Blog : JamiFairleigh.com

Image description: Book review graphic for Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher, featuring the cover next to an ornate gold mirror with infinite reflections of mirrors inside it.

Book Review: Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher

Posted on February 20, 2026 by Jami Fairleigh

Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher Hemlock & Silver: Tor Books (2025) 384 Pages Amazon | Bookshop.org Book Description Healer Anja regularly drinks poison. Not to die, but to save—seeking cures for those everyone else has given up on. But...Read More

Image description: The audiobook cover of Sourdough by Robin Sloan on a smartphone over a close-up of crusty sourdough bread.

Book Review: Sourdough by Robin Sloan

Posted on February 13, 2026 by Jami Fairleigh

Sourdough by Robin Sloan Sourdough: MCD (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2017) | Macmillan Audio (2017) (272) Pages Amazon | Bookshop.org | Audible | Libro.fm Book Description Lois Clary is a software engineer at General Dexterity, a San Francisco robotics company...Read More

Image description: A tablet showing the cover of The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association on a desk with colored pencils and alphabet blocks, alongside text reading “Book Review: The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association.”

Book Review: The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association by Caitlin Rozakis

Posted on January 30, 2026 by Jami Fairleigh

The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association by Caitlin Rozakis The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association: Titan Books (2025) 367 Pages Amazon | Bookshop.org Book Description When Vivian’s kindergartner, Aria, gets bitten by a werewolf, she is rapidly inducted...Read More

Image description: A cozy scene with a mug of coffee beside an open book on a soft blanket, wrapped in warm fairy lights, with the text “Sometimes Magic Is Complicated.”

Sometimes Magic Is Complicated

Posted on January 23, 2026 by Jami Fairleigh

After a week where I barely read a thing, this past stretch of reading has taken me in a lot of different, complicated directions. I’ve moved from the whimsical chaos of Rozakis's The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association, to...Read More

Image description: book cover of The Summer War by Naomi Novik displayed on the left, featuring a sword entwined with flowers and a lute, set against a lush green forest with an ivy-covered stone tower in the background. Text on the right reads “Book Review: The Summer War.”

Book Review: The Summer War by Naomi Novik

Posted on January 16, 2026 by Jami Fairleigh

The Summer War by Naomi Novik The Summer War: Del Ray (2025) 144 Pages Amazon | Bookshop.org Book Description Celia discovered her talent for magic on the day her beloved oldest brother, Argent, left home. Furious at him for abandoning...Read More

Image description: A young, alert cattle dog lounges beside a bookshelf packed with books, as if supervising the reading that didn’t happen this week. Text on the image reads “What I Didn’t Read This Week.

What I Didn’t Read This Week

Posted on January 9, 2026 by Jami Fairleigh

I didn’t read much this week. Not because I didn’t want to, but because my attention was fully occupied elsewhere. Last week, we were busy filling out paperwork, driving, and waiting. This week, our house whirls with young cattle dog...Read More

Image description: a close-up of crumpled Christmas wrapping paper featuring penguin illustrations, with a blurred pile of holiday paper scraps behind it. Text over the image reads “For Anyone Feeling Festive Adjacent,” implying a humorous, low-energy post-holiday vibe.

For Anyone Feeling Festive Adjacent

Posted on December 26, 2025 by Jami Fairleigh

Christmas happened around me this year like a party I could hear through the wall. Despite sipping zero holiday spirits, I’m hungover anyway, like the Ghost of Festivity Past spiked my eggnog while I looked away. It’s funny — I...Read More

Image description: Header image for a book review of The Incredible Kindness of Paper, showing pastel origami flowers arranged on a light surface beside a tablet displaying the book cover.

Book Review: The Incredible Kindness of Paper by Evelyn Skye

Posted on December 19, 2025 by Jami Fairleigh

The Incredible Kindness of Paper by Evelyn Skye The Incredible Kindness: Atria/Emily Bestler Books (2025) 256 Pages Amazon | Bookshop.org Book Description In elementary school, Chloe Hanako Quinn is assigned Oliver Jones as her pen pal partner. Before sending her...Read More

Image description: A tablet displaying the book cover of “The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt” by Chelsea Iversen stands against a lush garden backdrop. The cover shows a dark green, floral design with pink blossoms surrounding an old greenhouse structure. Large text reads “Book Review: The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt.”

Book Review: The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt by Chelsea Iversen

Posted on December 12, 2025November 21, 2025 by Jami Fairleigh

The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt by Chelsea Iversen The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt: Sourcebooks Landmark (2024) 320 Pages Amazon | Bookshop.org Book Description Harriet Hunt is completely alone. Her father disappeared months ago, leaving her to wander the...Read More

Image description: An audiobook player graphic showing the cover of Voyage of the Damned by Frances White, displayed against a vibrant sunset over the ocean with pink, purple, and gold clouds. The text ‘Book Review: Voyage of the Damned’ appears to the right.

Book Review: Voyage of the Damned by Frances White

Posted on December 5, 2025November 21, 2025 by Jami Fairleigh

Voyage of the Damned by Frances White Voyage of the Damned: Mira (2024) | Harlequin Audio (2024) 464 Pages Amazon | Bookshop.org | Audible | Libro.fm Book Description For a thousand years, Concordia has maintained peace between its provinces. To...Read More

Image description: An overhead photo of a dirty coral-colored plate with a used fork and knife resting on it, suggesting a recently finished meal. To the right, the text reads ‘A Reasonably Unsentimental Note of Thanks,’ with ‘JamiFairleigh.com’ at the bottom.

A Reasonably Unsentimental Note of Thanks

Posted on November 28, 2025November 21, 2025 by Jami Fairleigh

For reasons I may discuss later, I’m not doing the traditional Thanksgiving thing this year. Which means I’m avoiding two holiday hazards: Forced cheer, and People asking what I’m “working on” and then regretting it immediately while I sputter about...Read More

Image description: A book cover of Black Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey displayed against a scenic Alaskan landscape with evergreen trees, a lake, and mountains under a bright blue sky. The text ‘Book Review: Black Woods, Blue Sky’ appears on the right.

Book Review: Black Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey

Posted on November 21, 2025 by Jami Fairleigh

Black Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey Black Woods, Blue Sky: Random House (2025) 320 Pages Amazon | Bookshop.org Book Description It’s just the three of them in the vast black woods, far from roads, telephones, electricity, and outside contact,...Read More