“I will not always be here like this for you and your sister. But when the world is black, when you think you are alone, the spirits, my spirit, will be with you, living in your heart. When you don’t know the answers, just listen. Quiet. And the answers will pour into your soul…They mightContinue reading “REMEMBRANCE – Rita Woods”
Author Archives: Tommi Powell
CHILDREN OF VIRTUE AND VENGEANCE – Tomi Adeyemi
In 2018, debut author Tomi Adeyemi spun onto the literary scene with her magi and brilliant sparks of magic. The book deal was phenomenal. Movie rights have been acquired. Disney is at the helm. It’s a big flipping deal. I devoured Children of Blood and Bone and encouraged my readers to join in the “magiContinue reading “CHILDREN OF VIRTUE AND VENGEANCE – Tomi Adeyemi”
BIG SUMMER – Jennifer Weiner
Jennifer Weiner released her latest novel, BIG SUMMER, early – just in time for my birthday. I don’t typically pre-order books and I’ve promised my TBR pile that I would lay off adding to it until I’d whittled it down a bit more, but I couldn’t resist. Weiner is a captivating personality, and listening toContinue reading “BIG SUMMER – Jennifer Weiner”
HORSE HEAVEN – Jane Smiley
There are some books that leave a lovely ache. Some books that reach into your bones and squeeze until you say “NO MORE” but you keep reading anyway. For me, Jane Smiley’s HORSE HEAVEN is one of those books. Smiley is a talented author who can write with that perfect level of fervent passion thatContinue reading “HORSE HEAVEN – Jane Smiley”
BEST IN SHOW – Laurien Berenson
While everything is on lockdown due to COVID-19, I am still very much working and my amount of “reading time” has seemingly dwindled, so I’m a bit behind my 2020 goals. I’m hoping to pick it back up and better manage my reading and writing time. That said, Laurien Berenson’s BEST IN SHOW was aContinue reading “BEST IN SHOW – Laurien Berenson”
WEDDING BELLES – Haywood Smith
Let me start by saying that I love Southern fiction. There are charming books set in the South, with charming women you want to go have brunch with. WEDDING BELLES by Haywood Smith (2008) is not that book. Georgia, Linda, Diane, Teeny, and Pru are notthose women. To be fair, I’ve never read anything byContinue reading “WEDDING BELLES – Haywood Smith”
THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE – Samantha Shannon
In 2012, I read a news story about a twenty-year-old student at University who was signed by Bloomsbury Publishing in a six-figure book deal. I was intrigued (and jealous). The deal was for three books in a seven books series. The first of which, THE BONE SEASON, was published in 2013. I’ve had what IContinue reading “THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE – Samantha Shannon”
CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER – Tom Franklin
It’s been a bit since I’ve read a thriller, but Tom Franklin’s CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER reminded me how much I love a good literary thriller. Published in 2010, CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER is haunting and heartbreaking in its cutting realities and unapologetic portrayal of racism and classism in the rural South. If the titleContinue reading “CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER – Tom Franklin”
The Last Kind Words Saloon – Larry McMurtry
“We don’t rent pigs.” Larry McMurtry is the man who, without knowing who I am, gave me one of the sweetest gifts when he wrote LONESOME DOVE. Published when I was toddler, the book was turned into a TV mini-series in 1989. My father recorded it, and those old VHS tapes were likely the mostContinue reading “The Last Kind Words Saloon – Larry McMurtry”
THE LUST LIZARD OF MELANCHOLY COVE – Christopher Moore
I’m no stranger to Christopher Moore and his ridiculously outrageous tall tales – he is one of a handful of authors who can make me donkey laugh out loud while reading, even in public. Shoot, just his titles give me a chuckle. (Island of the Sequined Love Nun, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’sContinue reading “THE LUST LIZARD OF MELANCHOLY COVE – Christopher Moore”
A Girl Named Tommi 