Author: Haze

Book Review | Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle

Posted April 27, 2026 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle

From Chuck Tingle, author of the USA Today bestselling Camp Damascus, comes a new heart-pounding story about what it takes to succeed in a world that wants you dead.

Misha is a jaded scriptwriter who has been working in Hollywood for years, and has just been nominated for his first Oscar. But when he’s pressured by his producers to kill off a gay character in the upcoming season finale―”for the algorithm”―Misha discovers that it’s not that simple.

As he is haunted by his past, and past mistakes, Misha must risk everything to find a way to do what’s right―before it’s too late.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2026 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #TBD: TBD)

The Reason

A bookclub friend recommended this book and author very highly, and I finally got around to reading it!

The Quotes

“On a long enough timeline, endings are inevitable. Tragedy is inevitable. Fortunately, so is joy.”

“It’s not just about telling queer stories… It’s about telling all kinds of queer stories. Yes, there can be tragedy and death and darkness. There’s an important place for that. But don’t forget about queer beauty and queer catharsis and queer joy. Every gay character doesn’t need to die in the first scene, or in a third act blaze of glory to save everyone else. Support queer heroes, not just on screen, but off screen, too.”

“This is how scary stories work, how horror works. We’re all still here, safe and alive. We’ve had that primal rush and exercised those muscles to remind us death is eventually coming for everyone, but not today.”

The Narrator(s)

André Santana, Charlie Jane Anders, CJ Leede, Georgia Bird, Liz Kerin, Mara Wilson, Mark Oshiro, Sarah Gailey, Stephen Graham Jones, T. Kingfisher, TJ Klune. I loved the narration and it all felt very seamless.

My Thoughts

I pretty much went into this blind and was pleasantly surprised by how good it was! It came highly recommended but I had no idea what to expect because the author has written several books with risque titles and while I was open to trying new things, I was also prepared for maybe some NSFW content within the story.

It turned out to be quite an interesting sci-fi futuristic horror story, and I absolutely loved how creative it was! I also love the commentaries about how queer characters should be represented more without needing queerness to be a part of their identity in the stories, and the one about why we love horror stories and how they often serve as cautionary tales to make sense of why certain bad things happen.

It was all very thoughtful and well-written, humorous and yet also thrilling. I got really anxious near the end. There was also a reference to Camp Damascus, another book written by the author which I haven’t read but is on my TBR. He’s got a couple of other books with “normal” titles I’d like to read, but if I’m feeling brave enough I might try his risque titles one day.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

Posted April 27, 2026 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

Ella Minnow Pea is a girl living happily on the fictional island of Nollop off the coast of South Carolina. Nollop was named after Nevin Nollop, author of the immortal pangram,* “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”

Now Ella finds herself acting to save her friends, family, and fellow citizens from the encroaching totalitarianism of the island’s Council, which has banned the use of certain letters of the alphabet as they fall from a memorial statue of Nevin Nollop. As the letters progressively drop from the statue they also disappear from the novel.

The result is both a hilarious and moving story of one girl’s fight for freedom of expression, as well as a linguistic tour de force sure to delight word lovers everywhere.

*pangram: a sentence or phrase that includes all the letters of the alphabet

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2026 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #3: Written without quotation marks)

The Reason

I’d been wanting to read this for a while but never got around to it. I saw that it fit one of the prompts for the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge, so I decided to finally read it.

The Quotes

“Today we queried, questioned, and inquired. Promise me that come tomorrow, we will not stop asking why.”

“The Council is wrong. Yet, observe that none of us will risk telling it so, for fear of the consequences.”

“Any one of us could have come up with such a sentence. We are, when it comes right down to it, all of us: mere monkeys at typewriters.”

My Thoughts

This book surprised me; I thought it was middle-grade, and it sort of is suitable for younger readers, but it was deeper and darker than I expected. I thought it was going to be a fun and light-hearted take on the idea of letters falling off the alphabet and only being able to use the letters that were left, but it turned out to be quite a serious exploration on the absurdity of going along with ridiculous ideas because people are too afraid to fight back. The result of losing your “voice”, losing the ability to communicate clearly, because of those missing letters, is such a strong metaphor for being censored and silenced by the powers that be. It’s very well-written and such a powerful story, especially for impressionable young readers, and I wish I had read this book a long time ago!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Posted April 27, 2026 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Krakauer’s page-turning bestseller explores a famed missing person mystery while unraveling the larger riddles it holds: the profound pull of the American wilderness on our imagination; the allure of high-risk activities to young men of a certain cast of mind; the complex, charged bond between fathers and sons.

“Terrifying… Eloquent… A heart-rending drama of human yearning.” —New York Times

In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Four months later, his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter. How Christopher Johnson McCandless came to die is the unforgettable story of Into the Wild.

Immediately after graduating from college in 1991, McCandless had roamed through the West and Southwest on a vision quest like those made by his heroes Jack London and John Muir. In the Mojave Desert he abandoned his car, stripped it of its license plates, and burned all of his cash. He would give himself a new name, Alexander Supertramp, and, unencumbered by money and belongings, he would be free to wallow in the raw, unfiltered experiences that nature presented. Craving a blank spot on the map, McCandless simply threw the maps away. Leaving behind his desperate parents and sister, he vanished into the wild.

Jon Krakauer constructs a clarifying prism through which he reassembles the disquieting facts of McCandless’s short life. Admitting an interst that borders on obsession, he searches for the clues to the drives and desires that propelled McCandless.

When McCandless’s innocent mistakes turn out to be irreversible and fatal, he becomes the stuff of tabloid headlines and is dismissed for his naiveté, pretensions, and hubris. He is said to have had a death wish but wanting to die is a very different thing from being compelled to look over the edge. Krakauer brings McCandless’s uncompromising pilgrimage out of the shadows, and the peril, adversity, and renunciation sought by this enigmatic young man are illuminated with a rare understanding–and not an ounce of sentimentality. Mesmerizing, heartbreaking, Into the Wild is a tour de force. The power and luminosity of Jon Krakauer’s stoytelling blaze through every page.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2026 Nonfiction Reader Challenge
2026 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #TBD: TBD)

The Reason

I’d read this before but recently read Into Thin Air and thought I should reread this.

The Quotes

“I don’t want to know what time it is. I don’t want to know what day it is or where I am. None of that matters.”

“We like companionship, see, but we can’t stand to be around people for very long. So we go get ourselves lost, come back for a while, then get the hell out again.”

“I read somewhere… how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong, but to feel strong… to measure yourself at least once.”

“It is easy, when you are young, to believe that what you desire is no less than what you deserve, to assume that if you want something badly enough, it is your God-given right to have it.”

The Narrator(s)

Philip Franklin. It was good, no notes.

My Thoughts

I read this book many years ago and didn’t love it then. I’ve never been an outdoors-y person and have a healthy fear of the wild, so based on the account in this book it felt like McCandless was just reckless and foolhardy. Having just recently read Into Thin Air, I feel like there’s a difference between people who want to conquer the wild but condition and prepare themselves for it versus people who just go out there unprepared and hope for the best.

However, reading this the second time around, I feel like I might have misjudged McCandless’ preparedness anyway, since it’s not like I know anything about living in nature. I also tried not to judge the story based on what I thought about McCandless, but rather on the story itself. I don’t always like self-inserts by the author, but I appreciated it more this time around when Krakauer told his own story about his own recklessness and adventurous spirit when he was younger.

I felt like I could understand more, that “call of the wild”, wanting to get away and be in nature. Especially since learning that McCandless’ sister, Carine, has also released a book, The Wild Truth, that reveals some things previously kept private about Chris McCandless’ life and his relationship with his family that will probably shed more light on these events. I’m not sure yet if I will read Carine McCandless’ book anytime soon but I must admit I am a little curious.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | The Radium Girls by Kate Moore

Posted April 25, 2026 by Haze in Book Reviews / 2 Comments

The Radium Girls by Kate Moore

The incredible true story of the women who fought America’s Undark danger

The Curies’ newly discovered element of radium makes gleaming headlines across the nation as the fresh face of beauty, and wonder drug of the medical community. From body lotion to tonic water, the popular new element shines bright in the otherwise dark years of the First World War.

Meanwhile, hundreds of girls toil amidst the glowing dust of the radium-dial factories. The glittering chemical covers their bodies from head to toe; they light up the night like industrious fireflies. With such a coveted job, these “shining girls” are the luckiest alive—until they begin to fall mysteriously ill.

But the factories that once offered golden opportunities are now ignoring all claims of the gruesome side effects, and the women’s cries of corruption. And as the fatal poison of the radium takes hold, the brave shining girls find themselves embroiled in one of the biggest scandals of America’s early 20th century, and in a groundbreaking battle for workers’ rights that will echo for centuries to come.

Written with a sparkling voice and breakneck pace, The Radium Girls fully illuminates the inspiring young women exposed to the “wonder” substance of radium, and their awe-inspiring strength in the face of almost impossible circumstances. Their courage and tenacity led to life-changing regulations, research into nuclear bombing, and ultimately saved hundreds of thousands of lives.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2026 Nonfiction Reader Challenge
2026 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #TBD: TBD)

The Reason

It’s been on my TBR forever and it felt like it contained important information.

The Quotes

“We’ve got humane societies for dogs and cats, but they won’t do anything for human beings.”

“That was the tragedy. Radium had been known to be harmful since 1901. Every death since was unnecessary.”

“The cynical would say there was only one reason a high-profile specialist finally took up the cause. On June 7, 1925, the first male employee of the United States Radium Corporation died.”

“Thousands of women helped with the study, through their forties, fifties, sixties, and beyond; their contribution to medical science is incalculable. We all benefit from their sacrifice and courage, every day of our lives.”

The Narrator(s)

Angela Brazil. No complaints, I was completely immersed and forgot I was listening to an audiobook.

My Thoughts

I love reading about medical science but I also inevitably get a little paranoid when reading about illnesses and all the ways the human body is susceptible to so many dangerous things around us. I happened to be having a toothache while reading this book and even though I never got anywhere near any sources of radium, as far as I know, I still got paranoid about my teeth falling out when the women in the book started losing their teeth.

It was really painful to read about how the women suffered, and I think it’s especially hard when they didn’t know, in the beginning, why they were suffering. They had no idea radium was dangerous and didn’t understand why they were sick. It was horrific to read about their bodies slowly deteriorating and so humbling to see their strength and resilience in the face of that kind of pain.

The worst thing is that the companies who hired these women didn’t take any accountability for what they did. It’s one thing if they didn’t know about the dangers of radium and then took accountability once they knew, but they continued putting their employees at risk after knowing the dangers of radium, and kept telling lies to avoid facing any kind of responsibility. It is sad and infuriating to see this kind of evil in the world. Even now.

However, if there’s one thing we can take away from this, it’s that these women continued to fight to be seen and heard, against their pain, against all odds, against these evil corporations, and their fight made lasting changes in workplace safety laws. It is inspiring.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Top Ten Tuesday | Book Titles That Describe Me/My Life

Posted April 13, 2026 by Haze in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Book Memes / 24 Comments

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.

Today’s topic is Book Titles That Describe Me/My Life  

This topic was really tough for me but I managed to find enough book titles to describe me and my life, although I’ll probably come across better ones immediately after posting this and then I’ll be kicking myself for not thinking of those! 😂 I also reserve the right to add to/change this list or make a new list some time in the future because my life and I are definitely still changing too!

Top Ten Book Titles That Describe Me/My Life

  1. The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong – I used to read tarot and numerology professionally.
  2. The Piano Student by Lea Singer – I’m currently learning to play the piano!
  3. The Keeper of Hidden Books by Madeline Martin – I mean, my husband has no idea how many hidden books I’m keeping secret from him. Shhh!!
  4. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris – So my written English is pretty good, but my speech and accent can be iffy, especially when I’m overly excited or nervous.
  5. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin – I procrastinate a lot! But I’m trying not to as much!
  6. Songs for Other People’s Weddings by David Levithan – I used to be a wedding singer and I also performed for corporate events and in pubs.
  7. Quiet Girl in a Noisy World by Debbie Tung – I’m an introvert and need my quiet time! I’m sure many of you relate.
  8. Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson – I identify as a happy person, even when I’m not happy, in which case I make myself happy by force of will!
  9. Survival of the Sickest by Dr. Sharon Moalem – I have a family history of cancer and diabetes and have survived both myself. Probably a longer story here but for another time.
  10. Rising Strong by Brené Brown – I’m stronger now after having survived my illnesses, and I continue to get up after every fall. I wanted to end the list strong too!

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?

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Book Review | The Founders Trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett

Posted April 10, 2026 by Haze in Book Reviews / 1 Comment

The Founders Trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett

Sancia Grado is a thief, and a damn good one. And her latest target, a heavily guarded warehouse on Tevanne’s docks, is nothing her unique abilities can’t handle.

But unbeknownst to her, Sancia’s been sent to steal an artifact of unimaginable power, an object that could revolutionize the magical technology known as scriving. The Merchant Houses who control this magic–the art of using coded commands to imbue everyday objects with sentience–have already used it to transform Tevanne into a vast, remorseless capitalist machine. But if they can unlock the artifact’s secrets, they will rewrite the world itself to suit their aims.

Now someone in those Houses wants Sancia dead, and the artifact for themselves. And in the city of Tevanne, there’s nobody with the power to stop them.

To have a chance at surviving—and at stopping the deadly transformation that’s under way—Sancia will have to marshal unlikely allies, learn to harness the artifact’s power for herself, and undergo her own transformation, one that will turn her into something she could never have imagined.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2026 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #24: Uneven number of chapters – in Book 1)

The Reason

I’d read the first couple of books a few years ago but never finished the series. I remember enjoying it though and I’m rereading all of them to refresh my memory and finally finish it!

The Quotes

“They said I was one thing. But I have changed my mind.”

“Traditional,” she echoed. “What a curious word that is. So bland, and yet often so poisonous.”

“Gregor Dandolo did his utmost to follow the laws: both the laws of the city, and his own moral laws of the universe. But more and more these days, one seemed to disagree with the other.”

“Reality doesn’t matter. If you can change something’s mind enough, it’ll believe whatever reality you choose.”

The Narrator(s)

Tara Sands. She was wonderful! I love all her voices and characterizations.

My Thoughts

Book 1 – Foundryside
I don’t usually remember very many details of books I’ve read, especially ones I read years ago, but for some reason I remembered more than usual about this book. Sancia’s abilities, Clef’s personality, the way they connected with each other, and then how they joined forces with Gregor, Orso, Berenice, and everyone else. It was all very exciting for me, and I loved how the characters’ personalities worked and clashed with each other in such organic ways. My favorite thing about this book was how everyone had their own agendas and how messy they all were in each of their own ways, and how reluctant they were to work with each other but became allies out of necessity. I got very invested in all of the characters and I wanted to know what happened next for them.

Book 2 – Shorefall
Although this is also a reread, I didn’t remember as much about it as the first book in the series. I did check my notes from my first read and apparently I was a little disappointed because it didn’t give me what I wanted out of it.

Spoiler
I wanted to see more about how the main characters build their Foundry together, worked together strengthening their relationships, using their skills and outwitting the other Foundries. I also felt like we didn’t see enough of Clef until much later.

Rereading it now, I feel the same way, but I went in trying to be more open-minded about what we actually got and I was able to get behind what actually went down. The story this time was still very exciting, and much bigger than previously. There are a lot more magical constructs and inventions that I thought was incredibly imaginative and a little complicated for me, but it works for the story.

I stopped here the first time I read this series, but at this point I’m still in it and I’m excited to finally read the last book!

Book 3 – Locklands
I just finished the book and I am very sorry to say I am very disappointed with it. In fact, I was already disappointed with the second book but trying to give the series the benefit of the doubt. I hoped this book would bring the story home but I felt like it really lost focus and meaning and I didn’t even know what we’re reading anymore. I kept hoping it would finish strong, but at about 80% of the book it got so difficult for me to get through that I seriously considered a DNF. I didn’t because it’s hard to let go of the last 20% of the last book after I’ve read everything before it so I pushed through.

I’m glad I finished so that I can know for sure that I don’t like it, but I am really disappointed it turned out this way. Also, I promise I’m not doing this out of pettiness but I’d like to talk about the editing of the book. The overuse of “rather” and the manner of speaking; “It wasn’t like this, rather, it was like that” happens A LOT. Another one was the use of “wasn’t it?”, “aren’t I?”, “can’t you?” etc., as in; “I can do this, can’t I?”, “The worst is going to happen, isn’t it?”. Obviously these are normal ways of speaking, but it happened a lot and at weird places in the conversation/narration, and with different characters.

It’s possible that these happened in the first two books as well but I didn’t notice as much because it’s a gradual buildup and I only noticed after being exposed for three books and/or I was more immersed in the stories in the first two books and bored with the third so I notice its flaws more. Either way, it’s still a disappointment. I loved the concept, the world-building, and the magical system in this series, but the story now seems so trivial and meaningless to me.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐/5 stars. An overall rating for the series.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Top Ten Tuesday | Books Set in Rome

Posted April 6, 2026 by Haze in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Book Memes / 29 Comments

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.

Today’s topic is Books About/Set In Places on My Bucket List  

I’m in so much trouble! My plan for this week’s list was to list a few books for places on my bucket list, as per instructions, and I had a few different places in mind like, I wanted to visit the Colosseum in Rome, the Great Wall of China, Niagara Falls, and so on… Well, I started with Rome and did my search for books featuring Rome, and ended up with SO MANY NEW BOOKS ON MY TBR!

What’s worse, some of them are series! What’s even worse, some of them are LONG RUNNING SERIES with seven or more books!

So obviously I stopped searching for any other books featuring my other bucket list places because I cannot afford this! You’ll have to make do with just books about Rome!

Top Ten Books Set in Rome

  1. From the Ashes by Melissa Addey – The author has written another series, The Forbidden City, set in China that I’m also interested in and have on my TBR. There are four books in this series.
  2. SPQR by Mary Beard – This is nonfiction and seems to be very highly recommended. I’ve already put in a request for it from my library.
  3. Four Seasons in Rome by Anthony Doerr – This is a memoir that I’m interested in because I have another book by the author on my TBR as well, All The Light We Cannot See.
  4. The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough – The author of The Thorn Birds, with such high ratings for these books on Goodreads, and seven books in the series!
  5. Under the Eagle by Simon Scarrow – 25 freaking books in the series! To be fair, I already had this book on my TBR for a while, but I’d forgotten about it and I didn’t know there were 25 books in the series!
  6. Pompeii by Robert Harris – Thank the gods this is a standalone! It might be the only standalone on this list, other than the nonfics!
  7. The Ides of April by Lindsey Davis – 13 books in this series. Not as bad as 25 but still painful on my purse!
  8. Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn – It’s Kate Quinn and I’d been wanting to read more of her books. I didn’t know she wrote historical fiction about Rome, but I am so here for it! Four books in this series.
  9. The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff – This is the first of eight books in a series. They were apparently not written as a series but they are categorized as one, so we’ll see.
  10. The Light Bearer by Donna Gillespie – So this is the only book on the list I’ve read and loved. It’s one of my all-time favorite books and I reread it all the time and recommend it to everyone I can because it’s criminally underrated. It’s also a duology but I haven’t read the second book. If you’re a fan of historical fiction set in Rome and haven’t read any of these books, I highly recommend you read this one!

Have you read any of these authors? What did you think of them? Would you read any of their books?

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Book Review | Replay by Ken Grimwood

Posted April 1, 2026 by Haze in Book Reviews / 5 Comments

Replay by Ken Grimwood

Jeff Winston was 43 and trapped in a tepid marriage and a dead-end job, waiting for that time when he could be truly happy, when he died.

And when he woke and he was 18 again, with all his memories of the next 25 years intact. He could live his life again, avoiding the mistakes, making money from his knowledge of the future, seeking happiness.

Until he dies at 43 and wakes up back in college again…

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2026 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #11: Requires suspension of disbelief)

The Reason

It was my bookclub’s BOTM for March.

The Quotes

“Only the products of your work will disappear. The struggle, the devotion you put into your endeavors … That’s where the value truly lies, and will remain: within you.”

“Each lifetime had been different, as each choice is always different, unpredictable in its outcome or effect. Yet those choices had to be made, Jeff thought. He’d learned to accept the potential losses, in the hope that they would be outweighed by the gains. The only certain failure, he knew, and the most grievous, would be never to risk at all.”

“All life includes loss. It’s taken me many, many years to learn to deal with that, and I don’t expect I’ll ever be fully resigned to it. But that doesn’t mean we have to turn away from the world, or stop striving for the best that we can do and be. We owe that much to ourselves, at least, and we deserve whatever measure of good may come of it.”

The Narrator(s)

William Dufris. It was okay, no complaints.

My Thoughts

I tried reading this book some years ago and DNF’d at about 20% in, and I probably wouldn’t have picked it up again if it wasn’t because my bookclub chose this for our March BOTM. I decided to try again, and I’m so glad I did because it got more and more interesting the deeper I got into it. It got me thinking a lot, and asking a lot of questions about how I would live my own life/lives if I had to live it over and over again. I would definitely memorize all the lottery numbers, that’s a given! But once money is taken care of, what would I do of importance?

It’s so interesting to see how the author navigates this thought experiment with Jeff and Pamela and the choices they make each time they relive their lives. I don’t feel like we get any real answers in the end, but I think that’s sort of the point, we never really ever get a real answer to the meaning of life. This book made me think, but it also made me feel deeply. I imagine that even though they were able to relive their lives, there must be some grief for everything they lose each time they do. I’m glad I tried again because this was a great book and I think it will be one I’ll likely reread.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Audio Collection

Posted April 1, 2026 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Audio Collection by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Stephen Fry

Ever since he made his first appearance in A Study In Scarlet, Sherlock Holmes has enthralled and delighted millions of fans throughout the world. Now Audible is proud to present Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection, read by Stephen Fry. A lifelong fan of Doyle’s detective fiction, Fry has narrated the complete works of Sherlock Holmes – four novels and five collections of short stories. And, exclusively for Audible, Stephen has written and narrated nine insightful, intimate and deeply personal introductions to each title.

He writes: “Popular fiction offers different kinds of superheroes to save the world by restoring order to the chaos, confusion and criminality of our times. Heroes with remarkable gifts are as in vogue now as they have been since they first appeared, perhaps even more in vogue. But although the very first one was launched in serial published form just like his masked and body-suited successors, it was not in DC or Marvel comic books that he made his appearance; rather it was in the sedate and respectable pages of Mrs Beeton’s Christmas Annual in the mid-Victorian year 1887.”

Stephen Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, comedian, television presenter, film director and all round national treasure. He is the acclaimed narrator of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter audiobooks and most recently recorded The Tales of Max Carrados for Audible Studios. Stephen has contributed columns and articles to newspapers and magazines, appears frequently on radio and has written four novels and three volumes of autobiography.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
I am assigning multiple prompts to this book because it’s technically nine books in one, and it’s my challenge to play with anyway!
2026 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 
(Prompt #12: A genre-defining read)
(Prompt #21: Written in the 1800s)
(Prompt #22: Spotted in a TV series or movie)

The Reason

Because I wanted to!

The Quotes

“You have a grand gift for silence, Watson. It makes you quite invaluable as a companion.”

“I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation.”

“I confess that I have been as blind as a mole, but it is better to learn wisdom late than never to learn it at all.”

“To the logician all things should be seen exactly as they are, and to underestimate one’s self is as much a departure from truth as to exaggerate one’s own powers.”

The Narrator(s)

Stephen Fry. It was the most wonderful experience listening to this man narrate Sherlock Holmes!

My Thoughts

I love Sherlock Holmes and have consumed so much media featuring him over the years. There have been so many different film adaptations, retellings, both on screen and in books, and I have loved so many of them. Imagine my chagrin when I realized that I have never read any of the original Sherlock Holmes stories, until now that is.

This audiobook was on sale in Audible and I decided to get it on a whim. It’s a 72-hour commitment so it sat on my shelf for a while but I finally got started on it, and oh, what a journey! I took my time, but I listened a little every day, and how I loved coming back to it each time. Sherlock Holmes and Watson are such familiar characters, and it was so comforting to relax at the end of the day and come back to them.

Stephen Fry as the narrator was incredible as well, and I cannot recommend this audiobook enough. Reading all of the books can feel daunting if you want to do the complete collection at once, but listening to Stephen Fry narrate all of them is the best experience I could’ve asked for. I was honestly so sad when I got to the end and was seriously considering restarting from the beginning immediately after. I’m quite sure I would’ve done so, if I didn’t have other time-sensitive books I had to get to!

In any case, I loved everything about this experience. I loved Sherlock Holmes and Watson, I loved the stories and cases they got into, I loved Stephen Fry’s narration, I loved the immersion into the times and the mysteries, I loved that it was such a long audiobook that I could escape into… I loved it all!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | The Mind-Gut Connection by Emeran Mayer, MD

Posted April 1, 2026 by Haze in Book Reviews / 3 Comments

The Mind-Gut Connection by Emeran Mayer, MD

Combining cutting-edge neuroscience with the latest discoveries on the human microbiome, a practical guide in the tradition of Wheat Belly and Grain Brain that conclusively demonstrates the inextricable, biological link between mind and body.

We have all experienced the connection between our mind and our gut—the decision we made because it “felt right;” the butterflies in our stomach before a big meeting; the anxious stomach rumbling when we’re stressed out. While the dialogue between the gut and the brain has been recognized by ancient healing traditions, including Aryuvedic and Chinese medicine, Western medicine has failed to appreciate the complexity of how the brain, gut, and more recently, the microbiome—the microorganisms that live inside us—communicate with one another. In The Mind-Gut Connection, Dr. Emeran Mayer, Executive Director of the UCLA Center for Neurobiology of Stress, offers a revolutionary look at this developing science, teaching us how to harness the power of the mind-gut connection to take charge of our health.

The Mind-Gut Connection shows how to keep the brain-gut communication clear and balanced to:

• Heal the gut by focusing on a plant-based diet
• Balance the microbiome by consuming fermented foods and probiotics, fasting, and cutting out sugar and processed foods
• Promote weight loss by detoxifying and creating a healthy digestion and maximum nutrient absorption
• Boost immunity and prevent the onset of neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s
• Generate a happier mindset and reduce fatigue, moodiness, anxiety, and depression
• Prevent and heal GI disorders such as leaky gut syndrome; food sensitivities and allergies; and IBS; as well as digestive discomfort such as heartburn and bloating
• And much more.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2026 Nonfiction Reader Challenge
2026 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #15: Subtitle with a comma)

The Reason

I want to read more nonfiction and I got curious about the gut and gut-health.

The Quotes

“The immune cells residing in your gut make up the largest component of your body’s immune system; in other words, there are more immune cells living in the wall of your gut than circulating in the blood or residing in your bone marrow.”

“The gut is also the largest storage facility for serotonin in our body. Ninety-five percent of the body’s serotonin is stored in these warehouses.”

“Your gut microbes are in a prime position to influence your emotions, by generating and modulating signals the gut sends back to the brain.”

“Adults often think that self-confidence is something a child learns, but little kids are by their nature always invincible, it’s self-doubt that needs to be taught.”

My Thoughts

This book was incredibly informative and I learned a lot, but I did feel it was a little dry. Some of the most recent nonfiction books I’ve read have been written by very entertaining and accomplished writers, so I might be a little unfair in my judgement. This book is well-written and very interesting, jam-packed with a lot of details about the gut microbiome, its history, research, and effects on our health.

I was most fascinated with the chapter about gut feelings, and how our microbiome really does affect our intuition because it acts as our second brain and sends signals to our brain when it recognizes a feeling it has had before. I am obviously not explaining it very well, but I do recommend reading this book yourself for this chapter and to understand your body and how it works, especially since we’ve got more bacteria in our gut than we have cells in our body.

Personally, I’ll admit that while I enjoyed reading this book in the moment, I didn’t end up retaining much of the details, as is normal for me as a reader. However, it’s piqued my interest enough that I know I’d like to read more about the gut as well as do more to ensure my own gut health. I’m also intending to reread this book at some point, after I read some others that are more accessible and entertaining to the layperson. I’m hoping I’ll retain more by then and come back to this book with a better understanding.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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