My third read of the 2022 Booker Prize longlist was Karen Joy Fowler’s Booth (Putnam 2022). While Fowler is no stranger to the Booker Prize (she was shortlisted in 2014), this is my first novel by her. While reviews are relatively mixed, I found it a fascinating, well researched and executed historical saga about theContinue reading “BOOTH – Karen Joy Fowler”
Tag Archives: 2022 release
TRUST – Hernan Diaz
The Booker Prize longlist was announced last Tuesday, which means my Booker countdown has officially started. I began the baker’s dozen of books with Hernan Diaz’s Trust (Riverhead Books, 2022), a cocky and bold literary experience about truth and memory, trust and fiction. The novel is told in four separate parts by four separate fictionalContinue reading “TRUST – Hernan Diaz”
WAHALA – Nikki May
Nikki May’s Wahala (HarperCollins 2022) is Sex in the City meets Working Moms meets a psychological thriller. The novel, set in England, revolves around a group of three Anglo-Nigerian friends whose worlds are shattered when a fourth joins. It’s vibrant, colorful, and enough to make you hungry. (There are even recipes at the end. IContinue reading “WAHALA – Nikki May”
WOMAN OF LIGHT – Kali Fajardo-Anstine
Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s Woman of Light (One World, Penguin Random House 2022) was a highly anticipated read and yet another example of where my expectations for a book are unrealized. One could argue that it was over-hyped and that’s why it fell short, but I’d argue that its failings are due to not providing enough fleshContinue reading “WOMAN OF LIGHT – Kali Fajardo-Anstine”
TAKE MY HAND – Dolen Perkins-Valdez
In 1973 Montgomery, Alabama, Minnie Lee and Mary Alice Relf, sisters both under the age of fifteen, were sterilized without their consent. The procedure was ordered and performed by a federally funded agency. Their social worker reported it to a local attorney, who filed a lawsuit. Relf v. Weinberger brought to light the thousands ofContinue reading “TAKE MY HAND – Dolen Perkins-Valdez”
THE CHERRY ROBBERS – Sarai Walker
Sarai Walker’s The Cherry Robbers (Harper 2022) is a slow burn of a classic Gothic ghost story that just misses the mark. I wanted to love it, and there are some fantastically crafted sections, but the overall feeling I was left with was “meh.” That is due in large part to the lackluster and unsatisfactoryContinue reading “THE CHERRY ROBBERS – Sarai Walker”
DAUGHTER OF THE MOON GODDESS – Sue Lynn Tan
Sue Lynn Tan’s Daughter of the Moon Goddess (HARPER Voyager 2022), with its gorgeous cover and intriguing premise, was a book I wanted to love more than I actually did. It’s far more juvenile and tropey than I expected, and I had issues with the pacing, world building, and character development. Xingyin is poorly developedContinue reading “DAUGHTER OF THE MOON GODDESS – Sue Lynn Tan”
UNLIKELY ANIMALS – Annie Hartnett
“You become responsible forever for what you’ve tamed.” ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince Annie Hartnett’s Unlikely Animals (Ballantine Books, 2022) is a tenderly crafted work full of heart and quirkiness. We’re only in June, but I’m close to ready to call it as my favorite for 2022; it’s near perfect. The novel, set inContinue reading “UNLIKELY ANIMALS – Annie Hartnett”
WHAT THE FIREFLIES KNEW – Kai Harris
“Her smile is like a gigantic, dripping ice cream cone, after I stuff my belly full with dinner. Even with a stomachache, I want that smile.” (7) Kai Harris’s debut novel What the Fireflies Knew (Tiny Reparations Books) is a classic Bildungsroman, with a loss, journey, conflict, and growth. What makes this novel unique isContinue reading “WHAT THE FIREFLIES KNEW – Kai Harris”
YOUNG MUNGO – Douglas Stuart
“He was Mo-Maw’s youngest son, but was also her confidant, her lady’s maid, and errand boy. He was her one flattering mirror, and her teenage diary, her electric blanket, her doormat. He was her best pal, the dog she hardly walked, and her greatest romance.” Douglas Stuart’s follow-up to the Booker Prize-winning Shuggie Bain wasContinue reading “YOUNG MUNGO – Douglas Stuart”
A Girl Named Tommi 