Ben Fountain is a born, bred and dead Carolina kid. (I’ll ignore the Duke years.) While he spent much of his legal career in Texas, he was born and raised in NC, educated at Carolina, and now lives in NC. And he’s written one helluva political satire in Rasputin Swims the Potomac (Flatiron 2026). I’mContinue reading “RASPUTIN SWIMS THE POTOMAC – Ben Fountain”
Tag Archives: life
AFTERNOON HOURS OF A HERMIT – Patrick Cottrell
Patrick Cottrell’s Afternoon Hours of a Hermit ( ECCO 2026) comes with some pretty hefty blurbs – Bryan Washington, Katie Kitamura and Rita Bullwinkle to hit the Booker and NBA names – and I can see why; the novel has that “je ne sais quoi” that makes it smell “Bookery.” It’s a noir detective novel,Continue reading “AFTERNOON HOURS OF A HERMIT – Patrick Cottrell”
I SEE YOU’VE CALLED IN DEAD – John Kenney
“Maybe we’re all obituary writers. And our job is to write the best story we can now.” @rolly.looks.at.books recommended John Kenney’s I See You’ve Called in Dead (Zibby Publishing 2025), and when the world’s most well-read bichon recommends something, you listen. It’s quirky, hilarious, and full of heart. I can see why it draws comparisonsContinue reading “I SEE YOU’VE CALLED IN DEAD – John Kenney”
SLANTING TOWARDS THE SEA – Lidija Hilje
Current installment of Tommi Reads the World – we’re still in the C’s!!! Country: CroatiaTitle: Slanting Towards the SeaAuthor: Lidija HilgeLanguage: EnglishTranslator: N/APublisher: Simon & Schuster 2025 “Back home, all things slant towards the sea.” “I can’t remember the last time someone said I had potential. But the thing about potential is that it doesn’t goContinue reading “SLANTING TOWARDS THE SEA – Lidija Hilje”
A Girl Named Tommi 