“For a moment, Augusta could remember what it felt like to believe – not in the magic of witches or fairies, but in the magic of women who knew how to heal; the magic of women in the quiet of their kitchens, who could sweeten a bitter woman’ s heart or soothe a man’s temperContinue reading “THE LOVE ELIXIR OF AUGUSTA STERN – Lynda Cohen Loigman”
Tag Archives: books
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF HANNAH CRAFTS – Gregg Hecimovich
Nearly twenty decades now, I fancied myself a wannabe or soon-to-be scholar, and while my focus centered on South African literature, I liked to apply postcolonial theories and the concept of “the empire writes back” to African American literature and the use of canonical works in carving out stories. I was also a person whoContinue reading “THE LIFE AND TIMES OF HANNAH CRAFTS – Gregg Hecimovich”
AMERICAN VISA – Juan de Recacoechea
“We’re all rotting in this country. Only the dead are saved.” Current installment of Tommi Reads the World – we’re still in the Bs. Country: BoliviaTitle: American VisaAuthor: Juan de RecacoecheaLanguage: SpanishTranslator: Adrian AlthoffPublisher: Librería-Editorial Los Amigos Del Libro, 1994; English translation, Akashic Books, 2007 My journey to read books from every country continues, and thisContinue reading “AMERICAN VISA – Juan de Recacoechea”
PS: I HATE YOU – Lauren Connolly
Lauren Connolly’s PS: I Hate You (Berkley Romance 2024) is absolutely stinking adorable. It reminded me a little bit of Abby Jimenez’s Just for the Summer, especially as it related to the mental health aspects and the general goofy smile reading the novel left on my face, and I loved it. Long story short –Continue reading “PS: I HATE YOU – Lauren Connolly”
WARBREAKER – Brandon Sanderson
“But time burns away behind us, leaving only ash and memory. That memory passes from mind to mind, then finally to my lips.” After finishing The Way of Kings, someone recommended that I read Brandon Sanderson’s standalone Cosmere novel, Warbreaker (Tor 2009), before proceeding any further with The Stormlight Archives. Color me intrigued (do youContinue reading “WARBREAKER – Brandon Sanderson”
REAL AMERICANS – Rachel Khong
“Every book I’d read led me further away from her, from the life we once shared.” Rachel Khong’s Real Americans (Knopf 2024) is a beautiful but frustrating novel, frustrating because of the missing parts. Divided into three sections, into three generations, the novel halts every time it starts to dig into the meat of theContinue reading “REAL AMERICANS – Rachel Khong”
THE WAY OF KINGS – Brandon Sanderson
“Szeth-son-son-Vallano, Truthless of Shinovar, wore white on the day he was to kill a king… White to be bold. White to not blend into the night. White to give warning. For if you were going to assassinate a man, he was entitled to see you coming.” “They were not demons, they were just men whoContinue reading “THE WAY OF KINGS – Brandon Sanderson”
COUNTING THE COST – Jill Duggar
While doing my latest book nook, I listened to Counting the Cost, Jill Duggar’s 2023 memoir that was written with her husband, Derick Dillard, and Craig Borlase. I had watched the Duggars with a bit of morbid fascination throughout the years, much like most reality TV, and was even more captivated when the religious houseContinue reading “COUNTING THE COST – Jill Duggar”
CONFESSIONS – Catherine Airey
When I saw Catherine Airey’s Confessions (1.14.25 Mariner Books) being compared to The Goldfinch, I groaned. I’m serious. I audibly groaned. I think The Goldfinch is one of the more overrated novels of my time, and I still hold the opinion that the story deserved to have someone different tell it, someone with a lessContinue reading “CONFESSIONS – Catherine Airey”
BRAIDING SWEETGRASS – Robin Wall Kimmerer
One of my 2025 resolutions is to read more non-fiction and to use mundane tasks as opportunities to be more intentional with my time. Enter audiobooks (and laundry!). My first read of the year was Robin Wall Kimmerer’s 2013 release, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants (Milkweed Editions). Kimmerer, aContinue reading “BRAIDING SWEETGRASS – Robin Wall Kimmerer”
A Girl Named Tommi 