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Northern Lights by Raymond Strom

February 20, 2019

northern lights

Shane’s father has died, his uncle has kicked him out of the house, and he’s decided it’s time to find the mother who left him when he was ten. In the fall he’ll be going to college in Minneapolis, but armed with a postcard, one hundred dollars, and all his belongings in a backpack he heads to the Holm, Minnesota, the only address he has for his mother. In this rugged, rural ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: coming-of-age, debut, literary, Simon & Schuster

The Deeper the Water the Uglier the Fish

February 18, 2019

deeper the water

After their mother tries to hang herself, 14-year-old Mae and 16-year-old Edie are sent to live with their father, a man they have not seen since they were very small children. For Mae it is a dream come true. Her mother’s depression and obsessive behavior falls on her, meaning long nights driving around Louisiana swamps or following strangers home. Edie, though, wants to be ... Read More...

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

The Falconer by Dana Czapnik

February 4, 2019

falconer

On page two of The Falconer, when Lucy Adler says I met that basketball for the first time only thirty minutes ago but I already know I love it unconditionally, and that it loves me back in a way that no carbon-based life-form ever will. you need to understand you’ve just seen into her very soul. On the court, she is a beast, a player so good she routinely plays pick-up ... Read More...

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: Atria Books, coming-of-age, debut, literary, New York City, teen years

Winter 2019 Books I’m Ready to Read

January 9, 2019

winter

Week one back in the real world! How is everyone holding up after the holidays? Once again, I had a quiet time of it which was welcome considering what lies ahead in 2019. Nothing bad, just change. What hasn't changed is that I'm ready to get back to review reading. I enjoyed my time off in December when I read backlist books from the library (it was divine!), but now it's time ... Read More...

10 Comments
Filed Under: Feature, Reading Tagged: books, coming-of-age, contemporary life, lists, literary, retellings, Southeast Asia

Katerina: A Novel by James Frey

September 27, 2018

katerina

Last week I wrote about The Golden State, a novel that literally flowed, with very little punctuation or grammar, from the protagonist’s mind. Oddly, enough immediately after that book, I read James Frey’s Katerina and he utilizes the same style. The good news? In both cases it works. Katerina is the story of Jay, a writer at two very different points in his life. In 1992 he is ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: coming-of-age, contemporary life, Paris

The Dreaded DNF: Mini-Reviews

September 14, 2018

dreaded

There is more than one reason for not finishing a book. Sometimes it's a case of 'It's Not You, It's Me'. Other times it's the right book at the wrong time. And then, there are the cases when neither of these apply and it is more basic: life is too short for me to keep reading this book that is working my last nerve. It happens and becomes a dreaded DNF. Here are my two most ... Read More...

6 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature, Fiction Tagged: coming-of-age, contemporary fiction, historical fiction, satire, WWII

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