Today is October 30th and the closest we can get to Halloween without Links actually being on Halloween. I have a shift at the bookstore today and tomorrow and we have Halloween events for both. If you’re curious about my costumes, today is a Hargas cult/commune member from the movie Midsommar (highly recommend!) and tomorrow is a Crystal Lake camp counselor. I’m still waiting on my flower crown to arrive for the former, but I have a backup … Continue reading Links: Just Spooky Stuff →
Book TW: Violence against women and children including in-text murder. I love a good story about witches and so when Sarah asked what book I wanted to review first, I immediately thought of the audiobook version of The Witches of New York by Ami McKay waiting for me in my Audible TBR pile. The narration by Julia Whelan was excellent. She manages to create distinct voices for the many characters, mostly female, who inhabited this … Continue reading The Witches of New York by Ami McKay →
Halloween is just around the corner and it’s my favorite time of year. I love kids getting to dress up as adorable pumpkins or superheroes, my getting to buy bulk Reese Peanut Butter Cups and pretend like they’re for trick or treaters when the bag is totally going in my freezer, and my reading all of the spooky books and movies that get released. The Witch of Willow Hall immediately caught my eye with its … Continue reading The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox →
I saw a tweet from the author go by about this book just prior to release, highlighting the following aspects of the plot: …friends-to-lovers, witches, farmers, ladies being supportive of each other, and/or a slightly misanthropic lady-witch farmer wrestling with her feelings for her best friend while her coven supports her no matter what. I am indeed here for all of these things, so I bought the novella and read it immediately. This is the … Continue reading Spellbinding Love by Elizabeth Davis →
It’s Wednesday! And we have some links for you! New England is currently in the middle of a gross heat wave and I hate it. Even with a fan going, it’s too hot to sit in the living room and explore planets in the video game, No Man’s Sky. I’m very peeved about it. … Bustle has some romance recommendations for your favorite romantic comedy movies. The list isn’t bad, but I would say the … Continue reading Links: The Kiss Quotient, Witches, & More →
This is a difficult book to grade. I finished it because I wanted to see what happened. At the same time, I was easily distracted while reading because I got bored being told everything. I was curious about the rules of the magic and the roles of difference characters, but I was also really uneasy and at times repulsed by the portrayal of those characters. Some existed without connection to context or larger meaning, even … Continue reading Deadly Sweet by Lola Dodge →
It’s Wednesday! But man, I wish we were closer to the weekend. My fall allergies have made a resurgence and Benadryl reduces me to a useless, blanketed lump. Hopefully your week is going better! … The Book Smugglers have started a Kickstarter campaign! Sarah has already backed the project and I probably will as well: In 2018, The Book Smugglers turns 10 years old—and it’s now time to level up! We want to do more. … Continue reading Links: Kickstarter, Cosplay, & Witches →
So, unsurprisingly, it turns out being a woman in 17th century New England was not awesome. I mean, it was probably awesome for some people, but not a lot. Stacy Schiff’s 500 page analysis of the famed Salem witch trials doesn’t shy away from the gender politics that lead to the “execution of fourteen women, five men, and two dogs for witchcraft,” although Schiff also never points to that as the sole reason for whole … Continue reading The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff →
It’s Wednesday, everyone! Only a few more days until the glorious weekend and I hope you all have something fun planned! Now onto some links… … Reader Ellen has started a Kickstarter for a book and artisan tea shop, which I know is right up our readers’ alley: We’re Cid and Ellen, and we’re opening The Novel Tea in Sacramento, California. Our goal is to create a space that not only sells books and tea, … Continue reading Links: Witches, Tea, & Female Anger →
Given the cover art, the characters, the presence of brujas, the series name Brooklyn Brujas, and the summary, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion I’d like this book. It was a stunning and powerful mix of all my catnip. I like witches, I like young women coming into their power, otherworldly or otherwise, and I like the unique sense of family that arises with groups of women practicing said power. Now that I’ve read it, my anticipation … Continue reading Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova →
This is the first book in a new series, and to be honest, it read more like a pilot episode or maybe even pilot season than a book. I’ve tried a few times while writing this to articulate that impression, and the best I can come up with is that while the central characters, Katie Faith and Jace, have a very quick relationship development and commitment, and there is a happy-for-now ending for them both, … Continue reading Moonstruck by Lauren Dane →
