There’s a comforting familiarity to Romina Garber’s Lobizona (Wednesday Books, 2020) – there is an elite school for magical beings and a sporting event, and these magical beings walk the world unbeknownst to but a few humans. But the world Garber created, the way she blends Argentinian folklore with the realities of the undocumented inContinue reading “LOBIZONA – Romina Garber”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
THE SWEETNESS OF WATER – Nathan Harris
Nathan Harris’s debut The Sweetness of Water (Little, Brown and Company 2021) was a highly anticipated novel that was immediately met with applause. An instant bestseller, it is an Oprah’s Book Club Pick and it made President Obama’s summer reading list. Additionally, it was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Everyone loves this book. EveryoneContinue reading “THE SWEETNESS OF WATER – Nathan Harris”
THE BATHING WOMEN – Tie Ning
Tie Ning’s The Bathing Women (2000, 2012 – English translation by Hongling Zhang and Jason Sommer) was an unexpected read. The translation received mixed reviews, and I initially found it a bit “off” – but I realized it wasn’t the translation so much as the style of storytelling. It was a bit frustrating, especially earlyContinue reading “THE BATHING WOMEN – Tie Ning”
THE STATIONERY SHOP – Marjan Kamali
Marjan Kamali’s The Stationery Shop (Gallery Books 2019) is a heartbreaking novel of first love and lost love – a novel of how fate is a fickle mistress. The novel opens in 2013 in New England. Roya is an old woman, “nearly American,” who first left Iran over fifty years ago. Walter, her steadfast andContinue reading “THE STATIONERY SHOP – Marjan Kamali”
KLARA AND THE SUN – Kazuo Ishiguro
Kazuo Ishiguro may be the odds-on favorite for the 2021 Booker Prize, and understandably so. Not only is he a previous winner (Remains of the Day 1989), he is arguably one of the most heralded contemporary English authors. I don’t think anyone was surprised to see Klara and the Sun (Knopf 2021) make an appearanceContinue reading “KLARA AND THE SUN – Kazuo Ishiguro”
THE PROMISE – Damon Galgut
Hailed as “in every way equal to J.M. Coetzee” by Rian Malan, Damon Galgut is an author I was thrilled to see on the Booker longlist. Shortlisted twice, Galgut’s work is a proven favorite among the Booker judges, and The Promise (Europa Editions 2021) very well could win it for him. In the spirit ofContinue reading “THE PROMISE – Damon Galgut”
LIGHT PERPETUAL – Francis Spufford
Francis Spufford’s Light Perpetual (Scribner 2021) just oozes traditional Booker Prize type, so I’m not surprised it was longlisted. The novel opens in 1944 at the Woolworths in South London. The store is packed full of patrons because there are new cookpots available, something that war-torn England hasn’t seen in a long time. A rocketContinue reading “LIGHT PERPETUAL – Francis Spufford”
NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT THIS – Patricia Lockwood
Can we talk about Patricia Lockwood’s No One is Talking About This (Riverhead Books 2021), because we all need to be. Longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize, this is Lockwood’s first work of fiction and one of the best books I’ve read this year. The narrator is a social media influencer who travels the worldContinue reading “NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT THIS – Patricia Lockwood”
SECOND PLACE – Rachel Cusk
In January, I resolved to read the 2021 Booker Prize longlist. The list was released last week, and I immediately put in my requests at the local library. (That was another resolution – to use the library more.) Three of the books haven’t been released in the US yet or have limited distribution, which isContinue reading “SECOND PLACE – Rachel Cusk”
THE DIRTY BOOK CLUB – Lisi Harrison
Lisi Harrison’s The Dirty Book Club (Gallery Books, 2017) is what happens when the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants grows up and pants become erotic novels. Embracing the bonds between women, The Dirty Book Club begins in 1962 when a group of friends start their own secret club, the aptly named Dirty Book Club. TheContinue reading “THE DIRTY BOOK CLUB – Lisi Harrison”
A Girl Named Tommi 