I’m going to start this review with a word of caution and a bit of grace. When I was halfway through the novel, I suffered a stroke. I read some parts in the hospital and finally finished. Perhaps that contributes to my overall feelings about Sylvie Cathrall’s A Letter to the Luminous Deep (4/23/24 Orbit);Continue reading “A LETTER TO THE LUMINOUS DEEP – Sylvie Cathrall”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
AN EVENING IN GUANIMA: A TREASURY OF FOLKTALES FROM THE BAHAMAS – Patricia Glinton-Meicholas
“Once upon a time, a very good time, Monkey chew terbakker and spit white lime, Bullfrog jump from bank to bank while Mosquiter keep up the time.” Current installment of Tommi Reads the World – we’re in the Bs. Country: The BahamasTitle: An Evening in Guanima: A Treasury of Folktales from The BahamasAuthor: Patricia Glinton-MeicholasLanguage: EnglishTranslator:Continue reading “AN EVENING IN GUANIMA: A TREASURY OF FOLKTALES FROM THE BAHAMAS – Patricia Glinton-Meicholas”
THERE THERE – Tommy Orange
“We are the memories we don’t remember, which live in us, which we feel, which make us sing and dance and pray the way we do, feeling from memories that flare and bloom unexpectedly in our lives like blood through a blanket from a wound made by a bullet fired by a man shooting usContinue reading “THERE THERE – Tommy Orange”
JADED – Ela Lee
Ela Lee’s debut novel, Jaded, (Simon & Schuster 3/19/2024) is a sharp and raw depiction of the complete mind fuckery a sexual assault does on a person. Before getting into the review/reaction, I must stress that this novel is not for everyone, and it’s okay if you are not in the headspace to read itContinue reading “JADED – Ela Lee”
The Sorrow of Belgium – Hugo Claus
“Times are bad, the radio says so, and the newspapers. No, things aren’t getting any better, far from it.” Current installment of Tommi Reads the World – we’re in the Bs. Country: BelgiumTitle: The Sorrow of BelgiumAuthor: Hugo ClausLanguage: DutchTranslator: Arnold J. PomeransPublisher: First published in Dutch as Het Verdriet van Belgie by De Bezige BijContinue reading “The Sorrow of Belgium – Hugo Claus”
THE FROZEN RIVER – Ariel Lawhon
“To name a thing is a proprietary act. It is a commitment. Of ownership or care or loyalty. It means something. With that single word I have declared that this little beast is mine, and that I have a responsibility to protect her.” While the quote refers to a silver fox, the importance of namesContinue reading “THE FROZEN RIVER – Ariel Lawhon”
AKATA WARRIOR – Nnedi Okorafor
“Let the reader beware that there is juju in this book.” Nnedi Okorafor’s Akata Warrior (Viking 2017) is the second installment in the remarkable middle grade Nsibidi Script series that has been dubbed the Nigerian Harry Potter. If you read my review of the first of the series, Akata Witch, you’ll note that I don’tContinue reading “AKATA WARRIOR – Nnedi Okorafor”
BLOOD – Sunil Gangopadhyay
Next installment of Tommi Reads the World – we’re in the Bs. Country: BangladeshTitle: BloodAuthor: Sunil GangopadhyayLanguage: BengaliTranslator: Debali Mookerjea-LeonardPublisher: First published in Begali as Rakta by Biswabani Prakashani 1973, translation first published by Juggernaut Books 2020 Sunil Gangopadhyay’s Blood could have served as either my selection from Bangladesh or India. As Gangopadhyay was born inContinue reading “BLOOD – Sunil Gangopadhyay”
THE BERRY PICKERS – Amanda Peters
“…lost in a memory stirred alive by the moon.” Amanda Peters’s debut The Berry Pickers (Catapult 2023) is a quiet triumph of a novel about grief, anger, loss, identity, and forgiveness. When I was a child, I asked for The Face on the Milk Carton for Christmas. (It’s one of a few books I rememberContinue reading “THE BERRY PICKERS – Amanda Peters”
LADY TAN’S CIRCLE OF WOMEN – Lisa See
“Do you need a man to confirm what your body is already telling you to be true?” Set in 1469-1511, Lisa See’s Lady Tan’s Circle of Women (Scribner 2023) is a remarkable story of a high-status woman doctor, her midwife best friend, and an assortment of women from whom she draws strength, courage, and goodContinue reading “LADY TAN’S CIRCLE OF WOMEN – Lisa See”
A Girl Named Tommi 