From the first chapter, this book was raring to go. I don’t remember the last time I read a book that dropped you in the drama so fast, but The Cartographers had you mixed-up in the action from the start. Rather than being a fast burn that fades quickly, Shepherd does a great job of…
Category: Fiction
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
I’m a contrarian at heart and, as such, am loathe to jump on a bandwagon, especially a book bandwagons.* The more I see a book, the less likely I am to read it. Well, until my curiosity gets the better of me and I cave, which is exactly what I did with Tomorrow and Tomorrow…
The Sun is Also a Star
Natasha is running out of time. She’s trying to hold her family, and their life in the US, together, and she’s running out of time. Daniel is trying to keep his head down and be a dutiful son, easier said than done when you have the heart of a poet and the planned future of…
One Italian Summer
I’d like to start by congratulating the designers who managed (in my opinion) to capture the feel of summer on the cover. Really, a job well done. Katy and her mom, Carol, have always been close. Carol is her go-to on everything from what to buy and which hotels to book. Carol has always been…
Heroes of the Frontier
For many, Alaska is the last frontier, but for Josie and her two kids it’s the first chance to be free, to explore, to heal. Escaping from a series of emotionally damaging events, Josie takes Paul (age 8) and Anna (age 5) on a spur of the moment adventure into Alaska in a recreational vehicle…
Big Little Lies
If you didn’t think that kindergarten politics could be life or death, then you’ve clearly never visited the Pirriwee primary school. This year, the annual trivia fundraiser night ends with ambulances and an accident. Or was it? As an investigation ensues, it becomes apparent that the children at Pirriwee aren’t the only ones not telling…
How Lucky
Daniel lives in Athens, Georgia. He works as a social media manager for a regional airline, mainly dealing with irate football fans on game weekends. He has a loving mother who gives him his space and a best friend who comes over daily. He’s also in a wheelchair. Daniel has a good routine going, a routine that…
Scabby Queen
Clio Campbell is a force to be reckoned with. Her curly red hair makes a visual impact on her audience and her lilting voice, while beautiful in a song, carries indignant vitriol when campaigning for the causes she cares about. And then, days before her 51st birthday, it all stops. Scabby Queen unpacks the story of Clio’s…
Motherwell
Motherwell, for readers not in Scotland, is a town outside of Glasgow that was structured around the steel and iron industry until the late-80s/90s when strikes and the closure of Ravenscraig Steelworks caused massive unemployment. The late Deborah Orr’s memoir is a reflective account of the ways the town shaped her parents’ lives and, in…
The Diamond Eye
Before we dive into this, I want to say how much I enjoyed Kate Quinn’s other book, The Rose Code, and it’s because of how much I loved it that I sought out her other work and stumbled upon The Diamond Eye. Now to the review. Mila Pavlinchenko is a young mother and a history…