Generated by All in One SEO v4.9.7.2, this is an llms.txt file, used by LLMs to index the site. # The Book Witch A blog about speculative fiction and comics ## Sitemaps - [XML Sitemap](https://www.bookwitch.blog/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website. ## Posts - [The Dog Days of Reading: August '24 Recap](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2024/the-dog-days-of-reading-august-24-recap/) - It’s hard to believe another month has gone by, but it’s already (past) time for my August reading recap! (And I didn’t even read a single Star Wars book!) - [Comic Book Review: The Hunger and the Dusk](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2024/comic-book-review-the-hunger-and-the-dusk/) - The Hunger and the Dusk offers a fresh take on familiar fantasy tropes with high stakes and compelling, complex characters. - [The Best Book Nook for Liv Oszlak](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2024/the-best-book-nook-interview-with-liv-oszlak/) - The Best Book Nook is a new series of brief interviews with cool bookish people about their favorite books. This month's featured reader is Liv Oszlak. - [It's Summer and the Reading's Fine: July Recap](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2024/its-summer-and-the-readings-fine-july-recap/) - Each month, I’m going to briefly talk about every book I read the previous month, whether they’re speculative fiction or not! - [Happy Birthday, Octavia Butler!](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2024/happy-birthday-octavia-butler/) - Octavia Butler changed speculative fiction with her path-breaking novels. She was born on June 22, 1947, and would be 77 today if she were still with us. - [My First Illumicrate Unboxing and Review](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2024/my-first-illumicrate-unboxing-and-review/) - I know a million people post Illumicrate unboxing videos and photos, but I recently got my first box, and I couldn't resist writing a little review. - [All the New (and Old) Indie Bookstores I Visited in 2023](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2024/all-the-new-and-old-indie-bookstores-i-visited-in-2023/) - The Book Witch - Throughout 2023, I visited eight new-to-me indie bookstores, one new-to-me chain, and several old favorites. Here they are—with photos! - [Three Reading Goal Alternatives to the Goodreads Challenge](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2024/three-reading-goal-alternatives/) - The traditional number-of-books-read-based reading goal is meaningless as a measure of how much you read in a year. Try one of these three alternatives instead. - [The Seven Books I'm Most Excited for in 2021](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2021/the-seven-books-im-most-excited-for-in-2021/) - Welcome to the Book Witch, a blog about speculative fiction and comics! If you’re here, I can only assume you love books: reading them, collecting them, smelling them… Whatever your particular book kink, I hope you’ll find this to be a welcoming, inclusive space. I’ll be bringing you reviews of new books, topical booklists, and - [Review: Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2021/review-ready-player-two-by-ernest-cline/) - This week’s book review covers Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline, the follow up to his 2011 bestseller Ready Player One. This post contains affiliate links to Bookshop.org, an online bookstore that financially supports local independent bookstores. The Book Witch’s One-Sentence Review Ready Player Two is a fast-paced and fun—though imperfect—nostalgia-fueled romp that explores deeper - [Three Historical SFF Novels Perfect for Women’s History Month](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2021/three-historical-sff-novels-perfect-for-womens-history-month/) - March is Women’s History Month, and while speculative fiction often addresses the future, it’s equally good at plumbing the past to help us understand the present. These three novels all have historical settings and female characters who have to confront the limits their time period puts on women—and then find ways to overcome them. Kindred - [Review: The Sandman Audio Adaptation](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2021/review-the-sandman-audio-adaptation/) - This week's review tackles the audio adaptation of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman! This post contains affiliate links to Bookshop.org, an online bookstore that financially supports local independent bookstores. The Book Witch's One Sentence Review Audible's audio adaption of The Sandman by Neil Gaiman is a brilliantly acted immersive take on the classic comic series that - [Introducing a New Line of Bookish Enamel Pins and Buttons!](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2021/introducing-a-new-line-of-bookish-enamel-pins-and-buttons/) - The Book Witch is pleased to announce a new line of bookish enamel pins and pinback buttons! My first ever enamel pin design is inspired by Reading Rainbow and the idea that books are magic. It features seven colors of glitter enamel and is cast in polished silver metal. This two-inch pin is already in - [Six novels about plagues and viral outbreaks](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2021/six-novels-about-plagues-and-viral-outbreaks/) - A year into the COVID-19 pandemic may seem like the worst time to write a booklist featuring novels and comics about plagues and viral outbreaks. For most of us, it’s been over a year since the world shut down and our lives changed dramatically. We’ve been facing constant upheaval, uncertainty, fear, and a barrage of - [Comic Review: Inkblot by Emma Kubert and Rusty Gladd](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2021/comic-review-inkblot-by-emma-kubert-and-rusty-gladd/) - This week’s review covers the first collected volume of the comic Inkblot, by Emma Kubert and Rusty Gladd, published by Image Comics. This post contains affiliate links to Bookshop.org, an online bookstore that financially supports local independent bookstores. Inkblot Volume 1 collects the first six issues of this ongoing series about a librarian sorceress and - [An Ode to My Favorite Bookstore for Indie Bookstore Day](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2021/an-ode-to-my-favorite-bookstore-for-indie-bookstore-day/) - This Saturday, April 24, is Independent Bookstore Day. Indie Bookstores across the United States will be celebrating with special events, giveaways, unique merchandise only available on Saturday, and the same great customer service and care you always find from your local bookstore. As a bookish kid, I loved bookstores. Any kind of bookstore. Mall bookstores, - [Review: Beowulf: A New Translation by Maria Dhavana Headley](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2021/review-beowulf-a-new-translation-by-maria-dhavana-headley/) - This week’s review covers Maria Dhavana Headley’s new translation of the Old English epic poem Beowulf. My reviews do contain affiliate links to Bookshop.org, an online bookstore that financially supports local independent bookstores. I hesitated to review this book, as it’s been covered by folks much more knowledgeable about Beowulf than I in all sorts - [Go Deeper Into the Skywalker Saga with These Essential Star Wars Books](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2021/go-deeper-into-the-skywalker-saga-with-these-essential-star-wars-books/) - May the 4th Be with You! While Star Wars began as a film franchise with a novelization, one spin off novel, and a cheesy comic book series, today there are hundreds of Star Wars novels. This can make it a little intimidating for new fans to jump in and start enjoying these books, so I've - [Review: Shirtless Bear Fighter is the most delightfully ridiculous comic ever](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2021/review-shirtless-bear-fighter-is-the-most-delightfully-ridiculous-comic-ever/) - A few years ago, in the pre-pandemic times, I was watching hockey at a friend's house when one of the books in his comic stack caught my eye: Shirtless Bear-Fighter! by Jody Lehup, Sebastian Girner, Nill Vendrell, and Mike Spicer. The cover depicts a shirtless man in raggedy pants with exaggerated masculine features (seriously, his - [Review: Worlds of Light and Darkness Anthology](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2021/review-worlds-of-light-and-darkness-anthology/) - This week’s review covers Worlds of Light and Darkness: The Best of DreamForge and Space & Time, edited by Angela Yuriko Smith and Scot Noel. As usual, this post contains affiliate links to Bookshop.org, an online bookstore that financially supports independent bookstores. Worlds of Light and Darkness comes out on May 25, but you can - [Indie Bookstore Highlight: Wellington Square Bookshop in Exton, PA](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2021/indie-bookstore-highlight-wellington-square-bookshop-in-exton-pa/) - One of my favorite things about traveling to new places is visiting new-to-me independent bookstores! Two weekends ago I stopped at Wellington Square Bookshop in Exton, PA while visiting my family in Coatesville. Wellington Square Bookshop opened in 2005 as a primarily used and rare bookstore, but expanded in 2009 to new books and gift - [Three Speculative Novels by Queer Authors for Pride Month—Or Anytime!](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2021/three-speculative-novels-by-queer-authors-for-pride-month-or-anytime/) - While Pride Month is a great time to dip your toes into the waters of queer speculative fiction, there are too many great options to limit yourself to just thirty-one days! (Plus, queer folks are queer 24/7, not just in June, so why not celebrate natural human diversity all year long?) For this mini-list, I've - [November 2021 Update](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2021/november-2021-update/) - Hello! I've been absent from this space for quite some time, primarily due to my health. As many of you may know, back in June I had a laparoscopic excision surgery for endometriosis, and well... The recovery period was more difficult than I was expecting. Even after I recovered from the surgery itself, I experienced - [Best 2022 Reading Challenges for Sci-Fi and Fantasy Readers](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2022/best-2022-reading-challenges-for-sci-fi-and-fantasy-readers/) - Happy New Year, Readers! With 2021 behind us and the whole of 2022 ahead, it’s time to take stock of our TBR shelves and lists, think about new goals, discard what no longer serves us or brings us joy, and most importantly, READ! To that end, I’m rounding up the best 2022 reading challenges for - [Review: The Wolf and The Woodsman by Ava Reid](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2022/review-the-wolf-and-the-woodsman-by-ava-reid/) - This week I have a review of Ava Reid’s The Wolf and the Woodsman, a fantasy novel out from Harper Voyager (who was kind enough to provide me with a review copy). This post contains affiliate links to Bookshop.org, an online bookstore that financially supports independent bookstores, and if you buy from my links, I - [Two Indie Bookstores that Focus on Speculative Fiction](https://www.bookwitch.blog/2023/two-indie-bookstores-that-focus-on-speculative-fiction/) - Happy Independent Bookstore Day! I’m celebrating by supporting two stores that focus on speculative fiction: Sistah SciFi and Mysterious Galaxy. In recent years, my local stores have grown their SFF sections, but there’s nothing quite like the depth and breadth of a store that focuses only on spec fic. Unfortunately for me, both of these ## Pages - [About](https://www.bookwitch.blog/about/) - The Book Witch is a blog and shop featuring reviews, lists, and merchandise for readers of speculative fiction and comic books. - [Review Index](https://www.bookwitch.blog/review-index/) - This index will be updated as new reviews and book lists are added to the blog. Books are listed alphabetically by author. Book Reviews Cline, Ernest: Ready Player Two Gaiman, Neil & Dirk Maggs: The Sandman Audio Adaptation Headley, Maria Dhavana: Beowulf: A New Translation Reid, Ava: The Wolf and the Woodsman Yuriko Smith, Angela - [Contact Me](https://www.bookwitch.blog/contact/) - Readers Get in touch with me at kelly@bookwitch.blog, or on Instagram @bookwitchblog. Authors & Publicists The Book Witch welcomes book review pitches from authors and publishers, particularly small and indie presses. Please send an email with details about your book (title, author, ISBN, summary, etc.) and why you think it would be a good fit ## Categories - [Uncategorized](https://www.bookwitch.blog/category/uncategorized/) - [Book Lists](https://www.bookwitch.blog/category/book-lists/) - [Book Reviews](https://www.bookwitch.blog/category/book-reviews/) - [Comics](https://www.bookwitch.blog/category/comics/) - [Bookish Things](https://www.bookwitch.blog/category/bookish-things/) - [Interviews and Spotlights](https://www.bookwitch.blog/category/interviews-and-spotlights/) - [Announcements](https://www.bookwitch.blog/category/announcements/) - [Bookstores](https://www.bookwitch.blog/category/bookstores/) - [Recaps](https://www.bookwitch.blog/category/recaps/) ## Tags - [tbr](https://www.bookwitch.blog/tag/tbr/) - [2021](https://www.bookwitch.blog/tag/2021/) - [short stories](https://www.bookwitch.blog/tag/short-stories/) - [horror](https://www.bookwitch.blog/tag/horror/) - [science fiction](https://www.bookwitch.blog/tag/science-fiction/) - 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