The Only Way Out is Death by Varun Gwalani is a mash up of Saw, Danganronpa, and golden era locked room mystery novels. The premise is that group of people are kidnapped and forced into a killing game because of their predatory pandemic era behavior. It was a fast read and tautly paced, and though I enjoyed it, it felt a bit more overall faded than its predecessors (it's hard to beat Monokuma's bombastic ways!) The whole social commentary on targeting people like the characters in this book is a mixed bag for me. Sure, it's satisfying to see asshats writhe in existential discomfort and pay the piper, but in times like these, it just leaves me a bit numb.
⭐️⭐️⭐️½
I decided to celebrate the return of the birds by reading The Backyard Bird Chronicles. I'm a bit torn as to how I feel about this one. On one hand, I liked quite a few parts of it. The writing was wonderful (Amy Tan, so duh haha), the art was beautiful, and I liked the mundane repetitiveness of it and found it soothing. The caveat for me is that of course the author is famous, with the trappings, access, and resources that fame entails. So it was a bit harder to relate to parts of it. I think I also expected a different vibe. I think this book works well for people who like reading about nature and enjoy writing that skews more personal than scientific or philosophical.
⭐️⭐️⭐️½
I've been a huge fan of Uketsu's work since his debut novel, Strange Pictures. I remember binging that one on a sunny, crisp February Saturday afternoon a few years ago. At this point in my life I appreciate anything that can pull me in so completely so I remember hoping for more. Luckily, he has continued writing in this vibe! Of course, now when he drops a new book I instantly pre-order. So far it's been the same experience when I got Strange Houses, and now in 2026 as I read his new book, Strange Buildings. I don't know if it's the juxtaposition of the straightforward prose, the interviews within the story, the mysteries, the architectural component, or all the cool visuals, but Uketsu just has this magical ability to weave something that though disparate to start, eventually coalesces into a quietly terrifying conclusion. It was 373 pages but it just kinda read itself, I binged it so fast.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I had never read any of Naoki Urusawa's more famous work, like Pluto or 20th Century Boys, so I didn't know what to expect when I started his anthology of short stories, Sneeze. But I truly enjoyed it! He said this collection was his space to put together work that touches some of his favorite subjects, and I can feel the playfulness throughout. Many of the stories were diverse in style (from the supernatural to a Loony Toon-esque tale about a pair of mice's quest for cake) but I enjoyed them all for the most part. I think the standouts for me were DAMIYAN!, Throw Toward the Moon!, and Kaiju Kingdom.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I don't know how to describe How You Lose the Time War and how I felt upon finishing it. I enjoyed the mentions of the time travle mechanics. The binary ideology of each faction felt an intentional, but subtle critique on the dangers of dogmatic beliefs. The prose. The prose, dear god the gorgeous prose. The evolution of Red and Blue's correspondence and their feelings evolved. The taunting, the teasing, the flirting, the blossom of a love that is carried on the strength of words to share the shape of their souls, history, and yearnings. I have been known to enjoy a good romance, but had lately shied away from the genre. Something about it was making me feel uncomfortable. Was I indulging in escapism? Or warping my own psyche by indulging in the seemingly harmless fantasies that live in the well trodden tropes I adored? But this book. Red and Blue's love felt beautiful. Maybe because I love words, I feel that in words that are true and slowly savored can love be nurtured. This book is sci-fi in its scaffolding. But I thought more of Ursula K le Guin than Author C Clark. A time travel novel that is not so much about the intricate mechanics of the thing but more like a musing. What if two amazing women lived and worked in a world where they explored time and space. And that this exploration was a war effort to subtly change history in the hopes that the other side will miss one tiny detail and lose it all? What if sci-fi was written by poets?
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Perhaps someday they’ll assign us side by side, in some small village far upthread, deep cover, each watching each, and we can make tea together, trade books, report home sanitized accounts of each other’s doings. I think I’d still write letters, even then.
– Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone (This is How You Lose the Time War)