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The Golden State

September 19, 2018

golden

At first glance, Daphne has a great life. She’s in her early thirties, lives in San Francisco, is mother to a beautiful 16-month-old daughter, Honey, and is happily married, with a job that may not be the most satisfying, but pays well. The only problem? Thanks to Immigration officer intimidation at SFO airport her husband, Engin, had his green card taken away and was deported ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, contemporary life, debut, literary, Macmillan, women

She Would Be King

September 17, 2018

she

An unlikely trio comes together in the fight for a new nation in She Would Be King, Wayétu Moore’s debut novel about Liberia. There is 18-year-old Gbessa, exiled from her small West African village as a witch, who survives the bite of a poisonous snake.  June Dey is a 15-year-old Virginian slave, who kills two men while trying to save the woman who raised him. When others try ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: Africa, book clubs, debut, historical fiction, literary, magical realism

Foe: A Novel by Iain Reid

September 6, 2018

foe

Junior and Henrietta live on a small farm. They are isolated from everyone, but close to each other. When Terrance arrives and tells them that Junior has been selected to participate in a program building a much-needed space community they are puzzled by the news, but accept Terrance’s assurances that it is an amazing opportunity. He tells them they have two years before Junior ... Read More...

14 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, literary, marriage, science fiction, Scout Press

The Mere Wife by Maria Headley

July 30, 2018

mere

  Maybe every monster is a miracle meant to change the world... Author Maria Headley dives into a modern-day retelling of Beowolf beginning with its title, The Mere Wife. This is no novel about a slight wife, a minor presence, a smudge of a life. No, the women in this tale are, for better or worse, ferocious in the pursuit of their goals. They are giants of ... Read More...

3 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: contemporary fiction, Farrar Straus Giroux, literary, retellings, women

Quiet Summer Reading: The Verdun Affair

July 27, 2018

verdun

Last week I started this little feature for books that don't quite fit in the normal summer reading mold. This week's pick is still a quiet character study, but about a devastating time in history.    I have read many, many novels about World War II, but very few about World War I. That, plus a level of ignorance that feels embarrassing means I didn’t know that in ... Read More...

6 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature, Fiction Tagged: historical fiction, literary, Scribner, World War I

There There by Tommy Orange

July 23, 2018

there

One of the downsides of reading a lot is the feeling that, while you still enjoy most of what you read, some of it tends to sound familiar—as if you’ve read it before. Which is not unreasonable, as ‘how many truly distinct plots there are in fiction’ is a subject of debate even among critics. Still, it makes it that much more exciting when I come upon something wholly ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, contemporary life, cultural, debut, literary, Native Americans, social issues

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