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We Went to the Woods

June 28, 2019

woods

Fresh out of college, Mackenzie signs up to be on a millennial-only competition reality TV show. It goes very wrong, she makes a big mistake, and is duly excoriated everywhere. When she meets a tight-knit group of four friends who are as disillusioned with the world as she is, they begin fantasizing what it would be like to leave society behind and create simpler lives for ... Read More...

9 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: literary, new adult, Random House

Cygnet by Season Butler

June 24, 2019

cygnet

The narrator of Season Butler’s debut novel, Cygnet, is known as the Kid. She’s 17 and her parents have dropped her off at her grandmother’s house on an island off the coast of New Hampshire to live while they try and get their lives together. It’s supposed to be for a few weeks, a month at most, but three months later, the Kid’s grandmother has died and she’s never heard from ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, coming-of-age, debut, Harper, literary, New England

The Body Lies by Jo Baker

June 19, 2019

body lies

A young, pregnant woman walking home is beaten on a busy street. Only by biting the man’s hand does she escape before he rapes her. This random act of violence is pivotal in her life and, despite a happy marriage and a healthy baby, three years later she still finds herself haunted by the event. A writer, she finds she can’t write, so she takes a job teaching writing at a small ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: contemporary life, Knopf, literary, social issues, suspense, women

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

June 14, 2019

on earth

On Wednesday I reviewed a book that I  liked, but thought others might find too odd. I have the same hesitation today, but for a different reason. Ocean Vuong’s debut novel, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is itself a thing of beauty. His writing is poetical prose. Not surprising, because he is a poet. The novel is ruminations on his life in the form of a letter written to a ... Read More...

6 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: cultural, debut, literary, Penguin Press, social issues

The Paper Wasp by Lauren Acampora

June 12, 2019

paper wasp

The Paper Wasp is the story of two young women living in small Michigan town who were best friends. Up until high school that is, when Elise was discovered and left town for L.A. to become an actress. In losing her popular best friend, Abby floundered and even though she ended up as valedictorian she never fit in again. Now, a decade has passed and Elise’s star is on the rise ... Read More...

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: contemporary life, debut, friendship, Grove Press, Hollywood, literary

The Body in Question

June 10, 2019

Hannah

Standard courtroom drama fiction has never been a favorite of mine, but I recently read two novels that put such an interesting spin on them I’m changing my mind a bit. I’m calling them ‘courtroom drama plus’ because both came at the genre from an unusual perspective. The first was Miracle Creek, which I loved and the second is a new novel called The Body in Question. The twist ... Read More...

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, crime, literary, Pantheon, thriller

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