Following her first book, The Taste of Ginger, Mansi Shah is back with her second novel, The Direction of the Wind. I admit that I went into this book blind (something I've been doing more frequently lately), but I was instantly absorbed into this beautiful and impactful story. Following a mother and daughter traveling from... Continue Reading →
Last summer, I was excited to learn that Armando Lucas Correa had a new novel on the horizon, The Night Travelers. A few years ago I had picked up his debut novel, The German Girl, and his latest release returns to the same themes of escaping 1930s Germany on the St. Louis, a ship bound... Continue Reading →
I always love a book that I can escape into and be transported to another country. Paris is near the top of my destination wish list, so I was looking forward to Samantha Vérant's new novel, The Spice Master at Bistro Exotique. Set against the opening of a new Parisian bistro, this is an enemies-to-lovers... Continue Reading →
In late 2020, I read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. It was part of a book club I was in, and all of us loved the novel. So I was excited to learn of his newest novel, The Many Daughters of Afong Moy, and even more thrilled when I was approved... Continue Reading →
A couple of months ago, a NetGalley email alerted me to some exciting "Read Now" books that were available. One in particular caught my eye: Send Her Back and Other Stories by Munashe Kaseke. This collection of short stories offers myriad accounts of what it's like to be a Zimbabwean immigrant living in the United... Continue Reading →
Earlier this year, I was enchanted by the cover of Blitz Bazawule's debut novel, The Scent of Burnt Flowers. The summary was similarly intriguing, so I requested it on NetGalley. I was thrilled when I was approved for an advanced copy of the book. The Scent of Burnt Flowers is out now, and if you... Continue Reading →
Just one week ago, I was excited to learn of When We Return by Eliana Tobias. NetGalley included it in a newsletter, and I was drawn to this novel set in my husband's home country, Peru. I hadn't realized at the time that this is a sequel to the author's first novel, In the Belly... Continue Reading →
Two years ago, Natalie Jenner released her debut novel, The Jane Austen Society. It became a bestseller, and now readers can enjoy her latest novel: Bloomsbury Girls. While it features some characters first seen in The Jane Austen Society - and references some events therein - it also works as a standalone. It's an inspiring... Continue Reading →
For several months, I've been eagerly anticipating the release of The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews. The first in her new Belles of London series, I was drawn to several things that make it stand out compared to other historical romances: It stars a half-Indian protagonist, features an interracial and interclass relationship, and highlights... Continue Reading →
One of the books I was most excited for in September was In Every Mirror She's Black by Lọlá Ákínmádé Åkerström. I was thrilled when it was a September Book of the Month pick, though I definitely would have bought this novel regardless. In Every Mirror She's Black by Lọlá Ákínmádé ÅkerströmAudienceAdultGenreContemporary FictionSettingSweden; United StatesNumber... Continue Reading →
This book needs no introduction. Surely all of you have heard of The Kite Runner, the debut novel by Khaled Hosseini. I was still in middle school when it first came out, and though I've heard about it for many years now, I never owned or read the book. In the past couple of years,... Continue Reading →
About one year ago, The Lost Book of Adana Moreau by Michael Zapata was just about to come out when I discovered it. I was immediately interested in reading this debut, especially when I saw comparisons to Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s The Shadow of the Wind. I do love books about books! Although I did buy The... Continue Reading →
I've been a member of Book of the Month for about two years now. Though I generally buy their new offerings, I do like to look at what books they picked for months in the past; sometimes I'll add one of those to a box. One book I discovered and definitely want to read is... Continue Reading →
In November 2018, I was thrilled when progressives like Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. I've continued to follow them over the last few years, and when Ilhan Omar published her book This is What America Looks Like: My Journey From Refugee to Congresswoman, I was eager to... Continue Reading →
Ever since it came out and I started seeing it in book stores, I knew I wanted to read Behold the Dreamers, the debut novel by Imbolo Mbue. But for whatever reason, it never felt like the right time, so it stayed on my to-buy list. Last fall, I discovered it was offered by Book... Continue Reading →
Last fall, one of the books I was most looking forward to was Ties That Tether, the debut novel by Jane Igharo. So when it became one of the Book of the Month picks in October, I was thrilled. It's taken me a few months to finally sit down and read it, but once I... Continue Reading →
I've said it before, and I'll probably keep saying it: My favorite thing about Book of the Month is how it introduces me to new books that weren't on my radar. Last month, one of their main September picks was The Last Story of Mina Lee, the debut novel by Nancy Jooyoun Kim. I didn't... Continue Reading →
I recently joined a book club with my sister, and I'm so glad I did. In my second month, it's already introduced me to an incredible novel that I hadn't heard of before: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. My sister picked this one, and I flew through it in... 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 →
Amanda's Book Corner 