It’s 1975 and the comic book industry is struggling, but Carmen Valdez doesn’t care. She’s an assistant at Triumph Comics, which doesn’t have the creative zeal of Marvel nor the buttoned-up efficiency of DC, but it doesn’t matter. Carmen is tantalizingly close to fulfilling her dream of writing a superhero book.

That dream is nearly a reality when one of the Triumph writers enlists her help to create a new character, which they call “The Lethal Lynx,” Triumph’s first female hero. But her colleague is acting strangely and asking to keep her involvement a secret. And then he’s found dead, with all of their scripts turned into the publisher without her name. Carmen is desperate to piece together what happened to him, to hang on to her piece of the Lynx, which turns out to be a runaway hit. But that’s complicated by a surprise visitor from her home in Miami, a tenacious cop who is piecing everything together too quickly for Carmen, and the tangled web of secrets and resentments among the passionate eccentrics who write comics for a living.

Alex Segura uses his expertise as a comics creator as well as his unabashed love of noir fiction to create a truly one-of-a-kind novel–hard-edged and bright-eyed, gritty and dangerous, and utterly absorbing.

I thought the premise of this book was really interesting, especially with the mixed media aspect of it. It took on a somewhat tumultuous time in comic history. The pacing of the writing was a little slow, but the experience was immersive to say the least. You are invested in Carmen’s overall story and the struggle she faces in the comics industry, but also the mystery. Carmen as a character was compelling and all of the components of her personality, past and more were woven really well into who she was and her actions. While it was a slow building story it was gripping and kept me going until the last page.

Happy reading!

You don’t have to be famous to dance with the stars—you just need a healthy dose of cosmic curiosity. Explore astrology and dive deep into your birth chart with Sanctuary, featuring insights from the interactive app that go way beyond your horoscope.

What’s your sign? It’s not just a pickup line anymore, it’s a whole way of looking at the world. With the explosion of astrology into popular consciousness, anyone can access the deeper meaning of the cosmos and delve into the unique and personalized insights of their birth chart. This book guides beginners and enthusiasts alike through the signs, planets, and basics of astrology, helping you understand why not every Leo is the same, and why you might be reading their horoscope wrong. Before you know it, you’ll be an expert at identifying the paths to love, money, and magic that the stars hold for you.

I feel like interest in astrology has gained a renewed interest in previous years, so something like this book – a digestible guide regarding not only the different signs and their characteristics but all of the components that go into your birth chart. It is obvious because of references within the book that the author’s have an app and suggest trying it out, but not to a point where it felt like they were pushing. This book was written in a easy to understand way and would be a great resource for anyone wanting to dip their toes into astrology and lean more.

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A juicy, fun yet piercing debut novel, Smile and Look Pretty tells the story of four assistants working in media who band together to take on their toxic office environments in the ultimate comeuppance—pitched as Sweetbitter meets Whisper Network.

Online they’re The Aggressive One, The Bossy One, The Bitchy One, and The Emotional One. In real life, best friends Cate, Lauren, Olivia and Max all have one thing in common—they’re overworked, overtired, and underpaid assistants to some of the most powerful men in the media and entertainment industries. When they secretly start an anonymous blog detailing their experiences, their posts go viral and hundreds of other women come forward with stories of their own. Confronted with the risks of newfound fame and the possibility of their identities being revealed, they have to contend with what happens when you try and change the world.

Gripping, razor-sharp, and scathingly funny, Smile and Look Pretty is a fast-paced millennial rallying cry about the consequences of whistleblowing for an entire generation, and a testament to the strength of female friendship and what can be accomplished when women come together.

BUY LINKS | Bookshop.org | Amazon | B&N | Target | Books-A-Million | IndieBound | Kobo | Apple Books | Google Play

There are a lot of titles that have come out as of late concerning a lot of recent and current events and this is definitely one of the stand outs on the fictional front for me. Tackling the #metoo movement and showing the lives and work experiences of the four leads – Cate, Lauren, Olivia and Max – was really well done for the most part. There were perhaps some moments of immaturity on their parts, but it gave some authenticity to their personalities in some ways. The book itself was well written and the last section of the book was definitely the best part. I enjoyed the author tackling such a current and relevant topic and writing a great story out of it.

Amanda Pellegrino is a TV screenwriter and novelist living in New York City whose writing has appeared in Refinery29 and Bustle. Smile and Look Pretty is her debut novel.

SOCIAL LINKS | Author Website | Instagram | Twitter

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With fairytale-like stories about Greta Thunberg, Autumn Peltier, and Rachel Carson, Rebel Girls Climate Warriors: 25 Tales of Environmental Allies spotlights the world-changing work of women on the frontlines of the fight for climate justice. Meet conservationists, activists, water protectors, philanthropists, authors, and other women from all over the world who have stood up to polluters and used their amazing talents to protect the planet. Climate Warriors is part of the award-winning Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls series.

Join Greta Thunberg for a climate strike. Plant a tree with Wangari Maathai. Stand with water protector Autumn Peltier. And turn trash into profits and independence with Isatou Ceesay. Rebel Girls Climate Warriors tells the stories of the ingenuity and commitment of these women and more, including Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood, Japanese mountaineer Junko Tabei, Indigenous Ecuadorian leader Nemonte Nenquimo, and Thai landscape architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom.

This collection of 25 stories follows in the footsteps of the New York Times best-selling series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. It is illustrated by female and nonbinary artists from around the world.

I was really excited to pick up this newest installment in the Rebel Girls line and was pleasantly surprised to find that the majority of the women included in this installment were people I’d never heard of. There was a very diverse group of people, from different backgrounds, countries and walks of life, which was really nice to see. I also really appreciated that in this volume there were a number of QR codes that could be scanned to learn more about these individuals, making a way for younger readers to expand their knowledge and learn even more than what is included in the book. I’d say this is a solid installment to the series and inspirational so more people can get involved.

Happy reading!