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A Song to Drown Rivers

October 10, 2024

drown rivers

  There is a Chinese folk tale about four sisters so beautiful they could be denied nothing.  One of those sisters is Xishi and in Ann Liang’s novel, A Song to Drown Rivers, she is called upon to use her beauty for vengeance and destruction. For Xishi, growing up in a tiny village in the Yue kingdom, her beauty is auspicious for her parents as it means she may be ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: China, mythology

March Reading Recap

April 1, 2024

march reading

My March reading is a wrap, but I have a question: would you rather have highs and lows in your reading or a steady diet of good? You can probably guess where I’m going with this. I ended the month on a streak of 3.5 star books, most of which I can hardly remember reading. I want need more amazing reading.   I guess I’m naïve, but there are certain institutions that ... Read More...

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

Diva: A Novel

February 22, 2024

diva

I’ve loved celebrity and pop culture since I was a teen when I would beg my mother to buy me trashy magazines in the grocery store with the promise that I would pay her back (I’m still in arrears on that debt). So even though it played out back in the 1960s I was well aware of the scandal surrounding the relationship between American royalty Jackie Kennedy and Greek tycoon, ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: Greece, historical, vacation reading, women

Maame by Jessica George

January 30, 2023

maame

Maame is an African word for “woman” and the title of Jessica George’s debut novel, but for young Maddie it feels like a yoke on her shoulders. She lives at home as the part-time caretaker for her father. Her mother manages a hostel she inherited in Ghana and only returns to England intermittently. Her older brother James has his own apartment and says he’ll help, but never ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: contemporary life, debut, London, new adult

2022 Wrap-Up

January 5, 2023

2022

I started 2023 strong with The Light Pirate, a book I found riveting, but before I go full bore into the year, I need to wrap up 2022 as I read a lot more books (180 to be exact) and never reviewed some of them. I’m also going to do something I’ve never done before: recommend a book without a real review, just a sentence or two. Basically, you take my word for it that this is a ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature Tagged: book clubs, historical fiction, literary, mini-reviews

Fun Summer Reading

July 18, 2022

  Hello, lovely readers! Remember me? Remember fun? Let's pretend I'm sitting on a chaise relaxing by the lake in this photo. Ha. I survived the 2,200 mile drive from Ann Arbor, but am now ensconced in a utilitarian, extended stay hotel that is to put it kindly, dreary. My poor husband tries to manage Zoom calls at 5am with me sleeping in bed 3’ away. The fire alarm went ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Feature Tagged: chick lit, contemporary life, mini-reviews, satire, thriller, women

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