Over ten years later, I still remember watching Jaws for the first time: sitting in my family's basement, watching the movie on a 50-inch screen, in the dark, scrambling back in my seat when the shark first emerged from the ocean. I've since watched it dozens of times, and only now have I read the … Continue reading Jaws, by Peter Benchley →

During my high school Women's Studies class, we studied the 1975 film The Stepford Wives. We discussed how and why the husbands in Stepford conspired to turn their flawed human wives into blank, submissive shells of themselves. I kept playing those discussions over and over as I listened to Rosemary's Baby, also written by the … Continue reading Rosemary’s Baby, by Ira Levin →

Jojo Moyes proved herself to me a few years ago when I read Me Before You. So I thought I would try her again when I found One Plus One at the library. And I'll admit that love stories involving working-class women are getting more and more relatable all the time. Jess Thomas is stretched … Continue reading One Plus One, by Jojo Moyes →

WARNING: This review briefly describes scenes of graphic sexual violence.  What can I say about The Exorcist that people haven't already raved about? Although I guess I should make the distinction that I'm not talking about the infamous William Friedkin movie. No, I'm talking about the William Peter Blatty novel that got a whole generation … Continue reading The Exorcist, by William Peter Blatty →

Catherine Anderson is no stranger to this blog because she usually pops up when I need a good bout of corny, wish-fulfillment escapism. Except, this time, this current story happened to be set during the holiday most associated with corny wish-fulfillment escapism: Christmas. So I guess we are having ourselves a little Christmas in July … Continue reading The Christmas Room, by Catherine Anderson →

Everyone knows that the best books maximize your emotions: you laugh like an idiot, you weep like a baby, and your thoughts spin madly in circles. Everyone also knows that the best fairy tales show you the best and worst of humanity in the most magical ways. Probably not since Wildwood Dancing has a fantasy … Continue reading Into the Heartless Wood, by Joanna Ruth Meyer →

In the many, many months since my review of Alex & Eliza: A Love Story, I finally viewed the original Broadway production of Hamilton through the magic of Disney+. And, I'm sorry, guys, but it just didn't take me in the way it did for so many others. Lin-Manuel Miranda and his cast are remarkably … Continue reading Love & War: An Alex & Eliza Story, by Melissa de la Cruz →

I vaguely remember in 2019 when the college admissions scandal news broke, and being slightly disappointed that Lori Loughlin, of all people, was involved. It certainly wasn't the most shocking news I'd ever heard, but I, like many others, found it pathetic how much privilege and entitlement reached as high as they did. That very … Continue reading Admission, by Julie Bexbaum →

Some books, like Elsewhere, I read so long ago, and yet I remember so much in vivid detail. Like A Mango-Shaped Space, it was so real and so gripping to fourteen-year-old me that it made me sob my eyes out. I've read enough old young adult books from my childhood to not be quite as … Continue reading Elsewhere, by Gabrielle Zevin →

In the fall of 2018, when I was just starting out as a teacher, Jenna Moreci's The Savior's Champion proved to be a pretty good escape. I was impressed with her world-building, the stakes surrounding the bloody Sovereign's Tournament, and the romance between Tobias and Leila. More than anything, the ending left me breathless for … Continue reading The Savior’s Sister (The Savior’s Champion #2), by Jenna Moreci →