‘Black Sun’ I have been aching for a vacation lately. A universal feeling, it seems these days. If you’re like me and can’t get away just now, then I have the book for you. Reading “Black Sun” is an experience. Filled with heart-stealing characters and writing that is so lush and
Read More →‘Sorrowland’ This is a hard one to describe well without spoiling the story. Rivers Solomon is such a talented writer. This feels like a story within a myth within a fable. Nested narratives, incredibly vivid characters, and the kind of writing that just dives right into your soul — this
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Posted June 02, 2021in Book Review
‘We Are Watching Eliza Bright’ Advance warning: This is not an easy read. Both in structure and in subject matter, Osworth demands a lot from readers, but it is worth the effort. This is a timely and important novel rich with powerful themes that feel painfully relevant. This may not
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Posted May 05, 2021in Book Review
‘Burning Girls and Other Stories’ Fairy tales, myths, fables… there is a lot of power hidden in innocuous stories. The kind of power that Veronica Schanoes wields like a torch in her debut collection — both dangerous and delightful. The title story is the tale of an immigrant girl who
Read More →‘Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking’ African-American influence is felt but rarely seen in so many aspects of modern American life, and nowhere is this more evident than in the cuisine we cherish as quintessentially American. In a gorgeous, fascinating and utterly delicious new book, Toni Tipton-Martin
Read More →‘Concrete Rose’ “The Hate U Give” was a certified sensation in the literary world, with good reason. With her characteristic realism and heart, Angie Thomas returns to the world she created with “Concrete Rose,” a powerful, evocative prequel about masculinity, personal growth and the power of family. Maverick Carter thinks
Read More →‘Solutions and Other Problems’ “It’s OK to not be OK” may as well be the anthem of the last 11 months or so. With her signature poignant, hilarious and painfully pointed storytelling, Allie Bosch gifts us this lesson and so much more in her highly anticipated sequel to the best-selling
Read More →‘The Vanishing Half’ Desiree and Stella Vignes are inseparable identical twins growing up in the mid-20th century in a tiny town in Louisiana. As children, they witness the racially motivated murder of their father and, as teenagers, escape the town to New Orleans, leaving no trace. After almost accidentally passing
Read More →‘A Deadly Education’ Is anyone sick of reading about schools of magic? No? Excellent, because this is the best one yet. Naomi Novik already has a well-deserved reputation for compelling characters and fascinating settings, but she’s out done herself this time. “A Deadly Education” is a stunner of a story
Read More →‘Humans’ Brandon Stanton’s gorgeous, heart-stopping social media pages, “Humans of New York,” is a huge sensation for a reason. Telling the stories of regular people — in all their messy, wrenching, fallible glory — accompanied by stunning pictures of the storytellers has become a recipe for seemingly everyone looking for
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