Amanda's Bookish World Apr.2025

First and most importantly: happy Indie Bookstore Day! Every year, the last Saturday of April is dedicated to celebrating independent bookstores. Shout out to all the indie bookstores, especially Avant Garden and Tropes & Trifles, who happen to be my personal favorites.

You can find your local bookstore(s) on IndieBound.org. If you don’t have a bookstore near you, you can still support indies through sites like Bookshop.org (print and ebooks) and Libro.fm (audiobooks) that share profits with bookstores.

I might not be reviewing books these days, but I am still reading. So let’s do a roundup of books I’ve read, books I’m going to read, and books I’ve bought.

Books I’ve Read

Technically still reading this one: Unmasking for Life by Devon Price. Very much enjoying this book on how to stop masking for neurodivergents.

Lights Out by Navessa Allen. A dark romance I picked up to fulfill the “read outside your normal genres” square for the Tropes & Trifles bingo game. Went into it without many expectations. I liked it, but it could have been shorter? I would try more from the author, though I’m not convinced I’m a dark romance person.

Fan Service by Rosie Danan. Picked this one up on Lauren’s recommendation. A guy who used to play a werewolf on a TV show turns into a werewolf and the only person who can help him figure out what’s happening is the person who runs the online fan forum. Oh, except she hates him. It’s a fun premise with good character development.

My Big Fat Fake Marriage by Charlotte Stein. Single POV contemporary romance that skipped the fake dating and went straight for the fake marriage. It’s a trope I enjoy. These two characters were funny. The book was lovely.

A Hunger Like No Other and No Rest for the Wicked by Kresely Cole. I have the re-issued trade paperbacks, and while I apparently read A Hunger Like No Other in 2012, I have no recollection of it or why I never got into the Immortals After Dark series. Now? I AM INTO THE SERIES. So many fun paranormal creatures, fated mates who do not want to be mates, big world building. Need MOAR. (Good thing there are over 20 books in the series.)

Whirlwind by Kayla Grosse. A recent book club read. Enjoyed the storm chasing aspects of this story. Laughed at the “Tornado Daddy” t-shirts. Do not understand the commitment to wearing the baseball hat backward or the name Ryker. Also giving some serious side eye to having sex right after you’ve crawled out of a watery ditch.

Books and Broadswords by Jessie Mihalik. There are two stories in this book, both fantasy romance. They’re cute but quick, and like a lot of short romances, don’t really develop the romance enough.

The 7 Rules of Moving On by Jess K. Hardy. The main character’s name is Kissie. If you can get beyond that, there’s apparently something magical about the hot springs. I read this on my phone when I needed a distraction. It was absolutely that. But also not my favorite Hardy book. I only have eyes for The Bluebird Basin series.

The Book Club Corner

Since this is my year of book clubs, book club picks deserve their own section. I’m currently reading Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino for Monday’s book club. I am about 140 pages in, and while the main character says she’s alien, everything feels deeply neurodivergent.

May books:

• The Bane Witch by Ava Morgyn (a little thriller with fantasy, yes)

• Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy (queer fantasy romance)

• The Trouble with Anna by Rachel Griffiths (historical that sounds way more fun than the cover makes it seem)

Three book clubs per month has somehow become the norm? I might need to slow down, but that’s a problem for future Amanda.

Books I’ve Bought

I’ve surprisingly read a decent number of the books I’ve bought, so this list will be short. Shorter? We just won’t talk about the books that have been on my to-be-read shelf for five years—or more.

The Last American Road Trip by Sarah Kendzior. I’ve been following Kendzior since I picked up Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Trump and the Erosion of America in 2020. This is her latest book, part memoir, part political. Kendzior is a fantastic storyteller, one whose love for America and its people shines through, even as she sees its politicians for who they are.

Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn. This was my entry into Kate Clayborn, and I need to re-read it to see how my reading tastes have changed over the last few years.

Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine. I read “remote Alaskan lodge” on the back cover and I was sold.

Witchmark by C.L. Polk. Queer fantasy romance with magic and intrigue. A Caitlin recommendation (by way of a book club I did not attend).

The Lady Sparks a Flame by Elizabeth Everett. Historical romance. I don’t remember why I grabbed this other than a) historical romance, b) I’ve read and enjoyed Elizabeth Everettbefore and c) it was clearly Lauren’s fault recommendation.