Being Bookish

If you ever long for the days when Syfy was making and airing their monster-of-the-week shows, or miss the early seasons of The X-Files, then the book I have this week is definitely one for you.
(Mostly) Human Resources is the debut novel from American author Grace Viall. An urban fantasy that blends the world of monsters, monster hunters and the modern world together. In the first in her Entity Case Files trilogy, we meet the employees of Entity, an organisation which hunts and destroys the monsters that lurk, the monsters from folklore and legend. Banshees, Silver Giants, jackalopes - all of them are real, and all of them may be dangerous.
Alexys Keane works in the HR department, looking after the wardens who go out to hunt these creatures that could possibly go bump in the night. She's a desk jockey, who likes where she is. A rule-follower, she's less than impressed when she's forced to work with the less traditional and definitely more rebellious Nic Dyre...and things get even worse when an employee assessment goes awry.
To learn more about this book and why you should definitely read it...as well as possibly pick up a boxset of Warehouse 13, get your earbuds in and give this interview a listen. I promise, it's a world of fun.

Grace's Links
Grace's Website
Grace's Instagram
Buy the book

I interrupt your regular programming to make this announcement. For reasons beyond my control, my next episode will be released on Thursday... but give this announcement a listen to get a hint of what it will be.
Honestly, I can't wait to share the next episode with you; however, it has been postponed due to an unexpected event... nothing bad, just not what I had planned for my evening.
Keep your ears to the ground and get those guesses coming; there are clues to be found!

Join me this week as I have a special guest, author Kristina Thornton. Her second novel is due to be released on the 28th July, published by Harpeth Road Press, and is titled Forty Going on Nineteen. As you may guess from the title, it has a little bit of a time travel vibe, though there is no de-ageing or battling with school bullies. Instead, our main character is about to turn forty (and for anyone who has experienced this, you'll know it's a mental hurdle), and her best friend encourages her to revisit what her life was like when she was nineteen.
We have friends, family and the reappearance of an old crush, as well as a visit from the ex! There are also emotional revelations, realisations and the battling of a few fear demons (not in the literal sense, of course).
Find out more about Kristina Thornton:
Kristina's Website
Facebook
Instagram
Buy Forty Going on Nineteen
TikTok

Welcome to the latest episode of The Stephen King Thing, a special spin-off series from the Being Bookish podcast. In this part of the show, Lorraine and I are dedicating our time to exploring the extensive bibliography of the master of horror, and this time, both Lorraine and I will be somewhat reluctantly and definitely nervously checking into the Overlook Hotel to dissect his 1977 masterpiece, The Shining.
Because we're taking a deep dive into the chilling isolation of the Torrance family and the hotel's sinister grip on Jack's sanity, these episodes do things a little differently.
As I've mentioned before, unlike my usual episodes, the Stephen King thing is not spoiler-free, and due to the nature of the content, is definitely not family-friendly! So be warned...
If you're ready to venture down those haunted, snowbound corridors with us, join us as we explore one of the most iconic horror stories ever written.
Want to watch this episode on YouTube? You can find it here.

In this episode of Being Bookish, I'm digging into the layers of Starside, the 2026 fantasy novel by Alex Aster. This book marks her first step into more adult romantasy after her original foray into the genre with the YA Lightlark series.
While there's plenty of talk online about the deadly competition framework and the familiar tropes in this book, I'm much more interested in tackling the online discourse and evaluating how well these elements are actually executed. I'll be exploring whether the heavy use of the enemies-to-lovers trope feels justified and looking closely at whether the characters and world history have enough depth to keep us invested.
I'm taking a close look at the book to talk about character motivations and the pacing of the romance without getting distracted by the marketing hype. Instead, I'm actually delving into how the book fits into the genre, questioning the accusations of unoriginality while also examining the missed opportunities in the background lore and the balance of the central relationships. Whether you're a fan of high-stakes trial stories or you're looking to see how a popular release handles these specific tropes, I've got plenty of personal feelings to share on where this book fits on your fantasy reading list.
Join me, grab yourself a cuppa and let's get into this secret-filled world together.

Featured Episodes
Dire Bound
Just Desserts - Oops, a book I actually need to review!
Blood of Hercules