I love retellings, and though I've never read the Ramayana, I was excited for Vaishnavi Patel's debut novel, Kaikeyi. Here, the infamous queen gets to tell her side of things, offering a more sympathetic perspective than she usually receives. Summary Kaikeyi is the only daughter born to the kingdom of Kekaya, and although she seems... Continue Reading →
How would you help an elderly man find the long-lost love of his life? That's the premise of Freya Sampson's beautiful second novel, The Lost Ticket, out today. When Libby arrives in London, she's heartbroken and her life is in ruins. But she gets the chance to help another lovelorn soul, an old man named... Continue Reading →
One book that's been getting a lot of buzz lately is The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi. Her debut novel, this is the first in her Ending Fire trilogy. This fantasy novel is inspired by Ghanaian folklore and Arabian mythology, where people are divided based on the color of their blood and where secrets about... Continue Reading →
Last year, I loved Ali Hazelwood's debut, The Love Hypothesis. While I haven't gotten to her three recent novellas yet, I was very excited for her second full-length novel, Love on the Brain. I'd been counting down the days for its release, so I was ecstatic to get an advanced copy of it. Spoiler: It's... Continue Reading →
Today a sweet new book by Roselle Lim hits the shelves: Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club. It follows a matchmaker who's just starting her career, and her first clients happen to be a group of elderly bachelors called the Old Ducks. As Sophie Go helps these men find love, she also learns how to stand... Continue Reading →
Earlier this year, I was thrilled to get an advanced copy of Haven by Emma Donoghue, due out in two weeks. Set in Ireland, it takes readers back in time to about 600 C.E., onto small, isolated rock of an island. It follows a trio of monks as they attempt to make this harsh island... Continue Reading →
There's a new book out today that I'm really excited for: The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden. It's about a 32-year-old woman, Lolly, who has given up on some of her dreams. Instead of opening her own restaurant in England, she helps with her family's struggling Seattle diner. Following the death of... Continue Reading →
For the last several years, I've had a particular interest in Somalia. It started with the singer K'naan and continued with Representative Ilhan Omar, yet I wanted to get to know other Somali people and their stories, too. I was excited to learn about The Last Nomad: Coming of Age in the Somali Desert by... Continue Reading →
Amanda's Book Corner 