💍 Till Finals do they part...

✨ Clover got admitted to her dream school, but now needs a way to get into their special housing program. Only one person can help - her current enemy and ex-bestfriend, Bennett. They both get MARRIED, but only for a semester. Of course, things are going to brew with the closes proximity 😉

✨ What I liked -
Bennett is so possessive and angsty🔥
ONLY ONE BED 🛏️
Body positivity 💕
Black market grilled cheese 🧀 😂
Their mum's friendship (reminds me of tsitp)

✨ 8/10 ✨

💍 BOOK PUBLISHED! Go read now 😄🤌🫶

✨ Author - @andimjulie

✨ Thank you so much @macmillanusa for this gifted copy in exchange of an honest review

#bookstagram

Welcome back to another Author Interview! Today I am joined by Haley Newlin, author of Take Your Turn Teddy, Not Another Sarah Halls , and The Film You Are About To See.

1. I always use this first question as an introduction. Tell us as much or as little about yourself as you would like!

I grew up on the theatrical terror of William Castle's gimmicks and Vincent Price films — both of which have heavily influenced my work. I have published three novels, including Take Your Turn, Teddy, and my latest release, The Film You Are About To See which was featured on the 2025 Bram Stoker Reading List. I have written several short stories, including "The Butcher on Blue Jay Way," featured in Kandisha Press's SLASH-HER: An Anthology of Women in Horror, and a story in Nick Roberts’s forthcoming Haunted Minds: Tales of Possession anthology. 

I am the managing editor for Cemetery Dance Magazine. When I’m not writing, I’m watching black-and-white horror films or reading horror books. I live in Indiana with my boyfriend and three dogs.  

2. I just saw the amazing news that you are the new Managing Editor for Cemetery Dance Magazine. That is so exciting. Care to tell us a little about what all that will entail?

Thank you! I’m really excited about this new role. I’ve written for Cemetery Dance Magazine for about five years, mostly book reviews and author interviews. The managing editor curates this content, edits it, and publishes it. 

I’m excited to work on the next print magazine release. 

3. You currently have three books out. Do you have a favorite that you have written? Was there one that was harder to write than the others? One you have more of a personal connection to?

The Film You Are About To See is definitely my favorite. When I treat myself to some me time, I’m always watching an old horror flick like The Tingler (1959), House On Haunted Hill (1959), or Cat People (1942). 

I’ve always really loved Vincent Price and William Castle and have dreamed of seeing one of their films at the drive-in, my favorite place to watch horror movies. Then, I got to thinking about if I could host my own dusk til dawn night at the drive-in, what kind of movies would I show? How could I bring William Castle’s theatrical gimmicks to the drive-in setting? And the result -- The Film You Are About To See. 

I still can’t believe I got to write a book like The Film You Are About To See. It was just a blast. And the best part has been readers going and watching some of the films included on the marquee. I love nothing more than a tag on Instagram and someone shares that they read The Film You Are About To See and are watching Shock (1946), Vincent Price’s first starring role, or The Tingler, for the very first time. 

Take Your Turn, Teddy was the most difficult book to write, and maybe that’s because it is the most personal. 

For a while, I said that Take Your Turn, Teddy broke my brain. This story came together about a young boy who lives in an abusive home situation, and when he and his mother flee to a house in Indiana, he befriends a dark entity.

In my childhood and teen years, most days just felt like survival. I didn’t feel that there was a lot of consistency in my life aside from abandonment, disappointment, and isolation. This is the type of narrative the shadow feeds to Teddy. He comes to believe the bad is his only constant. 

So, basically, I’d written some personal elements into what this road looks like for Teddy. Which, eventually, was cathartic. At first, it was grueling. Like pulling teeth. I’d leave the writing desk just feeling gutted and utterly exposed. But for some reason, I pushed through and kept writing. 

I’m glad I did. 

4. Are you working on any new projects at the moment?

Too many! I am a firm believer in working on one project at a time. I want all of my creativity and ideas to channel into one project. But, my current project calendar has me working on a screenplay and two short stories, simultaneously, so it’s been an adjustment for sure. 

I begin drafting my next novel in June. I won’t say too much but it sort of feels like a sister novel to Take Your Turn, Teddy. It’s bleak and set in rural Indiana during the 1940s.  

5. I know you are a HUGE Vincent Price fan. What are your top three Vincent Price movies?

I never get tired of answering questions like this!

I really prefer Vincent Price’s films prior to the 1960s, but there is one exception and it’s first on my list. 

1. Diary of a Madman (1963) 

2. The Tingler (1959) 

3. House of Wax (1953) 

6. Do you have any writing rituals or routines that help you get in the writing zone?

I like to start each writing session by listing out a few things I’m most excited about within the project. Maybe it’s the setting, like 1959 at a dusk til dawn Spooktacular, hosted by the local drive-in (as in The Film You Are About To See), or a new piece of research I stumbled upon. Sometimes just being reminded of the passion and taking a moment to reconnect to it, makes a blank page less intimidating. 

7. What have been your top 2026 horror book releases?

I can’t stop recommending The Curse of Hester Gardens by Tamika Thompson and I’ll Watch Your Baby by Neena Viel. 

The Curse of Hester Gardens should be studied on college campuses. It’s a story about poverty, gun violence, familial bonds, curses and ghosts. It’s an unshakable and incredibly emotional read. 

I’ll Watch Your Baby by Neena Viel (May 26, 2026) is inspired by Linda Taylor, known as the original Welfare Queen, who Ronald Reagan caricatured as the ultimate cheat of the system and by extension, the American people. I recommend going into this somewhat blind. The supernatural element and secondary POV come together so powerfully. 

It’s about generational and historical trauma, oppression, and the power of friendship. 

It’s quite visceral, terrifying, and unforgettable. 

8. Some of your favorite backlist titles?

My favorite read of 2025 was Tananarive Due’s The Reformatory. I think everyone should read this book. It’s just brilliant. I’m actually currently reading a book recommended to fans of The Reformatory, called Burn Down Master’s House by Clay Cane. It will absolutely make it on my list of top reads of the year. I can’t put it down. 

I also really enjoyed The Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Canas. It has one of the most memorable endings I’ve ever read. I wanted to leap from my seat and yell “GOOD FOR HER!” 

A favorite nonfiction read that I can’t recommend enough is Scream With Me: Horror Films and the Rise of American Feminism by Eleanor Johnson. It totally changed how I see adaptations of horror books like The Shining and The Exorcist.

9. Being an indie author yourself, who are some of your favorite indie horror authors/books?

I love the Paisley Mott series by Kalvin Ellis, Squirming All The Way Up by Joey Powell, The Long Low Whistle by Laurel Hightower (my scariest read of 2025), and you can’t go wrong with anything from Viggy Parr Hampton, Spencer Hamilton, Briana Morgan, or RJ Joseph. 

10. What horror movies have you been watching lately/are on your radar?

After reading Your Favorite Scary Movie: by Ashley Cullins, I am looking forward to seeing Scream 7 once it hits streaming. I had no idea that the original screenwriter, Kevin Williamson, directed it. He’s been through so much with this franchise and the woes of Hollywood, that I was really excited to hear that he’s back. He always wanted Scream to have a queer director, he said he just never would’ve thought that it would be himself. 

I’m rewatching the whole franchise. I’m currently on the second film, which I’m realizing is a lot better than people give it credit for. 

Use the space below to add anything else you want to say in! Such as website, social media handles, etc…

I love connecting with horror fans! I’m most active on Instagram and TikTok - @haleynewlin_author 

You can also find me on my website - haleynewlinauthor.com 

Hey y'all,

This upcoming week we'll have reading sprints on both Monday and Tuesday. Double the books and double the sprints!

Both will begin at 7 PM EST on Discord. I'm so excited to read with you!

XoXo,

Rae

Here are some of my thoughts on Chapters 5-9 (p. 73-164) of The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan.

This section made me angry, rightfully so. A continued look on the themes identified last week:

Us vs. Them

We continue to see the mothers compare themselves to one another, which is understandable. It's easier to consider your own faults "not that bad" or excusable, while others' aren't.

The Expectations on Mothers

This really comes to light in this section, with the mothers at the school required to parent their dolls in a particular way (down to the number of seconds a hug should be??!!). There's no doubt that these mothers made mistakes that harmed their children, but it doesn't seem like the formulaic parenting they're forced to do is the answer.

Additionally, it seems like these expectations are one-sided, given how many mothers have been sentenced to this education compared to how many fathers.

And a new theme to consider:

Misogyny in a Patriarchal Society

The misogyny has been there since the beginning: Gust cheating on and leaving Frida, how Frida is talked about. But the scene that stood out to me the most was how the mothers had to keep asking for pads on their period, instead of being provided more than 2 at a time. This seems designed (or at least implying) that their feminine need is a defect that shouldn't be coddled (as if hygiene supplies can coddle someone).

Additional Questions for Discussion

What do you think about Frida's interactions/thoughts of Susanna?

What do you make of Lucretia's experiences?

What role does race play in the school?

Back in 2015, I helped launch the Blerd Book Club. It was a refreshing corner of the internet where self-declared Black nerds like myself (blerds) could come together, form community and wrap our minds around reading books. During that time, we selected a book each month and held public discussions on what was then called Twitter, now known as X. We also invited authors to join us in conversations around our monthly selections, ranging from indie voices to well-known names. For example, Issa Rae stopped by to chat about her book The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl.

I’d love to create something similar in this space. With the connections and rapport I’ve built over the past decade with the BGN brand, I’ve developed strong relationships with a range of publishers and authors. My goal is to turn this into a space where book lovers can truly connect over what they love most: reading.

I also want to serve as a conduit for marginalized authors who are not always afforded the same opportunities to get their names out there, creating a space where they can be seen and heard. I admire what Bindery is doing for authors, and I’d love to be part of that ecosystem. I also want to amplify authors more intentionally in my work as a content creator.

We welcome everyone to be part of this community. You don’t have to be a BGN member or a blerd per se, but you do need to come with allyship and a genuine support for what this book club represents. More to come soon as we're just getting started here on Bindery and look forward to the beginning of something really groundbreaking here.

-J

I just want to tag @pxw1 here.

Hello Galaxy folks!

As mentioned as part of your perks, all Galaxy tier members get access to my "unhaul" list where they can claim 1 book/ARC to be sent to them. These are books that I have bought or that have been sent to me that I no longer need as part of my collection. I have not read all of these books so I cannot make a judgement on their content, and in most cases they are books that were sent to me without my express knowledge or permission. However—I would love for them to go to good homes with all of you <3

Please consult the sheet HERE for the full list of books and then head to THIS FORM where you will be asked to provide your top 3 choices and your address, and I will try my best to send you 1 of your picks.  THE FORM CLOSES ON MAY 10th at 11:59PM!

THIS PERK IS LIMITED TO U.S. AND CANADA MEMBERS ONLY due to shipping costs.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

This is for the those who feel a little… disconnected from themselves lately. Not fully lost. But not fully you either.

These books helped me reconnect in different ways 🤍

Only for the Week — Only for the Week by Natasha Bishop
Janelle is a BIG people pleaser who never puts herself first. But with the help of Rome, she starts learning how to center herself and prioritize her own needs. Rome is gentle but still authoritative… literally exactly what she needs.

Sweet Heat — Sweet Heat by Bolu Babalola
This is book two, and we find Kiki in a completely different headspace than she was in college. Life has happened. She’s more unsure, a little lost, trying to figure out her path. Kiki feels like a fully realized, complex person here, and Malakai reminds her that she’s Kiki Banjo… she can do anything she puts her mind to. This book lives in my rent free.

The Cinnamon Bun Book Store — The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore
Our girl is the manager of a cozy bookstore and a complete bookaholic… but she’s not really living her life. That changes when she meets fisherman Noah, who shows her that life is bigger than books, and a little spicier too. I really enjoyed this one.

Restore Me — Restore Me by L. J. Segars
Our main character has been touch-deprived for years after losing her husband.
She hasn’t allowed herself to open up to love again. But her late husband’s best friend helps her remember what it feels like to be touched… and eventually, to be loved again.(This book is super messy, but healing.)

If You Stayed — If You Stayed by Brittainy Cherry
Kierra is someone who has accepted that life doesn't have to be amazing. Just good enough. On the outside, her life looks perfect. But inside, her marriage lacks warmth, and she’s weighed down by guilt from her past. Then someone she thought wanted nothing to do with her comes back into her life… and helps her realize she deserves the world, not just what she’s been settling for.

So, I didn't want to have to do this but given the state of the economy and our own financial situation, we have to take down our website for now. This means we will not be accepting donations of books, nor selling books ourselves. BUT you can certainly still purchase from us using our Bookshop.org link and please please please consider making us your store for Libro.fm because we get portions of that, too!

I'm hoping to get us back up and running by the fall, but we'll see. I'm sure we all know prices for everything have gone up--just buying enough food for one meal here is around $80. Insane!

In the meantime, as finances allow, I will do giveaways and such to thank you all for continuing to support us. I will still do weekly newsletters of new releases we're excited for, but I'll also start using this as a platform for reviews of books I think are great additions to your collection!

First one: newly minted Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction--Angel Down by Daniel Kraus. I had the pleasure of reading this as an ARC a year ago and absolutely loved it. It is propulsive, gory, and so so human. It's not going to be for everyone, but it certainly was for me. I hope you all decide to pick it up! It's literary horror with a historical background (takes place in World War I) and I mean...it's gross.

I hope that you're all staying well given the state of the world and thank you so much for your support!

Till next Tuesday!

Ryn

A diet of bite-size, digestible, "accessible" content will rot your brain

Online, every piece of content is designed to be accessible and not challenge you. Ease (cousin of convenience) is critical in getting views. 'Difficult' subjects are dumbed down so content can just wash over the viewer, who doesn't have to use any brain power whatsoever🙃

How do you get your intellectual nourishment? Surely not on the internet.

Making something dumber isn't making it more accessible--

it's perverting it altogether. Removing nuance doesn't democratize a subject, it misinterprets it. To say Ross and Rachel were "on a break" is maddening because it makes it sound simple when it wasn't. This is how all info is being treated now. People are forgetting how to think (or, worse, people believe they are using their brains when they are not.)

There's a reason that, in school, your teacher makes you read actual Shakespeare. Not CliffsNotes. Not Shakespeare for Dummies. There are plenty of summaries and study guides but nothing compares to the source itself.

I don't want digestible hot takes

I want the real thing. That's why I'm reading Distinction with my friend Neeha (who I met at Sad Rich Girl Salon). Hot takes are fundamentally not rigorous because they are entertainment. Some people forget/don't know this. Some people think that mindlessly consuming 'intellectual' content is akin to reading a book when it's just brainrot masquerading as education. If a creator "breaks down" a complex topic in sub-2 minutes and you sincerely think you "get it", you have been scammed, my friend. No matter how smart someone else is they cannot do thinking for you. You must do it yourself.

Distinction is tough. It's dense and the reasoning feels circular and I have to re-read passages and still feel like I'm not totally understanding -- I love it. I miss this feeling. I don't think I've really had it since college (def did not have it in my MFA).

Wanna read Bourdieu with me?

This is not an "I'm reading it so you don't have to" deal. You read it, too. For no other reason than your own edification. You don't get "credit" for reading it, you just get the enjoyment of doing something challenging and following through. The sweetest pleasure of all.

It's not 100% enjoyable all the time. Some of Distinction is boring. Some of the graphs are inscrutable. But nothing worth learning is a walk in the park all the time. This is learning grammar so that you can enjoy the Aeneid. Don't you want that in your life? How are people living without the joy of doing difficult things? Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit. That's what it's all about, baby (why else would I choose to be an author?).

I love homework

And even more than homework-- I freakin' love tests. I love an examination. But since no one is going to administer one, I am going to prepare a final project when I've had my fill of Distinction. Neeha and I are going to give a presentation (aka do an online Salon) when we're done reading.

We will debate Bourdieu's claims about taste and have a conversation that cites the text and refers you to specific pages so you know we're not BSing. We're going to do it live and broadcast it as one is wont to do.

Join us for an (online) conversation about TASTE

When? tbd. We're less than halfway done and it's 500 pages. Probably end of summer/early fall.

Where? Online.

Format? 30 min discussion followed by Q&A. (subject to change)

How do I attend? Sign up for updates on sadrichgirlsalon.com (You can opt in to just the online invitations so I don't spam you.)

Please note: I'm NOT encouraging you wait for my breakdown. I'm encouraging you to read it on your own because, even if you don't come to our conversation, you will be happier and smarter and better off for having read it. reading gratia reading

When you're reading, do you like to have music in the background or do you prefer complete silence?

I like to put on Lo-fi on YouTube. It helps me focus better! Lately, I've been enjoying Chill Crossing Hour which is themed around Animal Crossing.

Apologies on the late posting, busy week! Here are the options for May.

Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley

Jane and Dan have been married for nineteen years, but Jane isn’t sure they’re going to make it to twenty. The mother of two feels unneeded by her teenagers, and her writing career has screeched to an unsuccessful halt. Her one published novel sold under five hundred copies. Worse? She’s pretty sure Dan is cheating on her. When the couple goes to the renowned upscale restaurant La Fin du Monde to celebrate their anniversary, Jane thinks it’s as good a place as any to tell Dan she wants a divorce.

But before they even get to the second course, an underground climate activist group bursts into the dining room. Jane is shocked—and not just because she’s in a hostage situation the likes of which she’s only seen in the movies. Nearly everything the disorganized and bumbling activists say and do is right out of the pages of her failed book. Even Dan (who Jane wasn’t sure even read her book) admits it’s eerily familiar.

Which means Dan and Jane are the only ones who know what’s going to happen next. And they’re the only ones who can stop it. This wasn’t what Jane was thinking of when she said “’til death do us part” all those years ago, but if they can survive this, maybe they can survive anything—even marriage.

Heartwood by Amity Gaige

In the heart of the Maine woods, an experienced Appalachian Trail hiker goes missing. She is forty-two-year-old Valerie Gillis, who has vanished 200 miles from her final destination. Alone in the wilderness, Valerie pours her thoughts into fractured, poetic letters to her mother as she battles the elements and struggles to keep hoping.

At the heart of the investigation is Beverly, the determined Maine State Game Warden tasked with finding Valerie, who leads the search on the ground. Meanwhile, Lena, a seventy-six-year-old birdwatcher in a Connecticut retirement community, becomes an unexpected armchair detective. Roving between these compelling narratives, a puzzle emerges, intensifying the frantic search, as Valerie’s disappearance may not be accidental.

Wait for Me by Amy Jo Burns

Young folk singer Elle Harlow reaches the height of her prowess in 1973, with two wildly beloved albums to her name and a hidden history of impossible heartbreak. When she sets foot on the famed Grand Ole Opry stage, a far cry from the mountain that raised her, Elle gives the biggest performance of her life. Then, to the dismay of shocked fans, her producer, and the man who still loves her, she vanishes.

Almost two decades later, eighteen-year-old Marijohn Shaw is spending her summer pumping gas, writing songs on her broken mandolin, and longing for a mother. Her father, Abe, has always sworn he was the last person to see Elle Harlow alive, but when a meteor strikes the woods of their sleepy Pennsylvania town and a piece of Elle’s past emerges from the wreckage, the truth of her disappearance sets fire to everything Marijohn believes about herself, her music, and her ability to love with abandon.

The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff

Ryan and Lillian Bright are deeply in love, recently married, and now parents to a baby girl, Georgette. But Lillian has a son she hasn’t told Ryan about, and Ryan has an alcohol addiction he hasn’t told Lillian about, so Georgette comes of age watching their marriage rise and fall.

When a shocking blow scatters their fragile trio, Georgette tries to distance herself from reminders of her parents. Years later, Lillian’s son comes searching for his birth family, so Georgette must return to her roots, unearth her family’s history, and decide whether she can open up to love for them—or herself—while there’s still time.

Told from three intimate points of view, The Bright Years is a tender, true-to-life novel that explores the impact of each generation in a family torn apart by tragedy but, over time, restored by the power of grace and love.

Hello all! Libro.fm is having a Best Of Libro audiobook sale where you can hot titles for less than $10 a piece! Please consider us if you like audiobooks; we earn 10% commission on every purchase!

Till next time!

There’s something uniquely unsettling about magical realism… and I mean that in the best possible way.

Not unsettling in a horror sense (although sometimes it absolutely can lean that direction), but in the way these stories quietly slip something impossible into an otherwise ordinary world and then refuse to explain it.

A woman tastes emotions in food. A house mourns alongside a family. Ghosts linger at kitchen tables like relatives no one talks about anymore. Time bends. Memory becomes physical. Grief takes shape. And everyone just… accepts it.

That’s the magic of magical realism.

This genre doesn’t ask you to suspend disbelief in the same way fantasy does. It asks you to sit with emotion. To accept that some feelings are too large, too strange, too complicated to exist in realism alone.

And honestly? Some of the most memorable books I’ve ever read live here.

So let’s talk about it 👇

🌙 What Magical Realism Really Is

Magical realism blends realistic settings with subtle magical or surreal elements that are treated as normal by the characters within the story.

The world itself remains grounded in reality: real cities, real families, real grief, real relationships.

But woven through that reality is something impossible. Not explained. Not systemized. Not questioned all that much. And that distinction matters.

Because magical realism is less interested in the mechanics of magic and more interested in what the magic represents.

These stories often explore:

• memory

• identity

• generational trauma

• love

• loss

• culture

• family legacy

• longing

The “magic” usually functions as emotional truth rather than plot device, which is why these books tend to linger long after you finish them.

✨ The Vibe

If I had to describe magical realism in a feeling, it would be: dreamlike intimacy with an undercurrent of melancholy.

These stories often feel:

• atmospheric and immersive

• emotionally layered

• slightly uncanny

• lyrical or reflective

• deeply human

There’s softness here, but also ache. And unlike plot-heavy fantasy, magical realism tends to move quietly. The stakes are usually personal rather than world-ending. A fractured family can carry as much weight as a war. A ghost can represent grief more effectively than pages of dialogue ever could. And somehow these stories make the impossible feel deeply familiar.

🧠 The Themes That Define the Genre

What makes magical realism so compelling is that the surreal elements almost always point back toward something painfully real.

These stories constantly ask:

• What does grief look like when it becomes physical?

• How much of our family history do we inherit?

• Can memory distort reality?

• What parts of ourselves do we bury to survive?

And perhaps most importantly: how do we keep living alongside things we cannot fully explain?

That’s why magical realism often overlaps beautifully with literary fiction. The focus isn’t spectacle. It’s emotion. Atmosphere. Symbolism. The magic simply gives those emotions shape.

📚 Where to Start: Beginner to Advanced Picks

🪄 BEGINNER PICK: Practical Magic

A story about sisters, family curses, love, grief, and the kind of magic that feels woven into everyday life.

Why it works:

• incredibly accessible entry point into the genre

• cozy, atmospheric, and emotionally grounded

• balances whimsy with real emotional depth

• magical elements feel intimate rather than overwhelming

Magical realism elements:

• inherited family magic

• generational trauma wrapped in folklore

• magic treated as an ordinary part of life

• emotional relationships at the center of the story

This is the perfect starting point if you want something enchanting, emotional, and deeply readable.

🌌 ADVANCED PICK: Piranesi

A quiet, surreal, labyrinthine novel about memory, isolation, identity, and a world that feels both impossible and strangely sacred.

Why it works:

• more abstract and literary in structure

• heavily atmosphere-driven

• trusts the reader to sit in uncertainty

• blends surrealism, philosophy, and emotional symbolism

Magical realism elements:

• dreamlike setting treated as reality

• blurred boundaries between memory and identity

• emotional truths hidden inside surreal imagery

• mystery built through atmosphere rather than action

Save this for when you want something immersive, strange, and quietly devastating.

🔮 Magical Realism vs Fantasy

This is probably the biggest point of confusion with the genre because technically… yes, both contain magic. But they approach it completely differently.

Fantasy asks: “What if magic existed?” Magical realism asks: “What if magic existed… and no one found that particularly unusual?”

Fantasy typically builds worlds around magic: systems, rules, politics, conflict, chosen ones, wars, quests.

Magical realism keeps one foot firmly planted in reality. The setting usually looks recognizable. Ordinary. Familiar. And instead of the story revolving around how magic works, the focus becomes what the magic means emotionally.

A dragon in fantasy changes the structure of the world. A ghost in magical realism usually changes the emotional dynamic of a family dinner. And honestly, that distinction is what makes magical realism feel so intimate.

The surreal isn’t there for spectacle. It’s there to reveal something true.

🌧️ Why This Genre Works So Well Right Now

I think magical realism resonates so deeply because reality itself already feels a little surreal lately.

We’re constantly navigating grief, uncertainty, nostalgia, loneliness, identity shifts, collective exhaustion… all while trying to maintain the illusion of normalcy.

And magical realism captures that tension perfectly. It acknowledges that sometimes emotions feel too large for realism alone. Sometimes grief does feel like a haunting. Sometimes memory does distort reality. Sometimes love does feel supernatural.

This genre doesn’t escape reality. It reframes it. And I think that’s why these books feel so personal to so many readers.

🌙 Final Thoughts

Magical realism lives in the space between the ordinary and the impossible.

It’s quiet. Emotional. Atmospheric. Sometimes confusing. Often beautiful.

These are stories where houses breathe, ghosts grieve, and memory becomes something tangible enough to touch. Not because the world is magical, but because being human already is. Few genres capture emotional truth quite like this one does.

Happy May, First Editions members! A new month means a fresh aesthetic for your bookish content. We are so excited to unveil this month’s exclusive template drop, designed to help you share your reading journey with ease and style.

Whether you’re looking to deep-dive into a review, gamify your TBR with Trope Bingo, or give your followers a stunning visual wrap-up, we’ve got you covered. From carousels to reels, these are officially ready for you to customize in Canva!

Your May Template Links:

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Happy creating, and happy reading! Be sure to tag us so we can see your beautiful May feeds!

❗️If you have any issues with the templates or need to request a specific template please send us an email at the link in our bio or at thepageladies6@gmail.com 

Happy May, everyone!

The flowers are blooming, the days are getting longer, and your TBR pile is probably getting taller. To help you share your love for all things literary this month, we’ve put together a special set of Free May Templates just for you!

Whether you're looking to share your latest five-star read or just want to organize your reading goals, these Canva templates make it easy and aesthetic to keep your followers updated.

What’s in the May Freebie Pack?

Grab your favorites below and start customizing them to match your personal style:

4 Free May Templates https://canva.link/4ee8m9dhi7qsis5

Free Story Book Review Template https://canva.link/lejjk32qu8ypk2j 

Free Story May Wrap-Up https://canva.link/ciwzul5y7px9my6 

Free This or That https://canva.link/tw6jshxweeggspk 

Free May Reading Log https://canva.link/xinwvmsjmihksrv  

How to Use Your Templates

1. Click the links above to open the templates directly in Canva.

2. Customize the colors, fonts, and images to fit your vibe.

3. Download and post to your favorite social platforms!

Love these freebies? If you want to take your content even further, don't forget that our First Editions paid members get access to a massive library of 16+ exclusive templates every single month, including Bingo cards, carousels, and professional reading journals.

Happy reading and posting! Be sure to tag us so we can see your beautiful May feeds!