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Utopia Avenue: A Novel by David Mitchell

July 22, 2020

utopia

‘Utopia’ means ‘no place.’ An avenue is a place. So is music. When we’re playing well, I’m here, but elsewhere, too. That’s the paradox. Utopia is unattainable. Avenues are everywhere. Derek, Elf, Jasper, and Griff each has a dream: make it big in the music industry playing music they love. So far, it hasn’t panned out for any of them. But when manager Levon Frankland ... Read More...

6 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: 1960s, historical fiction, literary, London, pop culture

Crooked Hallelujah

July 17, 2020

crooked

Texas and Oklahoma, during the 1970s and 1980s oil boom and bust, is the setting for Crooked Hallelujah, a debut novel about the lives of three generations of Cherokee women. Lula is the matriarch, Justine her daughter, and Reney her grand-daughter. The times were difficult, but even more so if you were a Native American and a woman. Against this arid backdrop their lives are ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: debut, historical fiction, literary, Native Americans

The Heir Affair: A Novel

July 15, 2020

heir

American Rebecca (Bex) Porter seems to have won the lottery when Britain’s second-in-line to the throne, Prince Nicholas, falls in love with her. Of course, it’s not that simple, but it does make for fun reading in The Royal We. That novel ended with Bex and Nick married, but already engulfed in scandal. When The Heir Affair opens they are hiding out in remote Scotland, but ... Read More...

1 Comment
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: chick lit, England, royalty

What’s Left of Me is Yours

June 29, 2020

left of me

Sumiko’s mother, Rina, died in a car accident when she was a child. Her parents were divorced, her father not a part of her life, so she went to live with her beloved grandfather. Now, twenty years later, as What’s Left of Me is Yours opens, she receives a call about a man from her mother’s past. This call unleashes the flood that overtakes her life, sweeping away her memories ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, cultural, debut, Japan, literary

Everyone Knows How Much I Love You

June 26, 2020

everyone knows

On Wednesday I reviewed a novel about female friendship that was unsettling because of the drama in the character’s lives, but managed to resonate in its portrayal of the many phases and nuances of long-term friendships. I went into today's novel with the same hopes, but was deeply disappointed. I debated whether to even write this review because we’re all being overwhelmed ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: debut, literary, New York City

The Girls from Corona del Mar

June 24, 2020

girls

When Lorrie Ann and Mia become best friends, Mia believes herself to be the shadow behind Lorrie Ann’s golden girl. By the time they reach high school Mia is even more sure that Lorrie Ann is everything she is not. She is kind, caring and good, part of a tight knit family while Mia sees herself as dark and negative, isolated from her family. At 15 she makes the decision to end ... Read More...

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, debut, friendship, Knopf, literary

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