As a follower of Isabel Klee, I enjoyed some parts of her upcoming memoir, Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I’ve Cried About (a big thanks to William Morrow for this advanced copy). As a reader, I was disappointed. Let’s talk about it. The cover is absolutely fantastic – it is truly perfect. And it doesContinue reading “DOGS, BOYS, AND OTHER THINGS I’VE CRIED ABOUT – Isabel Klee”
Author Archives: Tommi Powell
A BEAST SLINKS TOWARDS BEIJING – Alice Evelyn Yang
“No, can’t go in there. Too close. Start somewhere else.” “If they killed her now, she would leak river instead of blood.” “The way Nǎinai said Mother’s name shifted alongside her memory.” Alice Evelyn Yang’s debut novel, A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing (William Morrow 2026) is going to hold space in my head for aContinue reading “A BEAST SLINKS TOWARDS BEIJING – Alice Evelyn Yang”
THE TEN YEAR AFFAIR – Erin Somers
“The mountain that saw everything turned from green to rust, from rust to brown, from brown to green again.” Erin Somers’s The Ten Year Affair (Simon & Schuster 2025) was on my radar simply because of my goal of reading more Booker eligible litfic. While I could see this being listed, I didn’t like it. Continue reading “THE TEN YEAR AFFAIR – Erin Somers”
HOW TO COMMIT A POSTCOLONIAL MURDER – Nina McConigley
“Because you always seem to want to take what I give you and translate it into something else, something that fits your narrative, you can have it.” “It is an acknowledged truth that to be a girl is to be extracted. Girls, we are taken.” “And if you’re lost, if you have no idea whatContinue reading “HOW TO COMMIT A POSTCOLONIAL MURDER – Nina McConigley”
CURSED DAUGHTERS – Oyinkan Braithwaite
“She was a mermaid – queen of song and sea, goddess of the gill-bearing vertebrates, mistress of the hearts of men.” After a couple of “meh” BOTM reads (I’m trying to clear a backlist), I read one that reminded me why I keep the membership. Oyinkan Braithwaite’s Cursed Daughters (Doubleday 2025) gave me absolutely everythingContinue reading “CURSED DAUGHTERS – Oyinkan Braithwaite”
CRUX – Gabriel Tallent
“Waiting was death, and total commitment his only chance.” I don’t know what I expected with Gabriel Tallent’s Crux (Riverhead 2026), but it wasn’t what I got. The more I think about the novel, the more I have issues with it, so I’m going to get this out before I completely hate it. I saidContinue reading “CRUX – Gabriel Tallent”
LOST LAMBS – Madeline Cash
This is likely going to be an unpopular opinion based the positively gushing reviews all over, but I didn’t like Madeline Cash’s Lost Lambs. (Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2026) It was quite nearly a rare DNF for me. Perhaps I’m so hard on it because it bills itself on being the exact type of quirkyContinue reading “LOST LAMBS – Madeline Cash”
TOM’S CROSSING – Mark Z. Danielewski
“I am no more her then she is anymore me now.” “The Illiad cannot contain what the horses have to say. It has neither the ear for their speech nor for their hearts.” “You get what you deserve when you ride with cowards.” “ ‘You could stick around and help me dig up Landry,’ KalinContinue reading “TOM’S CROSSING – Mark Z. Danielewski”
COLORED TELEVISION – Danzy Senna
I wanted to like Danzy Senna’s Colored Television (Riverhead Books 2024) more than I did. Perhaps I’ve unfairly held her work up to that of her husband’s (Percival Everett), but I felt the novel missed its mark. There’s some fantastic stuff here, particularly with the build up of Jane and pacing of the novel, butContinue reading “COLORED TELEVISION – Danzy Senna”
THE THIRD GILMORE GIRL – Kelly Bishop
Gilmore Girls is one of my comfort shows. I put it on as background noise when I’m working, reading, sleeping. It is soothing. Kelly Bishop’s The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir (read by the author – Gallery Books 2024) had that same soft comfort to it; her oh so recognizable voice captivated me as sheContinue reading “THE THIRD GILMORE GIRL – Kelly Bishop”
A Girl Named Tommi 