Not a Novel Concept

Cover of "The Secret Bedroom," with the title in red font over an illustration of a short-haired white girl in blue turtleneck and jeans holding a partially open door against a skeletal hand that's trying to shut it. In the room with the hand, there's a green glow.

A Walk Down Fear Street, pt. 2

October 12, 2021October 10, 2021 Heather

Pick your poison for today’s walk down Fear Street: one’s bonkers and silly and features some good gore, and one’s basically incels r’ us, aka an adult thriller in YA clothing. Guess which one I preferred??

Image for "Blood is another word for hunger," with title in bright red font over an abstracted illustration of a person holding another injured person, both of whom are wearing white. The background is shades of red.

Angry Girls and Furious Femmes

Blood is Another Word for Hunger by Rivers Solomon

October 11, 2021October 10, 2021 Heather

Free on tor.com, this gob-smack of a story is classic Solomon, and it’ll change your life.

Cover of "Thirteens," with the title in yellow font at the top, over an illustration of 3 kids (a Black masc kid and 2 white femme kids, all in jeans and sweaters) walking furtively past a large tree. In the background lurk a wolf on the left and a man in a hat on the right

OH YEAH!! Fridays

Thirteens by Kate Alice Marshall

October 8, 2021October 3, 2021 Heather

This is the perfect not-too-scary-but-still-pretty-damn-scary book for spooky season.

Cover of 'Eight Perfect Murders,' with the title in light blue font over a stack of 5 books, pages-out, dripping blood

Thriller Thursdays

Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson

October 7, 2021October 3, 2021 Heather

LOLOLOL This book was incredibly corny.

Cover of 'House of Hollow,' with title words individually chopped up and imposed over an illustration of a white, femme-seeming face, covered in swaths of flower-vines, dripping something sap-like

Tib's Cranky Corner

House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland

October 6, 2021October 3, 2021 Heather

This book had me so excited. It WAS going to be an entry in Lavender’s Angry Girls/Furious Femmes series, but the way it ended and the way it undercut any initial empowering message about survivors rising up in fury sent it here instead. Sadly.

Cover of 'Haunted,' with the title in blue-green font at the bottom, and author R. L. Stine and series title "Fear Street" at the top in signature gothic-style red font. In the background is an illustration of a white, blonde girl in bed, clutching her covers, and in the background is a see-through white, brunette boy wearing a jean jacket (with popped collar) and jeans.

Tor Tuesdays

A Walk Down Fear Street, pt. 1

October 5, 2021October 3, 2021 Heather

For the month of October, instead of Tordotcom novellas, Tuesdays will be devoted to the (equally short) works of Mr. R. L. Stine. Tinka’s stoked for the change-up, and so am I.

Cover of 'Black Water Sister,' with title and author Zen Cho's name in large block white font over an illustration of an Asian femme person with long black hair and pale skin, wearing a black shirt, wrapped in greyish-blue and purple flames, against a blue backdrop with hanging red lanterns

Angry Girls and Furious Femmes

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

October 4, 2021October 3, 2021 Heather

Zen Cho does SO MUCH in this novel, and all of it is amazing!

Cover of "Garlic and the Vampire," with title in large white font over an illustrated image of Garlic, a humanoid garlic bulb, wearing a yellow scarf, green jacket, red skirt, and brown boots, carrying a wooden stake and mallet, at the bottom of the page, standing on a dirt path that winds through tall rising tree trunks. In the distance is a castle, and a bat is flying by.

Skittles' Cozy Corner

Garlic and the Vampire by Bree Paulsen

October 2, 2021September 26, 2021 Heather

This absolute delight of a graphic novel is so sweet and cozy, featuring a cast of sentient vegetables, their witch creator, and a not-so-scary vampire who may not be so bloodthirsty after all.