Hi friends!

I'm delighted to share Issue 2 of Of Pages & Picture Books, a free guide I've created to uplift the picture book community and spread the word about some of the spectacular stories awaiting little readers. Whether you're a parent, an educator, a librarian, or just someone who loves picture books, this guide is here for you to reference while reading with little ones. Below you'll find suggested themes to explore, activities, fun facts, inspiration, and more from seven amazing picture book authors to enhance the reading experience of their books.

Santiago's Dinosaurios and Lolo & Birdie: That's Mine! / ¡Es Mío! are excellent reads to celebrate Latine Heritage Month! 🥳

• Mr. Chow's Night Market written by Emily Sun Li; illustrated by Yu Ting Cheng

Q: What inspired your book?

A: I’m often creatively inspired by meaningful chapters of my life, and one of my very favorites was the two years I spent teaching English in Taiwan. As a night owl and an avid foodie, I especially fell in love with its night markets! It was my first time living somewhere that embraced staying up late, and it made me reflect on the invisible cultural forces that shape our routines, our habits, and our sense of what’s “normal.”
That curiosity sparked the question that eventually became this book: What if, instead of squeezing ourselves into expectations that don’t fit, we reshaped our world to better suit who we are and what we need? In Mr. Chow’s Night Market, a grumpy grandpa and his grocery store both struggle to wake up early enough to open on time—so they transform the store into a night market instead!

Q: What themes do you explore in your book, and what do you recommend readers discuss as they read those themes?

A: One of the book’s central themes is the courage to question expectations that don’t work for us. Mr. Chow doesn’t solve his problem by forcing himself to become someone he’s not. Instead, with the help of his grandchildren and community, he imagines a new path altogether. As they read, families and educators might ask: Have you ever felt like something that comes naturally to you is considered “wrong”? What could happen if we changed our surroundings instead of trying to change ourselves? And how can the people who love us support us and help us recognize our potential?

The book also invites readers into the sights, sounds, foods, and rhythms of Taiwan. For children unfamiliar with that cultural world, I hope the story allows them to experience it as a vivid, lived-in place. For those who recognize it, I hope they feel right at home! Readers might discuss what feels new, what feels familiar, and how stories can help us better understand lives different from our own.

Q: What was your childhood favorite picture book, and what’s a recent favorite?

A: One of my childhood favorites was Janell Cannon’s Verdi, about a young python who’s determined never to grow old and boring. I’m 30—it’s an existential time!—and I love returning to a childhood story that reminds us growing older doesn’t have to mean losing who we are.

A recent favorite is my friends Evgenia Mantikas and Elifgül Büyükoral’s Ege and Ávra, illustrated by Nazli Tarcan. It’s a gorgeous, lyrical, and deeply moving testament to the power of friendship between two Greek and Turkish girls, inspired by the coauthors’ own real-life friendship!

Q: What activities do you recommend readers do after finishing (or while reading) your book?

A: First and foremost: grab a Taiwanese snack to enjoy while reading! I’d recommend sipping on a boba. 😇 Afterward, you could look for a Taiwanese restaurant nearby and try something new!

Be sure to explore the back matter, where you can learn more about the history of Taiwanese night markets, discover some of my favorite night market snacks, and uncover how Mr. Chow and his neighbors got their names from Mandarin Chinese words.

Children can also design their own night market stall by drawing the stall, inventing a catchy name, and creating a menu or display of everything they’d sell. The sillier, the better!

Q: What’s your favorite fun fact from your writing or researching process?

A: My illustrator, Yu Ting Cheng, lives in Taiwan, and I loved learning how she researched the book. She often visited local night markets to sketch and gather inspiration, arriving early and staying late to watch the vendors set up and break down. Fun fact: a green stuffed dinosaur makes a cameo in many of the book’s spreads, inspired by a real stuffed dinosaur Yu Ting spotted at a night market in Taipei. See how many times you can find it!

Q: What drew you to the picture book space?

A: I was first drawn to picture books as a poet. Then I discovered that they also have such a satisfying, playful physicality: the wordless spreads, the tension across the gutter, the counterpoint between text and illustration, the suspense of a page turn—even the reveal of a different design beneath the book jacket. (Hint: Take a peek beneath the jacket of Mr. Chow’s Night Market!) The combination of poetry and visual art makes picture books an endlessly fascinating medium to play in. And, to be honest, they make my inner child so happy!

• Willow's Winter Walk by Stevie Lewis (out in November 2026)

Q: What inspired your book?

A: I was going through a stressful time in my life, and I wanted a reminder to slow down and take things one day at a time. It was our first winter in Montana, and it was incredibly cold and snowy. We were living in a house with terrible insulation and heat—there would be ice on the inside of our windows when we woke up in the mornings! I remember wearing so many layers of thick clothing just to work, and feeling completely unmotivated.

Eventually, I decided to take a month off and simply enjoy what the season had to offer. We met wonderful friends who welcomed us into their homes and made us feel like part of the community. I took long, snowy walks with my dogs and started paying attention to all the little things happening around me. Those quiet walks and the feeling of slowing down became the inspiration for the book.

Q: What themes do you explore in your book, and what do you recommend readers discuss as they read?

A: More than anything, I hope this book reminds readers to pause and take in what’s around them. We live in such a busy world, and there can be a lot of noise and chatter competing for our attention. I loved taking winter walks through my small town and discovering how much I noticed when I simply stopped and listened.

Even in the cold, there was always something happening—birds moving through the trees, geese and ducks, cows in the fields, and people bundled up walking their dogs. There was plenty to see, but it all felt peaceful and calm.

Children are naturally good at being present in this way, but I think the book can also be a gentle reminder for adults, especially parents, to slow down and notice the world alongside them. As you read, you might ask: What do you notice when you stop and listen? What small things might you miss when you're rushing?

Q: What was your childhood favorite picture book, and what’s a recent favorite?

A: My favorite childhood picture book was Miss Nelson Is Missing!. I loved how clever the story was, and the illustrations were always my favorite part.

A recent favorite is Boy Here, Boy There by Chuck Groenink. I absolutely adore this book and love everything about his beautiful, expressive drawings.

Q: What activities do you recommend readers do after finishing (or while reading) your book?

A: Go on a long walk with your family or friends, and practice pausing along the way. Notice what you can see and hear when you slow down. How does it make you feel? Do you feel more connected to the earth, the animals, or the people around you?

See if you can identify the different animals, trees, plants, and other wildlife you encounter. Look closely at the houses you pass. Is there one that stands out as especially beautiful, whimsical, or unusual? Maybe it has a colorful front door or an interesting garden.

And if you live in a city, look for the little details there, too. Can you spot someone wearing bright or funny clothes, or someone with a silly hat?

There is so much to notice when we take the time to look. I encourage readers to find whatever makes them smile—and write it down, or even better, draw it!

Q: What’s your favorite fun fact from your writing or researching process?

A: The book was inspired by my small town of Hamilton, Montana. The scenery, trees, houses, and snow were all drawn from early paintings I made during our first winter there.

My dogs even became part of the process. They would shiver while waiting for me to finish painting some of the snowy scenes, even though they were wearing their warm winter jackets!

Q: What drew you to the picture book space?

A: I fell into children's books somewhat accidentally. I had been working in animation, and after leaving my job at DreamWorks, I was approached to illustrate a few chapter books.

At the time, I was living on the road in my car, traveling around North America on a sabbatical and rock climbing in some beautiful, wild places. I realized that I really wanted to use my art to tell stories—and eventually, to tell my own stories through both art and words.

Adventure and the outdoors have always been a big part of my life, so I naturally gravitated toward stories about rock climbing, hiking, exploring, and connecting with nature. Those themes have continued to find their way into my work, and I’m excited to keep creating stories that encourage kids to explore the world around them and embrace their own adventurous spirits.

• Lolo & Birdie: That's Mine! / ¡Es Mío! by Angela Dominguez (out in November 2026)

Q: What inspired your book?

A: I’m very lucky that this is the fifth Lolo & Birdie book. By this point, I know the characters quite well. I would say my inspiration for the series, in general, is the sibling dynamic. Lolo is the toddler who is more impulsive and emotional, while Birdie is the patient and supportive older sibling. Each title in the series reflects something a young child might say like I’m Hungry, I’m Not Sleepy or in this case, That’s Mine.

But there is another big inspiration for the series, and it is to create fun accessible bilingual books. Growing up, I didn’t see any in my library. The books were either fully in Spanish or English, and the books in Spanish were too challenging for me. This is why as an adult I wanted to create books that made learning languages approachable. The reader can generally infer what the meaning is in either language. I think the more you make learning a language fun the more likely you’ll keep their interest.

Q: What themes do you explore in your book, and what do you recommend readers discuss as they read those themes?

A: With every Lolo & Birdie book there is a small lesson that Lolo sometimes learns. I never want the books to be didactic, and I like there to be an element of the unexpected. It makes the books more playful and humorous for kids. However, if Lolo doesn’t exactly learn a lesson in the book, I do think it is a great opportunity to have a conversation afterwards. With this book, That’s Mine, Lolo gently learns to share his big present and learns not to be too possessive.

Q: What was your childhood favorite picture book, and what’s a recent favorite?

A: The True Story of the Three Little Pigs was my all-time favorite picture book growing up. I loved the illustrations and especially loved reading it aloud. It’s even one of my favorites to mention during my author visits at school. A recent favorite is Hot Dog by Doug Salati. It’s gorgeous and so fun. Who doesn’t love a dog book too.

Q: What activities do you recommend readers do after finishing (or while reading) your book?

A: I would love for kids to draw and make their own stories. If they are clueless how to begin, have them start by drawing Lolo and Birdie. Then see what new characters and stories they can make up. Having hobbies is so important, especially analog ones that get them away from screens. I also think it's a great opportunity if they're inspired by the book, to level up their language skills. Find other books or media that support this.

Q: What’s your favorite fun fact from your writing or researching process?

A: Since the story relies heavily on pictures, I think my favorite fun facts came from researching piñatas, candy, and toy images.

Q: What drew you to the picture book space?

A: I studied illustration at art college, and when I discovered children’s book illustration, it felt like the perfect career for me. When I began writing, my passion in this field really took off.

• Ege and Ávra written by Evgenia Mantikas and Elifgül Büyükoral; illustrated by Nazli Tarcan

Q: What inspired your book?

A: Ege and Ávra was inspired by my friendship with my coauthor, Elif! Our countries share a long, complicated history, and despite that past, we became friends. When we decided to team up and write a story together, it made sense that we would write about a Greek girl and a Turkish girl who discover they are more alike than they are different. So really, we wrote our story!

Q: What themes do you explore in your book, and what do you recommend readers discuss as they read those themes?

A: Ege and Ávra explores friendship, intergenerational ties, and cultural division and connection. Readers can discuss how these themes shape the characters’ relationships and experiences, and reflect on how friendship, family, and cultural understanding can help bring people together despite their differences!

Q: What was your childhood favorite picture book, and what’s a recent favorite?

A: A childhood favorite is Kevin Henkes’ Chrysanthemum. It made me proud of my long Greek name! Oh no, there are too many recent favorites to pick just one. I’m going to cheat and give you three: Drawn Onward by Daniel Nayeri and Matt Rockefeller, Broken by X. Fang, and In the World of Whales by Michelle Cusolito and Jessica Lanan.

Q: What activities do you recommend readers do after finishing (or while reading) your book?

A: Here are some activities readers can do after finishing Ege and Ávra:
- Share a Meal with Your Loved Ones! Food is an important part of Ege and Ávra, especially when shared with people we love. Cook a meal with family or friends, gather around the table, and enjoy each other’s company!
- Create a Sea of Hope! Create a mural filled with colorful fish. On each fish, write a wish or dream for the future. Together, create a sea of hope inspired by the book’s message of hope and peace.
- Reflect on Your Community! Think about your village, neighborhood, or community. What makes it special? Write about the people, places, and traditions that make you feel at home.

Q: What’s your favorite fun fact from your writing or researching process?

A: I love creating character playlists! It’s so much fun and helps me get into the right headspace when writing my characters and their stories.

Q: What drew you to the picture book space?

A: I just fell in love with it. I love how the whole story needs to fit into 550 words. Every word, sentence, and comma counts! Even though the text is so short, the depth and magnitude of the story is endless. Just take a look at Watercress or A Different Pond. I mean, come on! How can you not fall in love with picture books?

• Santiago's Dinosaurios written by Mariana Ríos Ramírez; illustrated by Udayana Lugo

Q: What inspired your book?

A: My family moved from Mexico to USA in 2016 due to my husband’s job. At the time my daughter was 2 years old and my son was 5. He had to start kindergarten in a school in which he couldn’t understand or speak English, and his journey was not easy. Thankfully, he had kind classmates, patient classroom teachers, and a wonderful ESOL teacher who supported him until he was able to communicate successfully. Eventually my son became bilingual, he made friends, and thrived in his new school.

However, my son’s experience made me realize that many families around the world go through the same challenges we faced when they leave their home countries and start new lives elsewhere. I wanted to write this story for all those children, who like my son, find themselves struggling with a language barrier; to show them that with hard work, patience, and time they’ll eventually be able to communicate with their classmates and teachers and that bilingualism is a strength that will be very valuable through their lives.

Q: What themes do you explore in your book and what do you recommend readers discuss as they read those themes?

A: Santiago’s Dinosaurios is a book which highlights the challenges immigrant children experience when they find themselves in environments with a different culture, customs, and language than they’re used to in their home countries. It touches how isolating, frightening, and lonely it can be when there’s no connection with others due to the language barriers in place. However, it’s also a story about friendship, inclusion and discovering that common interests (like dinosaurs) can be bridges which can help us connect with others when words can’t.

My hope is that children reading this story identify two main takeaways. The first one is if they’re kids who can see themselves in Santiago because they’re experiencing a similar situation. For them, I hope they’ll realize that although they’ll need to work hard on learning a new language, they’ll eventually achieve it and they won’t be alone during that process. Also, that there are many ways to make friends that don’t require words, like in this case, Santiago found a way to connect with other children through his love for dinosaurs.

Finally, for children who have classmates or friends like Santiago, I hope they’ll realize how important it is to be kind to those who are the “new kids” and who are struggling to adapt and connect, and what a positive impact they can have in their lives by being inclusive and embracing those who might seem different.

Q: What was your childhood favorite picture book, and what’a recent favorite?

A: Growing up in Mexico, I remember I used to like reading picture books from a series called Serendipity. They were written by Stephen Cosgrove and illustrated by Robin James. The books were short stories with a moral perspective which highlighted different animals. Besides those, I used to love reading fairy tales too.

A recent favorite for me it’s the Day the Crayons Quit by Oliver Jeffers, I love the illustrations and how funny and sweet it is.

Q: What activities do you recommend readers do after finishing or reading your book?

A: Besides sharing/discussing the above takeaways with the kids after reading the book, on my website there is a free downloadable teaching guide for different grade levels, as well as other activities and crafts such as word search, dino masks, fossil craft and coloring pages.

To find those resources please visit: https://marianariosramirez.com/resources/

Q: What is your favorite fun fact from your writing or researching process?

A: A fun fact about writing this book is that researching which dinosaurs to use in the story for the “dinosaur size problems” and the endpapers wasn’t as easy as I initially thought it would be. Dinosaurs in the story represent Santiago’s anxiety due to not speaking or understanding English. As his day progresses, his problem seems less big and scary, so the dinosaurs change from big species to small ones which seem less intimidating to him.

For this, I wanted to use dinosaurs that kids would recognize and love, while I also needed to make sure that the sizes of my selection were quite different for the “shrinking” problem issue. Turns out that the famous Triceratops, Stegosaurus, and Ankylosaurus have the same size, so I could only use one of them for my purposes. Besides this, I also needed all the dinosaurs to be herbivores. Adding famous carnivores to the mix would have helped with making the problem seem smaller, but carnivores are way scarier, so that didn’t work for us.

For these reasons, finding the right combination of dinos to use in the story was a bit tricky, but I had a lot of fun with my research, and I even used some books from my son’s collection since for quite some years he was a dino-fan just like Santiago.

Q: What drew you to the picture book space?

A: I fell in love with picture books while reading them to my children when they were little. After moving to the USA, picture books were a valuable tool for me to help them learn English at home, while they were also an excellent way to connect and have a special time together.

• Debug This Book written by Omar Abed; illustrated by Julie Rowan-Zoch

Q: What inspired your book?

A: when trying to come up with a concept for a new picture book, I kept hearing the advice: "Write what you know." when I thought about what I know, I thought about being an engineer, but not a great one. I thought, "I know just enough to break things." That's when I came up with the concept of a virus "breaking" a book.

Q: What themes do you explore in your book, and what do you recommend readers discuss as they read those themes?

A: This book tackles critical thinking in a humorous way. I hope this book encourages readers to think outside the box and to draw on their own personal experiences in new and creative ways.

Q: What was your childhood favorite picture book, and what’s a recent favorite?

A: My favorite picture books as a kid were from Shel Silverstein and Dr. Seuss. Now, as an adult, my favorite picture book is The Giving Tree.

Q: What activities do you recommend readers do after finishing (or while reading) your book?

A: I'd love for readers to combine their interests across different mediums after reading this book to see what might come out of it.

Q: What’s your favorite fun fact from your writing or researching process?

A: Honestly, I didn't do much research for this book, but I had fun working with the publishing team and trying to explain some of the concepts of programming and debugging in the world of software to a team that has no exposure to that domain.

Q: What drew you to the picture book space?

A: I came to picture books through poetry and music. I'm not a musician, but I love the alliteration and rhythm of poetry, and picture books are an extension of that.

• Big Rig Pig and Cupig written by Claire Tattersfield; illustarated by Rob Sayegh Jr.

Q: What inspired your book?

A: My amazing illustrator Rob! We had just hit the bestseller list with our first book together, Cupig, and we were at a celebratory lunch with our publishing team. I was talking about how I would love to write a things-that-go book, and Rob mentioned that he'd tried to get an early readers' graphic novel sold years ago, titled BIG RIG PIG, to no avail. Our editor said it sounded like an amazing picture book idea. Rob looked at me and said "I'm in if you are." The rest, as they say, is history!

Q: What themes do you explore in your book, and what do you recommend readers discuss as they read those themes?

A: I have always been a bit of a lone wolf, even when I was child! I really liked teaching myself how to do things, and independence was something I prized even as a wee one. But that meant that I became very bad at asking for help, which is something that a lot of kids and adults alike struggle with! I hope that readers see that not only is it good to ask for help sometimes, but that's actually exactly what your loved ones are there for.

Q: What was your childhood favorite picture book, and what’s a recent favorite?

A: My favorite as a child (and perhaps still my enduring favorite) was The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. There is literally no other book in the world like it. Recently I have read and loved That You Are Here is No Small Thing by Traci Todd and Vashti Harrison. It's so beautiful and lightly educational, perfect for home libraries or the classroom!

Q: What activities do you recommend readers do after finishing (or while reading) your book?

A: Playing outside in the mud with construction toys!

Q: What’s your favorite fun fact from your writing or researching process?

A: That my illustrator's Dad is a trucker by trade! Rob's Dad is retired now, but was the best trucker in New York, from what I can tell.

Q: What drew you to the picture book space?

A: I felt that picture books had grown really didactic, which took a lot of the fun away from picture books! It's easy to make a book fun and entertaining and still have a lesson, which is what I try to do with my books. There's a lesson wrapped in layers of rhyme and silliness like a delicious picture book burrito.

Thank you so much to these amazing authors for joining me and to the agents, publicists, and friends who've supported this project! Stay tuned for Issue 3! 🫶

Had an awesome time among all of the Indie Pubs and sellers in Chicago at The Printer's Row Lit Fest this past weekend. Thanks for everyone who came and cleaned out our copies of my medical memoir, American Triage! Put the appropriate fear into med students and had the support of dozens of healthcare pros. Finished with a great reading at Pilsen Community Books!

Brooklyn Book Festival next on 9/27. Hope to see you there!

"Fuck the hype!" I generally exclaim when anyone recommends a book I've seen publishers promote TF out of. I want to promote books that you haven't heard of, books the Big 5 doesn't care about. Books with authors who won't get the big money spent on them because they don't have the right friends, the right family, the "people in high places" that some authors have. Rage Against the Nepo Baby I always say.

I've never done a hate read before, but there is so little being actively promoted in the Sci-fi world with all the big money being spent on Romantasy. And hey, I get it. Hard to read about dystopia when we're actively living in it. Talk about triggering.

But I miss LitRPG with a desperation. From the moment I picked up a Tad Williams book in an airport snack shop when I was 12 years old, transporting myself and my 8 year old brother 2,000 miles alone (can you believe they actually let children do that? Still blows my mind) I have adored the idea that I could get sucked out of this world and into a game.

If you remember you get a cookie, but just a few short months ago, I picked up Matt Dinniman's standalone book Operation Bounce House and well... it wasn't for me. This book was seemingly about Palestine for a while. Colonization, an entire planet framed as "terrorists" so that corporations could steal their land with the backing of the populace. And a cool premise - on another planet with regular people who are PAYING to pilot remote transformer-like kill bots instead of the state paying to fund a war. Definitely sounds like the whole Torment Nexus thing (a famous meme:)

Sci-fi Author: In my book I invented the Torment Nexus as a cautionary tale.

Tech Company: At long last, we have created the Torment Nexus from classic sci-fi novel Don't Create the Torment Nexus.)

Like, this definitely sounds like something Silicon Valley Bros would dream up.

As a plot device, brilliant. But the whole story is very man-centric. Very little character development, no side quest plots to get me invested in the characters, and tons and tons and tons of talk about the exact gun each bot is equipped with. The ending was also predictable and boring. I wanted something deeper for a book that seemed to have a big point to make, but the author didn't quite bring it home in a way that had any sort of impact.

So why oh why did I finally give in to the Dungeon Crawler Carl propaganda? I mean, that's how propaganda works isn't it? Say something enough times and people will eventually believe it. Do I? No. Did I read it anyway? Yes. Did it have all the same issues as Operation Bounce House? Also yes.

And did I read 3 whole books into the series before finally (probably, possibly, a very unfirm maybe) throw in the towel? Yes. All you Reggies (a term I picked up from the book Mindwalker referring to regular people, which I have now adopted into my lexacon. If you are still using the term Muggle I swear to John Mercymorn I'm putting marrow in your soup) won't understand this, but I cannot DNF books. It's a very unfortunate function of my autism that I cannot start something without finishing it. It's called Autistic Inertia. Reggies can have this to an extent, but not in a disabling way. You might feel that desire for completion when you're doing a puzzle to put that last piece in. I will start painting a room and will not eat, sleep, pee, or even drink water until it's finished at 2am, and then I'll need a few days to recover from the abuse I just put myself through. The only accommodation my family has developed is my 14 year old enjoying his opportunity to righteously berate me until I go pee and drink a glass of water and eat a meal with him. And then stop me when I try to start a new project the next day. Every time I do this I laugh that I ever believed I was taking up too much space in the autistic community. As if it's a privilege I have to earn rather than the disability it feels like.

Let's jump off that infodumping train and back onto Dungeon Crawler Carl, which if you haven't heard, is a Lit RPG about a dude and his girlfriend's cat fighting their way through an alien dungeon to save themselves from the apocalypse (in which aliens have repo'd the earth for it's minerals.) On the surface, what a great premise and way to talk about how capitalism eats our world - resources and humans alike. And does Dinniman delve into that? Well yes, a bit. He could make the point a little harder to me - which is the same way I felt about Hunger Games, like Suzanne, girl, you wrote a great series talking about how the US is The Bad Place™ but some of them still don't get it, you really needed to draw those parallels more obviously for the American populace with a reading level below the 6th grade. They ain't critical-ling this reading babes.

And by book 3, he's really really focused on the game itself. There are a couple of side plots developing, but it's not enough to keep me interested. The typical structure of a series is that each book resolves the current battle while introducing a bigger baddie for the MC to fight in the overall war. In this series, we just jump down a level deeper into the game. In book 3 he builds some mistrust between the two beloved main characters, one of which is an actual cat who can talk. Listen, I truly think it was the talking cat that made me finally pick it up. But what isn't there in the third book is hope. Hope is what makes you continue. All we see is the human race being slowly genocided and no hope that anyone ever makes it to the 13th floor (the 18th has to be beat to win and save humanity. Everything and everyone in the book tells you that's never happened, not even close.) We do get a tiny bit of introspection from our main character, a coast guard by day guy who got cheated on by his girlfriend by night, and his grief of his lost world and family. But it's mostly anger sighs in patriarchy and gets a little repetitive, even though it's very little. And Carl is also called out for only liking his own ideas, and immediately dismissing any woman's idea that is presented. He has a male mentor that he values highly, but he has a cat with intelligence points WAY above his that he fails to listen to at all. And a side character that he upgrades as if she isn't a real person but a tool he can use. Yes, he gets called out. No, he does no introspection into why he does that or how to stop. He just continues on as if he's not hurting the people around him.

The whole series just feels a bit shallow to me. And here's the thing...if Carl actually takes the criticism and grows from it at some point in the series, that will be great! The gamer bro audience this series is marketed to could use that lesson. But with how it's going, I don't know if that lesson is coming, or whether Carl is going to win despite all his flaws. Which is the exact message we don't need men hearing yet again.

I put the series down. I picked up She's A Doll by Barbara Truelove.

Have you continued beyond book 3? Does Carl learn? You might convince me to continue. It won't take much, I'm fighting the autistic inertia with every ounce of my defiant PDA...

— Zee

If you liked this and want more of whatever THIS is (unhinged book analysis, barely contained rage at the state of the world, and occasional Tamsyn Muir references and em dashes and excessive parentheses that I will never apologize for) consider subscribing for $5/month. Every cent goes to people who actually need it, because I have a day job and a cause, not a brand deal. This is my middle finger to Big 5 publishing, dressed up as a book blog. Come hold em up with me.

Hello my friends, and happy Trans joy Thursday!

I'm not going to lie, today's newsletter is riddled with heavy feelings - yesterday was the 3 month mark of losing my Memaw, and I spent a lot of time yesterday reflecting on her life, our memories we made, and honestly? Just being sad and in mourning. It was definitely a heavy day, and some of that heaviness is still lingering.

With that said, I'm continuing to write to you today, because I want you to be reminded that in the face of heavy grief and feelings, there is still joy to be found. It may not feel like it, but it's there. We may have to spend a lot longer locating it, but it can be found. It reminds me of my transness - it took me a long time (roughly 30+ years) to come home to myself and feel authentically me - but as time passes, we evolve and we change. We find what makes us, us. And then we lean into it! And that, to me, is the epitome of why I write this newsletter every week. To intentionally lean in to the joys I found over the past week. To be a reminder to yourself that you are ALLOWED to be joyful in spite of the dumpster fire that may be around you. May you live in spite of this week, and every tomorrow after. You deserve that.

Some things that have brought me joy this week at a quick glance are:

1. My oldest auditioned last week for his first ever school play/musical, got a call back, and then was offered a role! He sang me a brief part of a song he will be singing and it just made my day. I love the arts (clearly) and I'm so proud that he has found something he enjoys doing. We must protect the arts at all costs so children for generations to come can have the pure excitement that he does about his play.

2. I received my signed/personalized copy of Cemetery Boys: Espiritu and it just lifted my spirits immensely that I get to immerse myself back into that story once more.

3. I get to see Don Martin IN GREEN BAY, this Saturday for his book Verity Vox And The Curse Of Foxfire. I am so excited because authors hardly come here, they usually go to Milwaukee or Madison, especially the queer authors, so I'm super stoked to get the chance to see him!

4. My pre-order from Tuma's Books of Elizabeth Acevedo's Anger Is Only A Shadow is supposed to arrive today and I cannot wait to read the physical copy - although, she narrates the audiobook, and she deserves all the awards for that!

5. I'm slowly beginning to get back into journaling again, and although it looks different for me right now, I'm still journaling, and that's still a win!

6. The weather is slowly getting cooler and our windows have been open for about a week, and I just love this time of year. It's truly my favorite.

I hope you all find moments of joy today - this week. I hope you find ways to honor yourself, your griefy/heavy feelings, and you get to relish in who you are as a human and your authenticity.

I hope you truly lean in to your joy and protect it at all costs. You deserve that for yourself.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday.

With all my trans joy,

Sawyer Cole

Hi my darling rebels! In case you missed it, I'm teaming up with Katherine Grant, the host of the Historical Romance Sampler, to host another benefit in support of Authors Against Book Bans.

On October 5th at 7:30pm, we are gathering at Book Club Bar in Manhattan to read romances and discuss why they are so important. We will be joined by special guest authors Shelly Jay Shore, Joanna Shupe, Zakiya N. Jamal, and Blair Fell.

Every attendee will receive a copy of our new zine about passion and censorship, as well as raffle tickets for our giveaway of many new romance novels. A big portion of the proceeds will go directly to Authors Against Book Bans, which is spearheading the fight against censorship at the state and national level.

I'm delighted to share a discount code with my Bindery subscribers: The first ten people to use the code REBEL at checkout will get 15% off!

Reserve your tickets and learn more about the event here!

I hope to see you there,

Ella

MINI POD! In this episode, Jordy and Shoshana dive into some of their favorite queer fairytale retellings, from reimagined princesses to stories that completely turn the original happily-ever-after on its head. Tune in for plenty of recommendations, a little fairytale chaos, and hopefully a few new books for your TBR!

Listen on Apple Podcasts // Spotify // Deezer // Pocket Casts

Support and follow the hosts!

Follow Jordy: Instagram // Pagebound.co

Follow Shoshana: Storygraph // Instagram // Bluesky

This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.

Original music by Amarissa

Secrets, Suspects & Small-Town Shadows: Inside Claire Booth’s Hank Worth Mystery Series

What happens when a small Missouri tourist town becomes the perfect breeding ground for secrets, feuds, political intrigue and murder?

Welcome to Branson, Missouri, the unforgettable setting of Claire Booth’s Hank Worth mystery series.

Known for its country music theaters, tourism, and beautiful Ozarks surroundings, Branson might seem like an unlikely backdrop for a police procedural. But according to Booth, that contrast is exactly what makes it work. With a permanent population of roughly 12,000 and millions of visitors each year, Branson gives her the best of both worlds: the intimate complications of a small town and the unpredictability of a much larger city.

In this Book Club Conversation, Claire Booth takes us behind the scenes of the Hank Worth mystery series, discussing why she chose Branson before she even created her characters, how her career as a crime reporter shaped her police procedurals, why she refuses to outline her mysteries, and how Hank, Sheila, and the rest of the cast have evolved across the series.

And if you love character-driven mysteries, small-town secrets, police procedurals, and unexpected twists, you won't want to miss this conversation.

📍 Why Branson Is the Perfect Setting for Murder

Branson doesn't simply provide the backdrop for the Hank Worth mysteries; it feels like a character in its own right.

Booth actually chose the setting before she created her characters. Her husband is from Branson, which gave her an inside connection to the unique Missouri Ozarks community.

“It is a city of about 12,000 people, but it gets 10 million tourist visits a year.”

That unusual combination gives Booth endless possibilities.

She can explore the classic elements of a small-town mystery entrenched political interests, generations-old feuds, gossip, and the feeling that everyone knows everyone while also introducing big-city complications such as traffic, outsiders, and transient visitors.

And then there is the most important ingredient for a mystery writer:

Millions of potential suspects.

With that many tourists passing through Branson, Booth has a believable and seemingly endless supply of people who can wander into Hank Worth's investigations.

As she puts it, Branson is simply “the perfect place to set a mystery series.”

🔎 Why Character Development Matters in a Mystery Series

A compelling mystery needs more than clues and a shocking reveal. For Booth, the characters are what keep readers returning book after book.

She believes that if readers don't become invested in the characters, they won't necessarily pick up the next installment.

For a series like Hank Worth's, that character investment becomes especially important because readers aren't only returning to discover who committed the crime. They're returning to find out what happens to Hank, Sheila, Sam, and the other characters they've grown attached to.

Booth describes the investigation as, in many ways, the vehicle that allows her characters to experience growth and change.

But that doesn't mean the mystery itself takes a back seat.

She still needs a strong investigation, one that puts her characters through enough hardship to challenge them and force them to evolve.

It's that combination of strong mysteries and multidimensional characters that keeps the series moving forward.

📰 From Crime Reporter to Mystery Author

Before becoming a fiction writer, Claire Booth spent years reporting on real crimes.

That experience has had a major influence on her novels, particularly when it comes to writing the nuts and bolts of police procedurals.

As a crime reporter, she learned how police investigate cases, what they consider important, and what their professional and personal lives look like.

But perhaps even more importantly, she learned about the people at the center of those crimes.

Booth interviewed victims and criminals, visited their neighborhoods, and spoke with their families.

Through that experience, she came to understand something that continues to fascinate her as a novelist:

There is always a story behind the crime.

Everyone has a reason for being where they were and doing what they were doing when they became involved in a crime whether they were the victim or the perpetrator.

That real-world understanding brings another layer of authenticity to her fictional mysteries.

🩸 Does Claire Booth Know Who the Killer Is?

Here's where Booth's writing process gets particularly interesting.

She doesn't.

When she begins a book, Booth doesn't know who the killer will be.

In fact, she doesn't outline her mysteries at all.

She simply opens the page and starts writing.

It's usually around two-thirds of the way through the book that she begins to zero in on the culprit.

For Booth, that uncertainty is part of the fun of writing.

And it can have an unexpected benefit for readers: because the killer wasn't predetermined in her mind from the beginning, the eventual reveal can feel more surprising even to the author herself.

Imagine discovering the murderer alongside your own characters.

📖 The Hank Worth Book That Surprised Her Most

Of the first eight books in the Hank Worth series, Booth says Dangerous Consequences, the fifth installment, surprised her the most.

And once again, her decision not to outline played a major role.

About halfway through the book, a character unexpectedly appeared.

Booth had originally created the character for Book Three. That character served a purpose in that story, and she had no intention of bringing him back.

Until suddenly, he walked into the sheriff's department in Dangerous Consequences.

And he stayed.

The character ultimately became absolutely key to the entire fifth book.

It's a perfect example of how Booth's organic writing process can take a story in directions she never anticipated.

👮 How Hank Worth Has Changed Over Eight Books

Hank Worth may have started the series as a competent adult with a family, a career, and a mortgage, but eight books and everything humanity has thrown at him have changed him.

Booth describes Hank as having grown considerably.

He has become more world-weary and cautious about people's true intentions, largely because of the difficult experiences he's faced throughout the series.

But those experiences have also made him more grateful for what he has.

Especially his family.

Hank has had to fight for the things that matter most to him, and that struggle has made those things even more precious.

For longtime readers, that evolution is part of the appeal of following a character across multiple mysteries. The crimes may change, but the person solving them changes, too.

💥 Meet Chief Deputy Sheila Turley

If you've read the Hank Worth mysteries, chances are you have a soft spot for Chief Deputy Sheila Turley.

And Claire Booth couldn't be happier about it.

Booth says she loves Sheila and is thrilled that readers have embraced her.

Sheila is fun to write, but she's also an incredibly important character.

She's outspoken and says exactly what she wants, even though she doesn't always have the freedom to do what she wants.

As a woman working in a male-dominated profession and a Black woman living in a majority-white region, Sheila constantly encounters limitations and barriers.

Yet she refuses to let those experiences overwhelm her or change who she is.

She's smart, competent, outspoken, and determined and sometimes she's exactly the person who needs to say what everyone else is thinking.

And, as Booth puts it, sometimes someone in her fictional Branson needs a swift verbal kick in the butt.

That's where Sheila comes in.

✍️ From Facts to Fiction: Claire Booth's Biggest Creative Shift

Moving from journalism to fiction wasn't easy.

As a journalist, Booth had spent years training herself to focus on facts.

When she first sat down to write a novel, she realized she didn't have the creative pathways needed to simply invent things.

Her brain had been trained in “fact muscles.”

She had to teach herself that it was okay to make things up.

Now?

Those creative muscles get plenty of exercise.

Booth says she's developed the neural pathways necessary for fiction, and today the transition between fact and imagination comes much more naturally.

It's a fascinating reminder that writing isn't just about having ideas it's also about training yourself to think differently.

📚 Discover the Hank Worth Mystery Series

If you love police procedurals, character-driven mysteries, small-town secrets, unexpected killers, and atmospheric settings, the Hank Worth mystery series deserves a place on your reading list.

And if you're looking for a place to start, check out Claire Booth's latest Hank Worth mystery, Hidden Currents.

🛍️ Where to Find Hidden Currents

Readers can purchase Hidden Currents from:

• Bookshop.org

• Amazon

• Barnes & Noble

• Books-A-Million

💌 Stay Connected With Claire Booth

Want to keep up with Claire Booth and hear about new releases, appearances, and other author news?

Visit her official website or sign up for her occasional newsletter through her newsletter signup.

You can also find her on:

• Instagram: @claire.booth10

• Facebook

• Goodreads

📅 Meet Claire Booth

Claire Booth will be appearing at Old Haunts Bookshop on:

Saturday, September 12 at 5:00 p.m.
8789 Auburn Folsom Rd, Suite C
Granite Bay, CA 95746

Event information and registration

💬 Book Club Conversation

Claire Booth's approach to mystery writing raises an interesting question for readers:

Would you rather read a mystery where the author carefully plans every clue and knows the killer from the beginning or one where the author discovers the killer alongside the characters?

And if you've read the Hank Worth mysteries:

Which character would you most want to see featured in their own story?

Join the conversation and tell us what you think!

📚 About Book Club Conversations

Book Club Conversations takes readers behind the pages and into the minds of the authors creating the stories we can't stop talking about. From writing inspiration and character development to research, world-building, and the secrets behind the story, we're giving readers a closer look at the people behind their next favorite books.

It's my favorite time of year. The leaves are already starting to turn in Maine, bright reds and oranges are lining the trees and I can finally drink red wine and not want to die. Fall is the time of the reader, it's when we can finally put on sweat pants, turn on our YouTube campfire, and get cozy for the best reading season of the year!

But if you are looking for something different from your usual pumpkin spice rom-com line-up, then look no further. I have 10 unconventional fall reads listed below. Be not afraid! Spooky season is the perfect time to be brave and try something new!

Hallowpeen - By Holly Wilde

"Everyone in the small town of Hollow Springs knows that Halloween night is when the veil of sentience is at its thinnest. So no one would attempt a ridiculous ritual on the night of a full moon, right?
Wrong.

This sentient object romance follows two friends who tempt fate deliciously and end up having a legendary time with the local urban legends. Curl up with some candy and a pumpkin spice latte while you enjoy the autumnal delights of Hallowpeen."

Corn Daddy: A Steamed Short - By Helena Woodcock

"He’s got the juice. Liz has always had the worst luck with love. She can’t help falling for the bad boys, but they’re never willing to make her a priority. Being stood up at the annual fall corn maze is the last strike against her latest on-again-off-again dudebro. The farm is filled with happy couples, but Liz is ready to head home and concede her losses over a cup of spiked cider. It figures…The mysterious man hiding in the corn maze has an entirely different plan. He has eyes for Liz and isn’t willing to let her go so easily. He’s nothing like the guys Liz is used to dating, and she can’t get him off of her mind. He makes a fast and hot first move, and when he starts talking commitment, it makes Liz’s head spin.Is she ready to give up everything she’s ever known for the sake of true love and desire? Liz can’t help wondering if she has found her produce prince or if this is just another bad apple in her bushel."

Stitches - By Violet Taylor

"The story of the Skeleton King and his stitched-up Queen A dark reimagining of a Halloween favorite…
My life was taken. My body pieced back together. My world forever changed. When I awake in the Mid Hallows with no memory of who I was before, I am thrust into a realm of nightmares and terror. Lost, defenseless. Until I find him. It’s foolish to trust anyone who dwells in the land of monsters. But after Kel crosses my path, my defenses crumble. The mysterious monster hunter keeps me safe, but what secrets lie beneath the bones painted upon his handsome face? Why am I really here?
**Stitches is a dark monster romance reimagining. It contains graphic violence and sexually explicit content. Check the author's website for full list of content warnings**"

Don't Eat Your Human Boyfriend - By Lily Mayne

"I like to describe myself as an ethical ghoul. I’ve been working at Broth with a Bite in the Creepy Court Mall food court for eight years so that I can get my… very specific nutritional needs in a way that doesn’t make me feel like too much of a monster. I work in the ‘special’ kitchen, preparing food for our customers with the same, ahem, dietary issues, and I’m totally fine working alongside the humans who run the other kitchen and have no idea what’s actually served.
Until the new guy starts. The new humanguy with the cutest shy smile and the raddest hair and a body that makes my mouth water. He looks like a very decent mouthful and smells like the best five-course meal rolled into one. Suddenly, Ricky is all I can think about. Sweet, delicious Ricky who has no idea he’s working in a restaurant for ghouls, who has no idea ghouls even exist, and who I just want to take a big bite out of. Not, like, literally. Kind of.
It's totally wrong for a ghoul to lust after a human. They’re food. But I can’t help it. I want Ricky bad. I just have to remember to keep my teeth in check."

Gimme S'more - By C.L. Doll

"Alina had always loved camping, especially the part where she would stuff herself with s'mores. But what happens when the s'mores she loves to eat decide they'd rather eat her?

Gimme S'more is a sentient object romance between a woman and sentient s'mores ingredients."

Scream For Me - By G.M. Fairy

"The harbinger of fear, the predator of the night…
I feast on human terror, drinking in their screams like the sweetest nectar. But when I stumble through the portal into her room and hear her cries of pleasure, a far darker, primal hunger takes hold.
She belongs to me now. I need to hear her scream like that again, and I will, even if I have to break her apart.
The woman stolen from her world and thrust into a realm of nightmares…
I felt it—eyes watching me from the darkness, golden and unblinking from the shadows of my closet. The thought sent a shiver through me, twisting into something illicit as I let my fingers wander. But when he pounced, dragging me into his cold, merciless world, the thrill turned to terror.
Now, he demands my pleasure, my screams—but I refuse to surrender without a fight.
Monsters of Darkness is a shared world full of monsters roaming in the dark of night. Each author brings a new set of monsters and a love interest. While they share the world, there will be no crossovers of characters between each book! Each book is a standalone in it’s own right and the series can be read in any order.

Basted - By Abby Hunter

"A spicy time in the kitchen can include more than just seasoning Thanksgiving is meant to be a joyous time of year. But, when I catch my boyfriend cheating, it’s anything but. After watching that scumbag leave the restaurant with his sidepiece, I find comfort where I always with a hot, meaty meal.
And then I meet Master Baster and his two brothers, Pip and Jet. Three turkey basters completely devoted to me. What more could a heartbroken girl ask for on Thanksgiving?
Content Basted is a paranormal romance with a curvy FMC who finds love wherever she wants, and sentient turkey basters who won't quit until their new woman is theirs.

Heartless Heathens - By Santana Knox

"Hey,
Over here.
No, look up.
Yeah, I’m the one they talk about. The headmaster’s prized possession, locked away in the bell tower of NotreDame Parochial College. To most of the students I was just a myth.
An urban legend.
The girl who rings the bells up in the tower, the one who talks to gargoyles.
Frollo’s secret
Then they showed up, those heartless heathens. Outcasts, just like me. But these men aren’t just dangerous, they’re heartless. They won’t abide or bend to the rules of this deranged school and the secrets it keeps from the world.
But now that they’ve found me, they may never let me go.
And maybe I wouldn’t want them to…
Heartless Heathens : Sanctuary
Is a Why Choose Gothic Romance in an academy setting loosely inspired from major points of Victor Hugo’s Notredame De Paris. This is NOT a retelling, it is NOT a fractured fairy tale or a reimagining. All characters are adults."

Honeysuckles - By January Rayne

"I’m a monster DNA experiment and she’s everything my beasts want.
I escape the hell that tortured me for months.
I’m turned into something so dangerous and brutal; I don’t recognize myself.
And when I feel a pull in my chest, I follow it not understanding why.
I see her and possession takes over.
Her beauty is addiction.
And her smell?
God…her scent….mmm…
It drives me insane. A thing like me doesn’t stand a chance with a woman like her. I am obsessed. I can’t stay away

You Shall Not Pass, Without Sucking Me Off - By Missy Love

"Cherry could not quench her desire to explore. Setting off on her journey up the perilous Monster Mountain, searching for great treasure, she encounters a Wizard.
However, this Wizard is much more horny than most.
Cherry must weigh up his offer, should she give in or continue on?"

Bonus!

Knotty Broomstick - By Sabrina Cross

"Let the universe guide you, they said. It’ll be fine, they said.
Sure, until you accidentally summon a three-hundred-year-old witch into your broomstick instead of enchanting it to fly. Cordelia may be the worst witch Circe Academy has ever seen and she’s definitely going to be the laughingstock of the entire class when they realize how badly her spell has gone wrong. Except, the ancient witch is more than happy to help Cordelia with all of her needs.
Maybe this mistake won’t be so bad after all.
Knotty Broomsticks is a Sentient Object Romance about a girl and her broom. It is a deeply unserious story with high spice. Suited for audiences 18+"

I pulled all the synopses from Goodreads. Leave a comment and let me know if you read any

Welcome to the Holloway Hotel, a hotel out of time set deep in the Appalachians. You may check in anytime you like, but you can never leave...

PLOT

Three night shift workers of The Holloway Hotel are trapped inside the building, stuck at 3am. At first, panic sets in and the group tries to figure out how to escape. But as the hotel provides them luxuries and temptations, they fall into a sense of complacency. Think Percy Jackson in The Lotus Hotel. They are plagued by visions of the past. Of horrific events that happened on the very property that the Hollaway sits on. And at the center of this is The Grey Man---the man responsible for the atrocities that took place on the grounds decades ago.

CHARACTERS

Ethan Ray--A college kid working the late shift at the hotel.

Kal--Working the hotel until he starts his own with his parents.

Teresa--A mysterious girl who catches the eye of Ethan.

THEMES/TROPES

--Hotel Horror

--Liminal Horror

--Time Warp

--Appalachian gothic/folk

--Romance

--Sporror

WHAT I LIKED

I loved the atmosphere. The first few chapters truly sucked me in, with the mysterious owl and the looming hotel. Once time stopped and Ethan entered the hotel's bar, I got massive Shining vibes. Who doesn't love a hotel with some dark history? I loved the way the hotel provided them with temptations and luxuries to lure them into complacency. I mean who wouldn't want to forget about all their troubles and enjoy some quality down time in a place where time stand still? I mean imagine all the books you can read.

WHAT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME

I understand that the characters get lulled by the hotel to forget that they need to escape, but I did feel that at times they didn't have a sense of urgency to escape. Also, be forewarned if you have trypophobia, there are a LOT of descriptions of holes. And while by itself I didn't mind being digested by the descriptions--it is a horror novel after all and I'm game for being grossed out--it was the acts that the holes were described in that made me question things. Especially when Ethan willingly accepts and performs certain acts upon the holes. These scenes pulled me out of the story. About the 75-80% mark was my biggest complaint. The amounts of times the characters decide to make love while their friend is missing left me flabbergasted. Several chapters were centered on this and this alone. I was glad once the plot began moving again and the story finished out.

I will never look at fireflies the same...

OVERALL RATING

3/5 stars

This had the potential to be a fantastic read for me if only the plot kept moving forward.

COMPS

The Shining by Stephen King

This fall is absolutely PACKED with iconic book to screen adaptations, from the new Sense & Sensibility film, to Sunrise on the Reaping, and even a new Pride & Prejudice series!! Basically, it's a season for the book girlies (thank god).

Hi everyone, welcome back to an extended book review! I'm working on my posting schedule here, and in depth reviews are one of my favorite things to do, so I'm going to be doing more of these going forward. if you're new here, my name is Bob, and I love talking about reading, with a focus on Fantasy, Sci Fi, and Horror. I also run a book club here on Bindery and in my Discord, and for September here my members chose Between Two Fires.

***Possible Trigger Warning - This post will discuss the use of the threat of sexual violence in books, so please read carefully!***

This review may also contain some soft spoilers - I will warn you in the text below before I get into it.

Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman is a social media dandy - it is hard to scroll through horror and fantasy bookish social media and not see this book showing up everywhere, and nearly universally loved. When it was chosen as my book club's pick for September of 2026, I was really excited to check it out. It sounded right up my alley - I have been really loving some dark fantasy recently, and the combination of horror and fantasy elements is usually my thing. Unfortunately, this just didn't live up to the hype for me, and I have some major concerns about certain portions of the book.

First, let's talk about the good. Our three main characters, Thomas, Delphine, and Father Matthieu are a great group with interesting backgrounds. We start our story in plague ravaged France in a time after a French military defeat at the hands of England. Thomas is a fallen knight, Father Matthieu a disgraced priest, and Delphine a girl without a family who feels a mysterious calling. My favorite parts of the book were when our main trio were traveling across the countryside, trying to survive horrific encounters, seeing a world of horrors (both natural and supernatural) ahead of them, and learning about what brought them to this point in their lives. During these moments, the characters were rich, the horrors abounded, and the backstory and relative morality of the world was really well explored.

But I do have a major issue with how Delphine in particular is handled and discussed in this book, and this is where there may be some soft spoilers. Delphine is an adolescent at the start of the book, and from the first pages, is under a near constant threat of sexual violence. In fact, it colors our first encounter with her, and follows her throughout the book. At about the halfway mark, it does lessen, and we see it less and less in the later half of the book, but it is a major plot point of the early portions of the story. In fact, there is a chapter that was removed from the version I read (but is still present in older versions of the book and the audiobook) that the author has since discussed and removed that centered around this threat. in an interview with Grimdark magazine, here is what Buehlman had to say on the topic (the full interview can be read here):

"A human being changes in 15 years, And it’s tempting to make a manuscript reflect those changes— I did make one change. There’s a scene with an attempted SA that I originally felt important to the story but which I have since reassessed and omitted. Yes, the forces of hell would almost certainly use such tactics—but there’s a point at which potential reader trauma outweighs the benefit of including certain scenes in a fictional narrative, especially coming from an author not representative of the demographic whose suffering is depicted. The scene with struck a sour note with me, so I think the new version is stronger—and more importantly, kinder—for the change."

I really respect Buehlman for his introspection here, and overall I agree with the omission of that chapter (having read it he is right, it does not add enough to make it worth being included). However, even with this omission, there is still a lot of this threat early on. Understanding that this is marketed as medieval horror, and this sort of threat would have been a real thing around that time, this sort of threat is likely historically accurate. However, whenever I see these sorts of themes or events in a book, my question is always this: does it serve a purpose or is it needed for the narrative? In this case, the answer for me is no, it is extra unnecessary horror. There is more than enough going on in plague ravaged France with a girl who watched her parents die and is now a vessel for a supernatural entity who is trying to battle evil that this extra threat felt completely gratuitous. Additionally, Delphine is essentially just a vessel in this book, serving as a conduit for these supernatural powers, and does not know why she is doing the things she does, or saying some of the things she says. Between these two fires, Delphine is really diminished in terms of her role in the story.

The horror is really well done overall, a mix between real world historic horror. I think for all of us who lived through the pandemic, we can certainly relate to the horrors of a plague, and we see that in vivd detail here. We see the horror of grief and loss, and the horror of survival in some cases. We also get great supernatural horror. Certain elements are in the fantasy realm, although these elements are based on a real world religion, so I hesitate to call them fantasy. however, we do get some great supernatural horror, as well as some body horror and gore throughout.

I did quite enjoy the build up to the end, and the book had a very satisfying climax, with an ending that may split some. Thomas especially is an interesting character, grey to his core yet good in his own ways. I did think that the religious explorations were very interesting as well, focusing heavily on Catholic dogma and mythology. Those who are more intimately familiar with Catholic references and traditions will find little nuggets sprinkled throughout, and I thought a lot of these were really well done. I do think that those who are not as familiar with Catholic traditions and beliefs may not find that aspect of things quite as rounded out as some of them are somewhat specific. I do think the theme of good versus evil and the choices we get to make as humans are very interesting. I also think the theme of some of the downsides to organized religion, including corruption and the abuse of power, are really well explored here, and the idea that those we deem as good or bad based on our morals are not always what they seem. The idea of the religious warrior, or the soldier of God, is explored in a fascinating way. The ending certainly split my book club, but I thought it was a really satisfying conclusion personally. However, my favorite parts of this story, and the parts that I thought explored these themes the best, were really our core trio traveling through the French countryside, trudging towards their own apocalypse.

Overall, I left Between Two Fires feeling very mixed. there are some great elements here - great horror, some really good moments with our characters, and some great exploration of interesting themes. However, at the end of the day, there were certain elements of the book surrounding Delphine and her character arc that I just couldn't get past. At the end of the day, I do not think I would go rushing back to this author, although I applaud the choice to remove the chapter he did, as well as the introspection and growth demonstrated in how he talk about it. It is certainly a book with a lot to talk about, and while I am not hurrying back to read his other work, I would be open to it in the future.

So, what did you think? Have you read this book and, if so, how did you feel about it?

Want More In-Depth Access?

If you enjoy getting into the details with me about reading, then consider upgrading to The Dark Travelers tier! My Dark Travelers get an exclusive Discord role and channels, a weekly deep dive reading update vlog, early access to YouTube videos, and each month they get to pick a book for me to read. This can be a book they want to read with me, or something they want me to try for them. It's super fun and a great tight knit group that I really enjoy talking books with, and I'd love to have you part of it!

Hi there Dark Travelers! It is almost time to choose one of your benefits for the month of October, and that is the pick a book for me to read! For those of you who are new, one of the perks of membership is that each month one of our Dark Travelers gets to pick a book for me to read. It can be a book you want to read with me, a book you want to see me read and react to, or something you want me to try and let you know if it is worth it! I then read and discuss the book in Discord and on Bindery. If you are interested in participating, there are two ways to do this:

- If you're not on Discord and want to be, join us there where you all get a special tier and a private set of channels just for paid members. This is where I do most of our communication and where I discuss the book. You can join here: https://discord.gg/3HXNsJU6xT
- If you are not interested in being on Discord, but want to potentially pick a book for me to read, then comment below and I will enter you into the spin and let you know if you won!

We've had some great reads in this year - I've read Neuromancer, Dark Matter, The Price of Fear, The Starless Crown, King Sorrow, Stone, and Headlights. This month I'm doing my first Romantasy with Road of Bones! This is one of my favorite things I do, and I love getting to read what you all want me to try.

I'll pick a winner later this week - let me know if you want in!