Faithbreaker

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by Hannah Kaner
First sentence: “Hestra, god of hearths, felt the flame of Hseth’s coming.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Others in the series: Godkiller, Sunbringer
Content: There is swearing, including multiple f-bombs, off-screen sex, and lots and lots of violence. It’s in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section of the bookstore.

Spoilers for the other two, obviously.

Things aren’t going well for Middren – the rebellion against the king failed (he’s not quite as bad though), and the neighboring country of Talicia is using their newfound power through the god Hseth to conquer (though it’s more like, burn, kill, rape, and pillage) their way through MIddren. The only thing Middren can do is rally its forces – King Aren convinces Elo to be the head of the army and Aren’s right-hand man – and ask for aid from neighboring countries, and possibly the gods themselves. Kissen, Inara, and Inara’s mother are sent off to do that. Of course, if that were all, the book would be 75 pages and we’d be done.

But, Kaner is a better writer than that. She takes us on a journey, both in terms of distance and politics, as well as personally. There is so much growth in this book, it’s incredible. Kaner’s playing with ideas of religion, of forgiveness and reconciliation, of faith and what that can mean. It’s incredible.

I do have to admit that it took me a while to get into this one, mostly because it has been a year since I read Sunbringer and I needed to adjust myself back to Kaner’s writing and her world. But the trilogy is all out, so you can just plow through them one right after another, which is how this world should be experienced, I think.

Such a good series.

Monthly Round-up: May 2025

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I was talking to a co-worker the other day, and we both realized that it was nearly June. Where HAS this year gone? How is it nearly half over? In the immortal words of Remember Monday, what the hell just happened? It was definitely a crazy month.

My favorite is different for me, but I found myself challenged and informed by this one. It’s definitely one that made me think about how I approach the Bible, and I value what she had to say.

The Making of Biblical Womanhood

As for the rest:

Adult Fiction:

Great Big Beautiful Life (audiobook)
Songs for Other People’s Weddings
The Enchanted Greenhouse
A Harvest of Hearts
Overdue

Middle Grade:

Return to Sender (audiobook)

Non-Fiction:

The Wager
The Way Around

Young Adult:

Blue Lily, Lily Blue (reread, audiobook)
The Raven King (reread, audiobook

And onward to June!

Overdue

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by Stephanie Perkins
First sentence: “I had already made one catastrophic decision earlier that week.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Release date: October 7, 2025
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Content: There is a lot of swearing, including multiple f-bombs, and some fade-to-black sex. It will be in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Ingrid has been in a long-term relationship with Cory since she was 18. Eleven years later, they’ve not made any moves toward marriage, and when Ingrid’s younger sister announces her engagement, they have a panic attack. And decide to “take a break” for a month to date other people. Ingrid’s first choice: her co-worker from the library, Macon. Except that doesn’t go well. And as one month turns into two, into three, Ingrid realizes that maybe more than just her relationship needs an overhaul. Over the next year, she does just that, finding out more about herself, her wants and desires, and making her life into one she wants to live.

This one had a rough start. It’s divided up by months, and January was painful. Ingrid isn’t likable, the whole situation with Cory is awkward, and it’s just, well, hard to read. But, I pushed through it because I adored Stephanie Perkins back in the day, and I was rewarded: the book got immensely better. It’s a slow-burn romance, which I don’t usually care for, but I did like the way Macon and Ingrid’s romance developed. I liked that the book was as much about Ingrid finding herself as it was about falling in love. I liked the town that Perkins invented, and the people she surrounded Ingrid with. It was all very homey and sweet and, in the end, quite enjoyable. If it had a less rough start, I’d probably like it more, but it’s a worthy adult debut for a YA author I really like.

A Harvest of Hearts

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by Andrea Eames
First sentence: “They said that magic, real magic, not the shite that hedgewitches peddled with all their little bags of powders and herbs, could only be performed in exchange for a human heart.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There is some swearing (including one or two f-bombs), pretty gruesome deaths, and an off-page sex scene. It’s in the Romance section but it’s more of a fantasy.

The kingdom that Foss has grown up in has had no war, no disease, the plants and animals are always healthy. The cost: the king and his 12 sorcerers — 11 women and one man — harvest hearts from the citizens to keep the magic going. Foss wants nothing to do with it – she is just an awkward butcher’s daughter – but one time, her heart got snagged by the male. He didn’t actually take her, but it was painful to be away from him, so she followed him to the city and to his house, where she volunteered to be his housekeeper. She resented herself for this, even though she knew it was magic. But once there, she set about looking for her heart to make it whole again and discovered the rotten underbelly of the kingdom and the magic.

I didn’t know what to expect going in, but I was pleasantly charmed by this one. I adored Foss, she was very pragmatic, often funny, and headstrong enough to make me want to root for her. Eams has created a very unique magic system, something dark and grisly – I mean, cruelly taking people’s hearts to fuel magic! – but the book isn’t dark or creepy. It gave off strong Kingfisher vibes – a bit of humor and heart underneath something terrible and daunting. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

The Enchanted Greenhouse

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by Sarah Beth Durst
First sentence: “The plant was innocent.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Release date: July 15, 2025
Others in the series: The Spellshop
Content: There are some tense moments, and talk of death and loss. It will be in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Terlu was the librarian who made Caz in The Spellshop, and was punished for it, spending six years as a wooden statue. When she finds herself awakened, on a snowy island, she has no idea how long she’s been gone, or why she’s finally back to herself. What she discovers is Yarrow, a lone, grumpy gardener keeping care of dying enchanted greenhouses, and he wants and expects her to fix him. It’s not that simple: Terlu is a librarian, not a sorcerer, but she finds herself charmed (especially when she wakes up Lotti, a sentient rose plant) and is determined to help. She’s afraid of being punished again, but she figures that maybe it’s worth it, especially if she can get Yarrow to smile.

Much like The Spellshop this one is all about the cozy vibes. There isn’t much conflict – Terlu is afraid of working magic against the law, which is understandable given that she was punished once already, and there is an increasing need to fix the magic with the greenhouses, as they are failing faster and faster. There’s a small falling out in the third act, but nothing drastic. This is all about sweetness and coziness and just being charming and lovely. Which means, of course, that I adored it.

It’s not for the people who want spice or tension, but it will definitely appeal to those who loved The Spellshop, and who want to just feel, well, smiley.

Audiobook: Return to Sender

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by Vera Brosgol
Read by Michelle H. Lee
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There are some intense moments and it begins with a dead parent. It’s in the Middle Grade (grades 3-5) section of the bookstore.

Oliver has moved a lot in the past year after his dad passed away. He has desperately wanted two things: his own bedroom and to grow up and follow his dad’s dream by opening a restaurant. He gets his first wish when his mom’s great-aunt passes away and leaves the apartment to her. Except there’s something weird in the apartment: A mail slot in the wall that goes nowhere. But, when Oliver slips in an accidental “wish” (for pizza!) and it comes true, he realizes what he’s got: his own personal wish-fulfiller. But, as his wishes get more and more grand, he starts realizing that the consequences of his actions are bigger and bigger.

I’ve enjoyed Brosgol’s graphic novels in the past, and I know she’s a good storyteller, but I didn’t know what to expect out of a prose novel from her. I didn’t need to worry (I didn’t, really): she’s an excellent writer, and this has everything that a middle grade novel needs. It reaches the kids where they are at, it’s funny and fast-paced, and it’s got a huge heart. I loved that at its heart it’s about the butterfly effect – how our actions have consequences, for good or ill – and about the disparity between rich and poor, and how unfair it is that rich people don’t often see the consequences of their actions. There’s a silly villain, there’s action and tension, and it’s just a lot of fun.

This one is good whatever way you read it: in the print version, Brosgol has included illustrations; in the audio version, Lee is an excellent narrator who makes the story that propels the story forward.

I hope many kids find this one, because it’s fantastic.

The Way Around

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by Nicholas Triolo
First sentence: “In my early twenties, I decided to travel around the world.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy provided by the publisher rep.
Release date: July 8, 2025
Content: There is some swearing, including multiple f-bombs. It will be in the Creative Nonfiction section (maybe?) of the Bookstore.

The publisher rep, when he came to talk to staff, pitched this book as a cross between a travel book and an exploration of the idea of meditation through walking in circles. It sounded fascinating, as I love a good travel book, and I am curious about different ways to meditate.

That’s not what I got. This book is broken up into three sections: the first was Triolo walking around Kailash in Tibet; the second was him walking around (or up?) Tamalpais in northern California; and the third was walking around an abandoned copper mine in Butte, Montana. There was elements of travel and elements of the idea that walking in circles is meditative, but elements does not a good book make.

I abandoned this a bit of the way into the third section – I just had no interest in Triolo walking around a pit – it just wasn’t clicking at all. Out of the two sections, I thought the second – the mountain in California – was closest to what I wanted out of the book, but even then, I just wasn’t invested in reading it. I’m sure this book will be for someone, but it wasn’t for me.

The Making of Biblical Womanhood

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by Beth Allison Barr
First sentence: “I never meant to be an activist.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: While this isn’t a true work of scholarship, there is scholarship there, and it might be a lot for some people. It’s in the Theology and Religion section of the bookstore.

Barr wrote this book after her husband was fired from his job as youth pastor at a Baptist church in Texas. The reason? Simply put, he supported having women in leadership/teaching roles. This book, on the evolution of the idea of “Biblical womanhood” and the “God-given” roles that men and women are supposed to have, is the result of that firing. Barr is a medieval Church historian, and as she shows time and time again, the way conservative Christians think things have always been is, in fact, not the case.

I found this fascinating and enlightening. Barr tackles the Pauline creeds, puts them in context, and explains that really it’s the combination of the Restoration and the current trend for Biblical inerrancy that has led to women needing to be silent, submissive to their husbands, and focused entirely on being a wife and mother above all else. Barr is a good writer, helping someone like me without much scriptural knowledge or historical background through the murky waters of history and theology.

Absolutely worth picking up.

Songs for Other People’s Weddings

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by David Levithan (with songs by Jens Lekman)
First sentence: “Let’s start at the urinal.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy given to me by my co-worker who needed someone to read it.
Release date: August 5, 2025
Content: There is some swearing, including multiple f-bombs. It will be in the Fiction section of the bookstore.

J, a Swedish singer-songwriter, has accidentally gotten into the wedding singer business. He doesn’t really mind: it was a song of his that inspired the first request, and he likes writing songs for couples getting married and then performing at their weddings. Especially since he can usually get his girlfriend, V, to come along. He’s happy. Or, at least he thinks so. Then, V’s job takes her on an extended trip to New York City, and suddenly J’s life is upended. He’s unmoored. He wants his life back as he knew it, and V’s not willing – or able – to give J what he wants. And so, their relationship slowly dissolves.

I wanted to like this one more than I actually ended up liking it. It was… fine. I liked it enough to finish it, but I’m not sure what Levithan was getting at – exploring what happens when a relationship falls apart, not because of some grand tragic event, but because two people just go in different directions – was that compelling. I didn’t particularly like J or V (or the fact that they didn’t have names, when everyone else in the book did), and I didn’t particularly care for their story.

I am curious about the songs, though, so I may listen to whatever playlist Lekman cooks up when the book actually comes out. But, honestly: that may be the only thing I truly like about this book.

Audiobook: The Wager

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by David Grann
Read by Dion Graham
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There are some gruesome details about the status of the survivors once the ship wrecked, as well as mentions of cannibalism. It’s in the History section of the bookstore.

In 1742, a small boat washed up on the shore of Brazil, holding 30 emaciated men. They said they were what was left of the crew of His Majesty’s ship, The Wager, and that they had been shipwrecked off the coast of Patagonia for months. After nearly starving to death, they escaped through the Straits of Magellan and to Brazil. When they finally made it back to England, they were regarded as heroes. Then, a few years later, three more men show up after having arrived in Chile. They told a story of mutiny and rebellion, of bad decisions and murder.

I’ve had this one on my TBR (or to-listen, actually) pile for a couple of years, ever since it came out. I knew it was going to be good; co-workers who don’t usually read history read this one and thoroughly enjoyed it. But I was still surprised just how much I liked it. Part of that was Graham’s narration – he’s an excellent narrator and he made the already compelling narrative that Graham wrote even more compelling. We listened to this one driving to St. Louis and back, and we hung on every word. So much so that we couldn’t listen to it while navigating around the town – there was no talking over the book. I knew Grann was a good historian, I just didn’t know how compelling he was. It was a fascinating story told really well and read by an amazing narrator. A perfect storm of excellence.