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The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

June 10, 2020

vanishing

Where to begin with Brit Bennett’s new novel The Vanishing Half? Ostensibly it’s the story of identical twins Stella and Desiree who grow up in Mallard, a small, poor community in the Deep South, comprised solely of light-skinned black people. But given what’s happening in America right now reviewing a book about race feels fraught, even when it’s fiction. As a white woman I ... Read More...

10 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: 20th century, book clubs, cultural, historical fiction, literary

What I’m Reading in June

June 1, 2020

reading

Hello, June and welcome, summer. I’m not sure what to expect here in Michigan, but so far, humidity seems to be a very real thing. Thankfully, even though I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, I have a great crop of book lined up to start my summer reading. It’s a nice blend of authors I already know and new voices. Bring on the cocktails, a comfy place to read and let's get ... Read More...

10 Comments
Filed Under: Feature Tagged: contemporary life, cultural, India, lists, social issues

Little Family by Ishmael Beah

May 18, 2020

family

In an abandoned field hidden by a maze of thickets, trees, and shrubs is a downed airplane. When it crashed is unknown, but in this unnamed African country it has become home for four young people and one little girl. In Little Family they use stealth, determination, and their wits to survive in a world that either views them with suspicion or has forgotten them entirely. At ... Read More...

6 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, contemporary life, cultural, literary

If I Had Your Face

April 29, 2020

face

  I would live your life so much better than you if I had your face. Last week, I visited historical Korea when I read Pachinko. I learned so much about the country, but once again, fiction is taking me into an aspect of Korea I had no idea existed. I know about the South Korean beauty business. It’s highly innovative with yummy products. What I didn’t know is the ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: cultural, debut, literary, Riverhead Books, Southeast Asia

Pachinko: A Novel

April 20, 2020

pachinko

Historical fiction seems to be the safest bet for my reading right now. Novels that put me in another place, in a different century or even a different decade, all seem to work at distracting my scrabbling brain. Most recently, I fell into the world of Korea from the 1930s to the 1980s in Min Jin Lee’s expansive family saga, Pachinko. It’s four generations of one family as they ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: cultural, family saga, historical fiction, Southeast Asia

The Beauty of Your Face

April 15, 2020

beauty

All of her career Afaf has been a teacher. Now, she is the principal of a Muslim school for girls in a Chicago suburb. She’s also face-to-face with the man who has gone through her school shooting her students.  As the minutes between life and possible death tick by in The Beauty of Your Face, her mind travels to her past and the event that tore her family apart—the ... Read More...

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

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