#model home

[malinaa]

Rivers Solomon, Model Home

[surfeit-of-stoats]

Can the cellar that a kidnapper throws a child into be guilty or innocent? The lake that a killer drowns his women in? I’m not a person but a place where bad things happen.

— Model Home, Rivers Solomon

[godzilla-reads]

👁️ Model Home by Rivers Solomon

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

When their parents are found dead in their childhood haunted house, three estranged siblings must come together to deal with the terms and grief of the deaths.

This book blew me out of the water. I didn’t know what to expect as I picked this up for a book club meeting, but I was gripping the pages so hard near the end of the book where I’m sure I ruffled them. The story is tense as we learn the mysterious history of this house and the characters who lived in it, told from the perspective of Ezri, a genderfluid sibling.

Rivers Solomon writes the perfect haunted house story, going out of the box and tying in themes of grief, trauma, and generational abuse. I loved the way they wrote Ezri and their transness as something fluid and moving, but still something to respect and be aware of. I really want to read more of their books now. This one possessed me.

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

Books of 2026: June Wrap-Up.

'Twas the month of homes and hearts and murder islands, apparently?? Happy Pride?!?

I did try to read exclusively queer authors (plus Poetry Quest material), and I was successful on that front! I'm also still chugging along on my revision project (and feeling the deadline squeeze)(we won't talk about that)(much).

Reviews linked!:

BEING ARO ★★★ Enjoyed some of these a lot! Unimpressed with some, too, though. BEING ACE is the stronger collection, but I'm glad they both exist!

COME HOME TO MY HEART ★★★★★ This fucked me up so bad I had to set it down for a week. Achingly and heartbreakingly well done

MODEL HOME ★★★★ I will follow Rivers Solomon anywhere, up to and including a horrible HOA in Dallas suburbs. More literary bent than haunted house, still extraordinarily well done.

THE ODYSSEY ★★★★ Phenomenal and fascinating translation, hugely approachable and thoroughly modernized language (with good pedagogical reasons for why!), I will be checking out Wilson's ILIAD also because of this.

MAKE ME BETTER ★★★ I will also follow Gailey anywhere, up to and including coral cult island :)

SEASONS OF GLASS AND IRON ★★★★ Amal El-Mohtar once again knocking it out of the park!! Loved this prickly collection.

THE ENDING WRITES ITSELF ★★★½ Indulgent fun! Check it out if you're a writer and want someone coming for your jugular, maybe skip it if you're a mystery/thriller aficionado.

ANNA AKHMATOVA - 169/942 pages read. Made it through "Rosary"! I'm still scribbling a LOT of fragments in my notebook, I dig her stuff a lot, I think.

Next month, I will be swinging back around to read more Driscoll-adjacent fiction (writing project reasons). I've got seven (7) scenes I'm trying to finalize by the end of July to stay on my Oft-Revised Target--I need to have this manuscript wrapped up by early September, so we're approaching the Final Sprint. Send more caffeine, I'm gonna need it!!

Under the Cut: How I Conceptualize ~*★Stars★*~

★ - This was Bad. I would actively recommend that you do NOT read this one, no redeeming qualities whatsoever, not worth the slog. Save Yourself, It's Too Late For Me. Book goes in the garbage (donate bin).

★★ - This was Not Good. I would not recommend it, but it wasn't a total waste or wash--something in here held my interest/kept my attention/sparked some joy. I will not be rereading this ever. Save Yourself (Or Join Me In Suffering, That Seems Like A Cool Bonding Activity).

★★★ - This was Good/Fine/Okay/Meh. I don't care about this enough to recommend it one way or another. Perfectly serviceable book, held my interest, I probably enjoyed myself (or at least didn't actively loathe the reading). I don't have especially strong feelings. You probably don't need to save yourself from this one--if it sounds like your jam, give it a shot! Just didn't resonate with me particularly powerfully. I probably won't reread this unless I'm after something in particular.

★★★½ - I liked this! I'll probably recommend it if I know it matches someone's vibes or specific requests, but I didn't commit to a star rating on Goodreads. More likely to reread, but not guaranteed.

★★★★ - I really enjoyed this!! I would recommend it (sometimes with caveats about content warnings or such--I like weird fucked up funny shit). Not a perfect book for me by any means, but Very Good. This is something I would reread! Join me!!

★★★★★ - I LOVED THE SHIT OUT OF THIS, IT REWIRED MY BRAIN, WILL RECOMMEND TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE AT THE SLIGHTEST PROVOCATION (content warning caveats still apply--see 4-star disclaimer). Excellent book, I'll reread it regularly, I'll buy copies for all my friends, I'll try to convince all of Booklr to read it, PLEASE join me!!

[gnomeintraining]

Finally finished a book I actually liked.

[daggerdoggy]

Model Home, Rivers Solomon

This book is fucking me UP. Might be my favorite I've read this year.

[bideogaymes]

damn, first page of Model Home by Rivers Solomon is already full of straight heat.