Review: Violent Femmes' Violent Femmes

Violent Femmes' Violent Femmes by Nic Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Violent Femmes' Violent Femmes by Nic Brown from Bloomsbury Academic via NetGalley.  This book will be published around May 14, 2026.

Violent Femmes' Violent Femmes by Nic Brown is part of the 33 1/3 collection of short books about music.  Each book is a deep dive into a single album.  This one is about the debut album from the Violent Femmes.  Nic Brown is a fan and so am I.  For as many time as I have listened to this album, I had a lot to learn.  I feel like Nic did too.  I didn't know that Gordon Gano was a teenager when he wrote so many of their songs or even when the band started.  I never thought about the instruments they played or why they played those specific instruments and how that impacted their sound.  As I read each chapter about a song on the album, I couldn't help but hear it in my head. I also couldn't have told you what the cover art was because I too came to the album from mix tapes made by friends.  If you asked me when the album came out, I would have been extremely wrong.  I went back and listened to the album a few times.  Now with a deeper appreciation for every bit of it.  What a great album!  What a great book!

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Review: Guilty Creatures: Sex, God, and Murder in Tallahassee, Florida

Guilty Creatures: Sex, God, and Murder in Tallahassee, Florida by Mikita Brottman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Guilty Creatures: Sex, God, and Murder in Tallahassee, Florida by Mikita Brottman is a true crime Lifetime movie waiting to happen. Maybe it has happened? I don't watch much Lifetime. Anyway... Right in the title you know someone died. How and why are the big questions. Will the murderer get away with it? Sure the sex is titillating, but for me, the most interesting part was the religion component. I will always find religious fanaticism fascinating. The level of hypocrisy is astounding. I would have read it even without the murder. Finally, this book is about a mother who never gives up on her son. People think she is crazy. You might think she is crazy. She might actually be crazy. But if it wasn't for her, people probably would have forgotten anything ever happened.

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Review: Your Behavior Will Be Monitored

Your Behavior Will Be Monitored by Justin Feinstein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure:  I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Your Behavior Will Be Monitored by Justin Feinstein from Tachyon Publications via NetGalley.  This book will be published around April 7, 2026.

I was not prepared for how engrossed in Your Behavior Will Be Monitored by Justin Feinstein I got from the moment I picked it up.  I thought I would just read a chapter or two before bed and found myself staying up until the wee hours of the morning because I couldn't quite put it down.  I did eventually because my eyes refused to stay open but picked it right back up as soon as I could and finished it.  I needed to know how this was going to end.  I should have guessed I was going to love this from the moment I saw it was written in an epistolary form.  I tend to really get into books that are not traditionally formatted.  In this case, you are mostly reading transcripts of videos and exchanges recorded by the corporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) that is monitoring everyone at this cutting-edge AI company.  In fact, the employees agree to have everything monitored in order to feed their data to the AI to make it better at what it does.  And as we are seeing in the real world, AI is getting better and better at what it does.  The problem is people are not inherently good and tech bros are definitely not interested in using AI to benefit humankind over turning a profit.  Even the AI recognizes this!  And while this book is set in the nearish future, many of the topics are already here.  Personalized advertising is already happening to an extent.  I don't want to give anything else away because I want you to read the book.  If you are interested in AI at all, even the slightest, I think you will want to read this book. I hesitate to say enjoy because oof, that's probably not the right word.  It is a bit heavier than that and yet, also offers just a glimmer of light.

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Review: Salt, Sweat & Steam: The Fiery Education of an Accidental Chef

Salt, Sweat & Steam: The Fiery Education of an Accidental Chef by Brigid Washington
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Readers Copy of Salt, Sweat & Steam: The Fiery Education of an Accidental Chef by Brigid Washington from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley.  This book will be published on April 28, 2026.

I was drawn to Salt, Sweat & Steam: The Fiery Education of an Accidental Chef by Brigid Washington for two reasons.  I really wanted to know what it is like to attend the Culinary Institute of America (the other CIA).  I also have lived in the Caribbean and looked forward to indulging in some nostalgia given Brigid's Trini roots.  This book delivered on both.  I drove by the CIA when I visited the FDR library in upstate New York.  I wondered what it would be like to go there.  It has produced so many famous chefs, including Roy Choi (my very favorite).  It looks impressive even from the outside.  Brigid's descriptions of the campus and the courses are incredible.  If I had lots of money, no food allergies, and no aversion to meat products, I would absolutely want to go there.  It sounds intense, but the food sounds amazing.  Brigid also makes sure that her Caribbean heritage is prominently featured throughout the book.  It is important to her and her own food journey.  I was dying for some doubles and sorrel by the time I finished.  It was a reminder that the most meaningful food doesn't have to be fancy.  It is the heart behind it that makes all the difference.  That being said, I couldn't help but smile a bit at the mention of Eleven Madison Park.  EMP is hands down the best food experience I have ever had in my life.  It was fun to see a little behind-the-scenes there.  If you like food or cooking or ever thought about attending culinary school, I suggest reading this book.  

The book isn't just cooking.  Brigid attends the CIA to escape heartbreak and find her path in life.  It was a pretty expensive lesson, but who knows if she would have ended up where she did had she not taken that chance.  I give her props for sticking out what sounded like some really tough lessons.  It seems she ended up in a pretty good place though after all.

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Review: How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay

How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay by Jenny Lawson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of How to Be Okay When Nothing is Okay by Jenny Lawson from Penguin Life via NetGalley.  This book is set to be published on March 31, 2026.

How to Be Okay When Nothing is Okay by Jenny Lawson is slightly different from the other books or articles you may have read from Jenny.  Although it does include humor and stories of her life, this is more of a companion for you when times are tough and you need a pick-me-up or to know someone cares about you.  Because Jenny does care about you.  She knows as well as anyone what it can be like when the darkness starts to take over.  The book is segmented to address different times of not being okay.  The introduction of each part will give you examples of when it might be a good time to read that section.  The really nice thing is each "chapter" is fairly short, so you can pick it up and read it in a few minutes to get that refreshing burst you were looking for.  The timing of this book also feels like a gift because even if you don't feel like you have mental health struggles, you may still feel like nothing is okay right now.  This book will remind you that you aren't the only person who feels that way.  

Bonus points for giving the animals in our lives the credit, and snacks, they deserve.

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Review: The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London

The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London by Christopher Skaife
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I recently read a book involving ravens at the Tower of London that recommended The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Raves at the Tower of London by Christopher Skaife because it was used as part of that author's research.  I just happened to own a copy of this but hadn't gotten around to reading it yet.  I decided now was the time!  If you are curious about ravens or the Tower of London, this is a really good introduction.  As the title implies, Christopher Skaife was the Ravenmaster at the Tower of London.  He retired from that position in 2024.  The book has a lot of interesting information about ravens but also about becoming a Yeoman Warder and what life is like for those living at the Tower of London.  Before reading this, I didn't realize people live there.  How cool!  If birds freak you out, this book is probably not going to help with that.  Ravens are crafty.  I already thought they were cool, but this gave me whole new level of appreciation for them.  I will be sure not to confuse them with crows in the future!  This also reinforced my already firm belief that you should not piss off crows or ravens.  They remember faces and can hold a grudge!

If you are looking for an entertaining and informative book about birds, give this a read.  The writing is very accessible for those who don't know much about birds while still providing a fascinating perspective for those who do.  

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Review: Wayward Souls

Wayward Souls by Susan J. Morris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Wayward Souls by Susan J. Morris from Inky Phoenix Press via NetGalley.  This book is set to publish on March 17, 2026.

Wayward Souls is the second book in the Harker & Moriarty series by Susan J. Morris.  I recommend reading them in order.  While you could read this first or as a standalone, it may spoil some of the first book if you go back to read it.  

As their names suggest, it is part Dracula, part Sherlock Holmes.  The best parts. Both women are grappling with dark family secrets.  The setting is Ireland this time which I thought appropriate for the March 17 publication date.  No leprechauns but plenty of faerie lore.  If you are into smart women solving mysteries and investigating the paranormal, you should definitely give this a read.  

Bonus points for having a tough guy with a sweet spot for cats even if he doesn't know it himself.

Extra bonus points for the super cool cover art.  I would pick this book up just based on that.  

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