Easter usually conjures up soft pastels, overflowing baskets of chocolate, and fuzzy bunnies hopping into spring. But beneath that cheery exterior lies a treasure trove of unsettling stories that warp the season’s themes of rebirth and renewal into something far more twisted. In fiction, Easter isn’t always sunshine and tulips … Nay-nay, dear reader, it…
Let the stars pick your poison! I first launched my BookStrology section back in February 2024 with starry-eyed ambition and a TBR pile that could rival the rings of Saturn. But between writing deadlines, toddler wrangling, and the occasional existential spiral, I never quite found the time to let it fully bloom … until now. So,…
Forget screaming final girls and frantic escape plans. In The September House by Carissa Orlando, Margaret Hartman — Maggie — does what any sensible woman would do when her dream home starts bleeding: she scrubs the floors, makes polite conversation with the ghosts, and keeps the place running. She’s finally got what she always wanted:…
Xenophobia is defined as: “the dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries,” which has sadly shaped societies for centuries. It is this irrational fear that has fueled policies, conflicts, and everyday injustices, and it is something we see every single day … Despite the lessons we (should have) learned from history, these prejudices…
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins is the fifth book in The Hunger Games series, the second book if you read them in chronological order, but more importantly, it’s a cleverly written, emotionally traumatizing novel that reconceptualizes the original trilogy in ways that fans could never have dreamed possible … Reaping Day Sunrise on…
It’s taken me far too long to find the time to read Kim Liggett’s young-adult dystopian novel, The Grace Year. But I’m extremely glad that I did, because the truth of the matter is, we live in societies where equality is a fabulous notion we all pretend exists when, in fact, it doesn’t … The…
Renowned criminal profiler, Micki Pistorius, is a household name in South Africa if you follow true crime in any way, shape, or form. As someone who follows quite a bit of true crime, both local and international, I was familiar with her work. However, it wasn’t until I watched the TV series based on her…
What is happiness? When will I be happy? How much money will it take to be happy? Will success make me happy? These are the questions that documentary filmmaker, Max Joseph, explores in his latest documentary, HAPPINESS. Quantifying Happiness When it comes to happiness, several neurotransmitters need to be activated in order to achieve that…
