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Faye, Faraway: A Novel

February 4, 2021

faye

I’ll preface this quick review with the fact that I read Faye, Faraway in the week between the Capitol riot and the inauguration. Translate: my brain was in a petulant snit. Nothing worked and my fuse was between short and non-existent. I needed superlative reading. So, while I was displeased with this novel I rated it as almost good, because for anyone looking for easy reading ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: childhood, debut, fantasy

January Reading Wrap-Up

February 1, 2021

january

What a month. Parts of January left me stunned while others made me cry with relief. I’ll leave it at that. As for my reading, the year is starting out strong. I read 18 books, with more than half being 3.5 stars or higher. But I also DNFed three books in January, which is unusually high for me. Last year, I didn’t quit a book until February. One thing that didn’t change? My ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature Tagged: history, memoir, wealth, women

No Heaven for Good Boys

January 29, 2021

heaven

In Senegal, young boys are often sent from their rural villages to Dakar, a city where they have opportunities for religious and secular education not found at home. Most often it begins when the child is ten, but in the case of seven-year-old Ibrahimah when Marabout Ahmed saves his life, his father, Idrissa, agrees to let the holy man take his son and begin his education ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: Africa, cultural, debut, literary, social issues

Thrilling Reading: Mini-Reviews

January 27, 2021

thrilling

For ten months out of the year I complain about plot overload in my reviews, but when it comes to thrillers I'm a lot more forgiving. Especially when the times warrant over-the-top drama to drag my mind off reality, as was the case at the beginning of January. And if you’re tired of hearing me say that, I am damn well tired of having to say it. Hopefully, we’re on a better path ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature, Fiction Tagged: mini-reviews, mystery, thriller

The Charmed Wife: A Novel

January 25, 2021

charmed

When it came out, Olga Grushin’s novel Forty Rooms blew me away. I had never read a piece of fiction that so perfectly encapsulated many of my feelings about marriage and being a woman. It was with great excitement that I saw Grushin was back with a new novel. Actually, excitement and trepidation because the bar would be high and Grushin looked to be mining the same ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, contemporary life, fantasy, literary, marriage

The Divines: A Novel

January 22, 2021

divines

Every year there it seems a different theme emerges in fiction. Last year it was twins (The Grammarians, The Vanishing Half, Thin Girls), but this year, although it’s only January, I have three novels in my winter reading that are about girls’ boarding schools. What is it about that subject that entices those of us who were no more likely to attend one than go into outer space? ... Read More...

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

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