Quote: Maurice Sendak on Books As a child, I felt that books were holy objects, to be caressed, rapturously sniffed, and devotedly provided for. I gave my life to them. I still do. I continue to do what I did as a child; dream of books, make books and collect books. Maurice Sendak, Author […]
Month: January 2020
Book Review: The House of Broken Angels, Luis Alberto Urrea
Book Review: The House of Broken Angels, Luis Alberto Urrea Fiction: The House of Broken Angels, Luis Alberto Urrea Many years ago when we lived in Los Angeles some dear friends invited us over for their child’s birthday party. The husband was Mexican-American, and little did we know that his entire family would be […]
Book Review: The Testaments, Margaret Atwood
Book Review: The Testaments, Margaret Atwood Fiction: The Testaments, Margaret Atwood I read The Handmaid’s Tale many years ago. That was my introduction to Margaret Atwood, and I remember being amazed at the skill and wordcraft that went into her story of a U.S. gone mad. Living in 2020 America sometimes makes me question […]
Book Review: Catfishing on the Catnet, Naomi Kritzer
Book Review: Catfishing on the Catnet, Naomi Kritzer Young Adult: Catfishing on the Catnet, Naomi Kritzer Steph is used to starting over. Her mother has been on the run from Steph’s abusive father for as long as Steph can remember. She’s been to five high schools…and she’s still just starting her junior year. So […]
Blog Tour: You Beneath Your Skin, Dimyanti Biswas
Blog Tour: You Beneath Your Skin, Dimyanti Biswas Fiction: You Beneath Your Skin, Dimyanti Biswas You Beneath Your Skin starts out as a family drama. Anjali is the single mother of a troubled autistic teenager, Nikhil. She is living with her friend Maya, and secretly having an affair with Maya’s married brother. Jatin’s marriage […]
Book Review: Beneath the Tamarind Tree, Isha Sesay
Book Review: Beneath the Tamarind Tree, Isha Sesay Nonfiction: Beneath the Tamarind Tree, Isha Sesay Former CNN journalist Isha Sesay covered the story of the kidnapped girls from Chibok, Nigeria from the beginning. In April, 2014, gunmen from Boko Haram attacked the small town of Chibok. One of their targets was the school. Boko Haram, […]
Book Review: Ninth House, Leigh Bardugo
Book Review: Ninth House, Leigh Bardugo Fantasy: Ninth House, Leigh Bardugo Galaxy Stern grew up in a single parent household in LA. A troubled teen, she became involved with drugs and gangs until she ended up in the hospital. Police had found her unconscious in an apartment full of dead gangsters, lying beside a dead […]
Book Review: Girl, Woman, Other, Bernardine Evaristo
Book Review: Girl, Woman, Other, Bernardine Evaristo Fiction: Girl, Woman, Other, Bernardine Evaristo Winner, 2019 Booker Prize Girl, Woman, Other is a powerful novel by an accomplished writer. Co-winner of the 2019 Booker Prize, Bernardine Evaristo tells the stories of a number of women of varying ages and time periods, connected in a sort […]
Book Review: Haywire, Thaddeus Rutkowski
Book Review: Haywire, Thaddeus Rutkowski Fiction: Haywire, Thaddeus Rutkowski I read an interview with author Thaddeus Rutkowski in which he described his work as “autobiographical fiction.” He also mentions the term “autofiction” in that same interview. His novel Haywire, originally published in 2011 and rereleased in 2019, strides the line between autobiography and fiction. […]
Book Review: Steel Crow Saga, Paul Krueger
Book Review: Steel Crow Saga, Paul Krueger Fantasy: Steel Crow Saga, Paul Krueger UPDATE (6/28/2020): Since the publication of this review, author Paul Krueger has been accused of extremely troubling behavior toward women, particularly women of color. He has issued an apology of sorts. It is not our place to accept or reject his apology. […]