Review:  A Complete Fiction - R.L Maizes - November 2025 Every now and then, a book comes along that doesn’t just entertain—it pokes at the edges of our comfort zones and asks the hard questions. A Complete Fiction is one of those reads. I picked it up expecting a juicy publishing scandal, and what I got was a layered, provocative story that had me thinking long after I turned the last page. At the heart of the novel is P.J. Larkin, a would-be author who posts a “nibble” on the social media app Crave—accusing editor George Dunn of stealing her manuscript. With little evidence, the post goes viral, and suddenly George’s career and reputation are hanging by a thread. The twist? George’s own #MeToo experience inspired the story, while P.J. wrote it based on her sister’s trauma. Cue the moral minefield: who owns a story, and what happens when cancel culture turns its lens on the accuser? This book reminded me of the messy, emotionally charged conversations we often avoid—especially i...

Review: Let Her Be - Book #6 Hush Series - Lisa Unger - July 2020 I was in one of those moods the other night where I wanted to read something, but everything I clicked on and tried was a DNF the time was clicking on and I knew If I mucked around and started a novel, I wouldn't be able to sleep as I would have been stuck right into it. So I clicked on one of the Amazon Original Stories I had. These are great little quick reads and scratch that reading itch.  I knew I would enjoy this one as well as Lisa Unger is a favorite thriller writer of mine. This book starts with introducing us to Will - he is a writer but with dark demons. He has lost the one he loved and then tried to commit suicide. Now a couple of years later, he has got his life back on track and writing and is meeting with an old friend Emily. She knew his former girlfriend Anisa who no one has seen for over a year except for the odd Instagram post. Will decides to go on a hunt for her and Emily tags along, but as h...

Review: I Will Judge You By Your BookShelf - Grant Snider - April 2020 As the final day of 2023 unfolds, what better way to bid adieu to the year than with a delightful exploration of bookish culture? Grant Snider, the beloved New York Times illustrator and creator of Incidental Comics, offers readers a whimsical journey into the hearts of book lovers in his latest graphic novel, "I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf." In this enchanting collection of one- and two-page comics, Snider sheds light on the unspoken truth that we are, indeed, judged by our bookshelves. From the moment we learn to read, books become our companions through the various stages of life. However, for some, books are not just a pastime—they are sacred objects, sources of inspiration, and a form of self-expression. Snider, with his signature lighthearted touch, beautifully captures the essence of bibliophilia, bringing to life the quirks and idiosyncrasies of those who surround themselves with books. The ch...

Review: Swear on this Life - Renee Carlino - August 2016 Imagine if you had dreams of becoming a writer and then one day, a friend gives you a book that has sold millions of copies and is becoming a literary phenomenon you read it and it is your childhood fictionalized including the worst parts that you have tried for years to block out. That is what happened to Emmeline when her roommate Cara raved about a new book by an upcoming author named J. Colby. Emmeline starts to read it and soon is chucked into a world of Emerson and Jake, as she goes along she soon discovers that her childhood best friend Jase has fictionalized their life and is telling the book from her POV. She is Emerson, how could he do this to her, especially since they haven't seen each other in at least twenty years? As the book goes on, it will confront Emmeline and help her not only move on from the past but she will soon learn that the boy she loved with all her heart, never forgot about her and loved her too...

Review: The Fiction Writer - Jillian Cantor - September 2023 This book had me at the title and then as I opened it up, I was thrust into a world that fans of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier will love. This book is for all those fans who wish they could read a modern-day take on the Rebecca story. It was just as twisted and then it also weaved in facts from the real story with Daphne Du Maurier and how she was accused of plagiarism of the story and then touched on the book set in the islands - Wide Saragossa Sea by Jean Rhys. The book starts with our main character during a   writer's block when she is approached to ghostwrite a story for a reclusive actor. Olivia accepts the invitation to meet him and is soon thrust into the crazy world of Henry Asherwood as she starts to learn about the females and the males in the lineage line and discovers that the females were all successful at one point, but slowly faded as the men rose and then the females were tossed aside and it looked like...