EMMACATHERWOOD
Reads
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Quicksilver was the fantasy jolt I’d been craving—darkly seductive, richly imagined, and threaded with the kind of history that makes a world feel truly old. There’s a raw, magnetic sex appeal running through it, but what really stayed with me was the sense that this story exists on the edge of something much bigger, much older, and far more dangerous than we fully see. It felt like peeling back the first layer of a myth.
February passed in a blur—I barely read at all, deep in edits on Gypsy King’s Daughter. But this novel, discovered in January, lingered long enough to become a clear highlight of my reading year.
As both an actress and a writer, I’ve always been drawn to scripts. There’s something extraordinary about the economy of language they demand—the way a single line can carry weight, atmosphere, and unspoken depth. It’s a difficult, often underappreciated skill: to evoke the richness of a full-length novel in just a few carefully chosen words. Only true artists make it look effortless.
This book reminded me of that discipline at its very best. The prose is lean yet evocative, never wasting a word, yet somehow brimming with imagery and tone. Every sentence feels intentional, every detail sharpened to its purpose.
Gritty, immersive, and quietly powerful—it’s a read that proves just how much can be said with so little.
Sirens is one of those rare novels that lingers long after the final page—not because it resolves neatly, but because it resists easy categorization. There's no denying its originality or the way its imagery seems to echo in the mind hours later.
Hart leans fully into atmosphere, crafting a world that feels both intimate and unsettling. The imagery is, at times, strikingly beautiful, but there’s an undercurrent of unease that runs through it—something almost tidal in its pull. Certain scenes feel less like they’re being read and more like they’re being experienced, which speaks to the strength of her descriptive language.
Liz Moore's writing is a masterclass in plot—not in the sense of constant twists or spectacle, but in the careful, deliberate unfolding of information. She understands exactly what to reveal and when, trusting the reader to sit in uncertainty while quietly building tension beneath the surface.
Most striking, though, is her use of the narrator as a central plot device. The story is shaped as much by what is withheld as by what is shared, and the narrator’s perspective becomes the lens through which everything is filtered, distorted, and ultimately clarified. It’s a reminder of how powerful point of view can be—not just as a stylistic choice, but as the engine that drives the entire narrative forward.
Fourth Wing introduced me to Romantasy as a genre. For that I am ever thankful to Rebecca Yarros. The first installment was a whirlwind, the second I was hooked like an addict for the sex scenes, but the third needed another round of editing. I can't imagine the pressure she was under to ride the wave of success, and I hope she fights to take her time with the final novel.
Wow. I fell into V.E. Schwab's magical world of twisted villains and dubious heroes. I was recommended this book by my editor after she read the first draft of my adult fantasy, The Gypsy King's Daughter. Apparently, she pitched it as pirates, thieves, sadist kings, and violent magic-y stuff. Which, as someone desperately working on the perfect pitch, is a delightful reminder to loosen up.
So, I have a book club of delightful, intelligent ladies, and this is our pick for February. So far, I'm enjoying the first-person narration immensely. I'm also reading Demon Copperhead, another first-person novel. The latter is more pondering, the writing I'm enjoying, but I wouldn't say it's a page-turner for me. More of an 'It lingers in my mind when I'm not reading, and I wish it didn't.' There's no doubt I'll finish it just to satisfy that part of my brain. However, I began Hello Beautiful last night, and it's compelling, the voice accessible, funny, and in a wry manner.
I am a huge Nora Roberts fan. I devoured her Year One Chronicles, The Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy, and The Dragon Heart Legacy. With her penchant for trilogies, and terrifying ability to churn out material at such a rapid rate, I'm hooked.
Nora Roberts https://noraroberts.com/
"Within every woman there lives a powerful force, filled with good instincts, passionate creativity, and ageless knowing. She is the Wild Woman, who represents the instinctual nature of women. But she is an endangered species. In Women Who Run With the Wolves, Dr. Estés unfolds rich intercultural myths,
fairy tales, and stories, many from her own family, in order to help women reconnect with the fierce, healthy, visionary attributes of this instinctual nature. Through the stories and commentaries in this remarkable book, we retrieve, examine, love, and understand the Wild Woman and hold her against our deep psyches as one who is both magic and medicine. Dr. Estés has created a new lexicon for describing the female psyche. Fertile and life-giving, it is a psychology of women in the truest sense, a knowing of the soul."
Seeing my life through the lens of the Celestine insights definitely brought a new perspective this week but most of all it reminded me to be patient with others and myself. This is no coincidence (pun intended); this time round I resonated with the Eighth Insight.
Every time I read this book I find myself drawn to a different insight, that's just how this spritual stuff works I guess. The Eighth concerns itself with how we can give energy to another in order to manifest their highest self. This is especially important when in a situation of conflict. Think about it, by giving the person we are in conflict with energy, they no longer feel the need to steal our energy through their childhood drama (Fourth Insight). We then open the dialogue to one where the person is operating at their highest self - which ultimately is better for us. Proved to be an interesting week.
