My second read from the Booker Prize longlist left a bad taste in my mouth. It wasn’t because of the writing – Paul Harding writes beautifully and with a concise purpose (albeit with a tone that reminds me of works that want to appear smarter and more literary at the sake of losing the actualContinue reading “THIS OTHER EDEN – Paul Harding”
Author Archives: Tommi Powell
IF I SURVIVE YOU – Jonathan Escoffery
“Tell him – across the expanse of time and distance, as I am telling you now – all that I can’t say to him. Start with the resentment and the feelings of neglect and your resulting recklessness. Recount every injury, every scar you carve into each other. And when you’re finished, and you are certainContinue reading “IF I SURVIVE YOU – Jonathan Escoffery”
THE SUN AND THE VOID – Gabriela Romero Lacruz
Gabriela Romero Lacruz’s The Sun and the Void, Book One of The Warring Gods (Orbit 2023) boasts one of my most favorite covers and a premise that had me chomping at the bit to get lost in this magical world inspired by the history and folklore of South America – a world where two youngContinue reading “THE SUN AND THE VOID – Gabriela Romero Lacruz”
HOW TO TURN INTO A BIRD – María José Ferrada
“One side of love, an undervalued one, has to do with letting the other person walk their own path.” María José Ferrada’s How to Turn into a Bird (translated by Elizabeth Bryer, Tin House 2022) echoes with the same tender ache of growing up as Le Petit Prince and Peter Pan, and it has justContinue reading “HOW TO TURN INTO A BIRD – María José Ferrada”
FIREKEEPER’S DAUGHTER – Angeline Boulley
“When someone dies, everything about them becomes past tense. Except for the grief. Grief stays in the present.” “Love is a promise. And promises you don’t keep are the worst lies of all.” “My nose twitches at a greasy sweetness. Familiar. Vanilla and mineral oil. WD-40. Someone used it to clean the gun. More scents:Continue reading “FIREKEEPER’S DAUGHTER – Angeline Boulley”
A DANGEROUS BUSINESS – Jane Smiley
Jane Smiley’s A Dangerous Business (Knopf 2022) was published in December of last year, but I just got around to reading the uncorrected proof the publisher sent. I know Smiley is a phenomenal writer – Horse Heaven and A Thousand Acres are two powerful novels that highlight that talent – but A Dangerous Business wasContinue reading “A DANGEROUS BUSINESS – Jane Smiley”
THE GIRL WITH THE LOUDING VOICE – Abi Daré
“This flower be the brown of a wet leaf that suffer a stamping from the dirty feets of a man that forget the promise he make to his dead wife.” Abi Daré’s debut The Girl with the Louding Voice (Dutton 2020) has been on my TBR for ages. I was admittedly a bit reluctant toContinue reading “THE GIRL WITH THE LOUDING VOICE – Abi Daré”
2023 Booker Prize Longlist Predictions
Booker season is officially upon us. With the longlist being announced on 8/1, I decided to try my hand at predicting this year’s possible selections. As a reminder, eligible books were published in the UK and Ireland between October 1, 2022 and September 30, 2023. After reviewing eligible books and information about the panel ofContinue reading “2023 Booker Prize Longlist Predictions”
BANYAN MOON – Thao Thai
“He’s polish without substance, and I’ve hitched my wagon to nothing but a handful of glitter.” “The living must trespass on the dead; everything left behind a gift, an inheritance, no matter how unintentional.” Thao Thai’s debut Banyan Moon (Mariner Books 2023) is a heart hug of a family saga. From the 1960s Vietnam toContinue reading “BANYAN MOON – Thao Thai”
THE MEMORY OF ANIMALS – Claire Fuller
“This is grief, Neffy… It is awful and terrible, and it will never truly leave, but you will learn to live with it, and you have to let me help you.” I didn’t anticipate having a pandemic book framed by a woman’s teetering-into-inappropriate relationship with an octopus as one of my top reads of theContinue reading “THE MEMORY OF ANIMALS – Claire Fuller”
A Girl Named Tommi 