“Folks be funny lak dat. Dey takes the lies dey want and throws away the truths dat scares ‘em.” “With my pencil, I wrote myself into being. I wrote myself to here.” Confession: I’ve never read Adventures of Huckleberry Finn OR Adventures Tom Sawyer. (I was very dedicated in charting my path towards a MastersContinue reading “JAMES – Percival Everett”
Tag Archives: book recommendation
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 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”
YOURS TRULY – Abby Jimenez
“Because love shows up.” I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again – I rarely read romance, but when I do I want romance that is cleverly written and pulls you into a warm hug. That’s Abby Jimenez all the day long. Yours Truly (Forever 2023) is only my second Jimenez novel, but IContinue reading “YOURS TRULY – Abby Jimenez”
A FEATHER SO BLACK – Lyra Selene
Lyra Selene’s A Feather so Black (Orbit March 12, 2024 – thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy!) is a lush romantasy full of fae, magic, curses, and morally grey characters. Using Irish folklore, this Swan Princess retelling set in Tír na nÓg had a lot of potential but ultimately fell short due to,Continue reading “A FEATHER SO BLACK – Lyra Selene”
NAMED OF THE DRAGON – Susanna Kearsley
“We don’t let any of them die, in Wales – Merlin and Arthur and Owain – we keep them close by and asleep in the hills, to be wakened if ever we need them.” Susanna Kearsley is a bestselling Canadian novelist who has been consistently publishing since the early 1990s. I believe she writes mostlyContinue reading “NAMED OF THE DRAGON – Susanna Kearsley”
THE BULLET SWALLOWER – Elizabeth Gonzalez James
“I think a person knows when their parents are gone for good, when the people that brought them into existence have gone out. I think the air gets heavier or the light changes, something like that. I haven’t seen the sun get dimmer yet.” One of my highly anticipated 2024 releases was an early releaseContinue reading “THE BULLET SWALLOWER – Elizabeth Gonzalez James”
THE OGRESS AND THE ORPPHANS – Kelly Barnhill
“But it’s best you know this now, at the beginning of this book. Every story has a villain, after all. And every villain has a story.” Kelly Barnhill is an absolute gift to literature, and not just children’s lit. She’s another one of my “heart hug” authors, but her hugs come in the form ofContinue reading “THE OGRESS AND THE ORPPHANS – Kelly Barnhill”
THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK – Kim Michele Richardson
“How many times had the hunger pangs tempted him? Set his belly afire for the wanting? Yet, his love for words and books was stronger.” Kim Michele Richardson’s The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek (Sourcebooks 2019) is historical fiction set in the 1930s in Troublesome Creek, Kentucky – deep in the heart of Appalachia. TheContinue reading “THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK – Kim Michele Richardson”
ALL THE LITTLE BIRD-HEARTS – Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow
“I would not have knowingly allowed even the image of a bird into my home, however beautiful. But I lived for and loved a bird-heart that summer; I only knew it afterwards.” Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow’s All the Little Bird-Hearts (Algonquin Books 2023), my tenth read of the 2023 Booker longlist, is a peculiar and unsettling read. Continue reading “ALL THE LITTLE BIRD-HEARTS – Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow”
A Girl Named Tommi 