“Hope is a coin I carry, given to me by a woman I will always love, and I hold it now as I journey west, part of a new generation of seekers.” (The Four Winds 448). Kristin Hannah’s The Four Winds (St. Martin’s Press, 2021) was one of the year’s most anticipated releases. Hype forContinue reading “THE FOUR WINDS – Kristin Hannah”
Author Archives: Tommi Powell
THE SCENT KEEPER – Erica Bauermeister
“We are the unwitting carriers of our parents’ secrets, the ripples made by the stones we never saw.” And so begins Erica Bauermeister’s The Scent Keeper (St. Martin’s Press, 2019), one of the most tender and magical bildungsroman tales I’ve ever read. Elements of this coming-of-age story reminded me of Daniel Wallace’s Big Fish, orContinue reading “THE SCENT KEEPER – Erica Bauermeister”
AMERICANAH – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
“Love was a kind of grief. This was what the novelists meant by suffering.” (Americanah, 583) Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah (Originally published in the US by Alfred A. Knopf, 2013) has been around a bit but only recently made its way to the top of my TBR. The novel puts forth some Zadie Smith WhiteContinue reading “AMERICANAH – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie”
THE MASK FALLING – Samantha Shannon
Samantha Shannon’s The Mask Falling (2021 Bloomsbury Publishing), the highly anticipated fourth book of the Bone Season series, is without question my favorite of the series. The series is now more than half-way complete (there will be seven books), and we’re getting the thump! thump! of its heart in this novel. I have said sinceContinue reading “THE MASK FALLING – Samantha Shannon”
THE SONG RISING – Samantha Shannon
In August of 2012, I read about this young woman, an unpublished unknown still at University, who signed a 6-figure deal for the first three books in a proposed seven book series. In October of 2013, I read that book. I moved the review/reaction over to this blog and it should be linked below, butContinue reading “THE SONG RISING – Samantha Shannon”
HIEROGLYPHICS – Jill McCorkle
Jill McCorkle’s Hieroglyphics (2020 Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill) is a patchwork quilt made with scraps of guilt, trauma, secrets, family, survival, and mortality. At its heart, it is a novel of the things we cling to to remember and be remembered. Lil and Frank have retired to North Carolina from the brisk winters ofContinue reading “HIEROGLYPHICS – Jill McCorkle”
YES, YOUR MAJESTY – Jennifer Ann Shore
I read Metallic Red (2020) by Jennifer Ann Shore back in October, and I absolutely adored it. When the sequel, Yes, Your Majesty, became available for pre-order, I didn’t hesitate; I was eager to get back to Mina’s world. Mina, a half-human / half-vampire, had just become Queen of Appalachia at the close of MetallicContinue reading “YES, YOUR MAJESTY – Jennifer Ann Shore”
NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA – Chanel Cleeton
I picked up Chanel Cleeton’s Next Year in Havana (BERKLEY 2018) a few months ago because of the cover and the title. While I wish the “Reese’s Book Club” label wasn’t on it, this cover, in particular the colors, is quite captivating; the fact that the story itself outshines the cover is high praise. NextContinue reading “NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA – Chanel Cleeton”
THREE DARK CROWNS – Kendare Blake
“I will kill my sisters just as easily, Natalia,” Katherine says. “I promise. Though perhaps when I am finished, they will not look like they are sleeping.” Kendare Blake’s Three Dark Crowns (HarperTeen 2016) has been on my radar for a few years, but it only recently made its way to my physical TBR. IContinue reading “THREE DARK CROWNS – Kendare Blake”
GLAMOUR GIRLS – Marty Wingate
My “women at war” reading list has continued into 2021, finding me in England during WWII with Marty Wingate’s Glamour Girls (January 12, 2021, Alcove Press). Wingate, a cozy mystery writer, slid quite easily into the historical genre, and Glamour Girls is a quick and easy read with much of the violence of war (andContinue reading “GLAMOUR GIRLS – Marty Wingate”
A Girl Named Tommi 