Mara

@mrlzbth

Public librarian/cataloger, voracious reader, history buff.

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Mara@mrlzbth· 6d

November books I hope to get to soon: TAKE MY WORD FOR IT by Levar Burton, THERE USED TO BE PEOPLE HERE by Kennedy Cole, THE TRIAL OF MAGDALENE OVERMORROW by Caitriona Moran, THE DIVINE SHADOW by Lyndsay Ely. #ewgc 💙 📚

The cover of The Divine Shadow depicts a woman in red walking forward with smoke or vapor rising from each outstretched hand. Just behind her appears a shadowy figure with red eyes and a similar posture.

The cover of Take My Word For It depicts Levar Burton looking at a camera with a thoughtful expression.

The cover of There Used to be People Here depicts a red streak of light shooting towards the ground on an otherwise dark night. A pair of headlights flash nearby.

The cover of The Trial of Magdalena Overmorrow depicts a woman in plain brown robes riding a black horse through a rocky blue landscape. The words "Scholar, healer, harlot" appear just below the title.

Mara@mrlzbth· 6d

October reads high on my TBR: TYRANT LIZARD QUEEN by Riley Black, THE HOUSEKEEPER by Rose Tremain, UNSPEAKABLE THINGS by Elizabeth Hand, WINTERSET HOLLOW by Jonathan Edward Durham. #ewgc 📚 💙

The cover of The Housekeeper depicts a woman in black looking out the window of a house. She is seen from behind and next to her is a door leading into darkness.

The cover of Tyrant Lizard Queen depicts a T-Rex looking up towards the sky. The subtitle reads; "The Love, Life and Terror of Earth's Greatest Carnivore."

The cover of Unspeakable Things depicts a woman's hand holding a lit cigarette with smoke wafting upwards and to the side.

The cover of Winterset Hollow depicts what looks like an illustration from a children's book of a rabbit dressed as a human and holding a basket of fruit. Claw-like marks slash across the cover with red dripping from the largest one. A closer look reveals that the rabbit itself is wearing a bloody apron.

Mara@mrlzbth· 6d

SOLACE HOUSE by Will McLean is a mind-bending dark academia read about a group of students clearing out an old house over the summer...a house hiding all sorts of sinister secrets. A bit slow at times but intriguing enough to keep me turning the pages. #ewgc 📚 💙

The cover of Solace House depicts a large house floating in the sky with human faces peeking out from behind and within in, all melting together like a Salvador Dali painting.

Mara@mrlzbth· 6d

THE CURSE OF FEATHERS by Kimberly Bea is a creative fairy tale retelling about a woman who must break the curse when her brothers are turned into swans by their evil stepmother. Really liked the determined heroine in this one and the historical setting. #ewgc 💙 📚

The cover of The Curse of Feathers depicts a human hand stretching upward towards a group of swans. A wooden hand appears just beside it, reaching out toward the human one.

Mara@mrlzbth· 6d

I also really enjoyed A WALL IS ALSO A ROAD by Annalee Newitz, which sees an alien graduate student traveling to pre-eruption Pompeii to research the life forms there. Ethical quandaries quickly abound! A creative and ultimately heartwarming read. #ewgc 📚 💙

The cover of A Wall is Also a Road depicts gray tentacles popping out from behind a circle where a woman is depicting looking upward in Roman-style mosaic art. The background is a deep red with yellow sparkles, planets and galaxies suggesting a nighttime sky.

Mara@mrlzbth· 6d

MONSTERA by Delilah S. Dawson was a fast vibes-heavy horror/romance read about a woman with an unusual background who moves into an apartment and quickly befriends her downstairs neighbor, who's hiding a few secrets of her own. #ewgc 📚 💙

The cover of Monstera depicts a bloody hand holding a garden fork along with a vibrant plant with green leaves and red and white flowers.

Mara@mrlzbth· 6d

I raced through YOUR BELOVED REMAINS by Quinn Connor, which has all the Gothic dark academia vibes you could possibly want. Two professors team up to "recreate" a long lost work and things get real weird, real fast. I loved it! #ewgc 📚 💙

The cover of Your Beloved Remains depicts the torso and arms of a woman in a green dress holding an animal skull.

Mara@mrlzbth· 6d

I was intrigued by PLY by Hernan Diaz given how much I liked Trust, and it was definitely an interesting, thought-provoking read. Maybe a little physics heavy for me at times, though! #ewgc 📚 💙

The cover of Ply depicts a narrow strip of peach-colored paper twisted and folded across a dark green background.

Mara@mrlzbth· 6d

As soon I saw AN IMMACULATE DECEPTION by Isabela Livino was Gothic horror set in 19th century Brazil I knew I had to read it! Madalena wakes up after a carriage accident in a home where she seems to be lovingly tended to by her fiancé and his doctor...but nothing is quite as it should be. #ewgc 💙 📚

The cover of An Immaculate Deception shows a woman in red with her back to the camera. In the distance a large white house sits beneath a stormy sky. It's very Gothic!

Mara@mrlzbth· 6d

KISS SLAY REPLAY by Rachel Harrison was so much fun! As if having to seeing your ex at a friend's wedding isn't awful enough, poor Willa gets stuck in a nightmarish, bloody time loop where her heartache is usually the least of the wedding's problems. #ewgc 📚 💙

The cover of Kiss Slay Replay depicts a wedding cake with pink roses that's been stabbed by a kitchen knife. A red blood-like substance runs down the cake. The image is repeated faintly behind the original two more times.

Mara@mrlzbth· 6d

Nothing better at the lake than reading a thriller set at a lake! This year I went with BURIED IN THE WOODS BELOW by Daniel G. Miller. Charlotte goes back to Big Island, Minnesota to help the family of her childhood best friend, but strange things start happening as soon as she arrives. #ewgc 💙 📚

The cover of Buried in the Woods Below depicts a lake house with the upper windows lit and a red reflection in the water below.

Mara@mrlzbth· 6d

SAID THE DEAD by Doireann Ní Ghríofa is such a hard book to describe, but had me absolutely rapt from start to end. A memoir/history blend that constantly blurs the boundaries between the real and imagined as "the Reader" explores the history of a 19th century mental hospital in Cork, Ireland. #ewgc

The cover of Said The Dead is mostly water with a black and white city skyline in the distance and a feather-like pattern in the sky above.

Mara@mrlzbth· Jul 9

Also currently reading THE DISTANCE BETWEEN OUR NAMES by Paul Richter, a fascinating and moving look at the history of Japanese immigration in the United States. #ewgc

The cover of The Distance Between Our Names depicts a group of Japanese people standing outside a place of business in a black and white photograph.

Mara@mrlzbth· Jul 9

Currently reading and loving FEMALE LIFE ON PLANET EARTH by Laleh Khadivi, in which a grieving daughter gets unexpected news about her mother's past. So many fantastic character moments in this one! #ewgc

On the cover of Female Life on Planet Earth, a woman's hand reaches out holding a stick of dynamite with pink smoke billowing from the top. Her tilted head and smile are just visible in the upper corner.

Mara@mrlzbth· Jul 9

I loved MAN EATER by Ally Wilkes, which takes everything I've loved about her polar horror novels into the depths of the Amazon. Fantastic creepy, feminist vibes and a suspenseful plot where the feeling of dread just keeps building and building. #ewgc

The cover of Man Eater depicts a woman's face in red from just below her eyes down. She is surrounded by vines and purple flowers.

Mara@mrlzbth· Jul 9

THE WHITECHAPEL FULL MOON SOCIETY by Elizabeth DeLozier was a really fun read, and I enjoyed both the Jack the Ripper mystery part of the story and the supernatural goings on at the boarding house. Hoping for a sequel! #ewgc

The cover of The Whitechapel Full Moon Society depicts a large full moon with a man pursuing a woman across the rooftops beneath it.

Mara@mrlzbth· Jul 9

I love a third book in a series that's just as good as the first one was, and A TRADE OF BLOOD by Robert Jackson Bennett definitely delivered. And now the impatient wait for Book 4 begins! #ewgc

The cover of A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett depicts a drawn head like in an anatomy text book. Just above it, two mushrooms grown out of the book's title.

Mara@mrlzbth· Jul 9

I loved the creepy vibes of RELIQUARY by Hannah Whitten, in which a woman has a super intense time meeting her dead fiancé's family. The minute she started descending the stone stairs into the bowels of the earth with them I knew she needed to be making much better life decisions. #ewgc

The cover of Reliquary by Hannah Whitten depicts a woman with her head tilted back and with a cave-like structure in her neck. Through the cave you can see the lit window of an imposing looking home.

Mara@mrlzbth· Jun 4

September reads I'm excited for: THE CHINESE LADY by Bo Wang, WITCH DAUGHTER by Tanaz Bhathena, WICKHILLS by Premee Mohamed, THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF FIRST LADY FREEMAN by Deesha Philyaw. #ewgc 📚 💙

The cover of The Chinese Lady by Bo Wang

The cover of The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman by Deesha Philyaw

The cover of Wickhills by Premee Mohamed

The cover of Witch Daughter by Tanaz Bhathena

Mara@mrlzbth· Jun 4

August reads I'm hoping to get to: MEET ME IN THE GARDEN by Nina LaCour, YOU'LL LOVE IT HERE by Natalie Sue, THE SUNKEN, THE ADORED by Donyae Coles, MAJESTIC HILLS by Dawn Turner. #ewgc

The cover of Majestic Hills by Dawn Turner

The cover of Meet Me in the Garden by Nina LaCour

The cover of The Sunken, The Adored by Donyae Coles

The cover You'll Love It Here by Natalie Sue

Mara@mrlzbth· Jun 4

Currently reading and enjoying NEVER WHISTLE AT NIGHT PART II: BACK FOR BLOOD, another fantastic anthology of horror stories from Indigenous writers. #ewgc 📚 💙

The cover of Never Whistle at Night Part Two, Back for Blood.

Mara@mrlzbth· Jun 4

I was intrigued by THE RED WOMAN ON MARS by Claire Barner and its "SF Bridgerton" hook, but it actually turned out to be a surprisingly feminist take on reproductive freedom. I enjoyed both the tough protagonist and the unusual love story. #ewgc 📚 💙

The cover of The Red Woman on Mars by Claire Barner

Mara@mrlzbth· Jun 4

DAMNED IF I DO by Alexandria Bellefleur was a fun romance read. A demon has to go find the current reincarnation of her long-lost husband to get him to renounce their vows so she can marry her demon fiancé...but of course things quickly get complicated. #ewgc 💙 📚

The cover of Damned If I Do by Alexandria Bellefleur

Mara@mrlzbth· Jun 4

Another book I didn't want to put down this month: THE NIGHT POOL by Lauren Lee Smith. An unsettling and gruesome "weird Western" set in Coloma, California during the Gold Rush and featuring multiple complex, interesting female protagonists. Incredibly tense and compelling. #ewgc 📚 💙

The cover of The Night Pool by Lauren Lee Smith

Mara@mrlzbth· Jun 4

I was delighted to spend more time with Queenie and her family/friends in QUEENIE IS WORKING ON IT by Candice Carty-Williams--not quite as intense as the first book but definitely an emotionally satisfying continuation of Queenie's story. #ewgc 📚 💙

The cover of Queenie is Working on It by Candice Carty-Williams

Mara@mrlzbth· Jun 4

I also really loved QUAINT FOLK by Bitter Karella, in which a family moves to a strange island community where some very, very strange things are afoot. Darkly funny yet extremely creepy folk horror. I think some Widow's Bay fans might be interested in this one! #ewgc 📚 💙

The cover of Quaint Folk by Bitter Karella

Mara@mrlzbth· Jun 4

My top rave this month has to be THE GREAT WHEREVER by Shannon Sanders. I was surprised by how quickly this story completely hooked me! A woman goes to visit the Tennessee farm she's inherited a share of, a place rich in family stories and haunted by an ancestral ghost or two. #ewgc 📚 💙

The cover of The Great Wherever shows a rural scene of trees and grass in muted greens, browns, and yellows. A shadowy figure is seen walking in the distance.

Mara@mrlzbth· May 7

August titles I want to get to soon: THE INEVITABLE UNDOING OF ZAHARA DOUGLASS by Leslye Penelope, A TRADE OF BLOOD by Robert Jackson Bennett, MEET ME IN THE GARDEN by Nina LaCour. #ewgc 📚 💙

The cover of Meet Me in the Garden is a painting of flowers done in an Impressionist style.

Mara@mrlzbth· May 7

July titles high on my TBR: THE RED WOMAN ON MARS by Claire Barner, THE NOVEL DETECTIVE by Teresa Dovalpage, OUR KNIVES WILL SAVE US by Nephi Craig, THE GREAT WHEREVER by Shannon Sanders. #ewgc 📚 💙

The cover of The Great Wherever depicts a country scene of trees and grass in muted greens, yellows and browns. A dark figure appears walking away from the viewer.

The cover of The Novel Detective depicts an apartment building with a shadowy woman standing at a balcony at one window while another figure holding a book is glimpsed in silhouette above her.

The cover of Our Knives Will Save Us depicts the white silhouette of a head with various foods on top of it, particularly corn and other grains.

The cover of Red Woman on Mars depicts a woman in Regency dress against a harsh red Martian landscape. A grey dome-like building appears in the distance.

Mara@mrlzbth· May 7

I am currently reading THE OCCIDENTAL BOOK OF THE DEAD by T. Geronimo Johnson, which is definitely a challenging read but a really interesting one. A Black cop in Atlanta faces major ethical and life decisions when his partner shoots a white teenager. #ewgc 💙 📚