

Review of Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March
This is an appealingly cozy and old-fashioned mystery, with the flavors, sights, and sounds of colonial India underlying everything. It's...
Nov 16, 2020


Review of How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C. Pam Zhang
Zhang's detail was wonderful, and her characters make noble sacrifices and face impossible choices. The book's frequent heartbreak was a...
Nov 4, 2020


Review of The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline
Many of her characters find themselves in despairingly difficult situations, but Kline offers glimmers of hope as well.
Oct 28, 2020


Review of Trust No One (Devlin and Falco #1) by Debra Webb
The beautifully complementary, mismatched partnership between Devlin and Falco was my favorite aspect of the book.
Oct 14, 2020


Review of The Fixed Stars by Molly Wizenberg
Wizenberg struggles to reconcile her identity, sexuality, love, and duty into an honest lifestyle.
Oct 12, 2020


Review of Deadly Waters by Dot Hutchison
Deadly Waters was not the book I thought it was going to be. It's a revenge fantasy, but the issues at the heart of the story are weighty.
Sep 28, 2020


Review of Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
This is sexy, sweet, great escapism from Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings.
Sep 23, 2020


Review of A Very Punchable Face: A Memoir by Colin Jost
Colin Jost retraces his journey toward and through his fifteen seasons at Saturday Night Live and offers insights that I found absorbing.
Sep 13, 2020


Review of The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
This is charming, with quirky characters, but it felt like a middle-grade book to me.
Sep 2, 2020


Review of Network Effect: A Murderbot Novel by Martha Wells
This one was slow going in the middle, but Wells provides a fantastically unique point of view, and this series is perfect science-fiction e
Aug 29, 2020


Review of The Beauty of Breaking: A Memoir by Michele Harper
Harper is appealingly centered despite upheaval in her life, but I didn't feel drawn into her admittedly interesting experiences.
Aug 9, 2020


Review of Shiner by Amy Jo Burns
The women's lifelong friendship felt like the heart of the story and was a fantastic element.
Aug 3, 2020


Review of My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
The title of the book feels like an important assertion from Lucy; she is finally owning who she is--her story, choices, and essence.
Aug 1, 2020


Review of The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi
This is an engaging and quick read, and the mystery stories within the story are intriguing.
Jul 28, 2020


Review of The Two Lives of Lydia Bird
Lydia had planned to spend the rest of her life with her fiance; now she's coming to terms with his recent and tragic loss.
Jul 18, 2020


Review of What You Wish For by Katherine Center
There are not many surprises here, but Center offers great escapism into a close-knit Galveston, TX, community.
Jul 14, 2020


Review of The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez
It's an excellent setup for a romantic comedy of a book with enough heartache that your teeth don't hurt from the sweetness.
Jul 8, 2020


Review of This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Authors El-Mohtar and Gladstone present rival elite agents, Red and Blue, who exist on opposite sides of an immense futuristic war.
Jul 5, 2020


Review of The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu
Lu layers a fantastical alternate fairy world over a framework of the imagined point of view of Wolfgang Mozart’s real sister.
Jun 20, 2020


Review of The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell
A smart master thief who bends time and finds her loyalties dividded in turn-of-the-century New York.
Jun 10, 2020