The Roma: A Traveling History

The Roma: A Traveling History by Madeline Potter (2025), 222 pgs. 

The Romani people have faced persecution throughout the many lands to which they have traveled, and in which they now live, but their culture and their resilient community members persist. In this book, Romani author Madeline Potter combines personal experience and historical fact to paint a truly beautiful picture of the Roma across time and space. She tells Romani folktales, writes about Romani artists and activists and athletes, and sheds light on a group which has historically been--at best--written off and--at worst actively stereotyped and discriminated against. After being enslaved in Romania, forced to assimilate in France, ignored in the United States, and put through the horrors of the Samudaripen, the Romani Holocaust, the Roma have remained. This history is a beautiful recognition of the pain that has been inflicted and the triumphs that shine through. 

This is a wonderful introduction to Romani history. Madeline Potter does a great job of addressing stereotypes and disputing them with historical fact and context. There is so much about the Roma I did not know, and I really appreciated how accessible this book is in introducing the reader to so much culture. Each chapter encompasses a quick history in a certain country, and despite including so much knowledge, it is a pretty quick read. I highly recommend for those looking to learn more about this marginalized group.

The (Most Unusual) Haunting of Edgar Lovejoy

 

The (Most Unusual) Haunting of Edgar Lovejoy by Roan Parrish (2025) 366 pages

Jamie is nonbinary trans masculine (they/them). Edgar is gay. When they meet, there is an instant connection, but Edgar flees because he sees a ghost. This is a frequent occurence. He does all he can to avoid ghosts, which makes his nighttime social life just about nonexistent. His main support comes from his sister, Allie. Their father left long ago, their mother is apparently mentally disabled and out of their lives, and their brother disappeared 6 years ago.

One of Jamie's jobs is being part of a team that creates haunted houses for Halloween. The spookier the better. Jamie is also part of a political family that still sees them as a woman.

As a relationship develops between Jamie and Edgar, Jamie is frustrated as they are called to participate in their sister's upcoming wedding, while their family ignores Jamie's achievements in helping create fabulous haunted house attractions. Meanwhile, Edgar is trying trying to live with less fear. And for anyone who wonders what sex might mean for a trans nonbinary person and a gay man, you'll find that here, too.

Not Quite Dead Yet

 Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson (2025), 400 pages

This was an interesting premise. Jet, a twenty-seven-year-old, trying to figure out her life becomes the unintended (?!?) victim of a crime that leaves her with seven days to live. Motivated by the ticking time bomb in her head, she is determined to solve who murdered her before she actually dies. 

I actually really enjoyed this book. It is a fun premise that kept the story line moving. You can't dawdle too much when you only have a week to live. I believe this is Jackson's first non-YA book and, honestly, it still feels like a YA book. This is not to say YA books aren't good, but if you are looking for something different from Jackson, this is not it. Which is actually ok.

As the World Falls Down

 As the World Falls Down (Galaxy #2) by Jadzia Axelrod with art by Rye Hickman (2026) 208 pages

I've been excitedly waiting for this continuation of Galaxy's origin story. This trans hero by a trans author has a lot of unique qualities in her favor. We get to explore her super powers more. There is more superhero action in this volume with less getting to know her girlfriend Kat. There are less land of Oz references, which I missed. Supporting roles for Dreamer and Superman make a lot of sense. There are frames where Hickman's art works really well. However flashback frames, and Superman's portrayal, and certain "in motion" frames are a bit awkward. I found the art of mixed quality, but not bad at all.

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

 The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A Heinlein (1966) 302 pages

I listened to the audiobook on Libby. Narrator Lloyd James has the facile ability to handle the many accents of all the characters. I really enjoyed this sci-fi adventure even though it does have some slower sections. Our protagonist is Manny, a computer programmer/repairman with Russian ancestry. Strangely, another book I'm reading includes characters in the future using occasional Russian phrases and calling each other comrade too. In this book Heinlein establishes a quirky Lunar culture in post-prison colony underground cities all around our Moon. Manny befriends a central computer that has become sentient. Manny is a fan of Sherlock Holmes so he names the computer Mycroft or Myc and later refers to kids of all the lunar families as irregulars helping in small ways with the revolution efforts. Myc is curious about the human concept of humor. He is not a mobile android, but Myc reminded me quite a lot of Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Myc, the computer, is truly a secret weapon that almost magically makes the revolution against the authoritarian Authority possible. Heinlein was inspired by the American Revolution. With the moon being a former prison colony Australia was also brought to mind. But, with the Russian influence, I couldn't help imagining parallels to the Bolshevik Revolution although Heinlein is not espousing communist views. There is a teacher nicknamed Prof, who is responsible for the political direction of the revolution. The book is known for containing Libertarian views and they mostly come from Prof's voice. Manny, at first, fully trusts Prof, but questions him more as the story goes on. Honestly, Prof becomes a bit insufferable. Diplomatic meetings on Earth and explosive fights in the Lunar cities all make it an exciting  and humorous book.

A Fortune of Sand

 A Fortune of Sand by Ruta Sepetys, 320 pages.

Detroit in 1927 is a city of astounding wealth, but also more than its fair share of the crime and corruption that comes along with it. Marjorie Lennox is the youngest daughter of a family who made their fortune in the glass business, but they also have more than their fair share of secrets and corruption. Marjorie is something of an innocent, and she dreams of fashion design. So when she has the opportunity for an artist's residency for women, she jumps on it. And so what if something seems a little off about it, with the buildings strict rules and obsession with security? But although Marjorie has left home, she can't get away from her family's secrets nearly so easily. 

Ruta Sepetys is the master of exquisitely researched historical fiction, and this detail rich book is no exception. Prohibition-era Detroit is an interesting setting, and Sepetys uses a wealth of primary sources to make it fully textured. Unfortunately, I don't know that the story quite holds up to her usual standards. The many, many threads of this book never quite come together to a satisfying conclusion, and instead it feels like it peters out to an anticlimax. I also found that although this is Sepetys' adult debut, it does in many ways still read like a YA novel. That being said, I really loved Marjorie as a character, and found the prose very solid, so I still really enjoyed most of my experience reading this book. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the setting, but I'm not sure I would recommend it purely on it's own merits. 

This book is scheduled to be released on May 26th, 2026. 

LORD OF THE FLIES

 Lord of the Flies by William Golding, adapted and illustrated by Aimee De Jongh, 352 pgs. © 2025

This is a fun read and great adaptation of a classic work, good to read in time for the upcoming miniseries on Netflix. De Jongh is an Eisner-nominated graphic novel author and has won a bunch of awards. Fun fact: the original book was Golding's first novel and was rejected by several publishers before being rescued and published in 1954, to wide acclaim. Also includes early story boards and character sketches from the artist. 

The Thursday Murder Club

 The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, 382 pages.

Four retirees have a spot of excitement when instead of their normal solving of cold cases they instead get a real live murder right in their retirement community. They will put all their cleverness and pure, concentrated nosiness into the investigation, and are determined to find they answers, even as the case gets twistier and twistier. 

I am extremely late to this party, but I'm glad I finally got around to it! Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim are all delightful, as is the supporting cast. I'm not normally very interested in cozy mysteries, but something about this cast convinced me that the lighter tone was particular in this case. The mystery is also very well put together, to the point that it's hard to believe that this is a debut novel. The twists feel like they make a lot of internal sense, but they were still enough to keep me guessing. My only complaint is that it is sometimes so twisty that I started losing track of which mysteries still had to be solved, to the point that I didn't realize the last mystery wrapped everything up when solved. Despite this minor quibble about the wrap-up, I was definitely charmed, and will be continuing the series. 

You Look Like Hell

 You Look Like Hell by Schuyler Peck, 66 pages.

This is a thematically tight little poetry collection. It is hot with rage a Peck grapples with leaving a bad marriage and rediscovering herself in a new life. I really enjoyed how to emotion encourages really feeling all of the emotions -- the grief, anger, hope, and new joy -- to finally be allowed to grow. This is a really effective poetry collection, and I definitely recommend it. 

Muse of Nightmares

 Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor, 514 pages.

After the end of Strange the Dreamer, both Sarai and Lazlo are irrevocably and fundamentally changed. What should have finally brought the salvation of the city of Weep may doom it instead, as Minya tries to bend everyone towards vengeance, and old wounds are torn open on every side. 

This is a very well-executed duology. Although I don't know if Muse of Nightmares has quite the same magic as the first book; what it does have is a lot of answers to questions left open at the end of the first book. It is also very committed to continuing exploring the themes from the first book, especially how cycles of violence often feed themselves. There is literally nobody having a good time in this book, no one is happy about anything that is happening, and I think that builds in a lot of complexity, both to the situation and the characters. The end of this book points to the same shared universe as Taylor's other young adult series, and I am very excited for her to write more in it.