- 2 days ago
Review of One of Us Is Next by Karen M. McManus
This is a great, character-driven sequel to McManus’s young adult mystery One of Us Is Lying. Last year, in McManus's great young adult...
- Jun 10
Review of Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland
This summer read makes you feel like you’re in safe hands, and you can be confident that nothing here will go seriously awry. The vivid...
- May 11
Review of Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
Shipstead has created two independent, defiant, appealingly strong young women split by time. I was hooked on both story lines and just...
- Apr 30
April Wrap-Up: My Favorite Reads of the Month
My very favorite books from April! In no particular order, here's the gist of each of the books I most loved reading during the past...
- Apr 12
Review of The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon
The dark, seemingly bottomless water is the standout, creepy element here: a source of relentless, hungry power that straddles the worlds...
- Apr 6
Review of What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson
Cory Anderson's debut is a story about darkness, desperation, unlikely loyalty, and, ultimately, brave young characters in tough spots...
- Mar 29
Three Books I'm Reading Now, 3/29/21 Edition
The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading three books that are about to be published: Cory Anderson's debut, a dark young adult novel about...
- Mar 23
Review of The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
In this satisfying final book in the trilogy, Black's characters show darkly funny humor and trade biting remarks, and creatures of all...
- Mar 22
Review of The Arsonists' City by Hala Alyan
Characters cope with lost dreams and find ways to (often clumsily) come together through their shared pain. The vibrancy of Beirut is...
- Mar 16
Review of Body of Stars by Laura Maylene Walter
I wished that the book had more fully explored the cycle of prediction and realization that lies at the heart of its premise. In the...
- Mar 8
Review of Two White Queens and the One-Eyed Jack by Heidi von Palleske
The book introduces some fascinating detail and interesting themes, but the story frequently feels choppy and unfinished. In von...
- Mar 5
Six Illuminating Memoirs to Dive Into
Do you love memoirs like I do? I love digging into the story of someone's life--notable because of chance, circumstance, or choice--and...
- Mar 3
Three Books I'm Reading Now, 3/3/21 Edition
What I'm Reading Now Here's what I've got going at the moment: a dark, intriguing story of interconnectedness between unusual characters;...
- Mar 1
Review of Machinehood by S.B. Divya
Space! Robots! Artificial intelligence! Divya has crafted strong female main protagonists who navigate the sometimes dark, always...
- Feb 22
Review of Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
The emotions and drives of the story feel real, but the tone is darkly playful. I loved spending time with main protagonist Eli as he...
- Feb 9
Three Books I'm Reading Now, 2/9/21 Edition
01 Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton Eli Bell is a young man in a tough spot. His father's gone, his mother's in jail, and his best...
- Feb 8
Review of The Unwilling by John Hart
Hart reliably offers character-driven mysteries with heartbreaking interpersonal complications. The twists and turns here are excellent,...
- Feb 4
Review of The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
I was especially taken with the sisters' complicated relationships and with the link Harrow draws between witching and the women's...
- Feb 2
Three Books I'm Reading Now, 2/2/21 Edition
01 A Burning by Megha Majumdar “Many years ago I would have been asking why is this happening? But now I am knowing that there is no use...
- Jan 22
Six Great Books about the Immigrant Experience
01 Pachinko by Min Jin Lee In the early 1900s, a teenager falls for a silver-tongued stranger on the coast of Korea. But when the...
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