Is Lázár the masterpiece the press promised? An honest, spoiler-light review of Nelio Biedermann’s debut novel and its family saga.
Review of Lázár by Nelio Biedermann: too many emotions or too few?
Reading journal #15: between car and horseback rides
A new job, a twenty-minute commute, and a very different audiobook: here’s what I’m reading (and what I gave up on) this week.
Review: Fox by Joyce Carol Oates
A grey town, a charming teacher, and a secret no one wants to see. In Fox, Joyce Carol Oates explores the mind of a predator and the lives of his victims, telling a disturbing story about manipulation, abuse, and the silence that allows both to thrive.
Reading journal #14: starting a new read
From finishing Fox to picking up I Lázár fresh off Pordenone Legge, plus a slow stretch in Empire of the Vampire — here's what's keeping me reading.
End-of-summer story
A stink bug in the laundry, a grandmother's fearless hands, and the first hint of autumn in the air, a short story about the season on the fence.
Ashes and Mazurka I
An Italian small-town, disrupted by a mystery. Someone has found a body.
The Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff Vandermeer, between frustration and fascination
Magnetic and maddening in equal measure — here's my honest take on VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy, and why the new prequel might be a better entry point.
Reading Journal #13: vampires, foxes, and a saturday at Pordenone Legge
Dark fiction, darker fantasy, and a festival Saturday spent queuing in the sun — here's what's keeping me reading this week.
Taking a look back at my summer reads
A hard summer made easier by books. Here's my full reading recap, including my DNFs, favorite audiobooks, and the new classic I can't stop talking about.
Reading journal #12: getting back into reading in English
From a mature romance duet narration to Joyce Carol Oates's darkest side, plus a trip to Pordenone Legge — here's what's keeping me reading this week.
Reading journal #11: when nothing’s going as planned
A reading slump week — from The Witches of Eastwick on pause to a true crime podcast binge, here's what's (and isn't) working for me right now.
3 westerns for people who think they hate westerns
Forget the stereotypes: these three westerns are about justice, loneliness, and survival. Not just duels and dusty saloons.
Thanks a lot, everyone
A crumbling house, a broken umbrella, and one Marlboro after another — a short story about what's left behind when someone's gone.
Giving myself permission to DNF
Not every book deserves your time until the last page. Here's why I finally gave myself permission to stop reading books I don't love.
Reading journal #10: taking a break on campus
Iced coffee and whirring thoughts: where are I at with my summer reading?