BOOK REVIEW: 21 Days of Fear

 

21 DAYS OF FEAR
by Hervé Commère
Available now

Luca has not had an easy life, having lost his father and sister at a young age and being prone to fighting ever since. Now, he's moved from France to London to start over, booking a room at a hostel and taking a job at a bookshop. But on arrival, he receives an anonymous letter in a red envelope. And its contents are shocking: his missing-presumed-dead sister Telma is still alive, she is in the custody of the letter-writer, and she will die in 21 days.

The book is divided into 21 envelopes, which readers are encouraged to open and read at a rate of one per day. In addition to a letter (usually from Telma's kidnapper, but sometimes from other people), the "envelope" contains a chapter from Luca's point of view, tracing his attempts to investigate while desperately holding his life together. As strangers approach Luca with confusing messages and the instructions in the envelopes get worse and worse, he finds solace with Liv, a local bar employee. Throughout his investigation, he discovers secrets lurking in his family's past that could tie to Telma's disappearance. By the end of Luca's search, he'll no longer know who to trust.

When it comes to books like this with a "gimmick," my first question is always whether the book would be good without the gimmick. Fortunately, for 21 Days of Fear, the answer is yes. You could certainly read this book straight through as a traditional chapter book, and the plot would stand on its own. The format of the book, taking readers day-by-day through Luca's journey, is definitely an interesting way to go about it, and it means the book has to be carefully plotted and paced. Commère absolutely succeeds at penning a riveting read.

While the writer of the letters is not difficult to predict, especially for an adept reader of mysteries, the why of the story is still surprising. The path to the truth is very intricate, but ultimately satisfying. And the final page leaves the reader with a gut-drop that puts Luca's mindset so far into perspective.

Ideally, I'd recommend picking this book up and starting it at the beginning of a month (I'd say October but we're in the thick of it). Yes, you can read it at your own pace, but letting the suspense build day by day is much more fun.

TEA PAIRING: The Dragon's Flame
While this dark, cinnamon-spicy tea is inspired by legends of knights and dragons, it also feels appropriate for this particular read. Like the book, it's got a slow, delicious burn. Use my code KARA15 for 15% off this and other book-inspired teas from Chapters Tea & Co.!

FEATURED CANDLE: Salem Sisters
This limited-edition autumn candle has woodsy notes, bringing to mind Luca and Telma's ill-fated game of hide-and-seek that kicks off this whole story. Follow the link to check out more book-inspired candles from Frostbeard!

BOOK REVIEW: Gutterspace

GUTTERSPACE
by Justine Norton-Kertson
Available October 13

Ezra used to be a comic book artist. Now he's working behind the counter at a comic store, selling issues to hardcore fans, collectors, and casual browsers. It's all pretty much the same day after day, until he discovers a rare comic even he doesn't remember: Gutterspace #6, a surreal comic that seems to draw itself the further along he reads. But the more he reads, the more he feels it invading his mind.

Desperate for answers, he looks up the only other three people who have encountered this strange comic. One by one, he visits each, turned away whenever he seeks answers. The deeper he digs, the closer he gets to the entity lurking in the gutters of the comic. And unfortunately, by opening this comic, he's let this entity out into the world, where it will reduce everything to paper and ink.

Gutterspace is a quick read, but it's a packed one. Ezra is very much an everyman, but one with enough personality to not become an out-and-out cipher. The descriptions of the unnamed entity's attack on reality are vivid and terrifying, with enough detail to bring the scenes alive in your mind in cinematic (or perhaps comic) form.

If there is one downside to Gutterspace, it's that there was a fair bit of repetition across the discovery phase. I felt like I was relearning the same thing two or three times when there should have been more hooks. Regardless, this has a strong, dramatic third act, and an even stronger finish. The ending stays with you, and indeed what the ending is may change as you sit with it. While it doesn't actively play with form on the page like The Raw Shark Texts, it approaches that same malleability of story. Talking about it without spoiling it is impossible; suffice to say, the cover art by Chris Panatier feels very different once you've turned the final page.

TEA PAIRING: Poet's Study
This Poe-inspired Earl Grey (still one of my favorites!) brings to mind dark nights and ink-stained fingers... much like what Ezra was going through. Use my code KARA15 for 15% off this and more book-inspired tea from Chapters Tea & Co.!

Five of My Favorite Spots in London

 

By the time this goes live, I will be back in London! I've got lots of plans this go 'round, and I can't wait to write up the shows, shopping, and Halloween nonsense I get up to while I'm here. For now, though, I'm looking forward to hitting up my usual haunts as I prepare for my time away.

Wouldn't it be amazing if I could find little places no one's ever heard of? Well, for better or for worse, my tastes skew from nerd cafés to legitimately famous department stores. To that end, here are five places (large and small) that I will always visit in this town.

Fortnum & Mason

By no means a well-kept secret, this department store will always be a stop on my trip... mostly because it's a great place to pick up holiday snacks and gifts. I'll spend most of my time here tea-shopping, but they also have amazing biscuits and preserves. And I know for a fact their Christmas stuff will be out, meaning I can get ahead on those as well.

Additionally, Fortnum is home to the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon, which I visited for the first time last year and which I'll almost certainly be hitting up again this year.

Chez Antoinette

While there are multiple locations (including one right near where I come into town from my friends' house), I love the Chez Antoinette on the bottom level of Covent Garden. It's a small, cozy French café that does amazing tartines. (Note: a tartine is an open-faced sandwich. A lady next to me last time I went was very confused because she thought it was a tart.)

I always go to Covent Garden on my first full day to buy tea and hot chocolate from Whittard's of Chelsea, do some window shopping, and get lunch here. And if you like a drink, try the French martini. It is fantastic.

K Minamoto

My friend JJ and I found this shop a couple years ago, and it was just fantastic. This shop sells a wide variety of Japanese sweets, including and especially seasonal ones. Seating is limited, and we were lucky to grab a spot to rest our feet and enjoy what we bought. If you go, I recommend being prepared to take yours to go.

There are apparently other locations around the world, including in New York. But it took going to London for me to find it!

The Loading Bar

The last two locations on this list, I learned about because of events I've been to. The Loading Bar was the original location of Oxventure filming, and last year was host to their Jingle Jamboree livestream (which I attended). I've also been to one of the other locations with friends Ginger and Mason pre-lockdown.

Whatever the location, the drinks menu is extremely good. Everything is game-themed (such as "Pitcher 3: Wined Hunt" and "Assassin's Mead"), and the chips are amazing.

Prince Charles Cinema

Another place I discovered through a special live show. Two years ago, I was in attendance for a live Mom Can't Cook! recording at Halloween, and it was held here. For Hampton Roads locals, it gives me big Naro vibes. Which is a good thing.

The Prince Charles appears to show just about anything, but it's largely dedicated to cult films, horror, special screenings with guests, and the like. Which is probably why they were willing to let two podcasters dressed as the stars of Brink! talk about Halloweentown 2 downstairs. It's a very cool venue, and one that's clearly well loved by the locals.

My Travel Must-Haves

 

Today, I'm hitting the road for my annual trip to London. I'll be gone for a couple of weeks, and I'm sure I'll be using plenty of space on here to talk about the shows, afternoon teas, and experiences ahead.

While I took a fair amount of time off from travel during and after lockdown, in the past two or three years I've gone back to my yearly fall (or winter) trips overseas in addition to visiting friends more actively. That means a lot of flying, which means a lot of keeping my ish together.

So, in addition to my usual necessities, I thought I'd list a few of the things that help keep me active and in one piece during my trips.

(Note: none of these is a sponsored link, and I received none of these items free. I just believe in this stuff.)

Persona Vitamins
I used to be so bad about taking vitamins, but Persona has helped me stay on track long-term. While this is a daily necessity, I consider it part of my travel must-haves because it becomes so easy to keep track of vitamins while traveling.

Vitamin plans are tailored to your personal needs. For example, I need extra vitamin B and other nutrients thanks to certain medication I'm on. The monthly box has each day's vitamin dose measured out in individual packets. That makes them easy for home use, since all I have to do is grab the packet and check off the date on my app.

When I travel, I take as many packets as days I'll be gone. They fit right in a tiny zip-up medicine bag in my carry-on, and they're easy to keep track of. So I never fall behind on my daily needs while I'm overseas.

Flykitt
Speaking of supplements, I started getting lots of ads for Flykitt before my trip to Whooverville in 2025. Considering I was making an absolutely ridiculous five-day round trip, I figured anything that could help me endure jet lag would be worth it. And while there's no such thing as a silver bullet, these have become a non-negotiable when I travel because of what a difference they make.

Flykitt is a combination of supplements and an app. Enter details from your trip, as well as your normal sleep and wake times at home and your desired sleep and wake time abroad, and the app will calculate a supplement program for you. The updated kit (which I'll be trying for the first time on this trip) includes three types of supplements. Sustain maintains mood and energy with omega-3 fatty acids, Protect supports your immune system with vitamin C, and Mellow relaxes you with melatonin. There's also a Circadian Reset powder (B vitamins and sugar), which you stir into coffee (or in my case tea) to kickstart your first two early mornings. (The big change is the elimination of the Advance capsules, which worked similarly to the Circadian Reset powder.)

If you stick to the plan as closely as possible, you'll definitely notice you're doing better faster on arrival. I'll admit I stay up later than the app tells me to on the overseas flight because I want my dinner. But even with that difference, I'm doing well.

PlaneAire
I don't consider myself a germophobe, but I also know I am extremely prone to illness abroad. I don't want to be suffering any more than I have to during my trip or after. But I also really don't want to bother my fellow passengers or the flight crew with really smelly hand sanitizers. So I am giving PlaneAire's travel essentials a go.

The one thing I can say before I even get on the plane is that these smell nice but also innocuous. No one a seat over is going to be bothered by these. The starter set comes with a hand sanitizer of your choice (I picked tangerine coriander) and a bottle of Clean Surface & Air Mist. Both are in 2 oz. bottles, so they're carry-on compliant.

Most of all, I'm glad that these are simple and self-contained. I think there's a degree of influencing and overconsumption in the travel community, and it's nice to see single bottles and simply sprays for general self-care rather than whole packs of things that aren't necessary. Streamlined is absolutely best in these situations.

As mentioned, these are not sponsored or affiliate links, so I have no special code. Even so, I absolutely recommend giving these a try.

See you on the flip side!

TEA REVIEW: Two New Fall Teas from Chapters

 

We all know by now that I'm a loyal Chapters Tea & Co. enjoyer, so I'm always excited when new seasonal teas drop. Fall brings with it new and returning cozy fall teas, including three of my favorites: Headless Horseman, Caramel Cabin, and Cozy Apple Spice.

While I can heartily recommend these three returning flavors, I also naturally wanted to test the two new arrivals. One is a fruit-based take on a seasonal favorite, and the other is a literary-inspired, bolder flavored blend.

Pumpkin Lane Café
I knew the minute I read about this pumpkin pie fruit tea that I was going to love it. And I was absolutely not mistaken. Many fruit-based teas steep a little too tart, usually because of the inclusion of hibiscus, but this one came out exactly as advertised. While there is hibiscus in this blend, it doesn't overpower the pumpkin, cinnamon, and cardamom. It's become my new go-to for fall afternoons and evenings when I'm trying to avoid caffeine for the evening.

Midnight at Sherlock's
Full disclosure: coffee is a bit iffy for me, in terms of tolerance rather than taste. And there is very real ground coffee in this, so be aware if you have similar issues. To that end, I could have enough to enjoy and rate the smell and the taste — both of which are fantastic. This blends coffee, puerh, and cocoa, and the result is a very dark rich blend that's very moody and cozy. Despite the coffee inclusion, this is not their highest-caffeine blend!

Use my code KARA15 for 15% off these and other tea blends from Chapters Tea & Co.!

BOOK REVIEW: Rainbow Boys 25th Anniversary Edition

 

RAINBOW BOYS 25th Anniversary Edition
by Alex Sanchez
Available now

Rainbow Boys was originally published in 2001, and it's been lauded as a powerful YA novel. I was in college when this one came out, deep in Victorian and Arthurian literature, so I did not read this one at the time. The 25th anniversary printing is now available, and I can see why people are so into it.

The story follows three high school boys coming to terms with their identities. Nelson is very vocally gay, campaigning for a Gay-Straight Association at his high school and surviving (if not thriving on) his classmates' mockery. His best friend and crush Kyle is still coming to terms with his own sexuality, as well as his crush on school jock Jason. And Jason, despite his very serious relationship with Debra, is starting to think he might be, at the very least, bisexual. When Jason visits a support group and sees Kyle there, he begins to worry about how he will be perceived.

The big thing I like about this book is that its characters are actually multifaceted. One of my biggest gripes with books that claim to have "representation" is that its characters are cookie-cutter at best, stereotypical and potentially several steps backwards at worst. Our three leads are fully realized characters with lives, problems, and worries beyond the central theme of the book. Nelson has a supportive mother but often neglects to support his friends; Kyle wants the best for the people in his life but struggles with speaking up; and Jason wants to learn to be honest but buckles (understandably) in the wake of his alcoholic father.

A lot of this story is brutal and unforgiving, in a way that might strike younger modern readers as a bit too harsh. It's a rough read, but that's all part of it. Overall, it is very well written, and while the experiences of the leads is rather outside my own, they're presented in a way that makes them relatable on enough of a level to legitimately care.

TEA PAIRING: Vanilla Creme Herbal
This caffeine-free blend from Plum Deluxe is one of two very calming drinks that suits the quieter, more contemplative moments of this book. It's made with honeybush and has a wonderful vanilla flavor. Check it out along with other teas from Plum Deluxe!

DRINK PAIRING: Elixir of Serenity
I love mixing Velvet Hammer elixirs into my tea, including and especially the Elixir of Serenity. This sparkly blue powder has a hint of dark cherry flavor, as well as L-theanine, GABA, and other things to help you sleep. Use my code KARA15 for 15% off this and other elixirs from Velvet Hammer!

FEATURED CANDLE: Fictional Crush
Considering how much of this book operates on unspoken crushes, this sweet blend of sandalwood and musk seems like a perfect fit. Use the link to be notified when it's available again, and check out more book-inspired candles from Frostbeard!