“I have learned not to tell stories that frighten children.” If you’ve been here a bit, you likely know that South African literature has a special place in this reader’s heart, with both Gordimer and Coetzee holding top rankings. When I read the summary of Nadia Davids’s debut novel, Cape Fever (Simon and Schuster 2026)Continue reading “CAPE FEVER – Nadia Davids”
Tag Archives: Simon & Schuster
THE TEN YEAR AFFAIR – Erin Somers
“The mountain that saw everything turned from green to rust, from rust to brown, from brown to green again.” Erin Somers’s The Ten Year Affair (Simon & Schuster 2025) was on my radar simply because of my goal of reading more Booker eligible litfic. While I could see this being listed, I didn’t like it. Continue reading “THE TEN YEAR AFFAIR – Erin Somers”
OATHBOUND – Tracy Deonn
“What is a bargain if not an oath? And what is an oath if not a promise with a price? Call these what you will. All are cut from the same cloth -a cloth woven of intention, will, and sacrifice.” The long-awaited third installment of Tracy Deonn’s remarkable The Legendborn Cycle was released this pastContinue reading “OATHBOUND – Tracy Deonn”
THE RETURN OF ELLIE BLACK – Emiko Jean
Reading more like a fast-paced, bingeworthy Netflix special than a novel, Emiko Jean’s The Return of Ellie Black (Simon & Schuster 2024) is a quick read that scratches an itch and serves as a good cleanser between reads. I never know what to say (or not say) about books like this because I don’t wantContinue reading “THE RETURN OF ELLIE BLACK – Emiko Jean”
JADED – Ela Lee
Ela Lee’s debut novel, Jaded, (Simon & Schuster 3/19/2024) is a sharp and raw depiction of the complete mind fuckery a sexual assault does on a person. Before getting into the review/reaction, I must stress that this novel is not for everyone, and it’s okay if you are not in the headspace to read itContinue reading “JADED – Ela Lee”
THE BULLET SWALLOWER – Elizabeth Gonzalez James
“I think a person knows when their parents are gone for good, when the people that brought them into existence have gone out. I think the air gets heavier or the light changes, something like that. I haven’t seen the sun get dimmer yet.” One of my highly anticipated 2024 releases was an early releaseContinue reading “THE BULLET SWALLOWER – Elizabeth Gonzalez James”
HOW TO SAY BABYLON – Safiya Sinclair
“With echoes of Educated” is not a selling point for me; I, in a very unpopular opinion, found that book overhyped with a narrator I neither trusted nor liked. Other than some fuzzy timelines and a focus on the power of learning, I’m pleased to say Safiya Sinclair’s How to Say Babylon (Simon & SchusterContinue reading “HOW TO SAY BABYLON – Safiya Sinclair”
AND EVERY MORNING THE WAY HOME GETS LONGER AND LONGER – Fredrik Backman
Fredrik Backman is a hearthug of an author, someone I can expect to break my heart while still wrapping me in a hug. I was looking for an audio book to read while travelling for Thanksgiving, and when I saw Backman’s And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer (Simon & Schuster 2016),Continue reading “AND EVERY MORNING THE WAY HOME GETS LONGER AND LONGER – Fredrik Backman”
SHARK HEART: A LOVE STORY – Emily Habeck
“There is never a right time to say goodbye.” I didn’t have being absolutely destroyed by a book about a man turning into a shark on my bingo card, but here we are. Emily Habeck’s Shark Heart: A Love Story (Marysue Rucci Books 2023) positively shattered me. It was very nearly a 5-star read, butContinue reading “SHARK HEART: A LOVE STORY – Emily Habeck”
THE HOUSE OF EVE – Sadeqa Johnson
Some of y’all may remember that Sadeqa Johnson’s Yellow Wife was one of my top reads of 2021. (If you haven’t read it yet, you really should.) Johnson’s follow-up novel, The House of Eve (Simon & Schuster 2023) is just as poignant. The novel will be out 7 Feb 2023, and I highly recommend youContinue reading “THE HOUSE OF EVE – Sadeqa Johnson”
A Girl Named Tommi 