mallory / mal

I needed to immortalize this hat on my feed!! Thank you @fountainbookstore for sending me THE hat 🧢💙 Best bookstore and best booksellers!! I missed fountain on indie bookstore day! If you’re in Richmond or passing through on I-95 you must stop in there.

When the PR package includes a hat 😏🫒 Harmless surprised me in many ways. This story went in such a different direction than I originallyor assumed!n t I won’t give too much away since I enjoyed going in blind. Harmless is told from different perspectives from a childhood friend group. Bea’s twin sister, Audrey, died in 2021 and now 2 years later her mother is hosting the memorial for her (because covid times). Bea is then reunited with Tatum and Layla. One of whom she has not seen in 10 years. Their mothers met in a prenatal class and became best friends. With the families living in the same neighborhood and spending summer vacations together for thirteen years. Harmless is a story about grief, regrets, growing up, and decisions. I would’ve never guessed the trajectory of this novel. What starts as coming of age story goes to a place I never expected. The premise is so relatable; the different paths people take from their childhood friends. You spend so much time together growing up and flash forward 10 years and you’re totally different people and sometimes unrecognizable to each other. I’m glad this novel had 2 POVs, it would’ve been skewed if it was just Bea’s perspective. I enjoyed the writing style and will be on the lookout for what Miranda Shulman writes next! Miranda, you did call me an old millennial 2 different times in this novel though. If you’ve read this DM me with what you thought of the ending! Thank you @duttonbooks for the gifted copy! 💚🍸🕊️🫒 I do love this hat because I’m totally harmless too :-)

I love a trend! I asked my close friend’s list what four things remind them of me. Thank you guys for humoring me!! In conclusion, y’all know me very well! 🩵🦋🌀🫐🫂

First off, thank you @vikingbooks for the gifted arc. Truly honor of my life. I have been reading Tana French since 2016 and I absolutely love the atmosphere and prose of her novels. My only remaining one to read is The Witch Elm! The Keeper is the third in the Cal Hooper series which follows a retired Chicago PD who moves to a rural village in Ireland for a peaceful retirement. The Searcher was the first in the series and my favorite so far! I imagined Cal as Ray Liotta (rip). The Keeper is giving Father Brown but modern with a dash of Midsomer Murders. A young woman has mysteriously died and the entire village has lost their mind over it. I love Cal’s relationship with Trey. It’s so sweet he’s the father that stepped up! Mind you he barely knows Trey’s mom. The dynamics in this remote village hold so much history and nuance. That is what reminds me of Father Brown/Midsomer Murders mostly. As always Tana’s books are atmospheric and are a journey (nearly 500 pages). This one is definitely more mystery than thriller. I’ve enjoyed these past 2 on audio; the narrator is really good! I do miss the Dublin Murder Squad series. Those had more gruesome murders. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Weekend Vlog in Harrisonburg, VA Just doing baby girl things and romanticizing my life while reading books. 🦋🩵

I decided I should actually review this instead of just posting about my engagement. !!FIVE STARS!! Heart the Lover begins the fall semester of our main character’s senior year of college. She meets 2 best friends and quickly becomes entwined in their lives. The story continues through several decades, often skipping several years of time. This just hits different if you read Writers & Lovers first!! This made me tear up. It really takes a lot for me to cry reading a book so that is no small feat. I love Lily King’s writing style so much. She doesn’t overly complicate or drag anything out. The story and the characters decisions just felt so real to me. I read half and listened to half and enjoyed both of those experiences! Thank you @groveatlantic so sorry it took me so long to review it

HOLD ME LIKE A GRUDGE available for pre-order NOW So excited for Cel’s debut novel!!! Pre-ordering as I type! The link to pre-order is in my linktree! Out June 30, 2026! Summary: When a fierce rivalry between two professional wrestlers heats up beneath the spotlight, neither man can fight the attraction burning between them, in this steamy sports romance. From death-defying stunts to campy character gimmicks, everything in the world of professional wrestling is an act. Asher Ross’s hatred for Caleb Knight, however, is not. When Asher finally gets drafted to Global Elite Wrestling’s main roster and is thrown into a feud with Caleb for the World Championship title, he’s hell-bent on making Caleb’s life a living nightmare. But as both men trade barbs and blows across arenas, they’re each surprised to find their chemistry is so electric, it can’t be just for show. Through rehearsals, training sessions, and injuries, Caleb’s icy walls begin to thaw, revealing the real man hidden behind the cruel person GEW has molded him into. An unlikely truce blossoms into feelings neither want to deny, but, set in old ways, the company won’t let them be seen as anything more than bitter rivals, both in and out of the ring. With the risk of their forbidden romance upending their lifelong dreams, Asher and Caleb grapple with what they truly want in an industry known to erase queerness from its history, and square up against the hardest challenge yet: how much of their hearts they are prepared to give up, and if they are willing to fight to leave a legacy of their own.

Weekend vlog in Charlotte! Not sorry for all the microwave clips. Love to hang out with my friends and shop at indie bookstores! 💘😇👯‍♀️📚🦋 #minivlog #bookshopping

Had a lovely weekend in Charlotte! 🩵🩵🩵 Went to see @microwaveatl on Friday and @mirdsbooks sewed my shirt day of instead of working (she’s crazy I love her) Indie bookstore day was amazing @yeahimreading drove up to spend the day/night and we had sooo much fun. We succeeded by buying books. That was our number one goal. No good weekend goes unpunished though (I’m feeling sick) Where should I go for indie bookstore day next year?

Best holiday!! Independent Bookstore Day vlog! We visited: @tropebookshop @thatsnovelbooks @mainstreetbooksdavidson @parkroadbooksclt

It’s almost here!! Independent Bookstore Day is tomorrow! April 25th! 📚🤩 Here’s some reasons you should support you local indie bookstore tomorrow (and every day!) If you can’t make it out to support an indie bookstore here are some ways you can support from home! Peep my shopping list! LMK what else I should buy.

After loving Blue Sisters a few years ago I was highly anticipating Coco Mellors debut novel and she did not disappoint! This book has been on my shelf since 2024 and I took these pictures at my birthday tea for my 29th birthday. Happy to finally use them! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Cleopatra & Frankenstein follows a messy cast of characters in New York City over the span of a few years. So many topics are touched on in this novel and in a way that seemed natural. Characters from all walks of life ranging from 18-45. This novel starts with a 20 year age gap impulsive marriage that changes many of their lives. I love mess!! I love that this was told from seven different perspectives and each new character brought more depth to the story. This story would be so one sided if it was just told from Cleo’s perspective but instead it’s well rounded and made me empathize with almost every single character. I listened to most of this on audio and highly recommend—I’m sure reading it physically is good too the text was just really small on my copy. Spoilers below! I remember hearing a lot about the sugar glider a few years ago so I was expecting much worse tbh!