Lydia Schoch

June 2, 2026 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: LGBTQ+ Books I Can’t Believe I’ve Never Read

Happy Pride Month, everyone! In honour of it, I’m tweaking this week’s theme so that all of the titles on it are about LGBTQ+ characters. These are all books I’ve been meaning to read but not have read yet.

If you’ve read any of them, did you like them? If you’re familiar with this subgenre, What other LGBTQ+ books did you think were great stories?

And don’t you wish we all had unlimited time to read?

1. Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

2. Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky, #1) by Rebecca Roanhorse

3. They Both Die at the End (They Both Die at the End, #1) by Adam Silvera

4. The City We Became (Great Cities, #1) by N.K. Jemisin

5. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

Technically, I did read a little of this book, but then it was due back at the library and so I couldn’t finish it. Someday I will try again.

6. The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1) by T.J. Klune

7. This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar

8. Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera

9. Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp

10. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

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May 28, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of Afterglow: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors

Title: Afterglow – Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors

Author: Grist (Editor)

Publisher: The New Press

Publication Date: February 7, 2023

Genres: Science Fiction, Paranormal, LGBTQ+

Length: 169 pages

Source: I borrowed it from the library.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

Afterglow is a stunning collection of original short stories in which writers from many different backgrounds envision a radically different climate future. Published in collaboration with Grist, a nonprofit media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions, these stirring tales expand our ability to imagine a better world. Inspired by cutting-edge literary movements, such as Afrofuturism, hopepunk, and solarpunk, Afterglow imagines intersectional worlds in which no one is left behind—where humanity prioritizes equitable climate solutions and continued service to one’s community. Whether through abundance or adaptation, reform, or a new understanding of survival, these stories offer flickers of hope, even joy, as they provide a springboard for exploring how fiction can help create a better reality. Afterglow welcomes a diverse range of new voices into the climate conversation to envision the next 180 years of equitable climate progress. A creative work rooted in the realities of our present crisis, Afterglow presents a new way to think about the climate emergency—one that blazes a path to a clean, green, and more just future.

Content Warning: Drug use. Pregnancy. Grief. I will briefly mention the last two items in my review.

Review:

There are many different ways to imagine a better future for humanity.

Augusta decided to begin a worm swap with other communities to improve everyone’s soil in “A Worm to the Wise.” This angle surprised me a little, and I was curious to discover what life was like in her version of the future where fuel costs had grown so high that most people could no longer travel long distances. There were layers of conflict and meaning in this tale that made me wish it had been expanded to something full-length. It had so much information to share with the audience, and I was eager to learn more about her world.

Some of these twelve tales felt uneven to me, and I struggled to connect to them due to the limited information they shared about what the future might be like. “The Tree in the Back Yard” was one such example of it, especially given Mariska’s response to her first visit to her father’s grave. It was completely understandable to see how difficult this experience was for her, but I found myself wishing for more information about why she didn’t keep trying to visit him and pay her respects given how important those things were to her and how much effort she put into selecting the right resting place for him. Having more details would have made this a more satisfactory read, and this was repeated often enough in this collection that I did feel the obligation to mention it in my review.

“El, The Plastotrophs, and And Me” followed a family who had just been approved to conceive their second child. The society they lived in limited births for ecological reasons, so they were thrilled to have the chance to become co-parents again. I was fascinated by how the protagonist explained the difference between wanting a romantic partner and wanting a child as these two concepts were not necessarily linked in this universe. There were some plot twists that only made the protagonist’s life plans more complicated as well, and I wished I could have followed them for a longer period of time.

Afterglow – Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors was thought provoking.

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Tagged as 2020s, Anthology, Book Reviews, Grist, Hopepunk, LGBT, Paranormal, Science Fiction, Solarpunk, The New Press

May 27, 2026 · 1:00 am

27 – Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Animals I Wish I Could Have As Pets

A laptop sitting on a wooden table. The text reads: “Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge. Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.”

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Are we picking real or mythological animals this week, friends? I wish some of you could jump into a Time Machine to tell past me which option is going to be more popular this week.

Two rabbits exploring a hay-filled enclosure. Both rabbits are white with brown ears and a few brown spots on their soft fur. One is standing up on his or her back legs to look around while the other is looking ahead at the viewer. Since you can’t do that, I’m going to give two answers.

As far as real animals go, rabbits would be my first pick if I wasn’t allergic to them and their hay.

They are quiet and usually pretty small creatures that don’t need to be taken outside for walks like a dog does.

This means that when I’m having a migraine or other health troubles, I could still rest at home and not have to go out into the bright, noisy world.

A pet rabbit would be no bother at all on those days.

I also think they’re absolutely adorable little mammals and would love watching them hop around and play or perhaps take a peaceful nap depending on the time of day.

If we’re strictly speaking of magical friends here, I think Brownies would be a nice household companion. I would happily give them food,respect, and a peaceful home and would appreciate whatever small repairs or improvements they decided to make to my home in exchange.

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May 26, 2026 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: My Favorite Books by My Favorite Authors

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Thank you to Cathy @ WhatCathyReadNext for submitting these theme! While my list of favourite books always evolves over time, these are titles that I enjoyed reading and still think about quite often.

Since TTT bloggers don’t always all share the same taste, I’ll briefly describe why I love all of these stories as well.

Book cover for The Deep by Rivers Solomon. Image on cover is a drawing of a black mermaid with long hair is swimming in the ocean up to the surface. There are two whales swimming nearby.

1. The Deep by Rivers Solomon

The world building in this novella was exquisite, but I can’t say much else about it without sharing spoilers. All you need to know going in is that mermaids exist in this universe and have very little in common with Ariel.

Book cover for The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery. Image on cover shows a castle with blue turrets that was built on a cliff overlooking the ocean.

2.The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

There were so many fantastic subplots included here about topics like emotional abuse, the harm of strict gender roles, learning how to stand up for yourself, living with a chronic illness, etc. that this is something I tend to reread every year or two. I’d particularly recommend to people who are like me and generally don’t read much romance because while falling in love was part of the story, it was not at all the entirety of it.

Book cover for The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. Image on cover shows a drawing of a large country mansion just after dusk while the shadows are closing in on it.

3. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

Ms. Waters made her name writing lesbian romance novels, so some fans were disappointed to see her step away from that genre when The Little Stranger came out. I thought she did an excellent job of branching out and trying something new with this mystery that may or may not include paranormal elements depending on how you interpret certain scenes.

I love it when authors take risks with their work like this.

Book cover for Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor. Image on cover shows the face of a young African woman who has a short Afro and is wearing hoop earrings superimposed on a drawing of a jungle that is so thickly packed with trees light can barely penetrate it. In this interpretation of the scene, the hoop earrings are now thick vines hanging from the trees!

4.Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor

This novella had excellent character development and would make an amazing film. Once again, I can’t share anything else for spoiler reasons or I’d be gushing with admiration for the protagonist.

Book cover for Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy. Image on cover is a painting of several brown women standing around and staring at each other in a room. Some of them are only wearing their underwear.

5. Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy

The mystery and science fiction genres meld together in this novel about a woman who is either time travelling to save the future or who is having strong hallucinations while being treated by doctors who may be subconsciously allowing their sexist and racist beliefs to cloud their judgement.

I’ve had pretty good experiences with the medical establishment for the most part, but there have been a few times when I wondered if my symptoms weren’t being taken seriously due to my sex, disability, and/or sexual orientation. It can be hard to tell what’s actually going on in certain situations, especially given how overworked doctors and nurses often are, and I thought it was interesting that this ambiguity was explored so thoroughly in this book.

Book cover for A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1) by Becky Chambers. Image on cover shows a top-down drawing of a winding road through a forest. On the road you can see a robot lifting their arm up to wave at someone who is pedaling a tiny motor home down the road.

6. A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1) by Becky Chambers

This is the epitome of a comfort read if you ask me. It’s such a peaceful and utopian setting.

Book cover for A Thousand Mornings: Poems by Mary Oliver. Image on cover is a photo of a pine forest on a very cloudy day. All of the trees are enshrouded in such a thick layer of fog that I can’t quite tell if this is actually a photo or if it’s a painting!

7. A Thousand Mornings: Poems by Mary Oliver

Honestly, all of Ms. Oliver’s poetry is wonderful, especially for people who struggle to understand this genre. She had such a thoughtful and accessible writing style that anyone who has ever stepped foot into nature and liked it has a good chance of relating to something she wrote.

Book cover for The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore. Image on cover shows a lime green film over an antique photo of 1920s-style girls posing together in their flapper dresses

8.The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore

This is a sobering story about corporate greed, the abuse of low-income workers, and how a few brave young women spoke out to improve things for future generations.

Book cover for The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. Image on cover is a drawing of a little white girl hiding behind a white tree in a snowy forest. A red fox peeks out from behind a nearby tree as well.

9.The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

I adored the magical realism in this book as well as the 1920s retelling of an old Russian fairy tale. It was creative and bittersweet.

Book cover for Foster by Claire Keegan. Image on cover shows a blurry image of a young white girl sitting as she watches other children ride a merry-go-round.

10.Foster by Claire Keegan

This reads like a story a grandmother might tell her grandchildren about what life was like generations ago. I desperately want a sequel for it.

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Tagged as Top Ten Tuesday

May 21, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of This House Isn’t Haunted, But We Are

Title: This House Isn’t Haunted, But We Are

Author: Stephen Howard

Publisher: Wild Hunt Books

Publication Date: April 3, 2025

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal, Mystery, Contemporary

Length: 106 pages

Source: I borrowed it from the library.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

A couple mourning the loss of their young daughter take up an opportunity to renovate a rural cottage on the remote North Yorkshire Moors. However, they can’t process their grief as increasingly eerie events unfold. Is it their daughter haunting them or something else?

Content Warning: the death a child that occurred before this novella began. I will be discussing it briefly in my review.

Review:

Moving forward rarely happens on a set schedule.

I adored the house’s motivation for attempting to communicate with Priya and Simon, the couple who just moved in. While I can’t go into detail about this without sharing spoilers, it was a fresh perspective on the haunted house genre that made me eagerly want to learn more. Mr. Howard is a creative storyteller, and these scenes in particular were well done and made me want to check out more of his work.

This would have been a much stronger work if more time had been spent fleshing it out, especially when it came to the character development. While the minimalistic descriptions worked better for the storyline given how straightforward it was for the most part, I found myself wishing I knew more about who Simon and Priya were as individuals. There simply wasn’t enough space in this novella to explore their personalities, histories, and what their marriage had been like before little Lily passed away.

The ending was as unexpected as it was thought provoking. I was intrigued by what it had to say about the process of grief and how easy it is to get stuck in certain phases of it for some people. It takes courage to pull oneself out of those spirals and move forward when what one really wants to do is wallow in the past. While I would have liked to see another chapter added at the end to explain what was really going on in the house, I also understand why the author decided to leave those questions unanswered. Grief in real life is often accompanied by questions that can’t possibly be answered, too, so it made sense to reflect that in fiction as well.

If anyone reading this review would like a recommendation for a similar read, The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters explores similar themes surrounding grief, the loss of a child, and the physical and emotional decay of a home and may be of interest to you.

This House Isn’t Haunted, But We Are made me want to read more haunted house tales.

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Tagged as 2020s, Book Reviews, Contemporary, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Novella, Paranormal, Psychological Horror, Stephen Howard, Wild Hunt Books

May 20, 2026 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: A Typical Day in My Life

A laptop sitting on a wooden table. The text reads: “Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge. Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.”

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

A white person wearing a light orange, long-sleeved shirt is typing on a laptop while sitting on a couch. This is what a typical day in my life looks like not counting the usual stuff like making breakfast or checking the mail:

15-20 minutes of studying Spanish in the morning either on Duolingo or by consuming Spanish media (music, tv shows, films, etc).

A 30 minute morning workout. It will most often be kickboxing, weightlifting, or a maybe a walk if I’m not feeling great. Occasionally, yoga or dancing might replace one of these activities. Evening workouts can interfere with my sleep schedule, so mornings it is.

Writing. I try to get in a few hours of writing a day on average. Due to my migraines, this means that some days are more like seven or eight hours of writing while others include very little of it.

Volunteering. This, too, varies by day. It’s done virtually and could be as short as five minutes or as long as a few hours. So much relies on how long a to-do list is and how much time I have to check things off from it!

Chores. This is maybe 30 minutes to three hours a day, depending on whether or not the laundry basket is full and how many loads of laundry I might need to do. Chores always include washing multiple rounds of dishes since we don’t own a dishwasher and have a tiny drying rack. It might also include going grocery shopping, mailing a birthday card to a relative, picking up a prescription or other necessary goods at the pharmacy, calling the doctor or dentist, cleaning the bathroom, dusting, sweeping, etc. You know, the typical stuff adults do to keep things running smoothly that kids don’t think about when they wish they, too, were grownups.

A short lunchtime walk, if possible. It’s good to stretch my legs after a morning of (mostly) sitting.

A focused afternoon. Anything I didn’t finish in the morning is something I try to return to and wrap up ibefore dinner.

15-20 minutes of studying Spanish in the evening. It’s a nice way to wind down, and I’m getting a much stronger grasp of that language with all of the time I’ve invested into it.

Batch cooking. About twice a week I’ll make something that keeps well like spaghetti, tacos, shepherd’s pie, or a stir-fry that I can eat for lunch or for dinner over the next 2-3 days.

Maybe an evening walk? Sometimes this happens, and sometimes it doesn’t depending on the weather and how I’m feeling.

Migraines are the main thing that interrupts this schedule. Screen time is a known trigger for many people’s migraines, and my medical professionals have told me to really keep an eye on it and limit screen time when I can for that reason. It’s hard for me to focus when I’m having one anyways, so those days are meant for lying still in a room that is as dark and quiet as possible.

So if my body is anywhere in the migraine cycle, I put off everything I possibly can for a couple of days and get as much rest as I can. I’m quite fortunate to have the ability to do this, and it’s one reason why I push myself to get so much done on the good days.

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May 19, 2026 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters Who Share My First Name

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I struggled with the original topic for this week, “Favorite Secondary/Minor Characters,” because I’ve been reading more nonfiction lately. Therefore, I’m going rogue.

When I was a teenager, someone called out my name at an amusement park. I turned around only to see a man talking to his young daughter. This was the only time during my childhood that I can recall someone saying Lydia and not meaning me!

Here are ten books that include characters named Lydia.

How common is it for you to find your first name used for fictional characters or in real life to draw the attention of someone who isn’t you?

1. Love for Lydia by H.E. Bates

2. A Home for Goddesses and Dogs by Leslie Connor

3. How to Be a Girl in the World by Caela Carter

4. The Paper Museum by Kate S. Simpson

5. Lydia, Queen of Palestine by Uri Orlev

6. An Accomplished Woman by Jude Morgan

7. The Education of Lydia by Charles X. Wolffe

8. The Testaments (The Handmaid’s Tale, #2) by Margaret Atwood

9. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

10. China Trade (Lydia Chin & Bill Smith #1) by S.J. Rozan

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May 14, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of Beach House on the Moon

Title: Beach House on the Moon

Author: Leigh Kimmel

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: May 16, 2023

Genres: Science Fiction

Length: 13 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

The Moon is a dead world, airless and desolate. Emmaline Waite has known this fact since childhood, when she watched the Apollo landings. But here she sits on the shores of the Sea of Tranquillity, looking up at the gibbous Earth as the waves roll in. What madness can this be? She gets no time to contemplate that question, for she is not alone. She is about to enter a realm of love and fear, of mindbending secrets that change her understanding of human history, and of self-sacrifice. Her life will never be the same.

Review:

A little science goes a long way.

The dreamlike themes made me wonder what would happen next. Ms. Kimmel did a good job of capturing what it feels like to not be sure if you’re dreaming or if something incredible has just happened. This was particularly true as one scene would drift slowly into the next one without always explaining what had happened in the intervening moments. That’s not an easy mental state to portray with the written word, so kudos to her for accomplishing it so nicely. Truly, I could not have predicted the ending.

I struggled with the plot holes, especially as they pertained to Emmaline’s relationship with someone she met on the moon. Sometimes it felt like those scenes were an outline of something that hadn’t been fully written yet instead of the finished product due to how quickly everything happened and how some key details were glossed over. As much as I wanted to give this a higher rating, my confusion about what was going on there prevented me from doing that.

There aren’t enough science fiction or other types out tales set on the moon these days. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever read one that included an ocean there, so exploring how that came to be was of high interest to me. While I don’t want to give away any spoilers in this review, I can say that these descriptions were nicely written and made me want to learn more about what was going on there.

Beach House on the Moon piqued my curiosity.

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Tagged as 2020s, Book Reviews, Leigh Kimmel, Science Fiction, Self-Published, Short Story

May 13, 2026 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Something I Wish I Knew More About

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Media training is something I wish I knew more about.

I’ve read that public figures of all sorts were traditionally taught how to speak to the media early on in their careers. As in, shortly before they were signed to a record label, decided to run for office, chosen as a new player for a sports team, had their book approved for publication, or experienced something similarly life changing, they were given lessons on how to talk to reporters and how to steer a conversation away from matters they’d rather not discuss.

(Modern social media stars unfortunately don’t seem to receive this same training in many cases).

I promise I am not trying to make this a political post in any way! I’m simply fascinated by how people can so smoothly steer a conversation in the way they want it to go even when they’re asked about possibly painful topics by a reporter who has been trained to get a straight answer.

One of the things I’ve read about media training is that public figures are told to answer the question they wish they were asked instead of the one they were actually asked.

So, for example, if so-and-so is asked why their latest album didn’t sell as many copies as was expected, they might pivot to talk about the incredible writers and producers who worked on that project with them or maybe they’ll tell a story about a fan who approached them and said that a certain song was life changing instead.

This can be used for much more serious topics as well, of course.

I’m fascinated by how well this can work, why it still sometimes fails, and want to learn more. It’s not how I approach conversations at all either as the person asking questions or the person answering them.

If anyone has any personal insight into how this type of communication plays out, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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Tagged as Celebrities, Media Training, Political, Public Figure, Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge

May 12, 2026 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Foliage and Flower Crowns on Book Covers

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

May Flowers was the topic for this week, so I decided to hunt down some book covers that have people wearing crowns of foliage or flowers on them.

This is something I’ve seen occasionally in films or books, but I have never seen it done in real life by anyone I know. Perhaps it’s an older custom? Or maybe it’s something done in parts of the world I haven’t visited yet?

Have you ever worn a crowns of flowers or other foliage in your hair or seen someone else do the same thing?