This is a book I’ve been recommending lately, and it’s one you may not have heard of (I discovered it through Modern Mrs. Darcy’s summer reading list. This debut novel is a story about a dysfunctional family in small town Texas, and it’s based on the stories and themes of classical mythology. I thought it was fantastic.…
There was a lot of interest in this book from my Nonfiction November post about books on habits and productivity, and since I’m finding this book quite useful, I thought I’d share a little more about it. Brewer is a neuroscientist and psychiatrist who studies habit formation and mindfulness. His website says he is “passionate…
O Beautiful is a story about America – a specific part of America, but it reflects attitudes and issues found nationwide. So it’s fitting that there’s a lot going on in this novel. Maybe a bit too much at times, but it definitely held my interest. Elinor is a Korean-American in her early forties, previously a…
I’m not a fan of novella-length work, because it’s not long enough for me to really get into the story and its characters. That said, I’m becoming a big fan of Harrow, having read The Ten Thousand Doors of January and The Once and Future Witches. A Spindle Splintered is the first of a series…
Whether you will appreciate Rose Levy Beranbaum’s newest cookbook, The Cookie Bible, will depend on a few things. First, how much direction do you want? Beranbaum meticulously details each step, including how long dough should rest in the refrigerator, exactly how to prepare your pans, how to roll each cookie dough ball, and and what…
I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea, so I was happy to get an advanced review copy of his newest book, Under the Whispering Door. The covers appear to be by the same artist, so I’ve seen a number of people asking if this is a sequel, but it is not. Readers will disagree over…
This is a novella you won’t want to put down once you start. It’s about a couple of historic days in Edinburgh in 1566. Mary, Queen of Scots is in her castle at Holyrood and though she is beloved by her people, the kingdom is rife with religious conflicts and nobles scheming to take power.…
Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s books should be made into movies. I’ve read three of her books by now and thought the same thing each time. Her writing is so visual, and her stories are atmospheric and full of action. She also takes common genres and tropes but then infuses them with Mexican culture, history, and mythology. And…
I picked up this book partly because I saw Zauner interviewed on the Daily Show, and partly because it was recommended in Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Summer Reading Guide. I was intrigued by the title and the subject — it’s a book about family and loss, about being biracial and the daughter of an immigrant, and…
I wasn’t initially a fan of Chambers, but after Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, I’ve come to like each of her books more and more. This one was no exception. Psalm is a novella and the start of a science fiction series about man and robot. As a novella, there wasn’t as much…
I have so many mixed feelings about this book, but in the end, Emily Henry told a story where I cared deeply about the characters. I can tell I’ve reacted emotionally to a book when I’m thinking about the characters in the days after I’ve put the book down. It’s a combination of missing the…
I really enjoyed this story about a week in the life of a young woman in Northern Ireland. Majella is in her mid-twenties and lives with her mother in the very small fictional town of Aghybogey during the time of “The Troubles”. Her day to day life is ordinary – she cares for her mother…
The Book Stop 