Grant Ginder's multi-decade friendship novel is funny, honest and quietly devastating — a sharper, more literary take on the terrain Steven Rowley covers.
The Calamity Club – Kathryn Stockett
Kathryn Stockett spent a decade in literary exile. "The Calamity Club" is her case for a second act — and it delivers. A feminist Depression-era novel about eugenics, found family and three women who need each other to survive. Better written than "The Help," anchored by two exceptional narrators and one of the year's most resilient protagonists.
Kin – Tayari Jones
"Kin" follows two motherless women raised side-by-side in Jim Crow Louisiana whose lives diverge sharply but whose bond never does. Tayari Jones at her most immersive — a story about platonic love, chosen family and the friendships that shape us longest.
Go Gentle – Maria Semple
Maria Semple's "Go Gentle" arrives disguised as a madcap Upper West Side comedy and pivots into something far darker and more resonant. A Stoic philosopher, a stolen Greek statue and a third act that retroactively reframes everything — including what it cost one woman to rebuild her life after losing it completely.
Hula – Jasmin Iolani Hakes
It’s an intergenerational family saga, yes — and that structure is familiar — but Hakes integrates real historical and political texture more convincingly than many sprawling historical fiction attempts. It left me more emotional than I expected, and I would absolutely read Hakes again.
Ranking the Couples in the “Game Changers” Series
One of the more interesting side effects of reading the entire “Game Changers” series straight through is that you stop thinking about the books individually and start thinking about the relationships as if they exist in the same ongoing world. Here’s my take on the best couples in the series and if they’ll make it to their tenth anniversary.
Why the “Game Changers” Series Works (Even When It Shouldn’t)
This is not my genre. I don’t read a lot of MM romance, and I definitely don’t seek out books where I know there are going to be extended, explicit sex scenes. I usually find them awkward at best and unintentionally funny at worst. And yet, after finishing the show a second time and immediately diving into Rachel Reid’s “Game Changers” series, devouring the books —plus the bonus content on her blog – in about two weeks.
Reviews of the “Game Changers” Series and Bonus Material
I came to Rachel Reid’s “Game Changers” series backwards – starting with the TV adaptation of “Heated Rivalry” and then working my way through the books and every piece of bonus content I could find. What started as curiosity quickly turned into a full two-week binge. Here’s my take on the world Rachel Reid created and Jacob Tierney perfected.
The Swine Republic: Struggles with the Truth about Agriculture and Water Quality – Chris Jones
Chris Jones, a scientist and blogger turned reluctant activist, connects those dots. “The Swine Republic” examines how agricultural runoff – largely from excess fertilizer and animal waste – has poisoned Iowa’s rivers, lakes and drinking water for decades and why that should concern us all.
If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant For You – Leigh Stein
Leigh Stein's influencer-age Gothic has sharp ideas about technology and self-image — but ambition outpaces execution.
What Makes a Good (and Bad) Audiobook Narration
Audiobooks are a form of translation – one that converts the written word into a lived performance. Like all translated text, there’s an art to getting it just right. When it works, it feels like the story was meant to be heard all along.
The Correspondent – Virginia Evans
Overall, this was a quick, thoughtful crowd-pleaser with enough emotional depth (keep the tissues nearby in the final pages) to feel earned rather than gimmicky. Book clubs will eat it up.
A History of Loneliness – John Boyne
“A History of Loneliness” is a powerful literary novel exploring the Irish Catholic Church abuse scandal through the eyes of a well-meaning but complicit priest. Set across several decades, this character-driven story examines faith, silence, and moral responsibility with John Boyne’s signature emotional restraint and sharp prose. Ideal for fans of historical fiction, complex character studies, and books like John Williams’ “Stoner” or the author’s own “The Heart’s Invisible Furies.”
The Favorites – Layne Fargo
The drama escalates to a level that strains credibility, particularly around the Olympic fallout and the Sochi scheming. At a certain point, the twists feel less sharp and instead repetitive bloat. I kept thinking this could have been 100-pages shorter. It’s not high art, but it’s also not trying to be.
Man o’ War – Cory McCarthy
The first half may test some readers’ patience. The characters can be a little grating and the story wanders. But if you stick with it, the back half becomes something much more endearing and honest.
The Gate of the Feral Gods – Matt Dinniman
“The Gate of the Feral Gods” is probably the most video game entry so far, in both good and bad ways. For once, it feels like there’s an actual structure holding everything together – even if everything inside that structure is, naturally, pure chaos. I’m also increasingly convinced that the even-numbered books are just better.
The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook – Matt Dinniman
Overall, this feels like a step back from book two’s momentum. Dinniman is inventive and occasionally brilliant, but he could use a firmer editorial hand. If not for Donut – still the emotional and comedic engine of this series – I might have tapped out here.
Carl’s Doomsday Scenario – Matt Dinniman
While picking up exactly where “Dungeon Crawler Carl” left off, it almost immediately becomes clear that Matt Dinniman had settled into this world. This was a better book: better paced, better structured and more willing to let scenes breathe instead of sprinting from gag to gag.
Dungeon Crawler Carl – Matt Dinniman
It’s hard to judge “Carl” as a standalone, because it barely wants to be one. This is a long opening act. Still, I’m impressed by Dinniman’s imaginative reach and curious how many of the seemingly throwaway details will later reveal themselves as deliberate groundwork. As the first entry in an eight-book (and counting) series, it’s clearly doing foundational labor but that doesn’t always make it enjoyable.
Grey Dog – Elliott Gish
Often labeled feminist horror, the book’s sharpest menace isn’t supernatural but social: rigid expectations around marriage, reputation, and female behavior, and the quiet normalization of violence against women. That tension works well early on, grounding the protagonist’s unraveling in her environment.