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The Deeper the Water the Uglier the Fish

February 18, 2019

deeper the water

After their mother tries to hang herself, 14-year-old Mae and 16-year-old Edie are sent to live with their father, a man they have not seen since they were very small children. For Mae it is a dream come true. Her mother’s depression and obsessive behavior falls on her, meaning long nights driving around Louisiana swamps or following strangers home. Edie, though, wants to be ... Read More...

5 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, coming-of-age, debut, family, literary

Death is Hard Work

February 15, 2019

death

Bolbol’s father has just died in Damascus. Before he did, he made one final request of his son—he wants to be buried in the family’s plot in his hometown. It’s two hours away and without thinking Bolbol agrees. It’s only as he’s contacting his sister, Fatima, and his brother, Hussein, that the enormity of his promise hits him. This is Syria, a country being destroyed by its ... Read More...

6 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: cultural, family, Farrar Straus Giroux, literary, Middle East

Stoned: Jewelry, Obsession, and How Desire Shapes the World

February 13, 2019

stoned

It's that time of year, when a girl's thoughts turn to love, or for the more practical among us: jewelry. Are you a bling-y type of gal? Do you love anything having to do with jewelry and gems, but not interested in a dry dissertation? Then you need to read Stoned: Jewelry, Obsession, and How Desire Shapes the World by Aja Raden. She’s a snarky, modern, smart-ass who takes a ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Non-fiction Tagged: history, jewelry

Sugar Run by Mesha Maren

February 11, 2019

sugar

Jodi has dealt with feeling unwanted and out of place for most of her life. As a little girl her parents decided she was best off being raised by her grandmother on a remote farm in the Appalachians of West Virginia. Later, as a teen she fell deeply in love with a woman who had a knack for playing poker and dangerous behavior. There’s passion, but the feeling is never quite ... Read More...

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: Algonquin Books, debut, literary, social issues, Southern life, women

Backlist Mini-Reviews

February 8, 2019

backlist

I may not have mentioned this, but December was my version of spring break. Not in the jello-shots-sunburn-sleep-on-the-floor way, but in that I read only what I wanted to. It's not a month with a lot of new releases so I spent a lot of time at the library, browsing shelves, and looking at my to-be-read list of recommendations from other bloggers to find backlist books I didn't ... Read More...

18 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature Tagged: book clubs, literary, memoir, mini-reviews

Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal

February 6, 2019

unmarriageable

Unmarriageable is one of the winter books I was most looking forward to reading in January. Author Soniah Kamal takes Jane Austen’s beloved Pride & Prejudice and updates it to fit into Pakistan in the year 2000. Every detail is the same, but with an Eastern flair. The Bennetts are the Binats, Darcy is Darsee, and Wickham is Wickaam. Other than name changes Kamal shapes her ... Read More...

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: Ballantine, chick lit, cultural, debut, Pakistan, retellings

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