Book Review: Overgrowth by Mira Grant

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Overgrowth
Author: Mira Grant
Publisher: Tor Nightfire
Publication date: May 6, 2025
Length: 480 pages
Genre: Science fiction / horror
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

Annihilation meets Day of the Triffids in this full-on body horror/alien invasion apocalypse.

This is just a story. It can’t hurt you anymore.

Since she was three years old, Anastasia Miller has been telling anyone who would listen that she’s an alien disguised as a human being, and that the armada that left her on Earth is coming for her. Since she was three years old, no one has been willing to listen.

Now, with an alien signal from the stars being broadcast around the world, humanity is finally starting to realize that it’s already been warned, and it may be too late. The invasion is coming, Stasia’s biological family is on the way to bring her home, and very few family reunions are willing to cross the gulf of space for just one misplaced child.

What happens when you know what’s coming, and just refuse to listen?

Mira Grant is the horror pen name for prolific author Seanan McGuire… and basically, I’ll read pretty much whatever she writes, under whichever name. With Mira Grant books, you can count on a certain ickiness (I mean, one of her series has to do with tapeworms!), but always with a strong foundation in character development and relationships.

Here, in Overgrowth, the aliens are coming… although many of their children are already here. Set about five years from now, we follow unfolding events through the eyes of main character Stasia (Anastasia) Miller, a customer service rep and self-described misanthrope who has fewer than a handful of friends, a boyfriend she loves very much, and a cat named Seymour.

Also, since the age of three, Stasia has been telling anyone who’s asked (and even those who haven’t) that she’s an alien, and that her people will be coming to bring her home. You can imagine the flurry of notes from teachers, progressing over time from praise for her precocious imagination to concern about how her insistence on these bizarre fantasies is leading to ostracism by her classmates.

Despite years of therapy as a child, and several managers telling me the joke has gotten old and I’d have an easier time getting promoted if I’d knock it off, I’ve never been able to swallow the urge to tell everyone I spend any extended period of time with that hey, by the way, I’m here because the invasion is coning, and people should probably know. It’s like a nervous tic. Hi, nice to meet you, my name’s Anastasia, I’m secretly an intelligent alien plant and one day everything you love will be devoured.

But as we readers know from the start, it’s not fantasy or imagination. At the age of three, little Anastasia wandered into the woods behind her home, and never came back. Instead, she was consumed and then replaced by an alien plant. The child who came out of the woods was not the child who went into them. But no one has ever actually believed her when she’s insisted on what she is.

We were the changelings of the science fiction age, and that made us both terrifying and untrue.

As the story unfolds, an astronomer releases a recording of a signal that’s definitely alien, causing a massive uproar and worldwide panic. Stasia and her boyfriend Graham decide to go investigate, because there’s something in that signal that seems to be triggering a change in Stasia. Events are set in motion that connect Stasia to others like her. As the invasion gets closer, the alien-humans start to physically change, and they’re targeted by secretive government agents for research and imprisonment. Meanwhile, Stasia has started being able to communicate with her people through a quasi-dream state, and realizes that hard choices are coming. Who does she side with? To whom does her loyalty belong? Can she be blamed for something that she had no control over? And if her friends stick with her, does that make them traitors to their own species?

Overgrowth is complex and multi-faceted, and there’s so much more going on than I can possibly describe. It’s a long book, and requires focus — but it’s absolutely worth the effort. I could not put it down, and could barely come up for air.

There are elements that puzzled me throughout, but the author sticks the landing and ties all the hints and loose plot point together by the end in a way that answers all of my nagging questions. The action is consistently well thought out, the characters are fascinating, and the story arc builds in ways that are unexpected, even as we know that the invasion is inevitable.

The author makes some interesting points about identity and acceptance. Stasia’s boyfriend is a trans man. Even having met him before he transitioned, Stasia immediately accepted his identity.

This could be the moment when I lost him. Because I had always believed him when he told me he was a man, and we had always pretended his belief in me was the same thing, but it wasn’t, was it? It wasn’t the same thing at all. Gender was a social construct and a part of the soul, and humans had always been capable of getting it wrong. I, though…

I was something alien and new, and while we had built a relationship on believing each other, our secrets weren’t the same at all.

Only Graham was still looking at me the way he always had, with love and sincere concern, like he believed I was a human being and deserved to be treasured like one. Or… maybe he’d never believed I was a human being. Maybe I’d been lucky enough to fall in love with one of the only people in the world who understood what it was to tell the truth about your identity, over and over again, until you found the few people who could believe in you.

Stasia’s transformation from weird human who says she’s an alien into a person who realizes that her truth has been more true than she ever knew is startling and evocative and powerful. As she becomes more and more “other”, she has to deal with a changing biology as well as complicated thoughts and feelings about family and survival.

This book is hard to slot neatly into a specific genre. The blurb refers to it as “body horror”, which doesn’t feel entirely accurate to me. I think of body horror as being much more extreme — mutilation, grotesque changes, lots of gore. Here, yes, Stasia’s body changes, but it’s more interesting than gross. There are violent moments with bloody/gory results, but overall, I’d categorize this book as much more heavily science fiction than horror.

However you might describe or shelve it, Overgrowth is fascinating. Stasia is an amazing main character, and I loved seeing her journey. The alien invasion is strange and different and scary, and the plotlines are tightly built and well described. This is a terrific read, and I recommend it highly for anyone who doesn’t mind the idea of creepy plants taking over the world.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers + Little Shop of Horrors. What could go wrong?

Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm
Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.

For more by this author, check out these outstanding books:

Newsflesh series (review) — zombies!
Rolling in the Deep (review) — killer mermaids!
Into the Drowning Deep (review) — even more killer mermaids!
Parasite (review) — those tapeworms I mentioned! (ewwwww….)

4May2025

Kindle unboxing: The arrival of my new Kindle Paperwhite

Posted in The Reading Life by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Earlier in the week, I shared the sad tale of the demise of my beloved Kindle Oasis. After almost eight years of happy reading, during which I took excellent care of it, one little slip resulted in it cracking on my kitchen floor. Oh, the horror!

After a suitable period of mourning (roughly, two hours), I went ahead and ordered a replacement. Amazon no longer sells the Oasis, so after reading a bunch of reviews, I decided to go with the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition.

My new Kindle arrived this week — let’s take a look!

I went with a bundle option (more on purchase options later), and the various pieces arrived separately. Shown above — the box with the Kindle itself (left), plus the docking station (top right) and cover (bottom right).

You may be asking, why does a Kindle need such a big box?

Great question! It doesn’t. What a weird packing choice — it was just a mostly-empty box with the little Kindle box in it, no packing materials or anything else. Moving on…

I was happy to open up my boxes and start looking at the new Kindle! It’s very easy to get started — the new device was already registered to my account, so getting started consisted mainly of pressing the power button.

Once I turned it on, it just took a minute to sync with my wifi and load all my existing Kindle content.

The other items in my bundle are the cover, which is pretty much just what I expected, and the the wireless charging dock, something not available with the Oasis. I think I’m going to like it!

My first step, after opening the box and turning on the new Kindle, was comparing the Paperwhite to the Oasis.

The Oasis (right) is square. There’s something about its sorta-clunky shape that I actually loved! It felt good in my hands, substantial but not heavy. The new Paperwhite (left) has different dimensions, and may take me a minute to adjust to.

And yet… the actual screen size is exactly the same! So the reading experience should be just about identical, with the same amount of text per page, depending on the settings I select.

(The main feature that Oasis-lovers seem to complain about is the lack of physical page turn buttons on the the Paperwhite. I didn’t use mine all that often on the Oasis, so it doesn’t feel like a loss for me, but I get that it could be hard to give up if that’s what you’re used to.)

So… first impressions?

I noticed that even with the same brightness levels selected, the Paperwhite has a more muted tone than the Oasis. Perhaps that’s because it has warmth settings that the Oasis doesn’t have, giving the option for an amber-toned reading environment. I have warmth set at zero for now, but I’m still noticing a slightly different look from the Oasis.

It’s really not a big deal, though, and I think I’ll get used to it. Other than that, the Paperwhite is easy to use, has the same reading options and interfaces as the Oasis, and seems like a perfectly fine choice for my needs! I did notice certain features in the settings that the Oasis doesn’t have, such as Vocabulary Builder and others — not sure that I’ll use any of these, but we’ll see once I settle in a bit more.

Really, the only hiccups so far have to do with the cover. I ordered a black cover for my new Kindle, and didn’t consider the fact that my husband has the same cover on his! To avoid confusion, I’m going to send mine back and get a different color.

The other hiccup relates to missing a feature of my Oasis cover. I’ve loved having this “origami” style of cover for my old Kindle, which is incredibly useful for hands-free reading. Sadly, Amazon does not sell a standing/origami cover for my new model — and while I see a bunch of varieties sold by other manufacturers, reviews about quality and fit are mixed, at best. I’ll have to find another solution for propping up my Paperwhite!

Apart from the minor cover-related hiccups…

I’m happy with my new Kindle and its assorted accessories, and look forward to a long, happy reading life together!

And the kitty approves! Or is indifferent… who knows?

Details: Here’s the run-down on what I bought:

First, it’s good to note that Amazon has a trade-in program for devices. Read about it here. By trading in a previous device, you get a gift card and a discount on your new device purchase. My trade-in gift card was a whopping $5, but the valuable piece is the discount: 20% off the new Kindle, which made the idea of replacing my poor damaged Oasis a lot easier to accept.

I purchased the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition in metallic black. This Kindle features auto-adjusting front lighting, 32 GB storage, USB-C charging, and is waterproof (although I wouldn’t want to put that to the test!).

Dimensions and specs (click images to enlarge):

Amazon offers bundled pricing, which saves a bit vs buying the accessories separately. I opted for the bundle which includes a fabric cover and the wireless docking station. Other bundles (at a higher price) include leather covers in a few color options, but I’m perfectly happy with fabric.

Available add-ons include screen protectors and a protection plan. I didn’t opt for either — but I’m considering the protection plan. There’s a 30-day window to add this. For $25, it provides two years of replacement coverage. That wouldn’t have helped me with my Oasis… but in case I get stupidly clumsy again with my new device, it might be nice to have.

3May2025

Book Review: The Love Haters by Katherine Center

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Love Haters
Author: Katherine Center
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication date: May 20, 2025
Length: 320 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

It’s a thin line between love and love-hating.

Katie Vaughn has been burned by love in the past—now she may be lighting her career on fire. She has two choices: wait to get laid off from her job as a video producer or, at her coworker Cole’s request, take a career-making gig profiling Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West.

The catch? Katie’s not exactly qualified. She can’t swim—but fakes it that she can.

Plus: Cole is Hutch’s brother. And they don’t get along. Next stop paradise!

But paradise is messier than it seems. As Katie gets entangled with Hutch (the most scientifically good looking man she has ever seen . . . but also a bit of a love hater), along with his colorful Aunt Rue and his rescue Great Dane, she gets trapped in a lie. Or two.

Swim lessons, helicopter flights, conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and stolen kisses ensue—along with chances to tell the truth, to face old fears, and to be truly brave at last.

Katherine Center has become a must-read author for me. Her books include a wide variety of people and interesting or unusual situations, and it’s always a treat to see where she’ll end up taking us each time a new book is released.

In The Love Haters, Katie is a talented videographer who makes corporate videos for a living (think CEO interviews, brand introductions, etc) but whose passion is documentary filmmaking. She’s found a following on YouTube with her “Day in the Life” series, in which she spends 24 hours filming people going about their normal lives — except these are all people who’ve done something heroic. She blends their voice-over interviews exploring their moment of heroism with footage of daily life, creating a unique series of six-minute videos that are compelling and popular.

Not that that’s going to save her job, once layoffs loom.

But Katie’s company has been selected to shoot a promotional video for the Coast Guard — specifically, her supervisor Cole has been requested by the person the film will focus on, a rescue diver who certainly fits the hero profile Katie so loves to explore. Except… the rescue diver is Cole’s brother, and Cole absolutely refuses to do it. He cajoles Katie into going in his place: It’ll help save her job, and might even give her Day in the Life footage, if his brother Hutch agrees.

Cole describes Hutch as a “love hater” — someone stoic, upright, and with no sense of fun, let alone any sort of human emotion.

“He’s morally upstanding and physically unstoppable. He does two hundred push-ups a day. He can hold his breath underwater for thee minutes. He has never had a cavity. He’s more of a machine than a human. He just goes around all day doing good deeds.”

“So, he’s… too likable?”

“He’s the opposite of likable! He’s perfect.”

“Not sure those are opposites.”

But there’s history between the brothers that Cole doesn’t share with Katie, and as Katie soon learns, Hutch is not at all as Cole describes.

As Katie arrives in Key West, she’s warmly welcomed by Cole and Hutch’s Aunt Rue, a live-life-to-the-fullest sort of older woman who immediately coerces Katie into ditching her standard black jeans and tees and embracing the island, floral vibe. Katie faces another problem besides her dark clothing: Whoever makes this video will be going out on the rescue helicopter with the team, and being able to pass a water safety test is required. And Katie can’t swim.

Naturally, Hutch is there to save the day. He teaches Katie to swim, and patches her up after some unfortunate incidents with his very affectionate Great Dane (who seems to think he’s a lap puppy). Hutch and Katie are quite cute together, although Katie isn’t sure whether the vibes she thinks she’s picking up are actually there.

Meanwhile, Katie struggles throughout the book to overcome a devastatingly damaged sense of self-worth and complete lack of body positivity. After her then-boyfriend become insta-famous thanks to the viral success of a song he’d posted, Katie found herself accompanying him to red carpet events — and the internet was brutal to her. Between the trolls who savaged her appearance, and his then dumping her for a pop star (only to later regret it and continue releasing songs about her), her self-esteem is garbage. With the love and support of her cousin/best friend/sorta sister Beanie, she’s trying to get her mojo back… but it’s hard for Katie to imagine ever finding love again when she can’t find anything to love about herself.

There are plenty of interwoven story threads in The Love Haters. We have Hutch and Katie’s growing chemistry, Katie’s journey to reclaim herself and her body, Cole and Hutch’s relationship, and Katie’s professional life. Late in the book, Cole shows up on the scene in Key West spouting a pack of lies, theoretically to help both his and Katie’s careers, but his timing is terrible. Forcing Katie to go along with his lies damages the trust she’s been building with Hutch, and it’s questionable whether the damage can be repaired.

Without getting too deeply into spoilers, I do want to mention that this is the second book I’ve read in a month in which a houseboat getting lost at sea is a pivotal plot point. (See Swept Away by Beth O’Leary for the first). Just a weird coincidence, but it made me laugh.

Note to self: Stay off houseboats. Second note to self: If you must go on a houseboat, triple check that it’s securely tied to land.

The Love Haters is a sweet, often funny, charming love story, as well as a relatable tale about a woman working to reclaim belief in herself and her own beauty and value. I loved Katie and Beanie’s relationship, and Rue and her gang of Gals are a lovely, lively set of characters who instantly provide Katie with a place to feel wanted and accepted.

I was less thrilled with the plot elements involving Cole and the lies he tells (and forces Katie into) — none of that felt particularly necessary, and seemed like a stretch in terms of needing some sort of 3rd-act obstacle to derail Katie and Hutch’s love story.

Overall, though, The Love Haters is an entertaining, heart-warming book, and will make a great summer read. It does feel a little slight relative to some of Katherine Center’s other books — somehow, it feels like there’s not a lot of there there — but I still found plenty to enjoy.

Recommended for fans of the author as well as anyone looking for a nice beachy, summery escape.

Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm
Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.

Interested in this author? Check out my reviews of other Katherine Center books:
The Bright Side of Disaster
Get Lucky
Happiness for Beginners
Hello Stranger
How to Walk Away
The Rom-Commers
Things You Save in a Fire
What You Wish For

2May2025

Preview: Silver and Lead — the next October Daye book will be here in September! Plus, two more bit of exciting book news.

Posted in Books & Authors by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Seanan McGuire’s excellent October Daye series is one of my absolute favorites, and I’ve been pining for more in that world for over a year now!

To recap, books 17 and 18, Sleep No More and The Innocent Sleep, were released one month apart in fall 2023, and tell essentially the same story, but from two different characters’ perspectives. They were awesome… and they’ve left us all hanging ever since!

Today, I got access to the ARC for the next book in the series, and I am beyond delighted! Here’s a quick peek:

Book #19, Silver and Lead, will be released September 30th:

Seanan McGuire’s New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-nominated October Daye series continues as Toby Daye is thrust once again into danger… and this time she has more than ever to protect.

Something is rotten in Faerie. In the aftermath of Titania’s reality-warping enchantment, things are returning to what passes for normal in the Kingdom in the Mists—until it’s discovered that the royal vaults have been looted, and several powerful magical artifacts are missing. None are things that can be safely left unsecured, and some have the potential to do almost as much damage as Titania did, and having them in the wrong hands could prove just as disastrous.

At least the theft means that Sir October “Toby” Daye, Knight errant and Hero of the Realm, finally has an excuse to get out of the house. Sure, she’s eight and a half months pregnant, but that doesn’t mean she can’t take care of herself. But with the sea witch offering to stand godmother to Toby’s child, maybe there are greater dangers ahead for Toby and her family than it appears….

Old enemies will resurface, new enemies will disguise themselves as friends, and Queen Windermere must try to keep her Hero on the case without getting herself gutted by the increasingly irritated local King of Cats. Sometimes, what’s been lost can be the most dangerous threat of all.

I can’t wait! But I will… I’m going to try to hold off until closer to the release date, and meanwhile, plan to do a reread of the previous two books. I’m thrilled to be re-entering Toby’s world!

Preorder links: Amazon – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm
Add to: Goodreads – Storygraph

As I was finishing up this post, two exciting pieces of book news crossed my radar, and they’re too good not to share! So while not related to October Daye, they’re both about new books in long-term series… and both are huge!

First:

The next (and final) book in the world of His Dark Materials has been announced!

The Rose Field, book #3 in The Book of Dust series (following La Belle Sauvage, published 2017, and The Secret Commonwealth, published 2019) will be release in fall 2025.

According to this BBC article:

Author Philip Pullman has revealed details of the sixth and final book in his series about Lyra Silvertongue, the character at the heart of His Dark Materials and The Book of Dust trilogies.

The Rose Field will be published on 23 October, and will follow his heroine’s story up to her early 20s.

She was 11 when she was introduced in the best-selling and award-winning first His Dark Materials book, Northern Lights, in 1995.

Pullman, 78, said he was “relieved” to have “come out of the end alive and able to see it being made into a book and published”.

The Rose Field has a scheduled publication date of October 23, 2025. While a cover has not yet been revealed, the publisher’s site has this blurb:

The breathtaking conclusion to Philip Pullman’s Book of Dust! This landmark trilogy, set in the world readers first glimpsed in The Golden Compass, continues the story of Lyra: “one of fantasy’s most indelible heroines” (The New York Times Magazine).

“It’s a stunning achievement, this universe Pullman has created and continues to build on.” —The New York Times

Picking up right where The Secret Commonwealth left off, this story finds Lyra alone in a city haunted by daemons, searching for her beloved Pan. Malcolm Polstead isn’t far behind, searching for Lyra. And they are both racing toward the desert of Karamakan, following the trail of roses said to hold the secret of Dust.

Their allies and enemies are converging on the mysterious red building at the heart of the desert: Marcel Delamare and the military might of the Magisterium; the radical Men from the Mountains; scientists, scholars and spies; troops of witches and other people of the air. And awaiting them all is a previously unseen and chilling new threat that will change everything.

The intertwining odysseys of Malcolm and Lyra, their journeys both internal and external, will test their limits and challenge even their most dearly held beliefs.

As ever, Philip Pullman is using the language of fantasy to illuminate our world and to explore the deepest questions of what it means to be alive and awake to all the splendors and horrors around us. The extraordinary novels of The Book of Dust speak powerfully to today’s readers and will take their place alongside the forever-favorites of His Dark Materials.

Of course, this means that I’ll need to reread (at least) The Secret Commonwealth before October. My reading life has suddenly gotten a whole lot busier!

The Rose Field is available for preorder: Amazon – Bookshop.org
Add to: Goodreads – Storygraph

Last, but certainly not least:

Outlander book 10 has a title!

Diana Gabaldon shared this exciting news on social media:

There you have it — book #10 will be called:

A Blessing for a Warrior Going Out

As Diana makes clear… there’s no release date, so no preorder links, and the book isn’t done yet — but hey, at least we have a name!!

Hope you’re all as happy about these three upcoming new releases as I am!

1May2025

Book Review: Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Vanishing World
Author: Sayaka Murata
Publisher: Grove Press
Publication date: April 15, 2025
Length: 240 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction / science fiction
Source: Library
Rating:

From the author of the bestselling literary sensations Convenience Store Woman and Earthlings comes a surprising and highly imaginative story set in a version of Japan where sex between married couples has vanished and all children are born by artificial insemination.

Sayaka Murata has proven herself to be one of the most exciting chroniclers of the strangeness of society, x-raying our contemporary world to bizarre and troubling effect. Her depictions of a happily unmarried retail worker in Convenience Store Woman and a young woman convinced she is an alien in Earthlings have endeared her to millions of readers worldwide. Vanishing World takes Murata’s universe to a bold new level, imagining an alternative Japan where attitudes to sex and procreation are wildly different to our own.

As a girl, Amane realizes with horror that her parents “copulated” in order to bring her into the world, rather than using artificial insemination, which became the norm in the mid-twentieth century. Amane strives to get away from what she considers an indoctrination in this strange “system” by her mother, but her infatuations with both anime characters and real people have a sexual force that is undeniable. As an adult in an appropriately sexless marriage—sex between married couples is now considered as taboo as incest—Amane and her husband Saku decide to go and live in a mysterious new town called Experiment City or Paradise-Eden, where all children are raised communally, and every person is considered a Mother to all children. Men are beginning to become pregnant using artificial wombs that sit outside of their bodies like balloons, and children are nameless, called only “Kodomo-chan.” Is this the new world that will purify Amane of her strangeness once and for all?

What did I just read?

Vanishing World falls squarely into the WTF category for me. If there was a point to this work of speculative fiction, then it sailed right over my head.

In Vanishing World, all conception is done via artifical insemination. Copulation is something from history — kind of gross, and why would anyone want to do it? Love is emotional, and can be for real people or people from the “other world” — anime or manga characters, for example, although protagonist Amane objects to calling them “characters”. They’re all her lovers, whether she interacts with them in person or through her feelings about them when she looks at their images.

When a man and woman are ready for children, they marry in order to form a family. Because a husband and wife are family members, sexual contact between them is considered incest, and is simply unimagineable.

As Amane becomes more and more convinced of the need to remove sexual urges and impurities from her life, she and her husband eventually move to Experiment City, where all adults are Mother to all children, women and men can both become pregnant thanks to external wombs, and the children are more or less indistinguishable from one another.

This has to be one of the weirdest books I’ve read in a long time. I honestly don’t know what to make of it — so rather than blather on, I’ll just share a few lines and passages to give a taste of what this book is like:

Copulation was the norm before the war, but when adult men were sent off to fight, research into artificial insemination progressed rapidly in order to produce lots of children for the war effort. People stopped going to all the bother of copulating like animals. We’re a more advanced creature now.

“Sensei, have you ever imagined a world that is parallel to this one? Everyone would still be copulating if there hadn’t been so much progress in artificial insemination, wouldn’t they?”

“Hmm, probably only reluctantly, though. After all, if that was the only way to procreate, then people would have no choice but to resort to primitive copulation. But still, there’s no point imagining that. The human race has advanced.”

His parents gave him a good grilling as he sat hanging his head. “That’s the sort of thing people only do outside the home. I can’t believe you tried to have sex with your wife!”

Still holding hands, we went downstairs to Mizuto’s apartment and sat on the sofa bed in the living room. “Do we have to make any preparations, like with some tools or something?” “No, it’s okay. All we need are our sexual organs.”

I hoped my husband’s love affair would go well too. He was like a little sister I had to keep an eye on.

Recent research has shown that children raised to feel loved by the whole world are more intelligent and more emotionally stable than those brought up under the former family system. Please be present to shower affection on children and thus continue the life of humankind. Please make sure to love all of the children as their Mother. Please make sure to shower affection continually!

Normality is the creepiest madness there is. This was all insane, yet it was so right.

Fortunately, this book was on the shorter side, so even when I felt that the story wasn’t what I’d signed up for, it was a quick enough read that I decided to see it through to the end.

Oh, and that ending! It’s icky. A quick scan of Goodreads and Storygraph reviews shows that even for people who appreciated this book a lot more than I did, the ending freaked them out. (I’ll admit that by the time I got there, I was so ready to be done that I just read it, thought “ewwwwww”, and then closed the book.)

Vanishing World was originally published in Japan in 2015, and has just been released in English translation this month. I previously read Convenience Store Woman by the same author, and I’m pretty sure I liked it, although I couldn’t tell you a thing about it at this point.

As I said as the start of this rambling post, if there was a deeper meaning to Vanishing World… well, I missed it. This was a truly bizarre reading experience that just got odder and odder as it went along. I don’t know what the overall message was supposed to be, and I’m sorry to say that I was mainly left wondering why I stuck with it.

30Apr2025

Tragedy strikes! Death of a Kindle…

Posted in The Reading Life by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Dearly beloved,

We are gathered here today to mark the passing of a true friend, a source of companionship and countless happy memories, a constant presence who has enriched my life on a daily basis during all of our many years together.

Please join me in mourning the passing… of my Kindle Oasis.

I bought my Oasis in November of 2017, and it’s been wonderful. I loved the display quality, the size, the weight, the ease of use. A nice uncluttered look, easy to hold, highly portable.

Alas, it’s now being laid to rest.

It’s really all my fault. I was trying to continue reading while carrying other things from room to room, and it slipped and fell on the tile floor of my kitchen — with the cover open. I’m usually so careful! The poor Kindle landed face down, and I heard the crack as soon as it happened.

And here’s the result:

No one, apparently, fixes Kindle screens, and Amazon doesn’t offer repairs. The only choice is to live with it, which isn’t a long-term solution (it’s not only got cracks all across the reading surface, but it’s a little splintery too), or replace it.

Guess which I’m opting for?

Sadly, Amazon no longer sells the Kindle Oasis. Sigh. So I’m ordering myself a new Paperwhite, and it’ll be here later this week.

On the plus side, they do have a trade-in program. I get a whopping $5 gift card for sending back my Oasis, but the more valuable feature is a 20% discount on the new device. Between that, a gift card that I’ve been holding on to, and my credit card points, my total purchase price for a the Paperwhite Signature bundle (which includes a fabric case and wireless charging dock) comes to under $100. So I don’t feel too terrible about that.

My new Kindle will arrive by the weekend, and it will be time to send off my Oasis.

Cheers to you, my beloved Oasis! We’ve really had a good run.

29Apr2025

Top Ten Tuesday: Going to the chapel… books with “wedding” in the title

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Setting the mood with a song…

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Books with the Word “[Insert Word Here]” in the Title, with the prompt: Choose a word and find ten books with that word in the title.

I’m in countdown mode until a family wedding at the end of May, so that’s what’s been on my brain, and that’s the word I’m going for! Here are ~~ten~~ eleven books — most of which I’ve read, plus one releasing in May that I can’t wait to read — with WEDDING in the title:

Death at a Highland Wedding by Kelley Armstrong — May new release!
The Wedding People by Alison Espach (my review)
Amanda’s Wedding by Jenny Colgan — on my TBR
On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn (my review)
An Island Wedding by Jenny Colgan (my review)
The Wedding Setup by Sonali Dev
The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory (my review)
The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan (my review)
Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaladdin and Marissa Stapley (my review )
Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto (my review)
My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding edited by P. N. Elrod

I originally had ten, but couldn’t resist adding #11 because the title makes me laugh every time I see it!

What word did you choose for this week’s prompt?

If you wrote a TTT post, please share your link!

In case you’re interested in quick links to buying sites for the books mentioned above:

Note: These are affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.

Death at a Highland Wedding: Amazon – Bookshop – Libro
The Wedding People: Amazon – Bookshop – Libro
Amanda’s Wedding: Amazon – Bookshop – Libro
On the Way to the Wedding: Amazon – Bookshop – Libro
An Island Wedding: Amazon – Bookshop – Libro
The Wedding Setup: Amazon
The Wedding Date: Amazon – Bookshop – Libro
The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle: Amazon – Bookshop – Libro
Three Holidays and a Wedding: Amazon – Bookshop – Libro
Four Aunties and a Wedding: Amazon – Bookshop – Libro
My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding: Amazon – Bookshop

28Apr2025

The Monday Check-In ~ 4/28/2025

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.

Life.

Another really busy week and weekend. I did quite a bit of running around on Saturday, visiting a bookstore before running even more errands for exciting tasks like buying my husband a new tie! Kidding aside, it was actually pretty fun. And seeing this sign while walking to the bookstore made me smile:

Once again, I didn’t have nearly enough time for reading this past week, and had to skip my weekend beach walks… here’s hoping I can do better in the coming week.

What did I read during the last week?

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien: What a treat! I’m so glad I had a book group commitment to push me to read this book again. It’s so delightful, and I had a great time bouncing between a few different editions and checking out the various illustrations. Also, it was lovely being reminded of how many great passages there are in this book; for example:

It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.

My audiobook of the week:

Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez: Good entertainment, but not stellar. My review is here.

Pop culture & TV:

I finally caught up on Yellowjackets! I finished all of season 3… which left me with a lot of thoughts and reactions, and plenty of frustration that we now have to wait for a new season.

I also caught up on the last few episodes of Dark Winds. If you haven’t tried this show, you’re missing out! It’s excellent.

I even found time to try something new: Etoile, the new Prime Video series from Amy Sherman-Palladino. I’ve only seen one episode (of the eight available), but I liked it! Here’s a look at the trailer:

Fresh Catch:

Saturday was independent bookstore day, so I just had to stop by my favorite bookshop and show some support! Here’s what I came home with — one book I’ve read already, three new-to-me books… and a cute sticker to show I’d been there:

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata: Oh, this book is weird! But intriguing too — and it’s short, so I should wrap it up quickly.

Now playing via audiobook:

All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle: This audiobook is giving me A Man Called Ove vibes, and I’m loving it!

Ongoing reads:

My book group’s classic read is Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. We’re reading and discussing two chapters per week. Progress: 82%. Up next: Chapters 40 and 41.

What will you be reading this week?

So many books, so little time…

27Apr2025

Audiobook Review: Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Say You’ll Remember Me
Author: Abby Jimenez
Narrators: Christine Lakin & Matt Lanter
Publisher: Forever
Publication date: April 1, 2025
Print length: 416 pages
Audio length: 9 hours 59 minutes
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Library
Rating:

There might be no such a thing as a perfect guy, but Xavier Rush comes disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes—all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediately yes. That is until Xavier opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. Like, really wrong. Of course, there’s nothing Samantha loves more than proving an asshole wrong…

. . . unless, of course, he can admit he made a mistake. But after one incredible and seemingly endless date—possibly the best in living history—Samantha is forced to admit the truth, that her family is in crisis and any kind of relationship would be impossible. Samantha begs Xavier to forget her. To remember their night together as a perfect moment, as crushing as that may be.

Only no amount of distance or time is nearly enough to forget that something between them. And the only thing better than one single perfect memory is to make a life—and even a love—worth remembering.

In what I’ve come to think of as signature Abby Jimenez, Say You’ll Remember Me presents two people who are perfectly, devastatingly in love… but who have family challenges and childhood traumas presenting seemingly insurmountable obstacles to their HEA.

But, as is also signature Abby Jimenez… there is obviously going to be a Happily Ever After, no matter how unlikely, so we can breathe easy as we follow along.

In Say You’ll Remember Me, Samantha and Xavier have a not-so-cute meet-cute, during which she shows up at his veterinary clinic with a sickly kitten (awwww, cute!!) and he rudely (not cute!) tells her that the kitten can’t be saved and should be given a merciful death to avoid suffering. She tells him he’s an ass, and motivated to prove him wrong, raises enough money through a GoFundMe campaign to pay for the kitty’s lifesaving surgery. Xavier, not actually being an ass, not only donates to the campaign, but reaches out to own up to being wrong.

Both Samantha and Xavier felt a spark at their initial meeting, despite the hostility bouncing around the room, and eventually, he asks her out on a date. She agrees, although she can’t stay out late because she has an early flight the next morning. They have a fantastic time, until they get stuck in an escape room (which, for the record, they solved — but they got stuck anyway), and are forced to wait until morning to be let out. During their one verrrrry long date, they open up and connect, and realize they have something special.

Except… what Samantha hadn’t told Xavier earlier was the reason for her flight the next day. She’s leaving Minnesota permanently and moving back to California to care for her mother, who’s experiencing intensifying early-onset dementia. Samantha’s ticket is one-way; no matter how great their date was, she won’t be back, and there’s no point in pursuing anything further. She tells Xavier to forget her — there’s no future for the two of them.

But he can’t, no matter how he tries. They each suffer through weeks of silence before reconnecting, and realizing that no matter how crazy it might be, they want to be together, in whatever way they can. Between Samantha’s family obligations and Xavier’s business (he’s deeply in debt from the loans he took out to open his practice), all they can have is fleeting weekends, whenever one or the other can afford to buy plane tickets. It’s not sustainable, but they also can’t give it up.

Layered beneath and around the love story are the emotional challenges and traumas each has to deal with. For Samantha, it’s seeing her beloved, vibrant mother fade to gray. Despite the entire family — her father, grandmother, and siblings — banding together to care for her mother so she can remain in her home, as they promised her when she was first diagnosed, caring for her is much more demanding than any of them anticipated. The emotional distress of witnessing her mother’s decline is matched by the physical toll of her increasing needs. The family is barely hanging on.

For Xavier, it’s the need to be strong and successful, to prove to his negligent, abusive parents that he’s made it without them. After cutting ties more than a decade earlier, he still feels an intense need to show that they were wrong, that he’s not stupid or worthless, that he was good enough to make something of himself. Part of that, for Xavier, is not letting his practice fail. He’s love to sell it and move to California to be with Samantha — but that would mean losing his investment, not being able to pay off his loans, and most likely declaring bankruptcy. His long-held childhood traumas won’t let him give his parents the satisfaction, no matter how much he and Samantha are suffering from not being together.

That’s the plot in a nutshell. Obviously, there’s quite a bit of nuance, but the overarching theme of Say You’ll Remember Me is: Long distance relationships are haaaaarrrrrrd.

This is not exactly a revelation, and I couldn’t help shrugging my shoulders a bit and feeling like Samantha and Xavier could do with a bit less whining. Yes, they’re both dealing with a lot — but they’re not the first couple in the world to be kept apart by circumstances outside their control. I got a little tired of hearing them describe their relationship as if it were the most special love story ever. I liked them together, and I liked them as people — but they come across as both unrealistic and too couple-centered to be utterly sympathetic.

Especially when Xavier says things like:

I think there are two types of people you fall in love with. The ones who are a good fit. Their lifestyle matches yours, you share the same values and beliefs, you find them attractive and you like spending time with them. It’s good. Great even. You can live your whole life with this person and be madly in love and never want anything different… unless you’ve already met the other type of person you fall in love with.

The One.

The person who was made just for you. And you only ever get the one.

Samantha was my one.

Something about that just got on every one of my nerves. Because the way he describes the first type makes it sound pretty perfect — that’s an ideal relationship! And yet, he’s holding up this ideal of the “the one” as if it’s something holy and destined and somehow above and beyond all other types of relationships. And just, no. Much too self-centered and sanctimonious for me, thank you very much.

There’s a bit of wording weirdness too. Samantha thinks of Xavier as giving her a “contemplative” look… like, a thousand times in the book. And eventually, they even talk about it between themselves, but it’s very overdone — or at least, via audiobook, it jumps out as being very overused.

Samantha and Xavier also discuss wanting to lead “parallel” lives:

“You can’t fake that kind of thing,” she said, softly. “It’s the result of a parallel life. A shared collection of experiences, like a snowball rolling downhill, getting bigger as it goes. And then you get to a point where you’re so far in, you can never replace that person. Not really. No one else can ever be the same kind of witness because you’ve through so much. It really is a once in a lifetime thing.”

First, I don’t think a snowball rolling down hill is a particularly positive metaphor for a relationship. And second, every time they talk about wanting to have a parallel life, I couldn’t help wondering if they understand what parallel means — side by side but never touching. I don’t think that’s what they actually want.

Criticism aside… there’s still plenty to enjoy about Say You’ll Remember Me. Quippy banter, humor in even dire situations, lots of silliness, and oodles of very cute animals (none of whom die or are ever at risk, so don’t worry!).

The audiobook narration is well done, with different narrators for Samantha and Xavier, each getting separate chapters. One thing I really liked is that they do their own characters in dialogue — so even if it’s an Xavier chapter, the Samantha narrator still does Samantha’s lines. (This isn’t always the case in audiobooks, and it can be jarring to switch deliveries for the same character from chapter to chapter).

By this point, Abby Jimenez has legions of fans, and I’m sure most will love Say You’ll Remember Me. I didn’t hate it — but I can’t say it was more than an okay story for me. Maybe it’s just how much Samantha and Xavier come across as special snowflakes… but I found myself running out of patience (and therefore sympathy) for their dramatics.

Still, I’ll be back for whatever this author writes next, whether a stand-alone or another story set in this world. Abby Jimenez writes stories with punch, humor, and emotion, and even when I think they’re only okay, they still hold my attention from start to finish.

Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm
Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.

25Apr2025

Retail Therapy: Bookish Delights

Posted in Fun and Whimsy, Real Life, The Reading Life by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

I’m trying something new: I thought I’d start doing a semi-regular/recurring feature to highlight different categories of “stuff” I’ve bought recently and recommend.

Honestly, I’m a little on the fence… I’m not a big fan of consumerism, and I’m definitely pro-library, swapping, sharing, etc. But still, I do shop online for most of my day-to-day needs these days, so why not pass along a few recommendations when I find something worth talking about?

Note: This post contains affiliate links. When you click through a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.

Today’s topic: Bookish Delights!

Below is a round-up of book-related goodies I’ve enjoyed in recent months. Any of these would be terrific gifts for a booklover… or why not treat yourself once in a while?

Glocusent USB Rechargeable Book Light:

I love this! It’s a small, portable, book light that clips on to your book (but I also use it with my Kindle). It’s been great for travel, especially for those jet-laggy sort of nights when I can’t sleep and want to keep reading with disturbing my partner!

It comes in five different colors, and is inexpensive too! I originally discoverd this light through a Wirecutter recommendation, and I’m so glad I gave it a try!

Purchase link: Amazon

3D Printed Bookmark Holders:

Found on Etsy, these bookmark holders don’t take up much space, and they’re just so cute!

They come in a variety of colors, so choose your fave. I got one to sit on my shelf, and another for my Little Free Library so I could have a way to give away bookmarks as well as books.

Purchase link: Etsy (MidnightLimeCo)

Kindle/Tablet pillow:

I bought one of these for my husband a couple of years ago when he first started using a Kindle, and he swears by it! The exact version that I bought him doesn’t seem to be available any longer, but if I had to replace it, I think I’d get this one. It’s a similar shape, plus it has pockets!

Purchase link: Amazon

Cozy Socks 6-pack:

This might not seem obviously book-related… but who doesn’t love to be cozy while curled up with a good book? I bought this pack of six for myself, and when my daughter started ~~stealing~~ borrowing them from me, I ended up getting her a pack of her own.

Cute colors, super cuddly, and they hold up well too!

Purchase link: Amazon

Stickers, T-shirts, notepads, and more for book fanatics via Kingdom of Threads:

This Etsy shop has everything needed to make a book nerd’s heart beat faster. Pictured is one of the awesome stickers I ordered from them (Wolfsong fans will instantly get the reference)… but I couldn’t stop at just one, and bought a LOT of stickers and other goodies. Everything is just so… epic & awesome!

Purchase link: Etsy (Kingdom of Threads)

Candles for booklovers:

I absolutely needed the scent of Lallybroch, but there are plenty of choices, including Mr. Darcy, The Shire, Winter in Narnia, and Book Boyfriend.

Cute idea, and they also smell good!

Purchase link: Etsy (Smells Like Books)

Goodies from Ideal Bookshelf:

This is a great source for artwork, cards, puzzles, and more!

I love everything on this site, and if I had unlimited funds, I just know I’d go way, way overboard. (I mean, I would like a custom piece of artwork featuring all of my favorite books!)

Meanwhile, for those of us on a budget, there are pins and prints and other fun items to choose from.

The book pictured here makes a wonderful gift for booklovers. Amazon has it available here, and you can also find it on Bookshop.org.

Book sleeves:

I love my padded book sleeves! My daughter gifted these to me a few years ago, and I use them all the time, whenever I want to read on the go. They’re perfect for travel, or even just for days when I’m running around locally but want to have a book handy.

My book sleeves were from an Etsy store called Beyond Booked, but they don’t seem to be active any longer. There are lots of other makers selling book sleeves, in many varieties — different fabrics, some with zippers or pockets, padded or not padded.

My preference is for the simple design, open top, with nice padding. I’ve found an Etsy shop — Carlton Quilts — that seems to have very similar work to the book sleeves I have, with these fabrics plus lots of other really cute patterns.

There are three sizes to choose from:

Small – fits mass market paperbacks
Medium – fits trade paperbacks (pictured above, left)
Large – fits hardcovers (picture above, right)

I’ve found that the medium size is also perfect for my Kindle! Even though I have a Kindle cover, I still prefer to have it cushioned when I travel with it, so I use my medium book sleeve all the time!

Purchase link: Etsy – Carlton Quilts

Out of Print: Clothing, Totes, Accessories & more

I’ve been a fan of the amazing array of bookish goodies sold by Out of Print for a long time now (and can prove it, if you feel like looking inside my t-shirt drawer or checking out my somewhat impressive collection of totebags)!

They carry such a great mix of products featuring book cover images, character images, and all sort of fantastic bookish graphics, and feature themes including everything from classics to hot-this-moment books (like Fourth Wing, Sunrise on the Reaping, and Emily Henry’s books, to name just a few).

Many of their items are available through their Amazon storefront, but you can also shop directly at https://outofprint.com/.

I would be remiss in not highlighting the fact that this weekend is Independent Bookstore Day! While I’ve provided Amazon links for some of the items above, I do encourage everyone to make an effort to support your local bookstores! Stop by in person if you can (I have it on good authority from my favorite local bookseller that they love seeing friendly faces come through their doors!), or if you prefer online shopping, don’t forget that purchases from Bookshop.org support independent bookstores.