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 →
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 →
I'm nearing the end of my July reading challenge to read books set in Africa. My third book was A Girl Is a Body of Water by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi; this has been high on my TBR since it came out two years ago. It's set in Uganda, and marks my first time reading a... 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 →
This month, my reading challenge is to read books set in Africa. The first one I finished is Lightseekers by Femi Kayode. It's a mystery set in Nigeria, and while I've read several books set in this country before, this is my first Nigerian thriller. Summary Dr. Philip Taiwo is an investigative psychologist who has... Continue Reading →
Silvia Moreno-Garcia is officially an auto-buy author for me. Since my introduction to her with Gods of Jade and Shadow in 2019, I've read three more of her novels and her recent short story, The Tiger Came to the Mountains. I've loved everything so far, and I could hardly wait for her newest book, The... Continue Reading →
There's a new historical mystery out today, set on a ship in summer 1936: Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare. If you're looking for dubiously linked murders, a calculated setup, a bit of music, and an examination of race, this is the book for you. Special thanks to the publicists at Penguin Random House and... 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 →
A book I've been hearing about a lot lately is The Guncle by Steven Rowley. The audiobook, in particular, has been recommended, in part because the author himself narrates it. He does a fabulous job! With Pride in full swing, as well as my June reading challenge of books about family, this was the perfect... Continue Reading →
Summer is here, school is out, and we're all ready for a fun getaway. The perfect book to kick off the season is Bridget Morrissey's A Thousand Miles, a story of two ex-best friends taking a road trip from Illinois to Colorado. It's been a decade since they last saw each other, but a few... Continue Reading →
A few months ago, the summary of a new books caught my attention: This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub. With its focus on a father-daughter relationship, time travel, and getting more time with a loved one who is dying, I knew it was something I wanted to read as I reflect on my own dad's... Continue Reading →
I don't often read memoirs, especially by people I'm not already familiar with, but I was immediately drawn to Ousman Umar's North to Paradise. In this short and candid memoir, he describes how he left Ghana to journey for years across Africa and eventually make a home in Spain. Though North to Paradise just came... Continue Reading →
In 2019, I picked up the Book of the Month edition of The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys. I've been itching to read it ever since, and finally, while doing my Spain reading challenge this month, I decided now was the time. This novel, on the cusp between Adult and Young Adult fiction, takes... Continue Reading →
A few years ago, I picked up The Snow Gypsy by Lindsay Jayne Ashford. Set in Spain in the aftermath of both World War II and the Spanish Civil War, this novel follows two women whose lives will intersect as they search for a missing man and answers to his final secrets. I have a... Continue Reading →
This year I've been aiming to honor the different heritage celebrations by reading relevant books. May is AAPI month (Asian American and Pacific Islander), and this made Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos a perfect fit. It highlights a Bangladeshi family living in the United States and working towards updating their immigrant status, despite... Continue Reading →
Two weeks ago, Carley Fortune released her debut novel, Every Summer After. This buzzy novel is sure to connect with a lot of readers this year - it's an emotional, second chances romance with small town and beach read vibes. I was pleased to get an advanced copy of it, and despite some initial reservations... Continue Reading →
In fall 2019, I read and loved Abbi Waxman's novel, The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. It was a fun read that highlighted a character I identified with in many ways. When I learned that it would have a sequel - Adult Assembly Required - I was thrilled. I was lucky to get an advanced... Continue Reading →
Two of my favorite romances in the last few years have been Emily Henry's Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation, and I've been eagerly awaiting her third adult novel, Book Lovers. It's finally out, I tore through it, and it just may be her best book yet. Summary Two years ago, literary agent... 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 →
I loved Zeyn Joukhadar's debut novel, The Map of Salt and Stars, a few years ago, and I was excited to read more from him. His second book is The Thirty Names of Night, divided between two timelines and countries. In the present day, a closeted trans boy is searching for a new name and... Continue Reading →
