“Because who wants to be known as some kind of ho-bag haunt.” Shannon Sanders’s debut novel The Great Wherever (Henry Holt 2026) might be my favorite ghost story of the year – it certainly has a couple of my favorite ghosts. The novel opens with Aubrey Lamb getting dumped. She was already floundering a bit,Continue reading “THE GREAT WHEREVER – Shannon Sanders”
Tag Archives: Family Saga
The Pōhaku – Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes
“Death has been chasing this story for generations, trying to kill it.” The Pōhaku by Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes (HarperCollins 2026) has all the elements of the type of story I love: family saga, a storytelling tradition, and a bit of magic realism. Add the fact it is about the Hawaiian people and boasts a stunningContinue reading “The Pōhaku – Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes”
SHOULD THE WATERS TAKE US – Stephanie Soileau
I love a family saga, and when the publisher sent me Stephanie Soileau’s Should the Waters Take Us (Doubleday 2026 – thanks for the copy! I wish I’d gotten this out sooner – the book was released 7/14/2026!), I was thrilled. Family saga spanning centuries and set primarily in the Louisiana bayou? Yes, please. Let’sContinue reading “SHOULD THE WATERS TAKE US – Stephanie Soileau”
RETURNS AND EXCHANGES – Kayla Rae Whitaker
Kayla Rae Whitaker’s Returns and Exchanges (Random House 2026) is likely going to wind up in my top five reads of the year – most definitely in the top ten. Spanning 1979-2015, the novel follows one Kentucky family – a rags to riches to reckoning story of resilience and risking it all to be seen,Continue reading “RETURNS AND EXCHANGES – Kayla Rae Whitaker”
THE BEE STING – Paul Murray
Booker season continues with Paul Murray’s The Bee Sting Western Lane (Farrar, Straus & Giroux 2023 – thanks for the advanced copy!) – a chunky tragicomic family saga set in post-crash Ireland that boosts a unique approach to storytelling. The first section of the novel is divided into four parts – one for each family memberContinue reading “THE BEE STING – Paul Murray”
BANYAN MOON – Thao Thai
“He’s polish without substance, and I’ve hitched my wagon to nothing but a handful of glitter.” “The living must trespass on the dead; everything left behind a gift, an inheritance, no matter how unintentional.” Thao Thai’s debut Banyan Moon (Mariner Books 2023) is a heart hug of a family saga. From the 1960s Vietnam toContinue reading “BANYAN MOON – Thao Thai”
THE LAST RUSSIAN DOLL – Kristen Loesch
“She stood, with her doll beneath her arm, and she walked, across the blood-red floor, over her blood-red siblings, through the blood-red door, out of the blood-red house, all the way to the blood-red river. She forgot to wash her blood-red hands.” Spanning the period from 1916 to 1993, Kristen Loesch’s The Last Russian DollContinue reading “THE LAST RUSSIAN DOLL – Kristen Loesch”
THE COVENANT OF WATER – Abraham Verghese
“What defines a family isn’t blood but the secrets they share.” “Yes, old man, yes, eyes open to this precious land and its people, to the covenant of water, water that washes away the sins of the world, water that will gather in streams, ponds, and rivers, rivers that float the seas, water that IContinue reading “THE COVENANT OF WATER – Abraham Verghese”
MEMPHIS – Tara M. Stringfellow
“The things women do for the sake of their daughters. The things women don’t. The shame of it all.” I’m still toying with the idea of reading the Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist, and I put in several holds at the library. Since I’ve already read a couple and intended to read a few moreContinue reading “MEMPHIS – Tara M. Stringfellow”
PACHINKO – Min Jin Lee
“History has failed us, but no matter.” Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko (Grand Central Publishing 2017) is a novel that has been on my physical TBR pile/cart for years. (It’s not the longest resident on that list, but it comes close.) I love family sagas, the chunkier the better, and this is a ridiculously well-done chunkyContinue reading “PACHINKO – Min Jin Lee”
A Girl Named Tommi 