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Headshot of me with long hair, pink lip stick, light makeup Kara Babcock

Kar·a Bab·cock

/ˈkɑɹə ˈbæbˌkɑk/ Listen to how I pronounce my nametitle>

noun
  1. An inveterate reader.
  2. A word goddess.
  3. A force of nature.

Welcome to my personal site, including my blog of 21 years and links to my book reviews, podcast, and other projects around the web.

Now offering freelance copyediting services!

Find Me Elsewhere

  • Bluesky
  • The StoryGraph
  • Goodreads
  • Ravelry
  • GitHub
  • LinkedIn

Bluesky Posts

Recent Blog Posts

Must the spice flow?

Published

What happens when we mistake the portrayal of sexual freedom for actual sexual liberation?

2024 book awards

Highlighting my favourite reads of the year through creative categories.

You should watch Will & Harper

Will Ferrell’s road trip documentary is more about friendship than transgender issues, and that’s exactly what this moment calls for.

Moving my body more with Ultimate Frisbee

If you had told me summer 2024 would mark the beginning of my Sports Girlie Era, I’m not sure I would have believed you. Nevertheless, this summer I started playing Ultimate Frisbee through the league here in Thunder Bay—and it was everything I wanted from joining up for a sport.

Earlier this year, I was meditating on turning thirty-five in September. As I age and feel more and more how my body has changed from…

Recent Book Reviews

Cover image for Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger

Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger

3 out of 5 stars ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Published

Somehow I’ve never heard of the “weird west” subgenre and now it’s everywhere on my book social feed. So it goes. It’s not my usual niche, but Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger, by K.C. Grifant, looked interesting enough to branch out. I received a review copy via NetGalley.

The eponymous Melinda West is, as the title suggests, a monster gunslinger. That is, she is a gunslinger who kills monsters, not a monster who slings a…