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Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo

September 5, 2017

stay

Stay With Me begins in the middle, which is when, after four years of marriage but no children Akin is being pushed by his mother to take another wife. He loves Yejide, but to not have children is incomprehensible in their society and a source of anguish to his wife. When he does give in it is as little as possible, with a woman who he does not allow to live with them and whom ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: Africa, contemporary life, cultural, debut, Knopf, literary

The Resurrection of Joan Ashby

September 1, 2017

resurrection

  When Joan Ashby is in her early twenties she is acclaimed as a writer to watch. Her short stories win awards, she is interviewed and profiled, and all await her first novel. She knows this is her one true gift and so even when she marries Martin, a man she loves deeply, it is with the agreement that there will be no children. Which is fine until Joan is pregnant. ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: family, Flatiron Books, literary, marriage, midlife

August Reading Wrap-Up

August 30, 2017

august

Good bye August and goodbye summer! I complain a fair bit, but here is one thing that I absolutely loved about this summer in Seattle. We only had maybe three days all told when it got above 90°. The majority of the summer was in the mid-70s with dry, sunny days and chilly nights. My kind of weather. I wish I could be as upbeat about my reading, but this year continues to be a ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature, Reading Tagged: Bloomsbury, Dutton, historical fiction, lists, Manhattan, mini-reviews, Other Press

It’s Not You, It’s Me: Mini-Reviews

August 25, 2017

it's

Plausibility is a subjective concept, especially in reading. There are premises, plots, and characters in novels I love that make other readers put the book down. Today’s mini-reviews exemplify the term because both novels contain characters and situations that I could not believe in and so impacted my ability to enjoy the book as much as someone else might. In other words, ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature, Fiction Tagged: 1970s, Africa, childhood, mini-reviews, Pegasus, Putnam

Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka

August 23, 2017

girl

In real life, the victim of murder should always remain at the forefront of the story, but in fiction there is no such rule. The girl in Girl in Snow is Lucinda Hayes, a pretty teenager found dead on a school playground. Someone has killed her and while the townspeople may care, author Danya Kukafka is more interested in Cameron, an odd boy who likes to watch people in their ... Read More...

10 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, debut, literary, mystery, Simon & Schuster

Emma in the Night

August 18, 2017

emma

  Apparently, I’ve moved from dystopian novels this summer to thrillers. On Monday I reviewed See What I Have Done a novel about Lizzie Borden, which I found fascinating more for its bizarre family dynamics than the actual murders. Now I’m back with Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker, a contemporary novel with a family that makes the Bordens look like the Brady Bunch. ... Read More...

6 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: contemporary life, family, mystery, psychology, St. Martin's Press

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