https://mirandahouse.info/blog daily 0.75 2026-04-01 https://mirandahouse.info/blog/march-2026-reads monthly 0.5 2026-04-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/d94d27a0-e6ed-4597-81aa-104704642171/sdlk.jpg Blog - March 2026 Reads - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/d4c12b5d-2947-4268-88cf-eb61d9231069/dsfdssee.png Blog - March 2026 Reads - THE NIGHTBORN DUET THE SERPENT & THE WINGS OF NIGHT, THE ASHES & THE STAR-CURSED KING Carissa Broadbent (2022, 2023) I’m not very well-versed in the “romantasy” genre, and I will admit to falling prey to the assumptions and jokes based on romantasy stereotypes in the past. I’ve never been hugely into fantasy novels, and romance even less so, these types of books were never really destined to be among the first I grab off the shelf. However, I took a chance on this duology of books, having found them in a neighborhood Little Free Library, and was actually quite pleased. The Nightborn Duet takes place in the fictional kingdom of Obitraes, a land shared by vampires, broken down into three kingdoms, — Bloodborn, Nightborn, and Shadowborn, and of course, there is a much subjugated human population as well. Our main character for these two books, Oraya, and later her love interest Raihn, are Nightborn: Oraya is a human who has been adopted and trained for combat by the Nightborn king, Vincent. Raihn is a turned human, now a vampire. The Nightborn is divided into two different races, the Hiaj and the Rishan, who have of course been warring as long as anyone can remember. The world is actually quite interesting, and is the only time I can think of where I’ve read a vampire novel where I got an ancient, dusty, almost desert-like vibe from the world we’re inhabiting, except for maybe Queen of the Damned, but that’s dealing so specifically with ancient Egypt, which is of course real, I hesitate to compare them. I would love more background and fleshing out about the difference between the three kingdoms, and their cultures, but given that there are many more books and novellas in this series (Crowns of Nyaxia), I expect that should I choose to keep reading, I’ll get more of that in the future. Serpent & Wings, the first book in the series, deals a lot with growing up in fear and isolation, and learning how to let people in when you’ve been taught everything and everyone around you is a danger; and Ashes revolves around how to reconcile with the betrayal of those you DO let in, when the people you trust let you down or fail you, whether or not that’s a lover, a parent, or an entire system. The first book has a more….defined feel to it, fitting into structurally neat sections based around a tournament, while the second book takes place in the aftermath of said tournament, and delves deeply into the characters’ internal struggles with their choices in the first book. For a first foray into romantasy, this book actually kinda….hit??? I'm somewhat indifferent to the steamy scenes — I’m not a prude, I guess that’s just not what I read for — but these were well executed (if a little long for me, personally) and I do find myself curious about what the rest of the Crowns of Nyaxia series has to offer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/9454790b-0f72-447d-9b8b-a6ee877daff6/81ZTEvAuSJL._SL1500_.jpg Blog - March 2026 Reads - SUPER PSYCHIC POLICEMAN CHOJO VOL 2 Shun Numa (2024; 2026) The misadventures of our titular super psychic policeman and his comrades continue in the second volume of this series! While it doesn’t quite deliver on the same level of funny faces and visual gags that had me laughing out loud in volume one, this volume has a few multi-chapter storylines, breaking up the more single chapter slice of life feel that volume one had. While we don’t get to know the characters any more in a meaningful, story-driven kind of way, we do get to spend more time with them and get to know the feel of them, if that makes sense. A solid second volume in the series! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/05172c69-36f5-4c4e-b409-ca0e4442694e/9781974762170_nana-25th-anniversary-edition-manga-volume-3_1.jpg Blog - March 2026 Reads - NANA 25th ANNIVERSARY EDITION VOL 3 Ai Yazawa (2002; 2026) I am loving these 25th anniversary editions of NANA. I’m a longtime fan, having originally read the chapters when they were first serialized in English, in Shojo Beat magazine in the early ‘00s. These 2-in-1 editions of the manga have gorgeous, trendy covers showcasing Ai Yazawa’s art and incredibly cool plaid printed pages. Volume 3 contains what was originally printed in volumes 5 and 6. If you haven’t read Nana before, you absolutely should — but much of what I could say here would make absolutely no sense to you. This is the volume where we see Nana O. and the members of Blast start to get more serious about their Tokyo careers, and we get to meet the members of Trapnest. The love triangle between Nana K., Nobu, and Takumi is established here, remaining a key plot point for the a good chunk of the series, and we also get a closer look at Trapnest’s vocalist and one of two universally fan-despised characters, Reira, who we learn is the former girlfriend of everyone’s favorite skinhead, Yasu, and currently entangled with Blast’s youngest (read: definitely not of legal age) member, Shin. If you haven’t read Nana yet, this is your sign! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/b23286b1-42c7-475d-b297-a1886f6ff710/81IroycPMgL.jpg Blog - March 2026 Reads - THE BELLE OF BEDFORD AVENUE Virginia A. McConnell (2019) After a long jaunt in the land of steamy fantasy, followed by classic shoujo manga drama, I needed a bit of a change, and decided to return to one of my favorite wells when looking for something to read: true crime. Specifically, Victorian and Gilded Age true crime is one of my favorite things to read, and this book didn’t disappoint. While not up there with some of my favorite cases, this was really interesting. The book itself, to me, read almost more like a biography of the titular belle herself, Florence Burns, rather than strictly a true crime book, although her life is so defined by the crimes she was in and around, it would almost be impossible not to write a true crime book about her life, whether you wanted to or not. While I think the term “affluenza” is kind of corny, there’s no better word to describe the life of Florence Burns. Born to a life of privilege and determined to squander it, Florence Burns was a turn-of-the-century ne'er-do-well for the ages. To be completely honest, I find something kind of….well, I wouldn’t say aspirational, but maybe endearing about Florence, with regards to her bad behavior - much of it would be pretty normal teen behavior by modern standards. Her commitment to acting out and doing what she wanted, when she wanted, in the face of the social expectations of the time, particularly with regards to class and gender, feels feminist in its own way. That being said, Florence Burns had PLENTY of flaws (let’s just say any feminism one might be willing to ascribe to her would certainly not be intersectional) and was prone to making insanely bad choices, ones I certainly can’t and won’t support. Florence Burns is a fascinating character of America’s Gilded Age, and her outrageous life is well worth a read. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/005aec6e-a75b-4772-8799-00c01022e000/NKM_LastCallToLeaveEarth_Cover.jpg Blog - March 2026 Reads - LAST CALL TO LEAVE EARTH Cassio Ribeiro (2025, 2026) This graphic novel by Brazillian writer and artist Cassio Ribeiro wears its manga influences on its sleeve. To be honest, I’m not one of those people who is not really a stickler on when and why we define “manga” — should it only apply to Japanese comics, as per the term itself? Or does a graphic novel that follows the form and its trappings so closely deserve to be listed among peers like Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction by Inio Asano? I’d personally argue that this is manga, to me, but I digress. Three friends capture an extraterrestrial sighting as children; as adults, they all lead lives influenced by that sighting. Lucas has remained in their hometown, still living with his family, and full of regret at things left unsaid. The other two are in a relationship in the present day; Carlos is a professional UFO hunter and podcaster, living the content grind hustle. As for Rita, the girl who took the photo but wasn’t named in the initial sighting, she’s a photographer for a newspaper, but seems to view the camera as a boundary between herself and the lives of those around her; referring to herself as a ghost more often than not. There’s also Rebeca, another woman still living in town, who has befriended Lucas in the absence of Carlos and Rita, and who seems to have a connection with the unworldly. This manga is a quick read, but packs a cathartic punch, exploring the different ways people can feel “alien” to each other, and the world around them, and the lengths folks would go to to be seen, or to stay hidden. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/32149c8f-e063-4dc4-bf3f-27719566b666/71EwDwkQsUL._AC_UF1000%2C1000_QL80_.jpg Blog - March 2026 Reads - THE LUMINOUS FAIRIES AND MOTHRA Shin’ichiro Nakamura, Takehiko Fukunaga, Yoshie Hotta, Jeffrey Angles This book was lent to me by a customer, and was a real treat to read!! The first half of the book is the original short story that was written for adaptation into the first Mothra film, and the second half is a wonderful, well-researched essay going deep into the background of the book and film. The short story itself was fine, although a little peculiar at parts — you can very much tell it was written to be adapted into a different medium from the start, by three different people. But I genuinely loved the back matter essay, covering everything from the socio-poliltical current events around the film that likely inspired aspects of the story, to why certain changes were made for the adaptation, to even interesting linguistics discussion about the gender of Mothra, and challenges in translating the story. For anyone who loves Kaiju, I HIGHLY HIGHLY suggest this quick, informative read! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/00d8ef00-f043-45f4-84ad-9c78c7aa1799/9781647295073.png Blog - March 2026 Reads - SAYURI Rensuke Oshikiri (2015, 2026) Originally published in two volumes, Sayuri is collected into one complete omnibus in this edition, giving first time readers such as myself the chance to get the full story in one collected edition. Sayuri is a ghost story, as many of the best J-horror stories are, however this one feels a little more nuanced than it comes across at face value. The premise of the story will feel familiar to even the most casual consumer of a spooky story — Norio and his family have just moved into their dream home, but nearly immediately things begin to go awry. As the mysterious presence haunting Norio’s family claims them one by one, what will he do to protect his family, and himself? I found it interesting that there’s a short letter from the author at the back of the book, noting that he was inspired to write this manga after feeling dissatisfied with many J-horror films, which he found frustrating because the protagonists never seemed to do anything to fight back against the forces oppressing them. And boy, do the characters in Sayuri fight back. The ghost itself, and the situation surrounding it, are kind of interesting. Spoiler alert: the ghost haunting Norio’s home is that of a teen girl named Sayuri. She seems to feed on the fear and misery of those in the home, which is honestly not that different from a living teen girl, sometimes. Sayuri is described as being like a hikikomori, a kind of extreme antisocial disorder, where sufferers withdraw entirely from society, often never leaving their home. I am no psychologist so take anything I say here with a grain of salt, but it seems it can often go hand in hand with other things like depression and anxiety, too. If we consider Sayuri and her haunting as a teenage girl who was killed during a difficult point in her life, whose entire afterlife seems to revolve around paranormally super-powered teen girl emotions and behaviors, it’s interesting to consider the methods Norio takes to combat her: staying active, keeping a clean home, eating enough, and generally “living well”. Well, that, and a healthy dose of revenge, too. I didn’t super love the art in this manga, but it served the story well, and deserves a footnote for that, for sure. A few pages reminded me of something from PTSD Radio by Masaaki Nakayama, which I adore, so if you like his works, you may like Sayuri as well! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/c4b50e8f-ffa5-4043-8c93-4ba218f59f14/Black_Womens_History_of_US_8403.jpg Blog - March 2026 Reads - A BLACK WOMEN’S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES Daina Ramey Berry & Kali Nicole Gross This was a super fascinating, accessible read about some incredibly dark topics, but more than that, I found it to be an incredibly informative and uplifting read about some incredible women I had never once heard about. This book is broken down into chunks of history, book-ending each chapter with the story of one particular woman and how she lived and made history in her day. These chapters are filled out with countless stories of women whom history has remembered (or not remembered, in many cases), succeeding despite insurmountable odds, in many cases. I like to try and keep my reading list varied, and pick up books that help me continue to educate myself because the process of unlearning things, and striving to be a better human being in general is a constant one. This was an excellent book, very readable and enjoyable at the same time it educated and elucidated. Highly highly recommend!! https://mirandahouse.info/blog/before-we-wake-signing monthly 0.5 2026-03-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/1773167397294-DO4OJ163CQJSMTORY3OI/PXL_20260228_205917758.MP.jpg Blog - Before We Wake Signing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/1773167439385-9D3YDZ57L78H51UP0G87/PXL_20260228_193858614.jpg Blog - Before We Wake Signing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/1773167359518-D9ODVYM3IXY3CRKQDJ50/PXL_20260228_193832074.jpg Blog - Before We Wake Signing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/1773167452278-ZEWDGL03RK6JKW1PCR8G/PXL_20260228_194118801.MP.jpg Blog - Before We Wake Signing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/1773167365536-204D6DJ15JES9CTMCYVD/PXL_20260228_194414658.jpg Blog - Before We Wake Signing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/1773167473548-C0WKK8WYVV0UKAP3QQG5/PXL_20260228_194958448.jpg Blog - Before We Wake Signing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/1773167378090-SJ7J55YW1E42EMCPAQNO/PXL_20260228_194914365.MP.jpg Blog - Before We Wake Signing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/1773167487164-AK8VWQPOJ6M7CISHZGC3/PXL_20260228_200351473.jpg Blog - Before We Wake Signing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/1773167420833-8XWENGJTGZCAG7TOYW2J/PXL_20260228_193802438.MP.jpg Blog - Before We Wake Signing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/1773167427459-HGI0RESAS0TOS7WY7OD0/PXL_20260228_193814545.jpg Blog - Before We Wake Signing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/1773167439156-6DQA82K4KW02ZLV40DZS/PXL_20260228_193831558.jpg Blog - Before We Wake Signing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/1773167491698-8IVEPL4CP0W32CFLW0ZF/PXL_20260228_200413566.jpg Blog - Before We Wake Signing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/1773167492351-JO69J68G5DR2DFBLZ0XS/PXL_20260228_205918069.jpg Blog - Before We Wake Signing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/1773167495352-BS0FTAO68N4935E53QW7/PXL_20260228_205922279.jpg Blog - Before We Wake Signing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/1773167513077-R4EC2YLJGOR7BSIJMHOM/PXL_20260228_224513978.jpg Blog - Before We Wake Signing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/1773167409729-A1R6VMPUHT5B51JRBEF4/PXL_20260228_224527404.jpg Blog - Before We Wake Signing https://mirandahouse.info/blog/february-2026-reads monthly 0.5 2026-03-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/e4bcf3d9-28e2-436e-b175-a4dae392fdcd/1000019880.jpg Blog - February 2026 Reads - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/d7ab0f8f-ee54-4055-902d-88669cff108e/44074748.jpg Blog - February 2026 Reads - JAWBONE Mónica Ojeda (2017; 2022) The first few chapters of this book were a challenging read; it pulls no punches with its prose. Like the main character in the first chapter, who finds herself bound and trapped in a remote cabin, you're left disoriented, frustrated, and struggling to grasp what's going on around you. However, once I adjusted to the narrative styles chosen by the author and translator, I found this novel incredibly compelling. Parts of it read like spoken dialogue (every time I read the italicized, hypenated “high-school-for-girls” it was impossible for me to not whisper it in one breath), bringing the voices and personalities of narrators into focus for the reader, even when that character's own focus (or lack thereof) is occasionally difficult to follow. One thing I found fascinating about this book is its obsession with the liminal; online we hear and read a lot about liminal spaces, especially in online horror spheres, and while this book does involve its own liminal space in the form of an abandoned building, it's really more about a liminal STATE, a liminal time in one's life – specifically that of the teenage girl, or as it is often referred to in the book, “the White Age.” This liminality is often characterized by the color white, typically known to express a kind of purity – however, Jawbone focuses on the flip side of that: what is pure is constantly on the cusp of corruption. I think it's especially interesting given that the characters in the book and presumably the author herself is well-versed in internet horror culture, but liminal spaces as a horror concept don't really make an appearance here, compared to classic creepypastas like Jeff the Killer and phenomena like Slenderman. Another key part of this book is its spotlight on the relationship between mothers and daughters. All the major characters in this book have a strained relationship with their mothers, often through abuse and neglect, but also often reflected in bizarre, unnerving love. A quote early in the book stuck out to me, and was often repeated in one form or another throughout – “everyone engenders their murderers, she thought, but only women give birth to them.” The cycle of daughters replacing their mothers, then becoming mothers themselves only to later be devoured and replaced as they grow old, for me brought to mind the “maiden-mother-crone” archetypes of womanhood, except if that was generally perceived as a negative rather than a neutral-to-positive fact of life. I think this also often extends to a larger inability to communicate across ages and generations in general. Finally, the relationship between two of the main characters, teen girls Annalise and Fernanda, is riveting. Their friendship goes beyond friendship, perhaps beyond romantic love, for better or (often) for worse. A certain toxic part of it appealed to me, I can't lie. The feeling of closeness akin to desire; desire to the point of obsession, almost literally all-consuming, is a dynamic I find endlessly fascinating in fiction (see last month’s Wuthering Heights.) The sexual nature of their obsession borders into violence, but at the same time, the internalized homophobia present in the catholic school society the girls live in is present nearly every time this is brought up, which makes me feel pity for them. I find the two of them especially embody a kind of “spectrum of girlhood” — they enjoy hair, makeup, fashion, and boys, just as much as they do internet ARGs, horror, and the occult. That complexity in them is something I can relate to a lot from my own teen years, and even now as an adult, although of course they take these interests to horrifying extremes. Obviously I had a lot to say about this book, and I haven't even scratched the surface; I didn't even include a summary or recap here, because I wouldn't even know where to begin. After finishing it, I desperately needed to see what others thought about this book – I had seen it recommended many times, hence why I had read it – but after a quick Google, I found a handful of reddit threads that mostly slammed it for being pretentious and extreme for the sake of it, which I frankly can't agree with. Jawbone is gonna stick with me for a while. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/35ef8dfe-36b5-4db3-b9f0-8c14ab206060/passport+cover.jpg Blog - February 2026 Reads - PASSPORT Sophia Glock (2021) I read this book in preparation for a signing we would be having with the author/artist at the end of the month; the signing was for her newest book, Before We Wake, but this was her first graphic novel. It tells the story of Sophia during her teen years, attending school in Central America. The blurb on the back of the book posits the central narrative being around discovering the big secret her parents have been hiding from her: that her life has been constantly uprooted since childhood because they’re intelligence officers in the CIA. This was a very eye-opening premise, and putting myself in Sophia’s shoes was definitely a fascinating look into her very specific upbringing, and of what that kind of secrecy does to a child’s life, and a family dynamic. For me, however, I found the narratives around Sophia’s best friend Beth the most interesting parts of the book. Friendships and relationships are complicated at any age, but especially so in your teen years. Reading this while I was in the middle of Jawbone felt like an appropriate, if much less visceral, companion piece — the relationships between young women can be volatile, needy, breathless, and heartbreaking. I’m still thankfully good friends with many of the people I grew up with, but I could see shades of the complicated friendships and feelings I had at that age reflected here, and to me, those layers of love and loss were the most compelling. As with many books focusing around young adulthood, the struggle to understand yourself and your place in the world is predominant here, and I think it’s very aptly handled. This graphic novel feels very matter-of-fact, stating “this is who I was, at this place in time. This is how I was feeling, what I was learning to feel, and how I dealt with it.” It’s not saccharine, which I respect; rather, it’s forthright and honest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/0d558f2f-266d-44d7-a5f1-c0f5ac97d297/BEFOREWEWAKE+COVER+4WEB.jpeg Blog - February 2026 Reads - BEFORE WE WAKE Sophia Glock (2026) Before We Wake tackles similar themes as Passport — complex friendships, relationships, loss — But this time through the lens of a teen girl struggling after the death of a parent. Resistant to change, living through the period of life that inevitably invites change the most, Alicia finds herself in a complex love triangle when she starts to see her best friend’s boyfriend in her dreams — except he seems to remember the dreams, too. I think there’s a moment in every person’s life where you have the realization that nothing can stay the same forever. It can be triggered by something as major as a death, or as mundane as an afternoon at your job. The people you knew the best, suddenly you realize you don’t know at all, and maybe you don’t even know yourself as well as you thought you did. What do you want? What do YOU want? Will you take the next step to make it happen, even if it means accepting uncertainty? Or will you find yourself forever walking towards some vague spot in the distance, never acknowledging….something? Something that jumped out to me in this book was all the tarot inspired imagery, something Sophia herself told us at the signing was very intentional, and drew a lot from her history with her mother, who was a professional dream interpreter, when running column doing so for a period of years. It’s obvious in some scenarios, like Alicia having her cards read by best friend Marisa; but in other places it is more subtle and open to interpretation — later in the book, in Alicia’s dream world, we see her approached by a lion (which I took to be representing her cat Lucifer) that she is initially afraid of, before remembering she’s in control of her own dreams, and petting the lion. This reminded me a lot of the major arcana card “Strength”, and the “Death” and “The Star” cards both make an appearance. Just something cool that I noticed! The signing for this book went really well, and Sophia Glock is an extremely rad person. Check this one out if you are into dreamy YA romance! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/d38e6fe8-2356-45c0-9f88-9db4f5a93976/91Chaf6lotL._AC_UF1000%2C1000_QL80_.jpg Blog - February 2026 Reads - DRIVE YOUR PLOW OVER THE BONES OF THE DEAD Olga Tokarczuk (2009; 2018) This is another book that I’ve seen highly recommended online, and last year I read The Empusium from the same author, so I was very excited to dig into this one. This is a mystery (I’ve seen some describe it as specifically in the noir subgenre although I’m not sure I feel like this applies, in my opinion) that fits squarely into what I’d think of as…. “Old Crone fiction.” Our narrator is an eccentric old woman, living mostly in isolation near the border of Poland and the Czech Republic. Due to her seclusion, as well as her aversion to names and devout belief in astrology and the movements of the heavens, she’s largely viewed as a local crank by what few villagers are around. She’s deeply aware of the natural world around her, you get the feeling that if this woman existed in the 1500s she would have been burned as a witch. Still, she’s managed to make a few friends, including a young man she calls Dizzy with whom she spends time translating the works of William Blake, and a woman she calls Good News who runs a cozy local thrift store. Prominent men begin to die in mysterious ways around this provincial village, and our narrator (don’t call her Janina!) finds herself drawn into the swirl of intrigue surrounding these deaths. I won’t spoil anything here, but genuinely I would advise AGAINST looking up any blurbs or reading the back of the book, because the end twist was pretty obvious after doing so. This book dwells a lot on the relationship between people and animals, and who gets the right to live. I think as a dedicated pet mom myself, a lot of the arguments about animal cruelty and humanity encroaching on nature were a little “well, duh” to me, but I can see this being an incredibly impactful read to someone who is a little less in touch with their communities, both local and natural. I didn’t love this book as much as The Empusium, but I definitely understand why people love it so much, and I’ll continue keeping an eye out for more works by Tokarczuk! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/1a8919f8-1c54-4b0a-9de4-ad9763ee5828/dieall.jpg Blog - February 2026 Reads - DIE Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans (2019-2021) Kieron Gillen is one of those comic book writers that I struggle to follow from issue to issue. That’s not a criticism, it’s just a fact (or maybe it's a skill issue on my part, who knows.) I collected this series in single issues, throughout the entire run, and even though I very much enjoyed it, I often found myself struggling to remember facts about what had happened in the previous issue. I’ve had the same problem with his current series, The Power Fantasy — it’s great, but it’s dense, character heavy, and layered with details that if you forget, you’re likely to miss the impact of an interaction or plot point down the line. However, since DIE has restarted with a new series — DIE LOADED, I decided now was the perfect time to reread the whole series. Spread across four TPBs (trade paperbacks), the full 20 issue run is much more digestible in binge reading sessions. And I can say confidently with this being my SECOND reread of the DIE trades (last having read them roughly five years ago) this series only gets better on subsequent readings. DIE is complicated — lots of time pretzel stuff, different regions with different inhabitants, different gods with different motivations, and the main characters themselves equally so. The premise is a bit Jumanji-esque, in that in the 90s a group of kids get sucked into a roleplaying game, and go missing in the real world. They reappear two years later, injured, haunted, and literally unable to talk about what happened while they were gone. And that’s the ones that DID reappear. Years later, as adults, the one player who remained in the game reaches out to them, calling them back to the world of DIE, and the plot goes on from there. There’s drama, action, suspense, fantasy, horror, and a ton of fun literary references for any fan of the classics. But by the end of the story, the main question — “What am I for,” asked by an amoral being — really asks us, the reader, what fiction, and fantasy fiction in particular is for — how do we use it, what do we take away from it, how does it change us? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/e8385fd8-b3f5-4374-b2b0-cafd49151209/RECKONING.jpg Blog - February 2026 Reads - WHEN THE RECKONING COMES LaTanya McQueen (2021) Set in a fictional North Carolina town, When The Reckoning Comes follows a Black woman named Mira, who returns to her hometown to attend her former best friend’s wedding which is, unfortunately, on a former plantation, remodeled into a tourist attraction, and the site of a childhood horror Mira has been running from her whole life. The Woodsman Plantation, long abandoned by the time of Mira’s teen years, stood as a decrepit relic on the outskirts of town, a silent reminder of a painful history of racism and slavery whose effects can still be seen in the segregated town’s social and economic climate. It was a scene of a traumatic experience for both herself and her friend Jesse; Mira saw something she couldn’t explain and spent years grappling with, and Jesse was accused of a nearby murder based on nothing but his Blackness alone. However, in the present day, the Plantation has been cleaned up and made palatable to the masses, presenting a vision of the past not as it was, but how we would prefer that it had been. At the same time, it continues perpetuating the inequalities of its time, with all the service and hospitality workers comprised of the already economically disenfranchised Black citizens of the town, forced to take the new work the Plantation and all its tourism is bringing to the local economy. Amid this climate, former friends Mira, Jesse, and Celine reunite for Celine’s wedding. Celine, coming from poverty, is desperate to show off her triumph at marrying a rich and powerful man, finally achieving the status she always felt entitled to. Mira is there out of guilt, hoping to reconnect with Jesse and Celine, if she even can after the years apart and changes they’ve undergone, despite her discomfort at returning to a place that’s haunted her for years. Jesse is there with his own motives, which play out later in the book. Amid this backdrop, the ghosts of the Woodsman Plantation await, to show us the truth of the history we would rather forget. In my opinion, this book was at its best when the ghosts, and the visions they are showing Mira, are ratcheted up to eleven, and you realize that the lines between reality and illusion, the past and present, are blurring, which kept me guessing what was next and also actually surprised me at one point near the conclusion of the book. A good southern ghost story! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/a1a1211e-7e64-4390-aa40-cd4e2bd3f1e7/9781250340757.png Blog - February 2026 Reads - THE GRACEVIEW PATIENT Caitlin Starling (2025) This one was a Valentine’s Day gift from my partner; the fastest way to my heart is through a good book of course. The synopsis of this book can be summed up as: woman with a rare immunodeficiency signs up for an experimental clinical trial, and things go awry. This book really leans into the question of what’s really happening vs. what is a medically induced hallucination, which I really enjoyed — This is something that was present in another of Caitlin Starling’s books that I like, The Death of Jane Lawrence; although that was definitively more gothic horror, where this is certainly medical. It really was fascinating to me; I have a close friend that’s gone through a lot of extreme medical stuff throughout her life, and a lot of the procedures and experiences our man character, Meg, is going through rang very true to what my friend has described to me, and I recognized a lot of the technical terminology. The emotional aspect of Meg’s journey, too, felt very powerful; how she experienced isolation at varying degrees, both because of her illness as well as due to her hospital stay, and the longing she feels for human connection. The only other horror novel that I’ve read that I really feel like falls into the “medical horror” genre (if that’s even a thing) is Parasite Eve by Hideaki Sena, although most folks are probably more aware of the video game sequel from the 90s. While these books are very different, I caught echoes of Parasite Eve, especially towards the end of the book. The Graceview Patient is claustrophobic body horror, not for the squeamish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/8f914a65-4ecb-4ff3-a262-c4ecdb4a0860/malort.jpg Blog - February 2026 Reads - MALORT: THE REDEMPTION OF A REVERED AND REVILED SPIRIT Josh Noel (2024) I have a fascination with Chicago. I think it’s been there since I was a kid, first getting into comics and especially as a Batman fan, when parts of the Nolan Batman films were being based on or filmed in Chicago. As I got older and developed more interests, it expanded into the city’s broader history, from the 1893 World’s Fair to the wide and varied types of architecture on display. My partner and I visited Chicago for the first time this past October for our wedding anniversary, which is where I tried Malört for the first time, and like many others before me, I became enchanted with this weird drink. My partner read this book before I did, and passed it along to me. This was such a fascinating look at the personal histories of both the people behind the liquor and the brand, but also drinking and cocktail culture. As someone who already considers themselves a fan of Malört, this was an enlightening and honestly kind of inspiring read. There were so many things stacked against this drink, and the company, and so many times along the way that Jeppson’s Malört could have ceased to be, yet against the odds, like every good underdog story, Malört continues to thrive and survive. https://mirandahouse.info/blog/january-2026-reads monthly 0.5 2026-03-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/1769955702214-CLT3WJ7U60RZFJBQCHGS/1000019255.jpg Blog - January 2026 Reads - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/eee66bf7-e5b8-41bb-8557-5605ee5f91da/81ZX%2BIAdNZL._UF1000%2C1000_QL80_.jpg Blog - January 2026 Reads - THE CATER STREET HANGMAN Anne Perry (1979) The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry is the first in a well received, long running romance-mystery series taking place during the Victorian era. I became aware of this series while I was going down a bit of a rabbit hole looking for more Victorian era mysteries a while back - and then realized I had also heard of this series because the author was an actual, quite literal murderer (you can look that one up yourself.) I quite enjoyed the protagonist’s inner thoughts, and observing her slowly become aware of like…basic feminist tenants and class consciousness. However the EXTREMELY ABRUPT end to the book kind of put me off the whole thing. I MAY try and read the second book in this series at some point but I’m genuinely so annoyed by how this one ended, I’m gonna need to give it some time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/d1ff57d1-b940-41dc-ac5b-d62c64d37726/night+ends.jpg Blog - January 2026 Reads - THE NIGHT ENDS WITH FIRE K. X. Song (2024) The Night Ends With Fire is part fantasy, part political intrigue, and part romance, inspired by the legend of Mulan, although if you’re here for the Disney version, you’ll be very surprised. Grounded in a world with realistic political dynamics amid dangerous magic and untrustworthy gods, for readers of Asian history or historical fiction, the setting here will feel both familiar and new. This is the first book in a duology, and while I enjoyed this book more than I expected to initially, I wasn’t compelled enough to rush straight to the second book right away. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/4e2ef917-7261-4942-9c60-cbc8a4a8ec07/PIG+WIFE.png Blog - January 2026 Reads - PIG WIFE Abbey Luck (2026) Pig Wife is a graphic novel that defied my expectations. Based on both the cover art and the back cover blurb, I fully expected this to be a horror graphic novel — and it is, but it is also much more nuanced than that. Pig Wife is about toxic family dynamics, abuse, and neglect, and what it means to grow up in that kind of environment, with heaping helpings of mental health issues going long ignored, and religious fanaticism pushed to a truly terrifying degree. At the same time, there are some genuinely funny moments that made me chuckle, and heartwarming character beats. Genuinely really loved this one, it’s probably going to be on my list of top graphic novels of the year. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/df5bb040-fb49-41db-a30d-67854c83a871/super-psychic-policeman-chojo-vol-1-9781974761807_xlg.jpg Blog - January 2026 Reads - SUPER PSYCHIC POLICEMAN CHOJO VOL 1 Shun Numa (2024; 2026) Super Psychic Policeman Chojo was a surprise hit for me. I expected another standard shonen manga, packed with action, a wide cast of characters to get invested in, and an easy to identify with self-insert protagonist. However, I was wrong on nearly every count with this one! Our two protagonists are Chojo, the titular Super Psychic Policeman. He’s arrogant, childish, and occasionally mean spirited — but in short order, you’ll come to see he does have a heart in there somewhere. Our other protagonist is Ippongi Nao, a rookie cop who is a fantastic martial artist, but idealistic, sometimes to a fault. This manga features a lot of great visual gags and facial expressions, that reminded me a bit of of Spy x Family. If this isn't a hit anime in a few years, I will be shocked. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/5f594285-5e79-43e5-a87f-9a5615bb7f24/bewitching.jpg Blog - January 2026 Reads - THE BEWITCHING Silvia Moreno-Garcia (2025) The Bewitching is the third book I have read by Silvia Moreno Garcia. The first was Mexican Gothic, which I instantly loved, and the second was Silver Nitrate. I was very much looking forward to Silver Nitrate, as it seemed very similar in spirit to one of my all time favorite books, Night Film by Marisha Pessl. Not to get into it, but I didn’t like Silver Nitrate, AT ALL. I have other friends that have a similar love/hate relationship with Moreno-Garcia’s works, but I’m pleased to say this book was a solid YES from me. I will admit to not loving it QUITE as much as Mexican Gothic, but overall it was solid and enjoyable. One thing I really liked about this book was the mix of different plot threads taking place in different time periods and locations, spanning from early 20th century Mexico farms, to a 1930s Massachusetts college campus, to the same college campus in the 1990s. The interweaving of an Edwardian time period, with the Depression era, and a 90s I only half remember myself really did something for the dopamine in my brain. It also was interesting to explore other cultural definitions of a witch! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/5d60fa1a-477a-4f55-8d49-a469362290cc/wuthering.png Blog - January 2026 Reads - WUTHERING HEIGHTS Emily Brontë (1847) Wuthering Heights is one of my all time favorite pieces of classical literature. All the hype around the upcoming movie made me want to re-read it, so I dug out my copy ,which is an old 80s edition that was given to me by an aunt from when SHE was in school; well worn and well loved. RIP to the mass market paperback, I guess. Jury is still out on the movie, given as it won’t release for a few more weeks as of the time of this writing (I suspect it will be visually stunning, but get every aspect of the story and characters absolutely wrong) but this story of toxicity, codependency and generational trauma in isolation remains excellent. Wuthering Heights is one of those books that’s notorious for being completely misunderstood by most readers, who interpret it as a great romance, and the broader opinion of the day is to eschew any notion of the book being romantic at all, in favor of decrying its negative traits, in case anyone might mistakenly think it’s promoting as a good thing the kind of dynamics its main characters practice. However, if I’m honest with myself, I think it’s a bit disingenuous to say there’s NO romance in Wuthering Heights. Our characters are in love — some kind of love — the kind of selfish, desperate, naive love I best associate with being a young adult, as the characters here are for the first half of the book. However, despite heart wrenchingly dramatic declarations of how “he’s more myself than I am,” relatable to many a lover, barely anyone in Wuthering Heights gets a happy ending, and I think THAT’S the part that gets lost. I digress. Read it yourself, if your 10th Grade English class didn’t require it, especially if you plan on seeing the movie as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/99058a23-215d-44b2-9859-30e6d015a6e6/dnangel.jpg Blog - January 2026 Reads - D.N.ANGEL NEW EDITION VOL 1 Yukiru Sugisaki (1997; 2025) D.N.Angel is a series that prompts a lot of nostalgia for me, simply because a girl who sat in front of me in like....a 9th grade science class was crazy about it. She was one of the only other people I knew back then who was really into manga, and at her insistence, I gave the first several volumes of the manga a read. I’m sad to say it didn’t click for me then, and it still doesn’t click for me now. Our protagonist, Niwa Daisuke, is the inheritor of a generational curse that makes him turn into the master thief Dark whenever he gets too flustered over thoughts of his crush. Maybe I just gave up on this series too quickly, but I never understood why….the curse works the way it does? What’s the relationship between your first love and turning into a phantom thief, essentially? The gags of accidentally turning into the wrong form in front of someone runs thin pretty quickly. The strongest aspect of the story is the romance dynamics between Niwa/Dark, and twin sisters Harada Risa and Harada Riku, as they realize their feelings for one another. It’s pretty standard shoujo pining, but more effectively handled than the thief plots. This manga is for SOMEONE, obviously, as my 9th grade friend would enthusiastically attest. But to my genuine dismay, it’s not me. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/b0937d75-952e-4e41-b230-394b6b37b805/tainted.jpg Blog - January 2026 Reads - THE TAINTED CUP Robert Jackson Bennett (2024) This was a re-read! I initially picked this book up at a local bookshop, because an employee had written a shelf tag for it praising its unique system of magic and setting, and that’s honestly for me a huge draw with The Shadow of the Leviathan series (or is it now Ana and Din Mysteries?) On first read I found all the world building in this book almost dizzying to keep track of, but I was never quite able to get it out of my mind. These Sherlockian books feature preternaturally clever Ana Dolabra, and her assistant Dinios Kol, part of the Iudex Iyalet, a kind of branch of the government concerned with law, judgement, and investigation, particularly with regards to gaining justice for the dead and wronged. The world is earthy, damp, fleshy as a plant; humid, salty and endlessly transmutable due to the effects of titan’s blood — derived from unfathomable monsters that attack the Empire of Khanum every wet season. Magic manifests through this same blood, which is used for all kinds of alterations that can be done to a human body. This world is so intricate, I actually made myself a little field guide as I re-read the book this time, breaking down for fun the different branches of Khanum’s society, and who works on what; making notes of the flora and fauna found in this world, its different races and regions. This first book in the series, we begin with a sleazy captain murdered in a violent, graphic fashion preceding a sudden, equally violent rash of murders across the region. These deaths come with dire consequences for any and all who live close to the walls keeping out Khanum’s titans. The intrigue grows and compounds upon itself, leading straight to wealthy influential families, displaced refugees, and plains replete with mutated life. No spoilers for this mystery, just highly recommend giving Ana and Din a try. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/e51bbb0e-b344-4e5d-90b6-463cd4e7ecae/corruption.jpg Blog - January 2026 Reads - A DROP OF CORRUPTION Robert Jackson Bennett (2025) This second book brings us back to the Empire of Khanum some time after the events of the first book — I almost sense you could possibly read this book as a standalone without having read the first, if you’re only interested in a mystery, although you’d miss some core character moments and finer points of the world building if you did. We find a Din here who has become disillusioned with his work, and is lonely without his love interest, introduced in the first book. The stakes this time feel heightened from the first book, with an ingenious “mastermind” that manages to stay steps ahead of our heroes, a devastating magical threat, and yet more interesting political intrigues that affect both the larger Empire, as well as a satellite kingdom that’s introduced in this volume. More world building! More lore and history! A more breathtaking set of crimes committed than the last volume (and I thought aspects of that mystery were simply superb and would be hard to top). Overall this follow up book exceeded my hopes for it, and I’m already wondering how long I’ll have to wait before my return to the world of Ana and Din again. https://mirandahouse.info/blog/tag/monthly+reads monthly 0.5 https://mirandahouse.info/blog/tag/events monthly 0.5 https://mirandahouse.info/home daily 1.0 2026-03-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618497259178-6XJGK9GR6YAVBQL5L519/20140301_Trade-151_012-2.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607694583486-2PQT0LQ193RL7MCB6DX4/20140228_Trade+151_0046.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607694644871-IC85FNH781UNZSZEGHDR/Aro+Ha_0428.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/992d439c-2b82-413e-9b11-fdf8933add2c/bigPlanetAckermanGroup.jpg Home From left to right, another Big Planet employee, Spencer Ackerman, Miranda House, and the owner of Big Planet Comics. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/2503e221-dec5-44a1-ab2e-2f89124201e4/ackermanSigningEvent.jpg Home A photo of the Spencer Ackerman signing, with customers in the store. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/4ad9a1db-2493-4d49-ac3c-38511c2f8fb8/ironManFlyer.png Home Photo of a flyer for the Iron Man #1 signing event with Spencer Ackerman. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/052000f1-0409-464c-9c4d-cfff2f43646e/FCBDCapitolRepGarcia.jpg Home A photo of another Big Planet Comics employee, Rep. Robert Garcia, and Miranda at the United States Capitol building. Image credit: The office of Congressman Robert Garcia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/472085fc-41f4-40d8-a3dd-4612ebcf11a4/2024-05-01_NP_0081.jpg Home Photo of hands reaching for free comics at the Free Comic Book Day at the Capitol event. Image credit: The office of Congressman Robert Garcia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/1048b9fb-cfb3-4f15-8386-85382e357137/FCBDCapitolDisplay.jpg Home A photo of the promotional image used for the Free Comic Book Day at the Capitol event, with Congressman Robert Garcia. Image credit: The office of Congressman Robert Garcia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/0a6f1afe-898a-4ab0-b4f3-3887daabeb32/mirandaHouse2023.jpg Home A photo of Miranda standing between two bookshelves. Image credit: María Mónica Cortés, District Fray. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/4039463e-eb2b-4536-b4fa-eac36b11ab13/garciaPiccoloPaigeGroup.jpg Home From left to right, a photo of Danielle Paige, Gabriel Piccolo, Miranda House and Kami Garcia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/835c2a26-1958-4dee-9ae2-8a79e115a845/meraTidebreakerFlyer.png Home Photo of a flyer for the Mera: Tidebreaker signing event. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/daa0e926-e657-449d-a90b-6c64c360c2ea/teenTitansRavenFlyer.png Home Photo of a flyer from the Teen Titans Raven signing event. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67b8eab7e3998f1b91bd3293/defa2819-6631-4242-8ec7-7e3563ea9844/mirandaHouse.jpg https://mirandahouse.info/contact-me daily 0.75 2025-02-24