Six months ago, I finished reading The Heiress Gets a Duke, the first in Harper St. George's Gilded Age Heiresses series. I really enjoyed it, and I was thrilled to learn that the second book in the series, The Devil and the Heiress, would be published so soon after. This followup has been one of... Continue Reading →
When The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman was selected as a November pick for Book of the Month last year, I had never heard of it. But its summary - and especially its setting - instantly drew me in. It was a bit of an impulse buy, the kind that you never... Continue Reading →
Last September I read (and adored) You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria. It's the first in her Primas of Power series, and I'm eagerly awaiting its second installment, A Lot Like Adiรณs, due out in two months. Luckily, the countdown was made a bit easier with the release of her new novella, What the... Continue Reading →
Ace of Spades, the debut novel by Faridah รbรญkรฉ-รyรญmรญdรฉ, was one of my most anticipated books of June 2021, and I picked it up as soon as it came out. This YA thriller has been compared to Get Outโan excellent movie!โand combines themes of racism with a dark academia backdrop. Ace of Spades by Faridah... Continue Reading →
Last fall, I loved Casey McQuiston's debut novel, Red, White, & Royal Blue. I was excited to learn about their second novel, One Last Stop, and counted down the days to its release. It just came out on June 1st, and being Pride Month, too, I read it as soon as my Book of the... Continue Reading →
I've been wanting to read Marjan Kamali's novel, The Stationery Shop, and have heard so much about it. Set in Iran in the 1950s, it follows two teenagers, Roya and Bahman, who fall in love over books and political activism. But then they get separated and Bahman breaks up with Roya in a letter. She... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated books of last year was The Mountains Sing by Nguyแป n Phan Quแบฟ Mai. I was happy to get it as a gift last Christmas (special thanks to my mom!), and since May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, now felt like the perfect time to read it. This... Continue Reading →
Last year, one of my favorite books was Beach Read by Emily Henry, and since then, I've been counting down the days until her second adult novel, People We Meet on Vacation, would be released. Although it's not due out until May 11th, Book of the Month spoiled their subscribers by offering the new book... Continue Reading →
Sometimes a book's title is enough to capture your attention and make you need to read it. Good covers can work the same magic. In the case of Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa, it was both that enraptured me before I'd even read its summary. It was one of my most anticipated new... 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 →
One book I was looking forward to in January was the debut novel by Daniel Loedel, called Hades, Argentina. I've been drawn to books set in South America lately (partially because my husband is Peruvian), and the title of this novel instantly piqued my interest. I picked it up a few weeks ago, and since... Continue Reading →
After I signed up for Book of the Month in early 2019, I started looking into their back catalogue of offerings, adding many books to my TBR. One novel that particularly caught my eye was The Air Your Breathe by Frances de Pontes Peebles. Brazil and music in the 1930s? Yes please! First offered in... 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 Zafรณnโsย The Shadow of the Wind. I do love books about books! Although I did buy The... Continue Reading →
At the beginning of this year, I admitted to a blind spot I'd noticed in my reading habits: I hadn't read any books by or about Native American people in several years. I decided that needed to change, so I began searching for novels to start with. One of top-rated books I found was There... 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'm always looking out for upcoming books, and one book that recently caught my eye was Astrid Sees All, Natalie Standiford's first novel for adults. A few weeks ago, I was thrilled to win an advanced reader's edition of it in a Goodreads giveaway. It arrived not long after that, and so I dove in... Continue Reading →
Let me preface this review with a confession: I was really excited when A Witch in Time, the debut novel by Constance Sayers, was about to be published in February 2020. Then I was ecstatic when I won it in a Goodreads giveaway! But the version I won was an ebook, and I've never been... Continue Reading →
It was fall 2019 when I first heard about The Ten Thousand Doors of January, the debut novel by Alix E. Harrow. It hadn't been on my radar until Book of the Month included it as a selection that September, but the book instantly captured my attention. Though it's been on my shelf for a... Continue Reading →
I've spent my last several books in a very time-conscious state, from One Day in December and Winterwood to the New Year's setting of The Hunting Party. For my first book of 2021, I decided to continue in a similar vein and read another story all about New Year's Eve and New Year's Day: This... Continue Reading →
At the end of last year, back when I still went into book stores without a mask or fears of Covid, I stumbled across an enchanting novel called Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw. Its intricate cover arrested my attention - with its web of branches and roots reaching for an ominous half moon. But beyond that,... Continue Reading →
It's been nearly a month, but I've finally reached the end of Carlos Ruiz Zafรณn's Cemetery of Forgotten Books series! Following The Shadow of the Wind, The Angel's Game, and The Prisoner of Heaven, the series closes with The Labyrinth of the Spirits. At over 800 pages, this is not only the longest book in... Continue Reading →
Amanda's Book Corner 