Well, what do you know. Rather than being my usual contrarian self, I actually have ten books I consider to be the best of 2019. Of course, that doesn’t include the eight debut novels I wrote about on Wednesday, but let’s not split hairs. The point is: ALL of these books are marvelous. Even better, you still have time to get any one of them before Christmas for your ... Read More...
October Reading Recap
Hello! I know October has already ended but figured you’d all cut me some slack as I’ve been a bit busy. When I posted about taking a break because I was driving from Seattle to Ann Arbor I used a stock mountain photo, but I’m happy to report that I took this photo myself while driving through Montana. What a stunning state! I now understand its nickname Big Sky Country. There ... Read More...
Stalled: Mini-Reviews
In the past I’ve done a feature called It’s Not You It’s Me to indicate books I didn’t enjoy but that I believe other readers might like. Today is a bit different because in those cases I finished the books. With these three books I stalled out, set the book down and never came back to it. This is likely due to my personal circumstances—namely moving across country with a lot ... Read More...
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
On Wednesday I reviewed a book that I liked, but thought others might find too odd. I have the same hesitation today, but for a different reason. Ocean Vuong’s debut novel, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is itself a thing of beauty. His writing is poetical prose. Not surprising, because he is a poet. The novel is ruminations on his life in the form of a letter written to a ... Read More...
July Reading Wrap-Up
Oh boy, summer hit Seattle with a vengeance in July. I know for many other parts of the country temperatures in the high 80s are no big deal, but for those of us living in a region where air conditioning is not a thing in a most houses it got pretty wretched. In fact, I'll use it as the reason my reading foundered so much. I had a tough time bouncing between books I loved, but ... Read More...
Little Fires Everywhere
In her outstanding debut novel, Everything I Never Told You, Celeste Ng delicately exposed the family tragedy that can result from unrealistic expectations and the insecurity of trying to fit into a new culture. In her newest novel, Little Fires Everywhere, the Richardson family has no such problem. They are picture postcard perfection, happily sailing through their ... Read More...
