by Kelly K. Branyik | Dec 29, 2025 | Book Reviews
What is Dark Matter About? A mindbending, relentlessly surprising thriller from the author of the bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy. Jason Dessen is walking home through the chilly Chicago streets one night, looking forward to a quiet evening in front of the fireplace...
by Kelly K. Branyik | Dec 13, 2025 | Short Stories, Writing
Sensitive Note: Story contains mentions of death and starvation. Originally posted on Reedsy Prompts. “Water signifies Spirit and cleansing,” her father said, pouring warm, clary sage-infused water over her hand from a silver pitcher. The extra liquid trickled like a...
by Kelly K. Branyik | Nov 15, 2025 | Book Reviews
What is Leftover Women About? In the early years of the People’s Republic of China, the Communist Party sought to transform gender relations, but those gains have been steadily eroded in recent decades during China’s transition to a post-socialist era. In fact, women...
by Kelly K. Branyik | Nov 5, 2025 | Musings
In today’s world, women are still punished for being too loud, too emotional, too much, not enough, constantly living up to unebelievably impossible standards. Women as a whole are up against generational and patriarchal systems that have never stopped trying to...
by Kelly K. Branyik | Oct 27, 2025 | Just Books
There’s something quietly electric about finding a sapphic love story that feels secret and sacred. The kind of book that doesn’t just tell a romance, but opens a door. For years, sapphic romance has lived a little outside the mainstream spotlight, thriving in...