like Lovecraft. I love seeing people that he would have looked down upon (to say the least) saying that they have every right to have their place at the Cosmic horror table, and how it shows that horror, be it this sub-genre or ANY sub-genre, has room for everyone.

“Beyond the Bounds of Infinity” is a must for Cosmic horror fans, old and new alike. I feel like I got a crash course in a sub-genre I’m not as familiar with, and I enjoyed the ride.

Rating 8: A compelling collection of Cosmic horror from many different perspectives, “Beyond the Bounds of Infinity” is a good intro to a sub-genre that has lots of room for new voices.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Beyond the Bounds of Infinity” is included on the Goodreads list “Cosmic Horror That’s Not Lovecraft”.

Serena’s Review: “This Ravenous Fate”

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Book: “This Ravenous Fate” by Hayley Dennings

Publishing Info: Sourcebooks Fire, August 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: It’s 1926 and reapers, the once-human vampires with a terrifying affliction, are on the rise in New York. But the Saint family’s thriving reaper-hunting enterprise holds reign over the city, giving them more power than even the organized criminals who run the nightclubs. Eighteen year-old Elise Saint, home after five years in Paris, is the reluctant heir to the empire. Only one thing weighs heavier on Elise’s mind than her family obligations: the knowledge that the Harlem reapers want her dead.

Layla Quinn is a young reaper haunted by her past. Though reapers have existed in America for three centuries, created by New World atrocities and cruel experiments, Layla became one just five years ago. The night she was turned, she lost her parents, the protection of the Saints, and her humanity, and she’ll never forget how Elise Saint betrayed her.

But some reapers are inexplicably turning part human again, leaving a wake of mysterious and brutal killings. When Layla is framed for one of these attacks, the Saint patriarch offers her a deal she can’t refuse: to work with Elise to investigate how these murders might be linked to shocking rumors of a reaper cure. Once close friends, now bitter enemies, Elise and Layla explore the city’s underworld, confronting their intense feelings for one another and uncovering the sinister truths about a growing threat to reapers and humans alike.

Review: One of the most fun parts of reading historical fiction is the broad swath of time periods and places one has to pick from! There’s almost always something new, with different places and times presenting a plethora of unique story opportunities. So now you have a book that not only explores 1920s New York City but pairs it with a lesbian vampire romance? Sounds super weird and super interesting!

While this wasn’t a perfect read for me, it still was a pretty good one! First of all, the setting didn’t let me down. I loved exploring this time period and its version of New York City, with its dark alleys contrasted with its vibrant night life. The author definitely succeeded in creating a sense of space with its specific vibe and culture. While I think a bit more could have been done with the world-building on the fantastical side, the author seems to effortlessly capture the essence of a large city.

Part of this comes down to her lyrical style of writing. I loved the turns of phrase and varied word choice the author used in crafting this book. If nothing else, this is a beautiful book to read on its own merits as a written product. I often find that a more lyrical approach to writing often results in a bit of a slower paced story, and so we have here. But like my experience with most books written in this style, I was happy to settle in and enjoy the ride, even if it wasn’t the most action packed at times.

I also enjoyed the characters, for the most part. However, Layla was doing much of the work here. I found her to be an interesting character, a young woman who had gone through much in her short life and was rising to meet the challenges placed before her. Elise was the more complicated one. Part of this is built into her character: she’s lived a very priveleged life and is in the midst of still trying to earn the love of an abusive parental figure. Both of these elements, while interesting, did leave her in the unfortunate position of being a very frustrating character to follow. It would be frustrating how little she recognized her own privilege at one point, and then infuriating not to see her stand up to the abuse in her life, even when she’s beginning to fully understand it. That said, these are complicated issues to write about, and there’s really no believable way to do it that wouldn’t run into the growing pain frustrations we dealt with here.

The romance between these two was also only ok. Unfortunately, I feel like the style of writing struggled most with clunky dialogue, and this impacted my ability to really invest in the love story between these two. On paper, this love story should have been right up my alley, but for some reason, it failed to really land for me.

Overall, this was a pretty fun read. I think it almost succeeds more as a historical book than a fantasy, as I feel like the style of writing was at its peak when it was describing the city of New York in this time period. The lore of the reapers, while interesting, didn’t feel quite fully fleshed out. I also thought some of the mystery aspects were quite predictable, with the villainous characters presenting very obviously as such. If you enjoyed historical fiction and aren’t burnt out on the resurgence of vampire fantasy, than this one might be worth checking out!

Rating 8: The lyrical style of writing is at its best when creating this fascinating version of the underworld of New York City in the 1920s!

Reader’s Advisory:

“This Ravenous Fate” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Queer Books Set in the 1920s and Queer Vampire books

Kate’s Review: “Letters to the Purple Satin Killer”


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Book: “Letters to the Purple Satin Killer” by Joshua Chaplinksy

Publishing Info: CLASH Books, August 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from the author.

Where You Can Get This Book: Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: Jonas Williker is considered one of the most sadistic serial murderers of the modern era. This epistolary novel explores the aftermath of his arrest and the psychological trauma of those who lived through it. The Pennsylvania native brutalized his way into the zeitgeist during the early part of the new millennium, leaving a trail of corpses across five states before his eventual arrest. All told, Williker was responsible for the rape and murder of 23 women, and is suspected in the deaths of dozens more. His calling card—a torn piece of fabric found on or inside the bodies of his victims—helped popularize his now ubiquitous nickname. The Purple Satin Killer. 

In the years following his arrest, Jonas Williker received hundreds of letters in prison. Collected here, these letters offer a unique glimpse into a depraved mind through a human lens, including contributions from family, the bereaved, and self-professed “fans.” They represent a chilling portrait of the American psyche, skewering a media obsessed culture where murderers are celebrities to revere. What you learn about the man from these letters will shock you, but not as much as what you learn about yourself.

Review: Thank you to Joshua Chaplinsky for sending me an ARC of this novel!

Even though I am deeply fascinated by true crime and have been since I was a child, I will absolutely admit that it can very easily shift from morbid curiosity to bad taste, especially when perpetrators are given a state of celebrity or put on a pedestal. A recent example of this was when Charles Manson died a few years ago and Voodoo Donuts decided it was a good idea to make one of their special donuts commemorate him (I will say that this meant our at the time trivia team had the BEST team name that night, as our name included the phrase ‘a tasteful Charles Manson Memorial Donut’). Spoiler alert, Voodoo got a lot of much deserved pushback because WHAT THE HELL? There are always going to be people who make murderers into folk heroes and romanticize them, and “Letters to the Purple Satin Killer” by Joshua Chaplinsky is an incredibly dark horror novel that puts that concept at center stage, as the reader reads a number of letters written to a sadistic serial killer from loved ones, enemies, and, yes, fans. When Chaplinsky reached out to me about this book I was nervous, but also INCREDIBLY intrigued, as it sounded brutal, but like it had some serious potential.

I’ll be pretty forthcoming out the gate here, this book has a lot of content warnings attached to it. It has some pretty visceral descriptions of violence in it, so absolutely tread forth with caution. If you don’t like violence, this is probably a good one to skip, because Chaplinsky doesn’t hold back too much, especially during the opening ‘foreward’ that describes the crimes of Jonas Williker.

Where do I even begin with this? I suppose as good a place as any is the structure of this book, written like a true crime paperback that collects letters sent to serial killer Jonas Williker while he is in custody for dozens of brutal murders. The letters range from his mother, to a cop who unwittingly let him get away after a routine stop and has been haunted by it ever since, to obsessed fangirls ranging from porn stars to lonely women to old friends and so many more. We never get any letters from Jonas’s perspective, but honestly, I was okay with that because we absolutely get to know him and what a monster he is through the letters and words of others, as well as getting to know all of these people who have been in his life both before and after the murders. It’s also a great choice to not center the serial killer and instead look at the people who are writing him letters and their motivations, and I really felt like I got the motivations of most of them.

The letters range from the depressing, to the darkly humorous, to the unsettling, and while sometimes the satirical elements were really coming out, I also know that it’s not TOO farfetched given that a lot of the inspirations of these strange characters aren’t too off from actual people who glommed on to actual serial killers. Hell, Ted Bundy (a lot of Williker’s story, crimes, trial, and prison time, harkens to Bundy), Richard Ramirez, and the aforementioned Charles Manson all had their lady friends that sought them out AFTER their crimes were well known, so I felt that that tracked pretty well. There are also the poignant and sad ones, as Jonas’s mother writes him diligently, as does an ex girlfriend who had NO idea what he was capable of and is deeply messed up because of it. And then there are the really creepy bits, like the slow reveal that, due to Jonas’s notoriety, there is a copycat killer on the loose, sending strange postcards within the letter collections that pop up eerily. There is also the mysterious anonymous penpal who is claiming that she is the victim that Jonas wasn’t able to kill, and how her trauma of being the only one left has her unraveling the longer Jonas is imprisoned as she struggles with survivor guilt. Her letters were both heartbreaking as well as very, very scary as she loses more and more control as Jonas’s execution date comes ever closer. I thought that the voices all seemed pretty unique, which was a huge feat given that Chaplinksy has dozens of characters here. It’s also interesting getting to see Jonas’s whole story through these letters, as we follow him from arrest to death row, and it’s such a compelling device that kept me reading IN SPITE OF the really rough stuff in this book.

It’s also a great send up of this weird obsession some people have with violence and serial killers, and the different ways that people try to attach themselves to people like Jonas. One of the more effective ones involved Evangelicals trying to reach out to ‘save’ him, hoping to use this monster who violently murdered many women as an example to get their religious message across. This is, again, something that happened with Ted Bundy, as he was supposedly born again in prison (though I am pretty certain that he did it not because he actually believed in Jesus as his lord and savior, but because he could troll people while also perhaps getting some leniency. Which he didn’t). And in Jonas’s case, none of that matters to those who are trying to use him as an example, all that matters is that he is a shining example of their own agenda. There are also momentary references to political figures that Jonas had connections to before his murders came to light that are now DESPERATE to keep their good names away from his, panicking in letters trying to distance themselves. Some may find that unbelievable, but it totally worked for me. There’s also just the idea of people trying to attach themselves to a serial killer solely because of the infamy, a true testament to true crime obsession and the lingering spectre of American violence run amok. Since it’s satire it can be over the top, but it always felt like it was grounded in this grim reality.

“Letters to the Purple Satin Killer” is chilling and unrelenting, a character study and a study of culture. It’s a rough read, but I found it fascinating and very effective.

Rating 9: Deeply disturbing and yet very on point about the darker sides of true crime and celebrity, “Letters to the Purple Satin Killer” is not for the faint of heart, but pretty darn insightful about a culture obsessed with violence.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Letters to the Purple Satin Killer” isn’t on any Goodreads lists as of now, but it would fit in on “Best Serial Killer Books”.

Serena’s Review: “Down Comes the Night”

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Book: “Down Comes the Night” by Allison Saft

Publishing Info: Wednesday Books, October 2021

Where Did I Get this Book: NetGalley!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: He saw the darkness in her magic. She saw the magic in his darkness.

Wren Southerland’s reckless use of magic has cost her everything: she’s been dismissed from the Queen’s Guard and separated from her best friend–the girl she loves. So when a letter arrives from a reclusive lord, asking Wren to come to his estate, Colwick Hall, to cure his servant from a mysterious illness, she seizes her chance to redeem herself.

The mansion is crumbling, icy winds haunt the caved-in halls, and her eccentric host forbids her from leaving her room after dark. Worse, Wren’s patient isn’t a servant at all but Hal Cavendish, the infamous Reaper of Vesria and her kingdom’s sworn enemy. Hal also came to Colwick Hall for redemption, but the secrets in the estate may lead to both of their deaths.

With sinister forces at work, Wren and Hal realize they’ll have to join together if they have any hope of saving their kingdoms. But as Wren circles closer to the nefarious truth behind Hal’s illness, they realize they have no escape from the monsters within the mansion. All they have is each other, and a startling desire that could be their downfall.

Review: This is one of those funny books that made its way up my TBR list in a unique way. In that, I’ve now read and very much enjoyed two different books by Saft in the past, and then the other day while I was going through my backlog of NetGalley requests to find a new read, low and behold, there was a (several years old) book I’d requested from the very same author! It’s also clear that this might not be that unique of a situation, as the publisher has now re-released this book with this updated cover. Funny how that goes, when an author releases one or more books before they finally strike upon one that opens readers’ eyes to their potential, and then bam! That back catalog of book suddenly seems well worth a second look! A very similar thing happened with Syvia Moreno Garcia after she published “Mexican Gothic.” Of course, I was a fan before it was cool! 😉 Anyways, on to the review for this book.

I really enjoyed this one! Of course, it had a lot of things I like going for it from the start: a sympathetic leading lady, strong female friendships, creepy gothic vibes, and a lovely slow-burn romance. Let’s start with the main character! I really appreciated the overall arc that Wren travels over the course of the book. In the start, we see her struggling against the judgements and expectations of those around her, people she loves and respects, all of whom are telling her that her sympathy and emotional decision making are weaknesses that must be suppressed. As the story continues, we see Wren push back against this, slowly beginning to reclaim the power of her own sensitivities and instinctual kindness. But it’s not a straightforward journey, and I appreciated the “two steps forward, one step backward” nature of her story. It’s not an easy thing to throw off the expectations of those you admire and to instead choose to follow your own path, and we see Wren struggle more than once to follow through on what she knows to be right, in her heart.

While it took a bit to get there, I loved the time we spent in the gothic-inspire manor. It had all of the slow-build dread and lingering horror that one looks for in a haunted house. Saft’s lyrical style of writing shone particularly strongly in these depictions, and there were scenes and settings here that truly gave me the shivers. And, of course, on top of that we have enigmatic lord of the house, with all of his secrets to be slowly revealed. I did feel like some of these secrets and mysteries were perhaps a bit easy to guess, but it’s one of those cases where the conventions of this sort of story betray it a bit, as far as these reveals go. Even if the reader has their suspicions, the experience of the gothic story makes up for some of the predictability.

I also really enjoyed the relationships in this book. Of course, the love story is the primary focus, and this was as sweet and lovely as you could wish for. There were even a few bumps in the road that I hadn’t fully anticipated which helped to add a greater level of depth to a relationship that could have become a bit too straight-forward. However, the more complex relationships came in the form of Wren’s best friend (and first love interest) and the Queen, Wren’s aunt. Through these female relationships, the book explores the challenges of close relationships, the ways in which those we care about can hurt us and misunderstand us more than anyone else. And, of course, likewise. The Queen, in particular, was an interesting character, because for much of the story, she’s almost cartoonishly horrible to Wren. So I was pleased to see a greater level of depth brought to her later in the book.

I will say, however, that now having read three books by this author, it does seem to me that she struggles with pacing towards the end of books. Like “A Fragile Enchantment,” the final third of this book is a roller-coaster ride of building conflict, a seeming resolution, only to lead directly into another conflict. It’s hard to put my finger on exactly what the problem is, but there’s something off with the pacing and the reader’s ability to feel like the story is building to a true climax. Instead, you keep getting these mini climactic moments, not knowing which is meant to be the true one. It’s too bad, because the first parts of this book (and the others from Saft where I’ve struggled with a similar problem) are well-paced. It’s specifically an issue with the endings.

That said, I did enjoy how it all wrapped up, and the overall experience was good. Fans of this author, or those looking for a “cozy/gothic” fantasy story should definitely give this one a go!

Rating 8: Saft continues to impress with her incredible female leads and her swoon-worthy romances!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Down Comes the Night” isn’t on many Goodreads lists, but it is on Books with “Night” in the title.