Bossy Book Gift Ideas As I finish sharing my book gift idea lists for the season, I thought I'd offer a full list of giftable fiction published in 2025 that I've loved reading this year. I've also included additional book ideas within each genre or theme so you'll be stocked with plenty of ideas for your loved ones. The good news about book gifts and looming holiday deadlines: your local bookstore can get you set up with last-minute slam dunks for everyone on your list! You c

This second and final installment of Faizal's young adult duology emphasizes on the power of found family over blood ties; reveals chilling, ambitious, ruthless plans for creating a horde of vampires; and pushes characters to sacrifice for love. The first installment in Hafsah Faizal's young adult Blood and Tea series offered intriguing secrets, a swirling mystery, terrible betrayal, heartwarming found family, steady action, and vampires. That book ended with the city reeling

This bighearted novel holds a mystery, but its main focus is  neurodivergent main protagonist Denny and his dogged persistence, ambitious acts, decisiveness, wisdom, and loving kindness as he gets into increasing trouble, touches lives, faces loss, and establishes just who he is and wants to be. “I guess that’s just how life works. Some days it’s like a fast-moving TV show and some days it’s not, and when things go sideways—like they usually do for me—you might find yourself

The author of The God of Small Things recounts her path from life with her volatile, emotionally and verbally abusive, strong mother to her own artistic expression, romantic partnerships, activism, and fierce guarding of her creative space. In Mother Mary Comes to Me , the author of The God of Small Things shares a memoir that in part explores her fierce, tough mother, her verbal and emotional abuse, her admirable causes and passion for them, and their complicated relationsh

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm listening to A Steeping of Blood , the second in Hafsah Faizal's supernatural fantasy Blood and Tea series; I'm reading Endling , Maria Reva's Ukraine-set darkly comic novel of an unlikely journey; and I'm reading Jo Harkin's Tudor-era historical fiction The Pretender . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 A Steeping of Blood (Blood and Tea #2) by Hafsah Faizal The first installment in Hafsah Faizal's Blood and Tea series offered intriguing secre

Bossy Book Gift Ideas Each year I offer lists of Bossy book gift ideas for the holidays, including a number of books I'll personally be giving as gifts (if you're on my gift list, please avert your eyes!). This is the only time I post about books I may not have read: promising reads for particular people in my family and circle of friends. As in my book list from last week, the books here were all published in 2025, so it's their first appearance on my site. I hope you find a