It truly has been the season of “women at war” books for this booknerd. After I left Korea, I went to Vietnam and a family saga that spans decades of turmoil. The Mountains Sing (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2020) is Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai’s first novel in English. A celebrated poet, Mai’s language purrsContinue reading “THE MOUNTAINS SING – Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai”
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RIOT BABY – Tochi Onyebuchi
“If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see torches in the woods, keep going. If there’s shouting after you, keep going. Don’t ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.” Riot Baby, 124 Tochi Onyebuchi’s Riot Baby (2020) perfectly illustrates how successful science fiction can be at providingContinue reading “RIOT BABY – Tochi Onyebuchi”
A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD – Therese Anne Fowler
I seldom say that I hated a book because I can usually find something redeeming about it, but I hated Therese Anne Fowler’s A Good Neighborhood (2020). This review will be quite brief and in a slightly different format because I don’t want to launch into a tirade about my visceral reaction to this novel.Continue reading “A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD – Therese Anne Fowler”
THE MERMAID FROM JEJU – Sumi Hahn
From the battle torn France of World War II, to the women warriors of Ethiopia during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, and now to the haenyeo in post-WWII Korea, I’ve been on a bit of a “women at war” kick. The Nightingale, The Shadow King, and The Mermaid from Jeju are all three written by women andContinue reading “THE MERMAID FROM JEJU – Sumi Hahn”
THE SHADOW KING – Maaza Mengiste
“But tell me who you are, she says. Tell me slowly and repeat it three times, and I will make sure you are known. I will make a remembrance worthy of this fall. Say your name to me now. Say your name as you are photographed. Say it as you leap into the air andContinue reading “THE SHADOW KING – Maaza Mengiste”
THE NIGHTINGALE – Kristin Hannah
It always surprises people that I’ve never read anything by attorney-turned-author Kristin Hannah before now. It’s even more surprising that she only seriously crossed my radar when I read a blurb for her 2021 release, The Four Winds. I decided I needed to read something by her before this anticipated release, and here we are. Continue reading “THE NIGHTINGALE – Kristin Hannah”
BESTIARY – K-Ming Chang
Jie says she once saw two girl ghosts kissing in the creek. I mishear her and think she means they were cleaning the creek. Why? I say. Jie says, Because a god made them want but didn’t give them a word for it. Bestiary (One World, a Random House imprint, 2020)is K-Ming Chang’s gritty andContinue reading “BESTIARY – K-Ming Chang”
THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT -Rachel Mans McKenny
The Butterfly Effect, Rachel Mans McKenney (Alcove Press, Dec 08, 2020) I recently received an advanced reader’s edition of Rachel Mans McKenney’s upcoming release The Butterfly Effect. This debut novel is quite remarkable, settling about the reader like a comforting hug or a blanket made by your grandmother. It’s not artificially sweet, but rather naturallyContinue reading “THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT -Rachel Mans McKenny”
THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES – Alix E. Harrow
“One witch you can laugh at. Three you can burn. But what do you do with a hundred?” (469) After a fun vampire read and a delicious deal with devil, I wanted to round out October with a witch story. Alix Harrow’s highly anticipated The Once and Future Witches with its witches and suffragettes wasContinue reading “THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES – Alix E. Harrow”
THIS MOURNABLE BODY – Tsitsi Dangarembga
In 2004, I met a woman whose impact on my life has proven immeasurable beyond belief. Not long after I met Gay, she was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease, and I watched as she began to lose control over her muscles. One of the first things to go was her voice; she walked the hallsContinue reading “THIS MOURNABLE BODY – Tsitsi Dangarembga”
A Girl Named Tommi 