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2021 Underrated Gems

December 15, 2021

underrated

Every year I read books I loved, but that seemed to go under-the-radar for most people. Yes, reading is a very personal endeavor and what is 5 stars for me may not be 5 stars for you, but I’ve got 7 underrated gems I read this year that I’m almost evangelical about—I loved them that much. So, I’m spreading that love in the hopes that you might discover your next great read ... Read More...

10 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature Tagged: book clubs, coming-of-age, favorite books, literary, marriage

Shiner: A Novel by Amy Jo Burns

December 6, 2021

shiner

Stories of contemporary Southern mountain men abound (Bull Mountain, The Line That Held Us), but examples of women are a bit harder to come by. The fact Amy Jo Burns brings three such women to life in her novel, Shiner, is just one outstanding element of many in this lush debut. Raised in isolation in the West Virginia mountains, Wren doesn’t know much of the outside world. ... Read More...

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, debut, literary, Southern life

The Island of Missing Trees

November 30, 2021

island

Cyprus is a country literally divided, right down to its capital. In 1960 when the British finally left they repeated their practice of leaving a political vacuum by not resolving issues between existing groups to ensure a peaceful transition. As a result, the island’s population, mixed between a Greek majority and a Turkish minority, lived with simmering resentments until the ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, cultural, historical fiction, literary

The People We Keep: A Novel

November 8, 2021

keep

At 16 April Sawicki’s life looks pretty well-mapped out, if there were such a thing as maps going nowhere. She lives in a broken motorhome, alone because her father has a new girlfriend and doesn’t come home anymore, and her mother is long gone. She’s flunking out of high school, but her boyfriend is the handsomest guy there and wants to marry her. Why not? He’ll get a decent ... Read More...

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

State of Terror by Louise Penny and Hillary Clinton

October 25, 2021

state

We’ve all heard of crossover artists. Singers who become actors. Actors who become writers. But politicians? Not so much. Politicking is a skill that doesn’t often translate to other arenas. I tried reading fiction by a politician that I admire tremendously and I quit at 10%. So, it was with great trepidation that I decided to read Hillary Clinton’s fictional debut, State of ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, mystery, political intrigue, thriller

We Are Not Like Them: A Novel

October 11, 2021

we

I’m a fan of diverse reading. There are so many places I’ve never gone and experiences I haven’t had in real life. Visiting them in the pages of a book helps expand my horizons and opens my mind in ways it wouldn’t be without reading. Sadly, there are issues happening right here in America that I may think I understand, but I truly have no idea. Racism is one of them and We Are ... Read More...

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, contemporary life, friendship, racism

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