THE DAVENPORTS: MORE THAN THIS – Krystal Marquis

I really thought The Davenports was going to be a continued series, with each subsequent novel a deep dive into one of the Davenport siblings (with a branch out for Amy-Rose and Ruby Tremaine), but it would seem the second installment, The Davenports: More than This (Dial Books 2024) seems to wrap all the storyContinue reading “THE DAVENPORTS: MORE THAN THIS – Krystal Marquis”

THE GOD OF THE WOODS – Liz Moore

“It came from the Greek god Pan: the god of the woods. He liked to trick people, to confuse and disorient them until they lost their bearings, and their minds.” “Something about her looks immortal…a spirit, an apparition, more god than child.” Liz Moore’s The God of the Woods (Riverhead Books 2024) is in myContinue reading “THE GOD OF THE WOODS – Liz Moore”

SO THIRSTY – Rachel Harrison

“Besides, anticipating  the worst-case scenario doesn’t prepare you for the worst-case scenario. Just gives you the opportunity to be smug in the face of disaster.” Rachel Harrison’s So Thirsty (Berkley 2024) was supposed to be my dedicated “spooky season” read, but I was too entrenched in Booker season to get to it.  Oops. In allContinue reading “SO THIRSTY – Rachel Harrison”

SYLVIA DOE AND THE 100-YEAR FLOOD – Robert Beatty

“She was thirteen now, and the one thing she knew how to do was run away.” I met Robert Beatty several years ago just after the release of Serafina and the Seven Stars. My oldest niece loved the Serafina books, and I wanted to surprise her with a personalized autographed copy of the newest release. Continue reading “SYLVIA DOE AND THE 100-YEAR FLOOD – Robert Beatty”

My 2024 Booker Prize Longlist Rankings

The 2024 Booker Prize winner will be announced Tuesday, and this is the first year I have read the entire longlist prior to the announcement. (I will not meet my Goodreads goal, so this is my reading accomplishment of the year!) If you’ve followed me, you know I had some predictions prior to the announcementContinue reading “My 2024 Booker Prize Longlist Rankings”

PLAYGROUND – Richard Powers

“You know me now. You know him as well as I did. Maybe better. You have raised the dead and given us one more turn. Now tell me how this long match ought to end.” “Our first god mad the world from eggshells and tears and bone. Then our artists made the other gods outContinue reading “PLAYGROUND – Richard Powers”

ENLIGHTENMENT – Sarah Perry

“She was the most alive person he’d ever met.” “Her mouth was blotted red, as if she’d painted her lips, regretted her sin, and rubbed her shame on the back of her hand.” “Grace Macaulay – in whose veins ran Essex rivers and Bible ink…” “For God’s sake, Thomas Hart, for God’s sake: isn’t itContinue reading “ENLIGHTENMENT – Sarah Perry”

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”

THE BERRY PICKERS – Amanda Peters

“…lost in a memory stirred alive by the moon.” Amanda Peters’s debut The Berry Pickers (Catapult 2023) is a quiet triumph of a novel about grief, anger, loss, identity, and forgiveness.  When I was a child, I asked for The Face on the Milk Carton for Christmas. (It’s one of a few books I rememberContinue reading “THE BERRY PICKERS – Amanda Peters”

LADY TAN’S CIRCLE OF WOMEN – Lisa See

“Do you need a man to confirm what your body is already telling you to be true?” Set in 1469-1511, Lisa See’s Lady Tan’s Circle of Women (Scribner 2023) is a remarkable story of a high-status woman doctor, her midwife best friend, and an assortment of women from whom she draws strength, courage, and goodContinue reading “LADY TAN’S CIRCLE OF WOMEN – Lisa See”