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Starside
502 pages
5/5*
Romantasy
Formats Available: physical book, Libby eBook, Libby eAudiobook
Hundreds of years ago, a brutal war split a land in two. Starside is the realm of magic and immortals — the descendants of the gods, living in a power-rich paradise. Stormside is where mortals fight for scraps of that magic.
Every fifty years, the gates between them open, and fifty challengers are allowed to journey across Starside on a deadly quest to access a pool of magic that can heal, grant wealth, or extend life. Everyone has their reasons for entering, but Aris has only vengeance. As a child, a goddess set fire to her village, killing her family. Aris isn’t after the gods’ magic — she’s going to kill them.
First, she must survive the Culling, the king’s deadly competition to choose his fifty challengers. An orphaned blacksmith’s apprentice, Aris doesn’t have the superior weapons of the heirs from the Great Houses. But the greatest swords — ones that contain power — are not inherited or bought, they are claimed, by both sides. And when Aris claims a great sword, it makes her not just a real competitor — but a target.
Getting past the gates is only the beginning. Starside is deadlier than it seems. If the ancient creatures, magic-wielding beasts, and bloodthirsty immortals weren’t dangerous enough, a new peril has even immortals fearing what rises from the ground at night. With a blade most would kill to claim, Aris can’t trust anyone. Especially not Harlan Raker, the merciless and mysterious king’s guard who betrayed her years ago — and who may now be the key to her survival.
But Aris is hiding a secret tied to her family’s death. And when it’s revealed, not even the gods will be able to stop what’s coming…
So, I have been in a bit of a book slump for some reason. This book had been popping up constantly in my Goodreads feed, and I decided to give it a shot. There is something to be said about a book that draws you in by page 2. This was THAT book for me. Alex Aster, you made a masterpiece when you wrote Starside.
I had been hunting for the perfect enemies-to-lovers that was specifically Romantasy. Little did I know, I needed enemies to lovers to enemies, again! The banter and tension between Aris and Harlan Raker had me at the edge of my seat the entire book. I usually do not make the time to finish an entire book in a day, but I knocked Starside out within a few hours!
This book is for all of my romantasy guys and girlies who need something to fill their time while they wait for ACOTAR books 6 and 7! If I could give this book infinity stars and put it in a frame of honor in my library, you bet I would be doing that.
-Samantha
House of Leaves: What did I just read?
709 pages
3/5*
Literary Fiction/Suspenseful Thriller
Formats Available: physical book
This book is not for you.
These words kick off the weirdest book I’ve ever read, and for many who attempt this challenge, it’s proved to be true. People will throw in the towel and say they should have taken the warning to heart.
House of Leaves is a challenge. The book is presented by the fictional Johnny Truant, who came across the writings of a man named Zampano, who wrote extensively on a film called “The Navidson Record.” From Zampano’s writings, we gather that the “Navidson Record” details one family’s investigation into their home’s weird dimensional properties, starting with a hallway that shouldn’t exist and yet somehow stretches for 5 ½ minutes. The house is also bigger on the inside than on the outside. At first glance, it seems to be ¼ of an inch bigger. But upon further inspection, it turns out to be much, much bigger.
Zampano has included analysis on the film from writers such as Stephen King and Hunter S. Thompson. The only problem, however, is Johnny can find no evidence such a film ever existed, and the experts quoted in Zampano’s notes claim to have no knowledge of it.
Still, Johnny becomes utterly consumed by Zampano’s notes. Many “House of Leaves” readers find themselves consumed as well.
Be prepared for footnotes. I can’t stress this enough; be prepared for footnotes inside footnotes inside footnotes. Be prepared for footnotes that lead you back hundreds of pages, footnotes that cause you to turn the book upside down, footnotes that include coded messages. Footnotes come from Zampano, Johnny, or an editor. Some footnotes leave you realizing just how much of the book you’ve missed because who could possibly pay close enough attention to catch it all?
I believe the book expects, almost demands, us as readers to add our own footnotes. I certainly did. I used countless sticky tabs to write questions, notes, revelations, decoded messages, etc. I made note of each Emergency Air Traffic Control symbol, each time the word “house” appeared (even in different languages), meaningful references to echoes and the minotaur, etc. I think the book offers this opportunity to become yet another analyzer of the “Navidson Record,” even if we could never possibly see the film.
To be fair, the book is daunting. It’s no surprise many readers give up. For some, it might be the first time you see three footnotes on one page, all in slightly different fonts. For others, it could be when they reach the point where an entire chapter is made up of ridiculous footnotes that cut through multiple pages, wind back and forth and up and down and often seem to mean nothing at all. For some, even, it could be when you realize Johnny is a wildly unreliable narrator and you find yourself wondering if any part of the story means anything. One can’t be blamed for putting the book down and finding something a little saner.
But if you stick with this book, you’re in for an adventure. The book is a blast; in fact, it is the most fun I’ve ever had reading a book.
So now you just need to ask yourself. Is this book for you?
-Caele
The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros
426 pages
5/5*
Romantic Fiction
Formats available: physical book, eBook Libby, eAudiobook Hoopla (Spanish)
Beckett,
If you’re reading this, well, you know the last-letter drill. You made it. I didn’t. Get off the guilt train, because I know if there was any chance you could have saved me, you would have.
I need one thing from you: get out of the army and get to Telluride.
My little sister Ella’s raising the twins alone. She’s too independent and won’t accept help easily, but she has lost our grandmother, our parents, and now me. It’s too much for anyone to endure. It’s not fair.
And here’s the kicker: there’s something else you don’t know that’s tearing her family apart. She’s going to need help.
So if I’m gone, that means I can’t be there for Ella. I can’t help them through this. But you can. So I’m begging you, as my best friend, go take care of my sister, my family.
Please don’t make her go through it alone.
Ryan
I was SUPER hesitant going into this book because I tend to stray away from military romance and contemporary romance in general. Rebecca Yarros really took me by surprise with this one, since it is so wildly different from Fourth Wing, which I had previously read. I tend to lean toward small-town settings in books, so I was instantly drawn into The Last Letter. Yarros did great describing main character, Ella’s, bed-and-breakfast that allowed me to mentally picture the setting while I was reading.
I pretty much went into this book blind, thinking that it would be a cute romance. While the romance in the book between Ella and Beckett was swoon worthy, the book itself was heartbreaking and tragic throughout. Yarros does an excellent job incorporating the struggles of a single mother who is going through so many tough situations while trying to keep her head up for her kids and navigate her own life at the same time.
If you plan to pick this book up (which I HIGHLY recommend), please come equipped with tissues and maybe some chocolate. Overall, I gave this book a solid 5/5*. It kept me interested from cover to cover, and I truly did not want to put it down.
-Samantha
*Trigger Warnings: child terminal illness/death, military drama, intense grief*
Save Money with Your Local Library!
In 2025, I read a total of 142 books. Of these 142 titles, only four of them were not read via the use of services provided by Kokomo-Howard County Public Library. Between the catalogue of titles available as physical media and the collection of digital resources available through apps like Libby and Hoopla, I had a wealth of materials at my disposal. While reflecting on my reading from the past year, I began to wonder how much money I had saved by borrowing these materials from my library versus purchasing them. Cue hours spent compiling a spreadsheet of the books I read with the associated cost of each one. As I was working on this personal project, I realized that while I saved money borrowing the books I did read, I also saved money borrowing books I didn’t end up reading. Additionally, I borrowed various other materials, including movies and video games. The final total took my breath away, but don’t just take my word for it; I’ll let the numbers speak for themselves.
I pulled most of the costs for my borrowed materials from Amazon, using the price listed for whatever method I used to read the book (i.e. physical, ebook, audiobook). Some materials did not have a clear price online; for these materials I referenced the cost indicated in my library’s system. All the calculations I did do not include taxes.
By borrowing the books I read from the library, I saved approximately $2,061.21. In addition to these 138 books, I also borrowed 72 books I did not end up reading. This saved me an additional $1,321.98. On top of this, I borrowed five video games and 16 movies, which would have cost me $573.78. Finally, I was able to borrow a couple of miscellaneous materials from KHCPL’s collection of experience kits. This collection features a variety of resources that allow patrons to try out new hobbies or activities, engage in hands-on learning, or access tools for different daily needs. The laminator experience kit saved me an estimated $15 based on the prices for lamination services offered at the UPS Store, which is where I have gone in the past. The pressure washer experience kit saved me an estimated $35 based on the cost of a day’s rental of a pressure washer through The Home Depot.
With all of these materials taken into consideration, my grand total of savings came out to approximately $4,006.97. I have always been grateful for having access to so many invaluable resources through the library, but calculating how much I would have had to spend to access these resources without it really paints a picture of just how priceless public libraries are to their communities. I’m just one patron; I can only imagine how much we’ve saved as a community. If you’ve been hesitant to get a library card for any reason, I encourage you to get one anyway. Even if you don’t end up utilizing your library card, just signing up for one will support your local library. This support will help keep the doors open for your fellow patrons who may need the library’s resources more than you realize. And as the old adage goes, “It’s better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.”
For more information on getting a library card, please visit https://www.khcpl.org/library-card.
-Brittany L
Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher
288 pages
Gothic Horror/Fantasy
4.5/5*
Formats Available: physical book, Libby eBook
The year is 1899 and Sonia Wilson is a scientific illustrator without work, prospects, or hope. When the reclusive Dr. Halder offers her a position illustrating his vast collection of insects, Sonia jumps at the chance to move to his North Carolina manor house and put her talents to use. But soon enough she finds that there are darker things at work than the Carolina woods. What happened to her predecessor, Halder’s wife? Why are animals acting so strangely, and what is behind the peculiar local whispers about “blood thiefs?”
With the aid of the housekeeper and a local healer, Sonia discovers that Halder’s entomological studies have taken him down a dark road full of parasitic maggots that burrow into human flesh, and that his monstrous experiments may grow to encompass his newest illustrator as well.
If you didn't already know, T. Kingfisher is a master of storytelling, and Wolf Worm makes that abundantly clear. I wasn’t sure what to expect going in, but it quickly became another story I'm eager to recommend to you. The thing about Kingfisher is she's a master of the craft, pumping out horror, fantasy, romance, and every variation in between. Kingfisher expertly weaves this grotesque horror around genuinely lovable characters, and I live for that combination. I was disturbed and disgusted at the same moments I was scared and laughing. Wolf Worm is a fresh, inventive take on some well-known mythical creatures (no spoilers here), and I really appreciated the innovation.
This story begins by hitching a ride with the main character into the woods, "haunted woods." The audience soon sees what she finds there and how that little bugger, pun-intended, changes the course of her entire life. Pick up this story full of creepy crawlies to see what happens next. Five out of five stars; you're going to love this one. If you’re triggered by holes in flesh or squirmy worms living inside bodies — consider this your warning.
-Bethann
Hello and welcome back to KHCPL’s very own blog In the Stacks, where we talk about all things books! We are kicking off the new year with some new and improved reading
challenges that will help everyone achieve their reading goals for 2026! Not to mention, there are so many new books coming out this year that we, of course, will be requesting for you to read here at the library all for the small price of zero dollars and zero cents! What’s better than free? Nothing!
Some of our staff spent the last half of 2025 playing Bookopoly, which is Monopoly but all about books! There were a ton of prompts that helped us go outside of our comfort zones and read materials we normally would not even think about picking up. For a lot of us, this broadened our reading goals for 2026. Personally, I know I am going to try to read some more regular fantasy instead of romantasy. A big reading goal of mine is to start and finish the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown. What are your goals? Make sure you go to khcpl.org and check out and join some of the reading challenges for 2026!
-Samantha