The Thanksgiving season played a part in this delayed review, but the heft of Islington’s novel certainly contributed. Coming in at just over 600 pages, it’s a sturdy paper weight, but do not let the size discourage you; I found the content deserving of each page. Vis is an orphan, and at 17 his prospects…
Category: 8.5
Crying in H-Mart
*Tear Warning* Given the title, it shouldn’t be a shock that this is a memoir that pulls at your heart. Michelle Zauner is a founding member of a band called Japanese Breakfast (she’s Korean, that’s a big part of the book so don’t get confused), but before she found success in music, she was an…
Sorrow and Bliss
It is hard to look into someone’s eyes. Even when you love them, it is difficult to sustain it,for the sense of being seen through. In some way, found out. It’s not often that I read a library book and enjoy it enough that I want my own copy, but I’m surprised and delighted to…
Mayflies
‘It scares the health out of me,’ he sang from the Bodines song. He sighed and looked into the yellow distance. ‘I totally love those words,’ he said,’and I wish they were mine.’ It was always the way with Tully: keeping his worries close. I’m constantly captivated by covers and I’m embarrassed to admit they…
If We Were Villains
“At the end, everyone seemed to be expecting an apology, but I didn’t have one to give them. What could I say? This thing of darkness I acknowledge mine.” Our story begins at the end. The end of a 10-year prison sentence, that is. Oliver Marks has served ten years for murder and now that he’s been…
The Rose Code
I’m a sucker for a historical novel, especially those set in World War II, so I might be biased in my preference for this topic, but between the intrigue of code breaking, the brutally honest depiction of relationships, and the intrigue of uncovering an informant, I couldn’t put The Rose Code down. Osla, Mab, and Beth…
Brickwork: A Biography of the Arches
It’s remarkable how someone from Kansas can feel so emotionally connected to a venue and night club in Glasgow that shut in 2015, but here we are. I came across a press release for Brickwork several months ago and was so intrigued that I used it as part of an assignment. Fast forward to its…
The Bridges of Madison County
“Analysis destroys wholes. Some things, magic things, are meant to stay whole. If you look at their pieces, they go away.” I, like many book lovers, try to read before I watch, but I saw this movie a few years ago, not realizing it was a book, and I’m almost thankful for that. I believe my overall impression and appreciation of the book…
And Then There Were None
“Ten little soldier boys went out to dine; one choked his little self and then there were nine…” Thus starts the nursery rhyme that serves as the premise of the novel, which can I just say– a nursery rhyme? This was told to kids? Honestly. That aside, I relished every minute I listened to this…
Girl, Woman, Other
Creating a patchwork quilt of experiences, struggles, and triumphs, Evaristo weaves together a powerful depiction of life through the stories of twelve unique women. Told through “fusion fiction” as Evaristo describes her prose/poetry style, the reader is pulled directly into the life of each woman individually. The various storylines are capable of standing alone but are often layered with the…