The Edge of the Abyss is a book I would have loved as a teenager. It's not my top pick as an adult, but I'm not its target audience now anyways.

Pictured here with a vodka tonic (plus melted cranberry popsicle) to prove my supposed adultness.

Nothing about this book's cover or back copy is appealing to me--but I'm loving The Fifth Season.

“Do not trust them unless you see them cry.”

aliens + anthropology + grief + tarot

My new and beautiful apocalyptic graphic novel--set underwater.

These are some seriously good science fiction short stories. Chiang works with some heavy technical concepts to the point were it almost feels academic–but it‘s always balanced out by the surging current of the characters and their stories.

Currently listening to: ☠️🐺💉

I am thrilled about the amount of werewolf and vampire legend that is included along with the science of rabies. Informative and entertaining! I morbidly recommend.

I'd follow Lilith anywhere.

Currently reading & loving. Coming back to Alice Walker after a few years feels so comfortable, so familiar, like submerging in a warm bath (if that bath was actually filled of disjointed snippets of first person POV that you have to float and compare and juggle as you piece together the timeline, setting, and characters of this heartwrenching story). In short, I adore it.

I have such mixed feeling about this book. I finally finished and was blown away by the last ~25 pages. The world and the descriptions were beautiful, but the plot seemed out of sorts and too late to the punch. At least the main romance (f/f by the way) was well paced and satisfying.

I want to love it! I really do, but I have misgivings. If you like lyrical writing and imaginative worlds, try it out!

Today is for homework and 🎃

For those who don't know, I'm currently back in school, brushing up on my editing skills. My course is all about the nitty-gritty of the editorial process in book publishing and beyond. Needless to say, I'm constantly geeking out about it. 🤓

Anything that explores culture so deftly is my kind of book.

I‘ve only just begun, but I have high hopes for The Weaver. Not only do dreams play a crucial role, but apparently there‘s something called the “dream-plague” and I am on board for it. #speculativefiction #scifi #arc

Starting Bitch Planet with the little black dog. #graphicnovel #scifi #dogsreadtoo

I've been absent on here for a while, but the move is over so I should be posting more regularly again!

I am so angry right now that I don't have this cover for Lagoon. It's leagues better than the one I have. Perfect for the book.

A monstrous young female main character, intriguing world building, and gorgeous artwork--I could go on about the colors alone! I can't wait to read more. #graphicnovel #fantasy

"The cure for anything is salt water--sweat, tears, or the sea."
I decided to take a wee break from my more contemporary read to dive into something more speculative, also set in Nigeria! And I've been promised aliens!

Continuing my graphic novel kick, the first issue (so technically not a graphic novel) of Monstress! Wow, what a gorgeously illustrated comic! Dark and disturbing, but beautiful. I can't wait to pick up the full volume! #graphicnovel

Recommended for anyone who loves Frankenstein and its legacy. A take on the classic story set in Prohibition Era America, with enough variation on the original to keep you intrigued while still feeling familiar. Simple, sharp, black and white artwork carries the story (bonus points for facial diversity!). This is a horror story though, with gore and themes of violence. #graphicnovel #frankenstein

I got a little carried away while story-ifying my read of Madame Frankenstein on Instagram. I have strong feelings about certain characters.

Overall, I'm really liking this! It's introduced some unexpected stuff! I also appreciate that each character has a different, distinctive face. I value that in art. #graphicnovel #reaction

"Why did people ask 'What is it about?' as if a novel had to be about only one thing."

Easily the ugliest book I own.

I'm a long time fan of the movie, and the book met and exceeded my expectations--although it was long enough ago I don't remember many specifics.

Perhaps someday I'll replace it, but this unimaginative cover is going to the donate pile. (I'm moving so it's time to cull the library!)

I'm Melanie, a 25yo from Alaska living in Seattle. 📗 I work in a bookstore but am going back to school to pursue a career in editing, possibly publishing! 📘 I read widely but prefer speculative fiction (esp. sci fi) and have a soft spot for children's literature. 📙 I also write, draw & craft! 📓 My ear-perk topics include: Frankenstein, medusa, aliens👽, androids/AI's🤖, playing cards♠️, cults, plagues, mermaids, and anything underwater🐙.

I loved this entire section (which was more than I could post here), culminating at "and as she read, American mythologies began to take on meaning." Reading is (clearly) important to all of us, and we can all relate to being lost in a book, but this passage really highlights how critical reading becomes to Ifemelu as she adjusts to America.

I had a good time document my reading session with Instagram's new story feature! (I still don't know what is going on.) Find me as thelibraryofmars! #graphicnovel

This just got very Pygmalion all of a sudden. #graphicnovel

Ifemelu says that Obinze's mother looks like Onyeka Onwenu so naturally I had to look her up.

Doing so reminds me of how as a kid I was obsessed with flipping back to illustrations or the book cover to see the character's face. I wanted to see what the author envisioned. I now know that the author doesn't control the illustrations, but this picture IS what Adichie meant.

👌🏻👍🏻🤘🏻✌🏻Loving this edition of Frankenstein.

Actually, this store had four or five really great editions of Frankenstein. I was overwhelmed.

I'm starting something new over at my bookish Instagram! I'm calling it #BooksellerCam and I'm going to share (some of) the amazing book covers that catch my eye as I'm walking endlessly through the store. "Don't judge a book by its cover," but damn if they don't catch your attention when they're well done!
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Otherworld Barbara is an acclaimed sci fi/supernatural manga recently released in gorgeous hardcover.

The excitement of my secondhand copy of Americanah continues. I bought this book about two months after it was gifted. I find that pretty sad.

I just finished part one and *I* don't think this book is rubbish.

I can pull off Tonks.

I'm working the midnight premiere tonight at my store and I never pass up on a chance to costume up!

I've been holding off on the last 15 minutes of this audiobook for who knows what reasons. The long pause made me think through all the possible ways it could end, which was an interesting exercise at any rate.

So I just picked my copy of Americanah up to start it and this letter fell out. I bought it at a thrift store and, listen, I love finding weird shit and notes to strangers. I was very excited. But what I wasn‘t expecting to find in it was a $50 gift certificate to a local bookstore. D:

I'll probably return it to the bookstore to try and find the owner/see if it is even valid anymore but whaaaat?

I'm halfway through with this month's #travellingbook and it's been a bit of a slog. I think I would have really enjoyed this book--the Elizabethan period, the gentle romance--when I was younger, but it's not what I would pick out now.

This book is early entry into the (very tired imo) fairy tale retelling trend, part of the Fairy Tale series edited by Terri Windling. How do you feel about fairy tale retellings?

Every time I listen to an #audiobook I feel like I'm missing something, some connection to the characters or nuance of the text. I'm getting that now. It was a high emotional point in the story...but I didn't feel it.

How do you feel about audiobooks? Is the experience that different for you?

I have so many books in progress right now, but I couldn't resist starting the audiobook of this (thank you, Overdrive and my local library) so I can do housework *coughcough* play Pokemon Go...

Probably the first truly speculative book I ever read, this slim kid lit novel is a lifelike yet beautifully simple exploration of survival on a strange world with strange lifeforms (and dangerously little supplies).

The reread as an adult was still satisfying.

Photo challenge: Fire.

The sequel to Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okarafor; a collection of stories by my favorite sci fi short story writer, Connie Willis; and one of my top 5 most memorable books from my childhood, The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (included cuz fireworks and I posted this July 4th).

I couldn't put this lyrical book down. True crime + cults + meditation on the teen girl's experience in our sex and love obsessed society = very fitting read for me. I didn't think it would grab me as hard as it did.

A photo challenge called for water-themed books and I immediately pulled these from my shelves (and the background from my closet).
The Abyss Surrounds Us is one of my top picks for YA sci fi (genetically altered sea monsters and lesbian pirates!) and Lagoon is (regrettably) TBR.

I picked up an ebook copy of this last night (free now through the 4th on Amazon!) and now I'm stuck without a book watching everyone's stuff at an air show. Such miraculous timing. It's meant to be.

The artwork hooked me but the rest intrigues me.

I'm an adult.

A beautiful paragraph. "That's how badly people wanted it--to know that their lives had happened, that the person they once had been still existed inside of them."

The Girls on the train (light rail train, that is).

I just watch the movie recently (finally) and it's been years since I read this book for a class on writing and witnessing, but the movie just can't carry the same weight. So much of this story is the story of the people who knew Chris, not Chris himself.

So it begins.
I'm a little taken since finishing the first section. I can't decide it this is what I was expecting or not. Mystical & lush, fantastical while simultaneously rooted in modern reality.

Oh god, look what just turned up at our store. It's so beautiful & sounds so good. I must take it home. I'm supposed to be stronger than this (but I'm sick and weak and have no self control).

Currently reading.
The back blurb describes it as a dark Alice in Wonderland--a comparison that is so apt I can't stop thinking about it.

Is it just me or is there a noticeable change in the writing from Blue Lily, Lily Blue to The Raven King? It's only been a couple weeks between reading them, but the prose seems different (in a good way but I can't stop thinking about it).

Not my usual read, but I can't help but recommend this contemporary YA romance. It is both fluffy and nuanced, particularly on the subject of love, but spanning much more.
And I love the fact that its nonwhite, mixed race couple is based on the author's own marriage.

I'm really enjoying this one. Short chapters, rapidly changing perspectives and spurts of information, and a truly charming young love story. It's a pity I have to give the book back to work.