I finished The Halls of the Dead while in flight to a wedding, so this review basically reads as originally written a few days ago. It's a necromancy horror romance that's definitely not for everyone, but it is so satisfying for the right reader.

It is not often that a Jane Austen retelling can make me nervous. Behind Five Willows was a very beautiful and smart way to do Pride and Prejudice, and I'll definitely need to buy a copy.

This post has taken me all week to write, but I hope the wait is worth it. Here are my 26 LGBTQ+ book recommendations for Pride Month 2026 (the number is coincidental).

The Miseducation of Caroline Bingley is the second sapphic JAFF I've read so far this year, and it was a nice read! This was in the same series as the Mary/Charlotte romance.

I read Conversion Therapy Dropout in one day and cried multiple times while doing so. This is a memoir of a man who moves from self-loathing and separation from friendship into peace that's found in self-acceptance and community.

A Murder Most Camp was a very fun romp! This fits into the New Adult bracket for 20-somethings who want a summer camp story about someone their own age.

I have been so excited to read Anna Cowan's The Duke, ever since Alix E. Harrow helped with the cover reveal last year! This absolutely delivered (I read 74% of it in one sitting)!

This was my favorite book from this series, partly because our autistic heroine doesn't pick up on the fact that ghosts and dark houses are supposed to be a Gothic setting, and partly because she spends half the book thinking, "sure we kissed, but how can I know if he actually likes me back?"

Last weekend, I read The Unruly Heart of Miss Darcy, an upcoming YA sapphic historical romance about Georgiana Darcy. If you need to find some hope, especially if you need a positive YA romance about coming out, add this to your TBR. (This is also a great read if you're looking for a sapphic historical romance before the sapphic season of Bridgerton.)

Did I solve it? I knew that the character was strange when they were introduced, but I didn't put enough pieces together to solve it. I do love a heist.

What a delight this A Lady for All Seasons was! I think that this would be a great book for anyone who watched Bridgerton and wanted a sapphic Lady Whistledown.

There are so many things I want to say about this movie, but I'm trying to stay focused on just one part. I'm going to talk about core relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff, who are toxic because they're so young.

The Halifax Hellions were fun, and the epilogue was charming. I only wish that this book included the third novella so I could buy all three novellas in one physical book.

Last week I read a new Appalachian Gothic that I really loved, so I wanted to catch you up on some of the other Gothics that I've read lately.

A Vow Made Twice was a lovely romance with some very big personal growth for our main characters. I really need to read Book 1.

The beauty of Gothic Horror is that we see the depths of depravity, the monster takes its revenge on the transgressor, and then our heroine steps out into the sun where she is free and finally able to do right by the victims who didn't survive the house.

A collection of short stories about humans in a world in varying states of ecological catastrophe, often from a Korean perspective.

Walker is one of several women ProPublica found with underlying health conditions who died when they couldn’t access abortions.

For this round of voting, all that we readers and bloggers can do is promote our favorite books. But I hope that someone in power at the big publishers and Goodreads is listening so we can get better marketing and awards nominations next year.

Violet Thistlewaite is a great book in a queernormative fantasy world about what happens after the hero defeats the evil sorcerer. This was low-stress, but definitely a Hurt/Comfort novel.

In terms of The Secret Garden influences, this is not a retelling, but it has influences. This is definitely dark, and I could not read this too close to bedtime, but the writing is so beautiful and immersive.

Rereading The Secret Garden and thinking about Taylor Swift's "I Hate It Here" and "The Fate of Ophelia."

I always say that "Gothic novels are all about spooky vibes." For several years now, I've had the intention to finally write a post on Gothic novels, mainly so I had something to link back to internally whenever I try to talk about a Gothic novel. So here's a longread.

If you're still trying to get into the fall or Halloween mood, here are 5 books from my shelves for your Fall 2025 reading list.

This was everything I want in a gothic romance, and I had a wonderful (and anxious) time waiting for Zeb to expose the murderer and escape with his true love.

In all, this was a well written and easily accessible history book (is this pop history? not sure) that offers what I think are new perspectives on a few famous people and effectively shows that queer people have always attempted to create a found family.

Influential anti-LGBTQ+ activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated on Wednesday. While condemning violence is something most can get behind, sanitization of his hate has gone too far.

Yesterday, several media outlets claimed or strongly implied that "transgender symbols" were found at the scene of the gun used by Charlie Kirk's shooter. This turned out to be false.

If it's not clear, I loved this book. And if you also love Gothic novels or wished that Ann Radcliffe or Northanger Abbey were more gay, this is the book for you.