Book Reviews

The second installment in the Harry Potter series, Chamber of Secrets, returns us to Hogwarts for another year of magic, mischief, and danger. This is the book where we first meet Dobby the house elf, one of my favorite characters. Dobby literally appears out of thin air and will stop at nothing to keep Harry […]

What the Sea Knows is a riveting story that combines equal parts Celtic folklore, romance, and mystery and mixes those ingredients together to deliver a raw, emotionally filled Irish coastal adventure. The main character Holly is flawed but extremely relatable. She mustered the courage to step away from her life’s path long enough to determine

Set in a centuries old bookstore in Scotland: a love story, decades apart, a woman pining for the ghost of her lover, and Frankie, the faithful companion stuck in a world he doesn’t belong. It’s a tale of faith in what cannot be seen, and of learning to let go. Pen and Adelaide. Though their

Flying broomsticks, owls that deliver the mail, sky-high sports, and a touch of magic —Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is a classic good-versus-evil tale wrapped in wonder and adventure. Meet Harry Potter, the orphaned child living with a dreadful aunt and uncle who treat him more like a burden than family. Small for his

Have you ever wished for a little magic in your life? I have—many times, both as a child and as an adult. Honestly, I could use a spell that cleans my house! I don’t recall a vanishing bookshop being something I ever imagined, but now that I’ve read this story, I wish I could visit

Let me start off by saying this was such a nice read. From the very first pages, it just felt right. I was completely transported, as if I were there in the story, summering on Fire Island alongside the characters. I felt like Alice, longing for love and acceptance. I felt like Riley, torn between

Full disclosure. Not having read a blurb or synopsis, I bought this book sight unseen, with very little information about it. I was literally driving during work one day, half-listening to The Shit No One Tells You About Writing podcast (Season 26, Episode 5, June 19, for those of you who are curious) when the

On the menu: one cup of young love, one cup of complicated adult relationships, two tablespoons past wounds, and a dash of the strange and wondrous. Follow your senses to the town of Mullaby, North Carolina, where things are a little different and the wallpaper changes right before your eyes. If you enjoy a touch

This review is as much an opinion piece as it is a reflection on the book itself. I’ve noticed a growing trend on Bookstagram where readers frequently mention DNF’ing (Did Not Finish) books. I’ve always struggled with this concept—and here’s why. There are plenty of books that hook me from the first page. When that

Stone of Fire is the first book in the ARKANE action-adventure thriller series by indie author J.F. Penn—and my second read from her. Her podcast The Creative Penn is one of my current obsessions. I keep up with each new weekly episode and catch up on older ones while working. There’s something magnetic about the