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EarthEater: A Novel by Dolores Reyes

November 20, 2020

earth

An unnamed young woman lives in the barrios of Argentina with her older brother and her aunt. They have recently buried her beloved mother and her father has left. She responds to the need for answers the only way she knows how…by eating dirt. Unpalatable and bizarre? Yes. But it tells her where people have gone and if they are alive or dead. Eartheater is her story. When a ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: contemporary life, cultural, debut, literary

A Girl is a Body of Water

September 30, 2020

girl

I came upon Jennifer Makumbi’s novel, A Girl is a Body of Water, in my efforts to further diversify my reading. It’s a multi-generational saga centered around a young Ugandan woman named Kirabo. The novel begins in the 1970s when she’s 12. She lives in a sprawling rural compound with her grandparents and many relatives. Although she is surrounded by family, her parents are not ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: 1970s, Africa, cultural, literary

The Last Story of Mina Lee

September 11, 2020

mina

Even though her mother is the only family she has, Margot Lee has never felt close to Mina. Margot left L.A. for Seattle for college and never moved back. She would dutifully call regularly, but visited seldom. Now, she’s arrived in Koreatown for a surprise visit, only to find Mina dead. The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim is not a mystery thriller, but a poignant ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: contemporary life, cultural, debut, literary

His Only Wife: A Novel

September 7, 2020

his

In a small town in Ghana, Afi Tekple lives in a house with her widowed mother. It’s in a compound owned by her avaricious uncle and his many wives and their children. Afi did not go to university, but she loves to sew and has been studying and working as a seamstress. But is this barely-getting-by life all there is for her? It seems so, until her mother presents her with an ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: Africa, book clubs, contemporary life, cultural, debut

Summer Fun Reading

July 8, 2020

summer

We’re in the midst of a hot summer week here in Michigan so in my head I’m lounging in the middle of this flamingo floatie. Given the heat (and humidity!) I’m going to keep it light and cool today with two novels that check all the boxes for summer fun reading. Both involve big weddings, travel, extravagance, complicated families, and love. At the same time, both have ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: chick lit, cultural, mini-reviews

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...

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

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