Okay guys, here's the deal: I am so tired of politics and the Trump administration at this point. I just want it to end already. Or, better yet, I wish we could turn back time and have a different president right now. Alas, we can't change the past, only the future (PLEASE VOTE). But thanks... Continue Reading →
This summer, I started hearing great things about a new contemporary romance, You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria. I was instantly interested, in part because it highlights Latinx characters. My husband is Latino - Peruvian, specifically - and while it wasn't quite love at first sight, we at least became friends at "hola."... Continue Reading →
A new book has been on my radar for the past few months: Transcendent Kingdom by Yaaa Gyasi. This upcoming release led me to want the author's first book, Homegoing, which was first published in 2016. While I thought about adding it to my bookshelves soon, fate stepped in to speed up the process: The... Continue Reading →
I have a confession: In the first few years after I finished college, I thought I was too old for YA books. I thought I could only read about characters who were my age or older, and that reading YA books would make me look immature. This nonsense went on for several years before I... Continue Reading →
Now more than ever, in this closed off world the pandemic has forced us to become, I'm constantly looking for ways to escape and learn. Movies, music, and books have become my refuge, especially those that take me somewhere I've never gone - realistic or fantastical. This month, I was happy to discover Star Daughter... Continue Reading →
Like so many people around the world, I adored Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians trilogy and the movie adaptation of the first book. (The second movie should be filmed in 2021, and I can't wait to see it, too!) Naturally, I was super excited when Kevin's new book, Sex and Vanity, was announced, and I... Continue Reading →
I'm a sucker for a good haunted house story. While I'm a fan of horror movies in general, my favorites are always set in spooky old mansions that may or may not be inhabited by ghosts. So when I found out Riley Sager's new book would be a haunted house story, I was thrilled. I... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated books for Spring 2020 was The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. I was thrilled when it was a Book of the Month pick in June, and with the attention on #BlackLivesMatter and the need for antiracism gaining traction recently, now felt like the ideal time to read it. Summary The... Continue Reading →
A few weeks ago, I fell into a vortex of finding books to recommend to my younger sister. One of those was Felix Ever After, a YA book by Kacen Callender. But though I originally wanted to get the novel for my sister, the story looked too good for me to pass up. I ordered... Continue Reading →
I remember when I first saw Zeyn Joukhadar's The Map of Salt and Stars at stores in 2018: I was instantly drawn to its title and cover, and even more intrigued by the summary on the back. It wasn't on my list long before I rushed back and bought it. However, it wasn't until recently... Continue Reading →
I signed up for Book of the Month in January this year, getting two 2018 books and excitedly awaiting the months of books ahead of me. In February, I picked my first *real* Book of the Month: A Woman is No Man, the debut novel by Etuf Rum. (I also got two other new books... Continue Reading →
I discovered Dominicana by Angie Cruz thanks to Book of the Month featuring it as one of their August 2019 picks. Although I hadn't heard of it before, reading its description made it an instant impulse buy, and I was eager to read it. Fast forward a few months, and after finishing Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Gods... Continue Reading →
In July, one of my Book of the Month selections was Lock Every Door by Riley Sager. I decided to read it last in my trio of thrillers related to living in anotherโs home as part of your job duties, following The Au Pairย byย Emma Rous and Ruth Wareโsย The Turn of the Key. Like those former... Continue Reading →
Over the past few years, I've found that I tend to go through phases when it comes to the books I choose. For a while, I only wanted to read historical fiction set in Europe. Then I moved on to thrillers. After that, I was back to historical fiction, but this time set in Asia... Continue Reading →
For my birthday earlier this year, my sister Rachel got me a book that I'd been wanting: Everything Here is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee. While the title and gorgeous cover art are what initially drew me to the book, it was the summary that hooked me. Much of it sounded so relevant to my... Continue Reading →
I just picked up a new book last week, The Broken Girls by Simone St. James, and I flew through it. Set in Vermont, it describes a boarding school for unwanted girls called Idlewild Hall. But it may be haunted, and more than one girl meets a terrible fate there. It's a dual timeline novel,... Continue Reading →
If youโve spent as much time with cats as I have, you may often wonder how cats see the world. How much of our human world do they understand? How do they perceive big changes, like moving or gaining a new family member? Sandi Ward offers some charming insight into a catโs mind in her... Continue Reading →
I love a provocative title, so when I first saw The Idiot by Elif Batuman in the bookstore, I was intrigued. Its summary - multicultural, set against a backdrop of coming of age during college and traveling on your own for the first time - sealed the deal. I bought it, went home, and started... Continue Reading →
Amanda's Book Corner 