“She is no stranger to keeping time by what she has lost.” When I reviewed Charmaine Wilkerson’s novel, Black Cake, back in 2022, I remarked that it was a solid debut, but I wished the transitions between POVs and timelines had been smoother. Her sophomore novel, Good Dirt (Ballantine Books 2025), similarly jumps timelines andContinue reading “GOOD DIRT – Charmaine Wilkerson”
Tag Archives: Fiction
THE LOVE ELIXIR OF AUGUSTA STERN – Lynda Cohen Loigman
“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”
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”
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”
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”
SONGBIRDS – Christy Lefteri
“One day, Nisha vanished and turned to gold. She turned to gold in the eyes of the creature that stood before me. She turned to gold in the morning sky and in the music of the birds.” I ended my 2024 having read 68 books – far less than my goal, but considering the wayContinue reading “SONGBIRDS – Christy Lefteri”
A NOVEL LOVE STORY – Ashley Poston
I’m likely not the best person to listen to when it comes to reviewing romance. That said, I tried really hard to like Ashley Poston’s A Novel Love Story (Berkley 2024), but it fell way flat for me. The premise is cute enough – a woman who loves romance novels heads to a cabin forContinue reading “A NOVEL LOVE STORY – Ashley Poston”
THE MOST WONDERFUL CRIME OF THE YEAR – Ally Carter
While heading home for Christmas, I decided to listen to an audio book. (I usually get one or two audio books in a year, but it’s really not my reading preference.) I settled on Ally Carter’s The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year (Avon 2024), and I’m so glad I did. What a delicious holidayContinue reading “THE MOST WONDERFUL CRIME OF THE YEAR – Ally Carter”
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”
A Girl Named Tommi 