My Suspiciously Specific Recommendations for February will themed around a topic that’s close to my heart this time of year: grief. Not only does February mark some significant dates and anniversaries in relation to my personal grief, but it also feels like the perfect time of year for the subject matter: gloomy, cold and dark, but with days that are ever so slowly lengthening again towards summer. In this mini-series, I’ll share some grief-themed books, clustered by suspicio

Genre: Science Fiction Published: Erewhon Books, February 2026 My Rating: 5/5 stars “First there was the fear of being. Fear of being became fear of not-being. Those are the two original fears.” Consider this a PSA to all sci-fi-fans: mark February 28th on your calendars to go out and pick up this novel upon release. You won’t regret it! A.D. Sui blends a beautiful, meditative and philosophical science-fiction story with a closed-room-murder-mystery in space, and although tha

Genre: Eco-fiction, novella Published: Quercus Books by Riverrun, February 2026 My Rating: 4/5 stars “Nature doesn’t give a fuck.” Eradication is an apt eco-novella with a strong undercurrent of grief and morality, both personal and with regard to the larger world around us. We follow Adi, a former jazz musician-turned-schoolteacher, as he accepts a curious “eco-conservation” job on the tiny, isolated Pacific Island of Santa Flora. Here, armed with nothing but survival gear

My Suspiciously Specific Recommendations for February will themed around a topic that’s close to my heart this time of year: grief. Not only does February mark some significant dates and anniversaries in relation to my personal grief, but it also feels like the perfect time of year for the subject matter: gloomy, cold and dark, but with days that are ever so slowly lengthening again towards summer. In this mini-series, I’ll share some grief-themed books, clustered by suspicio

Genre: literary horror, gothic, queer Published: Little Brown and Company, January 2026 My Rating: 5/5 stars, first favourite of 2026 "Because no matter how far you run, she knew—no matter how hard you try to shed your old skin and become something else—the place you come from stays with you. It always calls you back." The second I finished Hemlock , I realized two things. First, this was going to be a marmite-book that I won’t be able to recommend to just any wide audience.

Genre: Science Fiction Published: Mariner Books, November 2025 My Rating: 2/5 stars “I knew that she was right. She would forget me. but perhaps I could make sure of it; even long after she was gone, the world would never forget her.” It took me a while to put my thoughts to paper, as this book gave me the biggest whiplash I’ve experienced in a long time. For the first half or so, it was on a five-star-course. I absolutely loved the ideas this book engaged with, and was hook

Genre: Contemporary Fiction with Speculative element Published: ECW-Press, October 2025 My Rating: 4/5 stars “If I were to tell someone...

Genre: Literary Fiction, Magical Realism Published: Grove Press, August 2025 My Rating: 5/5 stars ‘Sometimes,’ I said, ‘goodbye isn’t...

Genre: Literary Fiction Published: J onathan Cape, August 2024 My Rating: 4/5 stars "The Echoes. His parents thought it was a good name...

Genre : middle-grade, magical realism. Published: Feiwel & Friends, March 2025 My Rating: 4.5/5 stars "Surprisingly, it was the pigeons...

Genre: Horror, Supernatural Published: Shortwave Media, April 2025 My Rating: 5/5 stars Fans of Iain Reid’s We Spread will delight in...

Genre: Middle-grade, contemporary Published: Clarion Books, May 2023 My Rating: 5/5 stars “We are here to help you carry the sky when you...

Genre: kinderboek (vanaf ca 10 jaar) Publicatie: Luitingh-Sijthoff, September 2020 Sterwaardering: 4/5 sterren "'Kon ik het verdriet...

Genre: Young Adult Horror, Romance Published: Delacorte Press, August 2019 My Rating: 1.5 stars “We are born of the Salt, we live by the...

Genre: Young Adult Horror, Contemporary Published: North Star, October 2024 My Rating: 4.5/5 stars "The bones had grown into the roots...

Genre: Cozy Fantasy Published: Bindery Books, October 2024 My Rating: 2.5/5 stars "It’s strange how grief works. I was content, walking...

Genre: Literary Fiction Published: Simon & Schuster, June 2024 My Rating: 1/5 stars Remember when Ottessa Moshfegh did "unhinged,...

Genre: Horror Published: Independently Published by the author, June 2023 My Rating: 4/5 stars "Was this how some families grieved? By...

Genre: Literary/Contemporary Fiction Published: Little A Publishing, August 2024 My Rating: 2/5 stars We Were Pretending is the...

Genre: Literary Fiction Published: Alcove Press, July 9th 2024 My Rating: 5/5 stars "I have two lab notebooks. The regular one is for...