When most people think of asylums, they think of a horror movie like Gothika or one of the various ghost hunting reality shows. Perhaps they also think of a horror novel like ASYLUM by Madeline Roux or one of the D.C. comic book villains being sent to the ridiculously easy to escape Arkham Asylum. Fear has permeated many of our perceptions about mental health treatment due to the harshness and cruelty of the past. Like many others, I have someone I loved who spent time in an asylum back in the earlier part of the 1900s. She rarely spoke of her repeated trips for “treatment” that included involuntary incarceration, electroshock therapy, and even a forced abortion. Richer families would send their loved ones for a visit to a home for “convalescent care” where they lived with other women and helped with the chores around the home until they were “better”. My curiosity about how mental health treatment has evolved (and thankfully it HAS greatly evolved and improved!) led me to a phenomenal nonfiction book entitled DAMNATION ISLAND by Stacy Horn. DAMNATION ISLAND is a horrifying yet, unfortunately, true chronicle of Blackwell’s Island – a dumping ground for anyone the city…

As our world continues to face global uncertainties, new COVID variants, war, supply disruptions and escalating living costs, we escape the present to delve into turbulent times of the past.   The first several selections illuminate different aspects of one of the most shocking events of 1912—the sinking of the supposedly “unsinkable” luxury cruise liner, the Titanic, lost on her maiden voyage after striking an iceberg in the North Atlantic in the middle of the night. LAST PORT OF CALL: THE QUEENSTOWN SERIES Book 1 by Jean Grainger focuses on the people gathered at a newly opened boarding house in the Irish town where the Titanic made her last landfall before setting out on her fatal Atlantic crossing. The story takes place at Cliff House, an estate turned into a boarding house when it was inherited by Harp Delaney Deveraux and her mother, former housekeeper at the estate owned by Henry Deveraux—who, Harp learned after his death, was her father.  Some of their first guests are passengers slated to board the Titanic during her stop in Queenstown; some are friends or relatives come to see them off, and others are people curious to have a first-hand look at the brand-new…

Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley This is one of the most gorgeous books about grief and young love I’ve read. Actually, it’s one of the most gorgeous books I’ve read, full stop. Following the drowning death of her brother, Rachel returns to the city where she grew up and to her one-time friend and crush, Henry. Rachel hasn’t been back in three years and before she left, she wrote Henry a love letter — he didn’t respond. Now the two are working together at his family’s struggling bookstore. The novel is unsurprisingly the recipient of many awards, including Australia’s Prime Minister’s Literary Award.   The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han Jenny Han is best known for To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, which, fair. But I loved this novel (the first in Han’s Summer series) about teenage Belly, who spends her summers at a beach house in North Carolina with brothers Conrad and Jeremiah. The book captures all the confusion and excitement of adolescent crushes and friendships, but it’s also about the importance of the family we make for ourselves. It’s currently being adapted into a TV series.   Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon It’s so…

The last thing she said to me was why? Why have our swords always been locked in battle, why have we always been fighting? I said we had locked shields not swords. Patsy talking about her mother, Absolutely Fabulous (TV show)   I’ve often thought that a relationship between a mother and daughter can be a little more complex than the relationship between a mother and son. One of the common taunts (depending on your perspective) to daughters is that eventually all daughters become their mothers. That can often be a frightening thought for some young women. From personal experience, things I’ve read, and anecdotes from friends and others, I’ve noticed that there is often an inescapable antagonism between mothers and daughters while the daughters are teenagers or in their early twenties – especially if they are still living together. Thankfully, usually, once the daughters are older and there has been a little time, space, and perspective, the relationships self-correct and get better. As a reader, I’ve enjoyed having this mother-daughter dynamic explored in many ways.   You love your daughter as she is. I failed to do that with you when you were growing up, and it almost killed…

A couple times a year I get sidetracked. (My husband would say I do it more often than that, but I don’t remember asking for his input.) My reading, and writing, veer off-course to see what’s beyond the cozy forest as I explore what lies deep within the darkness—to the place where laughter and silliness don’t exist, but exceptional writing and storytelling still grasp hold and don’t let go. We all have a go-to genre, one that speaks to us the way no other does, yet just as in life, going outside the boundaries of our chosen lane allows us to experience another culture to enrich our daily lives. And I have to say, the choices I’m sharing today sweetened my reading venture – from a kiss of death to a trip through time, to the novellas of a genre king, and the threats of a haunted home, all of which brought me right back to my original trek – and a trip to Paris. I mean seriously, it’s Paris! I hope my selections inspire you to take a chance, a risk that will open your eyes to new possibilities…and then you can finish back in our cozy little corner….

He looked huge. He looked like a monster. He looked like hers. ENSNARED BY THE ALIEN MEDIC by Nessa Claugh   I have been a paranormal romance fan for years. I always trace back my affection for paranormal romances to when I read the first vampire romance by Christine Feehan when it first came out. Over the years I have read books with assorted supernatural heroes like vampires, werewolves, psychics, and others. That’s different from the kind of hero I’m writing about here. Those heroes were ones who either could change shape from human to animal or were a vampire or something else otherworldly who mostly looked human – even if they weren’t at their core. The kind of hero I’m writing about today is one who has mostly unhuman-like physical characteristics. So much so, that I know there are readers – even devoted romance readers – who would be appalled and disgusted to have them be the hero of any story. I understand that initial reaction, but I think they need to read one of these books and re-evaluate. I have read some of these books and hope to read more soon. Though these characters may have fangs, fur,…

As the world endures once again the recurrent tragedy of war, this month’s stories remind us of those exceptional individuals who still manage to display courage and compassion despite cruelty, horror, destruction and loss.   We begin with one of the most unusual of these women – Mila Pavlichenko, heroine of Kate Quinn’s THE DIAMOND EYE, which is based on a true story.  Quiet Kiev history student Mila is completely absorbed by her library job and caring for her young son when Hitler’s invasion of Russia upends her world.  Called up like many women to join in the defense of the Motherland, she becomes one of the deadliest snipers on the Eastern front, named “Lady Death” by her Nazi foes.  But after her three hundredth kill, a government needing a rallying point turns her into a national heroine and sends her on a goodwill tour to the U.S. She’s feeling alone and lost in Washington, DC, until an unexpected friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt and a link born of shared experience with a fellow sniper brightens her world.  But wounds, loss, and a determined enemy from her past will show her that though she may have left the battlefield, the struggle…

CHAPTER EIGHT   Sam   She takes him to In-N-Out, the two of them sitting outside on rubber-coated benches in the yellow light of the neon sign. The waffle weave digs into his ass. It’s a warm night, the smell of car exhaust and fryer oil hanging densely in the air. “Can I ask you something?” Fiona says, dragging a fry through a puddle of secret sauce. She ordered without looking at the menu, coming back to the table with a cardboard box full of cheeseburgers and fries; she also paid, which he appreciates, though he doesn’t say that out loud. “How do you even know all those people?” Sam takes a sip of his milkshake. “All those people, like, my friends?” “Sure.” Fiona looks dubious. “They’re industry people, mostly.” He shrugs. “Kimmeree does something with social media.” “Of course she does.” Sam frowns. The truth is they’re not actually his good friends, those guys back in the bar. Erin in particular hates that whole crowd; she heard who all was coming out tonight and bailed so hard and so fast Sam was surprised she didn’t pull a muscle. They’re a lot, he gets it. But he’s also not about…

Traveling is one of my favorite things to do. I love almost every aspect of it, but I particularly love planning out the itinerary so that I can make the most of my time and see all sorts of new sights and places. Traveling in person has resumed for many folks, but most of my travel right now is through books. Rather than a typical travel schedule, I thought it would be fun to plan an out of this world spring break adventure to explore some of the various paranormal and fantasy worlds authors have created for us. So, without further ado, let’s get started! Day 1 We start off with a trip to the planet Harmony, courtesy of author Jayne Castle.  Illusion Town is our first stop on the planet and is described by the author as a weirder version of Las Vegas. The Harmony world features all sorts of fun things, from ghosts and paranormal energy to the Midnight Carnival, Dead City, and Ghost City. GUILD BOSS is the latest offering from Jayne Castle but honestly readers new to the series will want to devour all of her books as they are just that good! One of my…

Anne Rice forever changed my reading world over 30 years ago. Prior to reading INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE, I had only read my mom’s collection of romance/gothic novels and horror authors such as Stephen King and Dean Koontz. Anne Rice opened my eyes to a world in which vampires were far more than the creepy nightmarish blood suckers (and definitely more sensual) than the ones I’d previously encountered in one of my favorite horror novels of all time, Stephen King’s SALEM’S LOT. From there, I devoured everything Anne Rice wrote (other than her early erotica novels), whether it was the religious exploration of Jesus Christ’s early years in CHRIST THE LORD: OUT OF EGYPT or the Mayfair Witches in THE WITCHING HOUR. Urban and dark fantasy novels weren’t something you could just walk into a bookstore and find back then, or at least not in my hometown in South Carolina. I remember my excitement when the first Anita Blake book came out and I continued eagerly scouring the shelves for others like Anne Rice who fueled my imagination. The battles between good and evil and the fine line that various urban and dark fantasy heroines and heroes must walk while…