Science Fiction and Fantasy Mini-Reviews: Two Nebula Nominees
Today’s reviews are about two books on the Nebula Award finalist list. The Nebula Awards recognize the best works of science fiction and fantasy published in the…
Review of Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao
This was a really intense book, at times devastating, but I’m glad I read it. Just know that it isn’t an easy read. It’s the story…
Best of 2017: Debut Novels
2017 gave us a lot of great first novels, and as I’ve written before, first novels are often an author’s best work — maybe because it’s…
Bonfire by Krysten Ritter
I picked up this book from NetGalley because I loved Ritter in Jessica Jones. I know that acting and writing are completely different, but I feel…
Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
I loved this thoughtful book about immigration and U.S. citizenship. It was the perfect complement to the other books I’ve read on this subject, like Lisa…
Best Books of Summer Part Two: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
This was a powerful book about the impacts of slavery, and for me it was another book of summer that completely lived up to the hype. …
Stay With Me by Ayòbámi Adébáyò
I found this book about a marriage in Nigeria fascinating and meaningful, although it wasn’t quite what I expected. The story begins with a married couple…
The Atlas of Forgotten Places by Jenny D. Williams
I was pretty much glued to this book while I was reading it. It’s both suspenseful and thoughtful, and provides detailed information about a country that most…
Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong
I recommend this short but moving first novel by Rachel Khong about a woman caring for her father with Alzheimer’s. This is a prospect I find…
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
The Sympathizer is a first novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen, which won last year’s Pulitzer Prize for literature. It’s a fascinating look at the Vietnam War…
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
The world feels very wrong right now. Between shootings, terrorism, and the horrible people that are governing our country with seemingly no ethics or empathy whatsoever.…
The Power of the Debut Novel
Last month I read two fantastic books that were the authors’ debut novels (The Hate U Give and The Leavers). That got me thinking about other…
