Flyleaf Books

Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch

, , , ,
Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

Pony Confidential galloped straight into my heart from page one. This cozy mystery is narrated by an ornery pony trying to clear the name of his beloved former owner Penny. It features rats, cats, birds, and dogs aiding our hero in his redemptive quest, and – oh, did I mention – this is based on The Odyssey? Easter eggs galore for the clever classicist. If you enjoyed playing spot-the-character in Demon Copperhead, just wait until you meet Circe the goat. Perfect for lovers of Remarkably Bright Creatures and Lessons in Chemistry.

Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch, (List Price: $28, Berkley, 9780593640364, November 2024)

Reviewed by Maggie Robe, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch Read More »

Hard Copy by Fien Veldman

, ,
Hard Copy by Fien Veldman
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

Wholly original, perfect for fans of Convenience Store Woman. A lonely young woman who has isolated herself from her family, friends, and colleagues turns to the one (semi)reliable relationship left in her life: her office printer. She dusts it lovingly, protects it from leaks, troubleshoots its needs. Is she delusional? Is it a fairy tale? Does that even matter? I came for the love story and stayed to see if she gets her HEA…and I’m not saying anything else because you should obviously read it if you’ve stayed with me this far. No spoilers.

Hard Copy by Fien Veldman, (List Price: $28.99, Apollo, 9781035906444, September 2024)

Reviewed by Maggie Robe, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Hard Copy by Fien Veldman Read More »

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

, ,
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

1950s San Francisco is not the safest place for seventeen-year-old Lily Hu to realize she’s a lesbian, and the danger is only amplified by the anti-Chinese sentiment of the Red Scare. It starts with Lily’s infatuation over the male impersonator Tommy Andrews, and the companionship and understanding of Kathleen Miller, a friend from her math class. It coalesces with love found under the neon sign of the Telegraph Club, a lesbian bar that is equally as threatened by the paranoia of the Cold War. Last Night at the Telegraph Club is beautifully written and utterly transcendent, and serves as a testament to the power and necessity of queer love even in times of danger and intolerance.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo, (List Price: $11.99, Dutton Books for Young Readers, 9780525555278, December 2021)

Reviewed by Jordan April, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo Read More »

Taxi Ghost by Sophie Escabasse

, ,
Taxi Ghost by Sophie Escabasse
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

Puberty has brought about the wildest change for Adèle; she can now see ghosts! Adèle now finds herself stuck between her desire to help and her Grandma’s absolute HATRED of ghosts. Armed with new ghost friends, medium powers, and some unexpected assistance, Adèle finds herself in the middle of a fight to save her city from predatory real estate developers. Sounds a bit wacky, but I promise you, you’re gonna love this one.

Taxi Ghost by Sophie Escabasse, (List Price: $13.99, Random House Graphic, 9780593565971, September 2024)

Reviewed by Jamie Kovacs, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Taxi Ghost by Sophie Escabasse Read More »

Good Night, Sleep Tight by Brian Evenson

, ,
Good Night, Sleep Tight by Brian Evenson
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

I read most of these perfectly-crafted stories in a single evening alone in a bedroom far from home. In the midst of reading one story I found particularly horrific, I glanced up at the wall. There was a painting of a moonlit lake next to a rocky shore limned entirely in blue. In my current headspace, I felt what can only be described as an “Evensonian impulse” creeping up my spine—to get out of my bed and walk toward the painting until I had passed through the canvas interstice into that sad navy wilderness. That’s the power of Evenson’s stories: not that he merely tells you about the squishy places in the membrane between our world and worlds beyond, but that he plants within your mind the certainty—which all children feel but adults tend to doubt—that you have already fallen through. Get lost in these stories. I hope you make it back.

Good Night, Sleep Tight by Brian Evenson, (List Price: $19, Coffee House Press, 9781566897099, September 2024)

Reviewed by Charlie Monroe, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Good Night, Sleep Tight by Brian Evenson Read More »

Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera

, , , ,
Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

Juliet is Puerto Rican, lesbian, and mostly just trying to figure herself out. She hopes that an internship with Harlowe Brisbane, renowned feminist author, will help. In a new city, all the way across the country from everything and everyone she knows, Juliet has a chance to learn about herself. Her inner thoughts are snarky and amusing, but also honest and relatable. Juliet Takes a Breath is a wonderful coming-of-age story for the modern era.

Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera, (List Price: $12, Dial Books, 9780593108192, May 2021)

Reviewed by Wendy, Flyleaf Books in , North Carolina

Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera Read More »

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki

, ,
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

What is it like to love this person who keeps breaking up with you, and then presumably coming back to you? That is the question Freddy is constantly asking herself as Laura Dean breaks her heart again, and again. This graphic novel is a great read for anyone looking for more LGBTQIA content or wanting to start reading graphic novels.

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki, (List Price: $17.99, First Second, 9781626722590, May 2019)

Reviewed by Jamie Kovacs, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki Read More »

Sharks Don’t Sink by Jasmin Graham

, ,
Sharks Don't Sink by Jasmin Graham
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

Jasmin Graham’s story is one of hardship, struggle, triumph, and, most importantly, power. Each chapter introduced a new notion. A new understanding. A new feeling. And after finishing this book, I was left with such hope that I couldn’t help but smile. The energy Graham brings to her field of shark science is something that traditional academia has been sorely lacking. And they will continue to miss out on this Rogue Scientist as she stands in defiance of the status quo.

Sharks Don’t Sink by Jasmin Graham, (List Price: $28, Pantheon, 9780593685259, July 2024)

Reviewed by Jamie Kovacs, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Sharks Don’t Sink by Jasmin Graham Read More »

Woman, Life, Freedom by Marjane Satrapi

,
Woman, Life, Freedom by Marjane Satrapi
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

In September 2022, in Tehran, Mahsa Amini was arrested and beaten to death by the morality police for not wearing her hijab properly. Women, men, and schoolchildren rose up in protest all over the country. This is a powerful and important reminder not to forget the people of Iran who continue to suffer under the brutal regime of Iran’s government.

Woman, Life, Freedom by Marjane Satrapi, (List Price: $35.95, Seven Stories Press, 9781644214053, March 2024)

Reviewed by Tony Peltier, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Woman, Life, Freedom by Marjane Satrapi Read More »

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

, ,
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

After two private school students are selected to be prefects, an anonymous bully starts sending text messages with revealing secrets about them to the rest of the student body. In this debut novel, suspense is expertly combined with interesting social commentary–perfect for fans of Courtney Summers, Maureen Johnson, or Karen McManus!

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, (List Price: $12.99, Square Fish, 9781250800800, July 2023)

Reviewed by Jen Minor, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé Read More »

Evocation by S.T. Gibson

, , , ,
Evocation by S.T. Gibson
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

David Aristarkhov is cursed, a demon on his heels and in his mind. A gifted psychic in his own right, he comes from a long line of mediums and magic wielders, which may also be the origin of his curse. His only allies happen to be his estranged ex, Rhys, and Rhys’ wife Moira, who have every reason not to help him. Evocation was a breathless character study in vulnerability and resilience, in finding aid in others, and magic bonds worth savoring. I adored it.

Evocation by S.T. Gibson, (List Price: $28, Angry Robot, 9781915202680, May 2024)

Reviewed by Jordan April, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Evocation by S.T. Gibson Read More »

The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag

, ,
The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

This is the best type of graphic novel, where it drives you to tears, but with it comes a kind of catharsis. Mags has a secret, one with sharp teeth and the potential to hurt. Nessa, her childhood best friend, was the only one who learned of it, and now she’s back, armed with questions about that secret and everything that happened all those years ago. Reading this and bearing witness to their solace found in vulnerability was a bit like communion – coming home and finding peace with someone who knows the scariest parts of you.

The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag, (List Price: $16.99, Graphix, 9781338839999, June 2024)

Reviewed by Jordan April, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag Read More »

Spider in the Well by Jess Hannigan

, ,
Spider in the Well by Jess Hannigan
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

The story is already so creative with its twists and turns, but the illustrations are key to understanding this lively story. The weird little kid? The weird townspeople? The weird spider? Perfect combo. Jess Hannigan is definitely someone to keep an eye on!

Spider in the Well by Jess Hannigan, (List Price: $19.99, Katherine Tegen Books, 9780063289475, March 2024)

Reviewed by Jamie Kovacs, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Spider in the Well by Jess Hannigan Read More »

Fervor by Toby Lloyd

,
Fervor by Toby Lloyd
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

Is it nature? Nurture? Unacknowledged familial trauma? Kabbalah? God? Does it matter? Toby Lloyd’s stunning novel debut feels like a long-lost dream, rippling with uncertainty for the best kind of unsettled reading experience — just after finishing, I wanted to read it all again.In a London, modern Ashkenazi Jewish home, our intersecting narrators offer multiple realities, inviting us to hold them amidst reflections on tradition, power, and existence with heart-wrenching beauty. Impressively succinct writing that unfolds in the mind like a flower in bloom with heart-wrenching beauty and depth – the rest of 2024’s reads are up against a powerhouse.

FervorFervor by Toby Lloyd, (List Price: $28, Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster, 9781668033333, March 2024)

Reviewed by RC Collman, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Fervor by Toby Lloyd Read More »

A Really Strange and Wonderful Time by Tom Maxwell

, ,
A Really Strange and Wonderful Time by Tom Maxwell
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

A beautifully written tribute, documentation, and exploration of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro, NC (and environs) indie music scene in the decade leading up to Y2K. The scope of what Maxwell covers is impressive: musical personalities- musicians and bands, yes, but also the producers, promotors, WXYC DJs and station managers, the labels big and small- Merge, Mammoth, and others. The migrations and importance of clubs like Cat’s Cradle and Local 506, recording studios (The Yellow House!), the rise of the internet and streaming radio, Maxwell illustrates the importance of the local ecosystem- the ‘zines and copy shops (Kinkos, Copytron) and then, ultimately, the internet and the changing of music distribution. A fantastic read on many levels, whether you want to revisit the bands (Superchunk, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Pipe, The Veldt, Ben Folds Five, The Pressure Boys, Sex Police) or just understand how a small community turned out some kick-ass music. An illustration of how indie music created a magical Third Place, coined by sociologist Ray Oldenberg as “a place where people meet, exchange ideas, have a good time and build relationships”. An eloquent honoring of a place and time where indie rock was paramount and the community was passionate for it.

A Really Strange and Wonderful Time by Tom Maxwell, (List Price: $30, Hachette Books, 9780306830587, April 2024)

Reviewed by Jamie Fiocco, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

A Really Strange and Wonderful Time by Tom Maxwell Read More »

Scroll to Top