Illegibly K.M. West

Category: Reading

  • Unmask Alice

    Unmask Alice

    One of my favorite things about non-fiction is the fatalistic way things seem to fall into place, like threads stitching in real time to create the outcome we expect… In Unmask Alice, Emerson does a great job providing the historical context for the maelstrom of unfortunate events that developed Go Ask Alice.

  • The End of Innisfail

    It’s been awhile since I’ve done a book review, mostly because my life is busy as ever and I don’t have as much time to get lost in a book as I would like. But, when given the chance to finally finish a series I’d been deeply invested in for years–and as an advanced reader–I…

  • Book Review: Let’s Travel Through “The Gate”

    “We all want to live forever… until we don’t.” If you’ve ever wished you could be a badass warrior and escape the service of your incompetent boss, Amarynn’s story will inspire you. In advance of the book’s release this Saturday, I wanted to introduce you all to your next summer fantasy read. First, I’ll admit…

  • Book Review – Within These Walls

    What a fun, sensory ride this was! “Within These Walls” was an audiobook listen for me, as I’m currently underwater with life and finding the time to sit down to read has been tough. Still, the rich narration only helped to enhance the vision Ania Ahlborn crafts throughout the novel. Lucas, a true crime writer…

  • Why Read “The Collapse” When the World is Collapsing?

    There’s a reason why the Walking Dead, Supernatural, and pandemic films are so popular. It’s not just our morbid fascination that leads us to consume art that touches on our fears–there’s a real psychological benefit to it, too.

  • Book Review – Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

    Book Review – Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

    Rarely do I come across a work that screams, “YOU WILL LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT ME,” the way Freshwater shouted from the proverbial book stacks. It’s taken me awhile to get to this review, simply because I found the book so indescribably powerful. It’s fierce, ferocious, ethereal, gritty, and magical–all at once. Ada, a troubled Nigerian…

  • Book Review – I Want the Stars

    Book Review – I Want the Stars

    Science Fiction has a way of (in)forming our future reality, and “I Want the Stars” is no exception. Here, Tom Purdom has conceptualized a world that in the 1960s would have seemed unimaginable except among the rebels, one where humanity has transcended war, monogamy, and stigma around mental health care. However, this brilliant utopia and…

  • Book Review – What it Means When a Man Falls from the Sky

    Book Review – What it Means When a Man Falls from the Sky

    “The problem with those that don’t know real power is that they do not know real power.” – Volcano What a powerful collection! In “What Happens When a Man Falls from the Sky,” Leslie Nneka Arimah offers us stories that feel more like parables–a collection which weaves the mundane with the fantastical so fluidly that…

  • Book Review – You Were Never Really Here

    Book Review – You Were Never Really Here

    A former Marine and ex-FBI agent, Joe has seen one too many crime scenes and known too much trauma, and not just in his professional life. Solitary and haunted, he prefers to be invisible. He doesn’t allow himself friends or lovers and makes a living rescuing young girls from the deadly clutches of the sex…

  • Book Review – Ground Control

    Book Review – Ground Control

    Let’s hear a round of applause for our girl, Sarah 👏🏼  Women’s Fiction/FemLit is not my normal “cup of tea,” and after reading Ground Control, I see where perhaps this is in error. I was enticed by the Sci-Fi vibes of a voyage to Mars, but as with most books in the Lights Out Ink…