Thank you, Hogarth Books, for this copy of Dunbar by Edward St. Aubyn. All thoughts and images are my own.
Synopsis: (as told by the back of the book)
William Shakespeare’s King Lear retold as Dunbar Continue reading
Month: September 2017
Little Fires Everywhere
Synopsis: (as told by the back of the book)
In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned – from the layout of the winding roads to the colors of the houses to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.
Enter Mia Warren – an enigmatic artist and single mother – who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenage daughter, Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.
When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town – and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia’s past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.
Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood – and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster.
Morgan’s thoughts:
I enjoyed this book, plain and simple. I didn’t anticipate the mystery aspect of it but I was completely sucked in. I found the characters to be complex and relatable – everyone from the youngest Richardson child to the parents. Something about this story just struck a chord with me. I didn’t know this was the kind of book I was in the mood for until it was.
I appreciate authors who can depict teenage relationships honestly without oversimplifying. It’s a fine line to walk – too aloof and the reader won’t connect, too much and it comes off as fake, too much like the stereotypical teenage relationship.
If you’re looking for a fall novel that speaks simultaneously on an intimate level and a larger scale, I’d recommend this one.
Interested in this book? Buy it here on Amazon or find it at your local bookstore.
Little Fires Everywhere was written by Celeste Ng and published by Penguin Press in 2017.
White Bodies
Thank you to the lovely team at Touchstone Books for providing me with an advance copy of White Bodies by Jane Robins. All thoughts and images are my own.
Synopsis: (as told by the back of the book)
Felix and Tilda seem like the perfect couple: young and in love, he’s a wealthy financier and she an up-and-coming starlet. But behind their flawless facade, not everything is as it seems. Continue reading
Diverse Books Club: September Authors
As the author research moderator for the Diverse Books Club, I’ve compiled some information on our amazing authors of our September picks. Check it out! Continue reading
Home Fire
Synopsis: (as told by the back of the book)
Isma is free. After years of watching out for her younger siblings in the wake of their mother’s death, she’s accepted an invitation from a mentor in America that allows her to resume a dream long deferred. But she can’t stop worrying about Aneeka, her beautiful, headstrong sister back in London, or their brother, Parvaiz, who’s disappeared in pursuit of his own dream, to prove himself to the dark legacy of the jihadist fatherr he never knew. When Parvaiz surfaces half a globe away, Isma’s worst fears are confirmed. Continue reading
The Hate U Give
Synopsis: (as told by the back of the book)
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor black neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend, Khalil, at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Continue reading
Hunger
Synopsis: (as told by the back of the book)
“I ate and ate and ate in the hopes that if I made myself big, my body would be safe. I buried the girl I had been because she ran into all kinds of trouble. I tried to erase every memory of her, but she is still in there, somewhere… I was trapped in my body, one I made but barely recognized or understood but of my own making. I was miserable, but I was safe.” Continue reading
The Resurrection of Joan Ashby
I was lucky to receive a copy of The Resurrection of Joan Ashby by Cherise Wolas in a giveaway by Flatiron Books. All thoughts and images are my own.
Synopsis: (as told by the back of the book)
I viewed the consumptive nature of love as a threat to serious women. But the wonderful man I just married believes as I do—work is paramount, absolutely no children—and now love seems to me quite marvelous. Continue reading