What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons is a coming of age story of a young South African/American woman searching for her true self in the wake of her mothers death. A slim little novel that packs a real emotional punch. Clemmons writing is sparse, lyrical; she writes in a stream of consciousness style often moving back and forth through time and place, yet always returning to themes of grief, race, and identity. A powerful book by a wonderful new writer…
A Long Way Gone, Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah tells the very tragic but true story of kids 12 years old and younger who’ve lost their families, been given drugs and Ak47’s and turned into soldiers to fight wars they don’t even understand. This is Beah’s story set in Sierra Leone in the 90’s; he is one of the few who have survived, been rehabilitated and been able to share his story. It’s a beautifully written yet…
The Female Persuasion is the new novel by Meg Wolitzer. It is about the relationship between an older feminist, reminiscent of Gloria Steinem, and a bright young feminist in the making named Greer. The novel follows both women as well as Greer’s boyfriend Cory and her activist friend Zee. Wolitzer shows what it means to be a feminist, fighting for women’s right to decide and to chose for themselves on so many issues. Fighting for the right to be safe…
A Place For Us is the debut novel by Fatima Farheen Mizra and the first book released by Sarah Jessica Parker’s new imprint SJP for Hogarth. Its also one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. It tells the story of an Indian Muslim family in California, whose children were born and raised in America under strict cultural rules. The novel starts at the oldest daughters wedding, where all the family has gathered for the first time…
I have to start by saying I loved this book. Lily and the Octopus is a novel by Steven Rowley but is based on the true story of his relationship with his dachshund. I don’t want to day too much here as it would spoil the magic of the story. Once you surrender to the story and decide to just go along for the ride, I guarantee this book will make you laugh, will make you cry, will make you…
Still Me by Jojo Moyes is a story about a young woman from England who gets a job as an assistant to a very wealthy but depressed woman in NYC. She has to move far away from friends and family to start a new life she’s excited about, and things turn out very differently than she had planned. I enjoy Moye’s books, and this one is no exception. I was fully caught up in Louisa’s story and didn’t want it…
Stay with Me by Nigerian author Ayobami Adebayo is an amazing portrait of a woman destroyed by the pressure to produce children for her husband’s family. After years of trying unsuccessfully to have a baby, yet being told there’s nothing wrong with her, Yejide starts to go a bit crazy. They story that unfolds from there is powerful and fully unpredictable. A brilliant book by an exciting new author. One I won’t soon forget.
The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty is a big juicy fantasy novel full of deavas and djinns and magic, set in ancient Egypt. I got fully drawn in to the story of Nahiri, a young con artist from the streets of Cairo who accidentally summons the djinn warrior Dara to her side and begins the journey to understanding her true destiny. After more than 500 pages I was disappointed that Chakraborty left so many characters and plot points hanging….
Armada by Ernest Cline, author of Ready Player One, is not the typical book I read, but I was in the mood for something different. Aliens are finally invading Earth and the worlds best video gamers are called into a real live battle that they’ve been training for their whole lives without knowing it. Filled with all the 80’s pop-culture references from movies, to music to old video games one would expect from Cline, I was in for the ride….
Summer Island is another novel by Kristin Hannah. A Mom and her daughters have been estranged for more than a decade. After a scandal and an accident, they all return to the island in the Pacific Northwest where they used to spend Summers together, and here the real healing begins. I liked this book, but not as much as other books by Hannah. I found the characters and story a bit hard to believe and hard to care about. A…