Author: Kristen
Cover of Mother of Rome by Lauren J. A. Bear The Leaning Pile of Books

The Leaning Pile of Books is a feature in which I highlight books I got over the last week that sound interesting—old or new, bought or received in the mail for review consideration. Since I hope you will find new books you’re interested in reading in these posts, I try to be as informative as possible. If I can find them, links to excerpts, author’s websites, and places where you can find more information on the book are included, along […]

Cover of The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong The Leaning Pile of Books

The Leaning Pile of Books is a feature in which I highlight books I got over the last week that sound interesting—old or new, bought or received in the mail for review consideration. Since I hope you will find new books you’re interested in reading in these posts, I try to be as informative as possible. If I can find them, links to excerpts, author’s websites, and places where you can find more information on the book are included, along […]

Cover of I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle The Leaning Pile of Books

The Leaning Pile of Books is a feature in which I highlight books I got over the last week that sound interesting—old or new, bought or received in the mail for review consideration. Since I hope you will find new books you’re interested in reading in these posts, I try to be as informative as possible. If I can find them, links to excerpts, author’s websites, and places where you can find more information on the book are included, along […]

Cover of The Phoenix Keeper by S. A. MacLean Review of The Phoenix Keeper by S. A. MacLean

As an Amazon Associate and Bookshop affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Book Description: Set in a magical zoo teeming with mythical beasts from dragons and unicorns to kelpies and krakens, The Phoenix Keeper is a fierce joy of a cozy fantasy novel with a soul-restoring queer romance at its heart, for fans of The House in the Cerulean Sea and Legends and Lattes. As head phoenix keeper at a world-renowned zoo for magical creatures, Aila’s childhood dream of conserving critically endangered firebirds seems closer […]

Cover of Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel Review of Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel

As an Amazon Associate and Bookshop affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Goddess of the River is Vaishnavi Patel’s second novel, following her beautifully written reimagining of the story of the vilified titular queen from the Ramayana, Kaikeyi. Like her first novel, this gives a voice to a female character who had an important role but is often overlooked in texts and studies focusing on the original work: this time, by reimagining the story of the river goddess Ganga from […]