In the past couple of years, I've had a growing interest in reading more nonfiction about identity, especially related to racial diversity and immigration. This may be partially because of the obvious tensions present in the United States and around the world. It's also inspired by my husband, a Peruvian immigrant who just recently earned... 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 →
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 →
One of the books that was on my radar for February 2021 was Honey Girl, the debut novel by Morgan Rogers. It seemed like it would be a cute story with depth, and I was thrilled when it was a pick on Book of the Month. But did Honey Girl live up to the hype?... Continue Reading →
I've been listening to Alicia Keys since I first heard "Fallin'" on the radio, and have collected all of her albums over the years. Her music is incredible, but I've also always admired her as a person. When she announced her memoir, More Myself: A Journey, in early 2019, I was thrilled. It's now been... 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 →
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 →
I've been a huge fan of Sara Bareilles since "Love Song" came out back in 2007. After following her for nearly a decade, I was thrilled when she announced her first book, a collection of eight essays called Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) in Song. The book came out in October 2015, and,... 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 →
In the last couple of years, I've discovered that I actually really enjoy romance novels, including historical romance. One of my favorite authors in the genre is Evie Dunmore, who's writing the League of Extraordinary Women series. Since I love her books so much, I also respect her opinion and recommendations. One new book she... 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 →
A couple of weeks ago, I got an email from the Democratic Socialists of America announcing some January events. One that caught my eye was a reading discussion about a recent book by The Debt Collective called Can't Pay, Won't Pay: The Case for Economic Disobedience and Debt Abolition. As a person with a mountain... 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 →
Last summer, I was excited to learn of a new book by Isabel Wilkerson, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. I had launched into a focus on unlearning and relearning -- specifically in regards to racism, anti-racism, and the history of treatment of black people in America -- and this book promised profound insights. Ultimately,... 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 →
For the last several years, I've had a particular interest in immigration and immigrant experiences. This is in part because my husband is an immigrant from Peru, and in part due to the horrors I've seen unfolding in our country, particularly during the Trump administration. As such, I'm always eager to find more books by... 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 →
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 →
