Roses in the Mouth of a Lion -Bushra Rehman

I requested and listened to the audio version of Roses in the Mouth of a Lion, the story of Razia, growing up in Corona, Queens, part of a large Muslim immigrant neighborhood. I want to say this immediately: this is definitively one of those times when hearing the author read her novel was a phenomenal … Continue reading Roses in the Mouth of a Lion -Bushra Rehman →

The Making of Her – Bernadette Jiwa

Joan Egan grew up poor, living in a house on the Cranmore Housing Estate in Dublin. She was the eldest child, the "mistake" that led to her parent's hasty marriage. Her mother died when she was thirteen. Her father, always a heavy drinker never did well after that . The youngest four children are parceled … Continue reading The Making of Her – Bernadette Jiwa →

Dandelion – Jamie Chai Yun Liew

Note: Because I "read" the audio version of Dandelion, I do not have a reference to the novel to get all names right, locations, etc. Lily and Bea are sisters growing up in Sparwood, British Columbia with their parents, who immigrated to Canada from Brunei before they were born. They are ethnically Chinese, which mattered … Continue reading Dandelion – Jamie Chai Yun Liew →

The Book Woman’s Daughter – Kim Michele Richardson

There's background to this story that is relayed in The Book Woman's Daughter such that this can be read as a stand alone book or the two books can be read out of order. If you asked me which I'd prefer, I'm glad I read the earlier book first. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. … Continue reading The Book Woman’s Daughter – Kim Michele Richardson →

Unlikely Animals – Annie Hartnett

This is, and will stay, a favorite book for me. One of my Goodreads categories is "quirky" and only the best are recognized, because quirky can easily fall into "dorky" or "jerky" or "malarky." Only the finest of writers can pull off quirky and Hartnett is one. Emma is coming home because her father has … Continue reading Unlikely Animals – Annie Hartnett →

The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare -Kimberly Brock

When I was around 9, my family's summer road trip (always ten days, meticulously planned by my father) took us to Roanoke Island and we saw the play about the lost colony. 1587! I didn't understand in 1963 or so how old that was. At that age, the U.S. Colonial times melted together with Columbus … Continue reading The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare -Kimberly Brock →

Greetings From Asbury Park – Daniel H. Turtel

Casey Larken's father is dead and his half brother Davey inherited dad Joseph's multimillion dollar fortune. Davey was the only "legitimate" child. Joseph was a pretty awful guy, as we learn when the book opens with his sparsely attended funeral. Casey- well, he got a house and $50,000 and the house turns out to be … Continue reading Greetings From Asbury Park – Daniel H. Turtel →

Chevy in the Hole – Kelsey Ronan

Let me start by saying this is an AMAZING book, successfully jumping timelines and generations in two families from Flint, Michigan and portraying the history of the city in an engaging, emotionally meaningful and factual way. I'm one of those people who paid attention to Flint, Michigan pretty much since I saw Roger and Me … Continue reading Chevy in the Hole – Kelsey Ronan →

Four Treasures of the Sky – Jenny Tinghui Zhang

This is a powerful, enlightening, thoughtful, beautifully written -- and devastating story. The audio version was worth the time, with an extraordinarily talented narrator, Katharine Chin. Audio is particularly valuable when as here, the writing is exquisite. But, since I have no writing to reference, I may get some details wrong. Sometime in the late … Continue reading Four Treasures of the Sky – Jenny Tinghui Zhang →

All Day is a Long Time – David Sanchez

David Sanchez has written an important, compelling, disturbing, sympathetic and at times infuriating novel about addiction. It is written from the perspective and random thoughts of protagonist David, who at fourteen tries crack for the first time. It reads like a dream and reminds us always of Davids humanity, as he steals from family, becomes … Continue reading All Day is a Long Time – David Sanchez →