Late last year is when I first heard about The Violin Conspiracy, the debut novel by Brendan Slocumb. As soon as I read the summary, I was sold; I pre-ordered it immediately. While I awaited its release day, The Violin Conspiracy became the inspiration for my February reading challenge: books about Black musicians. Needless to... Continue Reading →
I have NetGalley to thank for introducing me to The Fugitives by Jamal Mahjoub. While perusing the upcoming books, I discovered this novel about musicians from Sudan. It was love at first sight for me, so I was elated when I was approved for an ARC. Though The Fugitives was published in the U.K. a... Continue Reading →
For my 2022 Reading Challenge, my theme for January is books in translation. The first audiobook I chose for that challenge is The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa, originally written in Japanese. The English translation for it arrived in the U.S. in October 2018, though I picked it up more recently. As a lifelong... Continue Reading →
Since my husband is Peruvian, I'm always on the hunt for books set in Peru, written by Peruvian authors, and/or starring Peruvian characters. This led me to Mona by Pola Oloixarac. Although the author is Argentinian, the novel's protagonist is Peruvian. Mona was originally published in Spanish two years ago, while the English translation came... 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 →
Maybe it's the season, but lately I've been wanting to read books set in other countries, particularly places I'd like to travel to. Add in a cute summer fling and I'm sold. This led me to Meet Me in Paradise, the debut novel by Libby Hubscher. I got the audiobook and it fully delivered on... Continue Reading →
I was thrilled when Zoraida Córdova's new book, The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina, was selected as one of Book of the Month's main August picks. Her adult debut, this novel doesn't publish more widely until September 7th, so I was excited to read it early. In fact, I've been on a bit of a Zoraida... Continue Reading →
We Are the Brennans, the debut novel by Tracey Lange, is one of my most anticipated books of next month. Luckily for me, Book of the Month offered it as a selection this month - a full month early! Because of an online book club I sometimes participate in, I bumped it to the top... 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 →
In spring 2020, one of my most anticipated books was The Ancestor by Danielle Trussoni, a horror set in the Italian Alps. I'm always down for a spooky story set in an isolated location, and even better if there's a European mansion - or castle! - involved. Though I've had The Ancestor on my shelves... Continue Reading →
I just celebrated my birthday at the end of May, and I got a few books as gifts from my sister. One of them was The Music of the Deep by Elizabeth Hall. It's primarily set in Washington's San Juan Islands (which I know very well), though on a made up island with a haunting... 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 Nguyễn Phan Quế 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 →
Last summer is when I first heard about Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis. The paperback had just been published, though the hardcover had come out in September 2019. I was immediately interested in reading it. Not only am I constantly on the hunt for books set in South America (partially because my husband is from... 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 →
There's been a lot of buzz about a new book that just came out in early January, Black Buck, the the debut novel by Mateo Askaripour. I wasn't surprised to see it was a pick on Book of the Month, but I was excited to add it to my box. I'm not sure why I... 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 →
It wasn't until late last summer that I first heard of Winter Counts, the debut novel by David Heska Wanbli Widen. It was one of the main picks for Book of the Month in September, and it instantly intrigued me. I finally bought it in January, and since it's winter now, it felt like the... 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 →
Earlier this year, I bought The Guest List, the widely-read and award-winning second thriller by Lucy Foley. Though I still haven't read that one, I was excited when Book of the Month unexpectedly made her previous thriller, The Hunting Party, available two months ago. I decided to end 2020 with a time-appropriate book. As The... 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 →
Amanda's Book Corner 