5 Top Picks Across 5 Fav Genres Over 5 Years…

September 7th, 2023 will mark the 5th Anniversary of Cracking The Spine.

Over these years I have shared an abundance of content with my readers. Profiling 1,500+ books through innovative and in-depth features as well as reviews of the books I have read during this time. To honor this moment of celebration, I will share my five-fav reads in the last five years under each of my five-fav genres.

I hope you have found as much joy in my bookish wanderings as I have in sharing them! More to come…

A Backstage Pass To A World Of Wonders…

There's one fantasy that doesn't get old even as we do: running away with the circus. Escaping to a place where you can inhale the mouthwatering scent of cotton candy and fresh popcorn, behold dazzling lights that turn night into day, be held captive by impossible feats of magic, and surrender yourself to a place of vast spectacle. Bring a spark of extraordinary into your everyday life with these incredible books that will sweep you away to the dark and glamourous world of carnivals and circuses, where nothing is as it seems. A setting ripe for literature as any I can imagine.

Books With A Musical Theme…

It’s hard for me to find a rapt, or is it trapped, audience to whom I can extol the passion I have for books. Music however, what kind of monstrous being doesn’t like music? So, books that have a musical backdrop? This could be my in people! Unsuspecting music devotees are soon to be lured in by my book loving ways. In the spirit of shared passion, I have gathered for you these masterful mashups. They offer the reader a story told in two languages, one formed in prose, the other in melody.

Historical Fiction Archives…

Reading can feel a little, or a lot, like time travel, no matter when the story is set. Most bookworms have experienced the surreal disorientation of sitting down to read and only emerging from their book-induced reverie hours later, having let the here and now pass by while they explored the worlds wrought on those pages. The historical novelist illuminates stories across time and place, inviting readers to connect to a fragile past we are only slightly tethered to. It’s those types of tales I have gathered for you in this feature.

Works Of Art From The Canvas To The Page…

One of the many delights of the reading life is finding an unexpected niche subgenre centered around a topic you didn’t realize you were fascinated by. Fine arts fiction is one such category for me. Populated by provocative thrillers as well as in-depth character studies that delve into the genius of artists. I have curated for you a collection of books that illustrate in vivid detail magnetic artists and art, both loosely tied to real life events and wholly fabricated.

The Wonderland Of Fantasy Fiction…

At the very least, books are meant to ignite our imagination.  That spark, when given full reign is arguably the most transformative and revelatory capacity we as humans have access to. And no genre wields this influence more fully than Fantasy. Authors in this category regard a sheet of paper empty of words as a blank canvas on which to paint unfathomable universes. So reader, allow me to lead you into the language of dreams.

An Exploration Of Science Fiction…

For as long as most of us have been alive, we have looked up at the stars and dreamed of the remarkable. Visions of sprawling and distant worlds, parallel universes, artificial intelligence, unearthly creatures, and concepts we would be hard pressed to put a name to have tumbled through our minds. Recent offerings in the genre are limitless, bringing to the page the fantastical as well as the futuristic. Fans are ravenous and the last few years have offered up an unprecedented level of satiation for that hunger.

Super (Un) Natural Reads…

Horror fiction is having a moment. And it’s about damn time! When bookstores removed dedicated sections and publishers scraped the word “horror” off the book spines and replaced it with innocuous “thriller”, I was bereft. Where am I, in my rock t-shirt, jeans and cool kicks, to go to browse what had apparently been delegated by outside forces as my secret shame? How was I to follow my path to the dark Narnia? Thankfully, I just had to be patient!

Of Librarians & Booksellers…

As a latchkey kid growing up, I whiled away most of my waking hours in a tiny library with dust in the air and a slightly musty scent. I thought it was heaven on earth. I went every single day in the summers and every weekend during the school year to stock up on as much reading material as they would allow. Once I was of age to start earning money of my own, bookstores got added to the mix. I was known in these places in a way I wasn’t anywhere else before, and truth be told, maybe since. This feature is dedicated to the librarians and booksellers who manned these safe havens.

Fool Me Once…

In reading there is nothing like the shiver that skims across the back of your neck when you realize nothing is as it seemed, that what you believed was the truth was an illusion all along. That it’s not just the people on the page that have fallen victim to gaslighting, it’s you the reader too. If you are prepared to be enthralled, confounded, and outsmarted, follow me…

Plots That Pivot…

Colour inside the lines, follow the lead, don’t take risks, keep your head down…said nobody ever! When you read as much as I do, you are invariably seeking stories that will scratch the incessant itch you have for something that deviates from the prevailing plot structures. Stories that unfold in uncommon or unexpected ways, that are innovative, that play with you, that provide a much-needed breath of fresh air. The gems I have gathered here will fill that need!

Literary Debuts…

There is a wealth of extraordinary reading to be found outside of the big name authors and endlessly repetitive best of and highly anticipated lists. Where you might be asking yourself, well look no further! Assembled here for you dear reader are debut novels; past, present and future! Mark my words, you won’t regret reading any one of these gems. Or all…

A Literary Restoration…

This fan favourite feature is one that deserves a replay in case you missed it the first time around! If you delve deeply enough into the books we choose to read, more often than not you will reveal a connection to something recognizable. That in fact they capture contemporary narratives from the bones of centuries of storytelling. Mythologies, legends, classics and fairytales have all been plundered for plot in myriad of ways and a upon myriad of occasions that proves incalculable.

A Romantic Romp…The Bookish Way…

Are you sitting down readers? True confession time. At the tender age of ten(ish), I would sneak my Mother’s Harlequin Romance books out of her nightstand stash when I ran out of Nancy Drew’s to read. That’s not all. When I would trot off to the library for my next installment of middle grade novels, I would take out more of them. Batting my blue eyes and smoothly claiming that they were for my mother. They were not! Romance fiction has come a long way since those days and it’s having a renaissance! So let’s celebrate!

A Romantic Romp…The Bookish Way…

Are you sitting down readers? True confession time. At the tender age of ten(ish), I would sneak my Mother’s Harlequin Romance books out of her nightstand stash when I ran out of Nancy Drew’s to read. That’s not all. When I would trot off to the library for my next installment of middle grade novels, I would take out more of them. Batting my blue eyes and smoothly claiming that they were for my mother. They were not! Romance fiction has come a long way since those days and it’s having a renaissance! So let’s celebrate!

A Bookish & Boozy Holiday…Chapter Two

Picture this; outside its cold and snowy, your notifications are turned off, the chaos of daily life is on pause, and your favourite chair is beckoning you with a plush and warm blanket. What better way to settle into the moment than with a good book and a cocktail. This holiday season let me lure you to your happy place with lovingly curated pairings of reading recommendations and cocktail recipes.

A Bookish & Boozy Holiday…Chapter One

Picture this; outside its cold and snowy, your notifications are turned off, the chaos of daily life is on pause, and your favourite chair is beckoning you with a plush and warm blanket. What better way to settle into the moment than with a good book and a cocktail. This holiday season let me lure you to your happy place with lovingly curated pairings of reading recommendations and cocktail recipes.

Fiction To Devour…

Content Warning: the books gathered here are full of foodie delights, reading these books may cause hunger pangs that can lead to loud, possibly embarrassing growling to emerge from your stomach, as well as likely salivation that results in drooling. Proceed with no caution whatsoever…

A Curated Setlist…Of The Literary Kind!

It’s hard for me to find a rapt, or is it trapped, audience to whom I can extol the passion I have for books. Music however, what kind of monstrous being doesn’t like music? So books that have a musical backdrop? This could be my in people…unsuspecting music devotees are soon to be lured in by my book loving ways.

Sassy, Brassy…& A Little Classy!

While it can’t be denied the paper that pulp fiction stories were printed on was dingy and cheap, hence the term, the covers were a sight to behold. Bright and lurid portraits of pretty people in various stages of torment with a shadow of evil lurking on the edges screamed escapist fiction and attracted readers enmass, despite the unquestionable ridiculousness of the plots. Join me on this trashy joyride!!