How to Love a Black Hole by Rebecca Fishow

How to Love a Black Hole by Rebecca Fishow

I reviewed Rebecca Fishow's latest collection for MicroLit Almanac - read it here!

How to Love a Black Hole is a haunting, profoundly emotional collection that explores the fragility of human relationships, the weight of trauma, and the search for meaning in a world often defined by contradictions. Each story in the collection leaves a lasting impression, lingering in the mind long after you turn the final page. Fishow’s writing is surreal yet grounded, rich in symbolism and vivid description that blurs the lines between reality and the supernatural.

For the Love of Writing

This blog is mostly book reviews but there's an overlap between reading and writing so I wanted to share my Substack, For the Love of Writing, launching today!

The monthly newsletter will include my thoughts on things related to reading and writing, and I'll also recommend a book (well, at least one!) per issue, so check it out and subscribe so you don't miss a thing!

A New Day by Sue Mell

 

A New Day by Sue Mell

This has been one of my favorite books read recently, so please check it out!

In A New Day, Sue Mell delivers a collection of short stories that feel honest and familiar. The book follows three women—Rachel, Emma, and Nina—through the highs and lows of relationships, creative pursuits, and life’s everyday disarray.

What stands out most about these stories is how real they feel. Mell doesn’t sugarcoat or neatly resolve everything. Instead, she gives us glimpses of decisions that ripple through later stories, sometimes offering closure but more often reflecting how life works—messy, unpredictable, and full of loose ends. It’s like catching up with old friends through mutual acquaintances, where you slowly piece together what’s been happening in their lives.

Read the full review here!

The Miro Worm and the Mysteries of Writing by Sven Birkerts

I spent weeks with this book, letting my thoughts wander on Birkerts-inspired tangents, much like he did for other writers he mentions in his essays. It cracked open my mind at a time when I was needing inspiration. Yet even with pages of notes, I couldn’t seem to shape a review. I looked back at some of my reviews for flash and short story collections, but none of those formats seemed right...

Read the full review here.

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

Lucy and Savvy were the kind of girls everyone envied. However one night, Lucy is found covered in Savvy’s blood and the whole town thinks she's a killer. Years later, Lucy’s rebuilt her life in LA, far away from all that small-town gossip. She can’t remember a thing about that night, but she’s moved on. Or at least, she thought she had—until a true crime podcast, Listen for the Lie, decides to dig into Savvy’s murder for its new season. The host wants answers and Lucy returns to the town she’s avoided like the plague. She’s determined to find out what really happened, even if that means facing the possibility she could be the one who did it. I flew through this story in a day—it had me hooked from start to finish. I don’t even listen to podcasts anymore (I used to be obsessed), but the way this story uses that format is so compelling. Tintera nailed it.

Walk Me to the Corner by Anneli Furmark

Walk Me to the Corner by Anneli Furmark

I'm in a novel workshop where five of us are writing young adult novels, workshopping them a chapter at a time. As often happens when you get writers together, the book recommendations fly faster than I can write them down!

One of the writers is revising a graphic novel. Interestingly, she only has the text, as she's not an artist. Still, the story and the way she laid it out is so visual - I can definitely imagine how amazing this would look as a finished book!

I mentioned that it made me think of Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and Fun Home (and others) by Alison Bechdel, and she mentioned Walk Me to the Corner.

I requested it from the library without reading what it was about. Sometimes I like a hint of what's to come, especially with suspense books, cozy mysteries, and thrillers. But sometimes I like going in with no expectations - especially if someone personally recommended a book.

This book was really sparse; I found this appealing in a way because the reader can overlay their own emotions. Even with images, it was difficult to understand what each character was feeling deep down, which made me feel a bit disconnected from the story, though it was an interesting premise.

Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell

Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell

I already loved Tasha Coryell from her Split/Lip Press collection (which you can get your hands on HERE) and was really excited to read a full-length book from her. She always has interesting perspectives on things and the “quirky” narrator here definitely fits the bill.

This book stands out because Hannah is not the typical female protagonist and I loved that. She's unlikable at times and has desires and reasonings behind those desires that most main characters avoid completely... or kind of brush under the rug at best. But that made her feel real, because people are multi-faceted and might make "strange" choices, then double down on those choices, and then get completely caught up in the outcome.

Overall, the story felt like I was listening to a true crime podcast or watching a documentary since the narrator was all up in the action. (Which, I mean... it's a modern thriller - it's at least going to be a mini-series on Netflix, right? RIGHT?)

And then that ending... whew. I love the ending and hope for a sequel! But will be happy to just read more Coryell books, period.

With that said, Coryell mentioned at the end of this book that it was inspired by one of her short stories. I'd previously read Hungry People back in 2020, so I pulled it out to re-read. I easily found the story that she was referring to, and it was great in its own right. I'm glad it's a short story and I'm glad it found a slightly different way of being as a novel. But the other stories? I forgot how good they were. Like... take you to a whole other world good. So seriously - get a copy of that book! Split/Lip Press is one of the most fair independent presses when it comes to book prices and what the author gets, so buy directly through them!

Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose

Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose

 

"The truth won't change anything, but that doesn't mean it should never be exposed."

I saw this in a bookstore, and the title alone grabbed me, along with the cover image! But as petty as it may sound, the Colleen Hoover blurb on the front cover made me second-guess my initial thoughts. I've read a few of Hoover's books, and I later realized I'd read The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose and only gave it two stars. But overall, the synopsis sounded great, and I felt like I hadn't been reading much lately, so I was in!

"He closes the door behind him, leaving me to fend off the monsters on my own. But they're not under the bed anymore. They're in me."

The story was quite different from what I expected, but I enjoyed it. I felt like all three siblings were very unique and realistic, and they all had distinct voices, which can be tough in a multi-POV book. The way the siblings started uncovering information about their parents' past was really well done, too. I could have read anything about their childhood up to this point and been completely invested.

"As we age, we shed layers of ourselves, disintegrating like any other organic material, but some of us just break down faster than others."

The twist was okay, but I felt it was almost anti-climactic. It felt a bit rushed, and everything seemed to happen quickly after such a great build-up of the siblings putting the clues together. (Funny enough, I thought the ending of The Perfect Marriage ruined the book for me, so maybe that's just a constant for my experience with Rose's books, though this one didn't ruin it.) The final resolution also wasn't a home run for me - it seemed a little too sappy. Overall, this was still a good read that kept me turning pages, so I'd recommend it.

The Measure by Nikki Erlick

The Measure by Nikki Erlick

The Measure by Nikki Erlick is one of those books that really makes you stop and think. The premise is wild but fascinating—everyone in the world over the age of 22 gets a box with a string inside, and the length of that string tells them how long they have left to live. What would you do if you knew how much time you had left? Would you want to know?

The story follows different characters as they deal with the impact of this mystery, and I loved how their lives were all connected in some way, even if they didn’t know it. Some people open the box, others don’t, and the way each person handles the knowledge (or lack of it) is so interesting. The book dives into big ideas about fate, choice, and how we define our lives, but it also has this really human, emotional core that keeps it grounded.

For me, this book really got me thinking. It feels so relevant to everything going on in the world today, and I appreciated how it tackled society’s issues and those inevitable life events from so many different perspectives. And that ending—it felt so real and touching. It made me reflect on the story in a whole new way, just like how we can look at life and what’s happening in the world around us and see things differently with time. Honestly, it mirrors a lot of what’s going on in the country right now.

Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan

 Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan

My kid read this as a classroom read in 4th grade and said I would like it too. 

And I did! 

It’s pretty quick and surface-level in terms of characters, but I think that works for younger readers because they focus more on the differences between people initially, then the commonalities to learn the lesson of the book. 

I think it’s a great book to help kids remember to be kind to everyone. It's really relatable because it shows the two main characters both at home and at school, putting them in positions children will be able to relate to.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

 Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

Over the past few months, I've been re-reading Sally Hepworth's books. I first read her more literary novels when they came out in 2015 and 2016. I really loved how she handled realistic topics and wrote so eloquently. She pulled at my heartstrings without trying to be overly emotional.

Some of her later books veered into domestic thriller territory, which is fine! I love those books too. But I usually love the stories in those books more than the writing style, and I did feel like Hepworth's writing changed accordingly for that market. I still read each of her books because I'm a fangirl, but they didn't hit me the same way her earlier work did.

The truth is, I'll never turn down a Sally Hepworth book, even though I've rated two of them (The Family Next Door and The Younger Wife) as two stars (after her first three being solid five star reads in my opinion). So when I saw Darling Girls at the library, I knew I'd read it.

I feel like this is getting back to her literary roots. There's still a fair amount of suspense, but it's more of a buried mystery than current danger. The story is told between four points of view - three foster sisters and another person who is revealed later. I think the mystery was woven into the story really well and the resolution was satisfying and realistic.

You can read my reviews of Hepworth's other books on Goodreads.

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

My mom got this book from the library and said she read 3/4 of it in one day. I feel like I've been in a reading slump since the new year, so I was definitely in the mood for a book I couldn't put down.

And this really delivered! It's something I would call a cozy thriller, in that it doesn't really mess with my emotions but the suspense does keep me turning pages. (Okay, is there really a sub-genre called cozy thrillers? I love me some cozy mysteries but I won't lie - some of these thrillers almost give me a heart attack because they're so over-the-top. I want the suspense but I don't want to put my health at risk.)

In all seriousness, I call it that because I didn't really care about the main character. She was interesting and unique and I had no clue what her backstory was or what she would do next, but I wasn't invested in her survival. She was somewhat flat, and I mean that in a good way! I didn't want to care about her - I just wanted her to entertain me.

And she did. I read this book on Sunday, start to finish, and I genuinely had no idea how it would end. I call that a job well done.

With that said, I feel like trying to explain the story would either confuse you or give it away, so I'd suggest reading the blurb and seeing if it strikes your fancy. And if it does, comment so we can talk about it because I got lots of thoughts!

The Family Upstairs and The Family Remains

I love a good suspense book, especially when nothing else seems to be catching my attention. Lisa Jewell is always a good choice when I want something well-written and twisty.

I first read The Family Upstairs as a Book of the Month choice in 2019. I loved it back then, but once I heard there was a sequel, I knew I needed to re-read the first so I could appreciate it completely. Thankfully, my memory is pretty terrible, so while I knew I read the book and loved it, I didn't remember anything beyond the general storyline. This is actually a great quality as an avid reader because it means re-reading felt pretty darn close to reading it for the first time!

I love how Jewell creates storylines that are full of mystery, but the pacing keeps the suspense like a rollercoaster so you don't feel exhausted and ready to flip to the end. Her characters are all really vivid, which helped make the twists seem more organic. They each had distinct voices, too, which I feel like a lot of authors struggle with when they have alternating narrators.

The end was a great twist with some loose ends, but it didn't feel hokey. It felt realistic, like the way things wrap up in real life that makes you think, Ok, that's done... for now. And thankfully, Jewell felt that way, too, and wrote a sequel!

Even with the loose ends, I wasn't sure what was going to happen in The Family Remains. I think it's a great storyline, though, giving Jewell a chance to fill in some holes left by the first book without making it seem like she's retelling the same story.

I also love that she wrapped up all the loose ends and then, at the very end, tugged one loose.

Will there be another book? I don't know, but I'd read it! The story and characters now live on in my imagination, so I'd love a chance to peek into their lives again.

Have you read these books? Share your thoughts in the comments! Recommend some other suspense books, too!