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Now You See Us

Now You See Us (2023) is the newest novel written by Balli Kaur Jaswal (Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters) and is just as good as the others of hers that I’ve read, in a completely different way. Set in Singapore, Jaswal tells the story of a murder throughContinue reading “Now You See Us”

Scorched Grace

Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy (2023) is a mystery that intrigued me for the unlikeliness of its primary amateur sleuth–Sister Holiday, guitar teacher at St. Sebastian’s School in New Orleans. Sister Holiday is the former Holiday Walsh, the queer (but not practicing), tattooed, former punk rocker and addict, who joined the Sisters of the SublimeContinue reading “Scorched Grace”

The Future

The Future (pub. November 7, 2023) by Naomi Alderman was just as good as her 2016 The Power (now an Amazon Prime limited series I still need to watch) but in a different way. Where The Power highlighted feminism and what could happen if women suddenly obtained an innate power to protect themselves, The FutureContinue reading “The Future”

The Manor House Governess

The Manor House Governess (pub. November 7, 2023) by C.A. Castle is a unicorn–a novel that feels like a classic with the writing, the setting and the plot, but is supremely modern with its genderfluid protagonist named Brontë–shortened to Bron. Orphaned young, Bron lives at boarding school, where they don’t fit in with the otherContinue reading “The Manor House Governess”

Master Slave Husband Wife

Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom by Ilyon Woo (2023) read like fiction, although it is an exhaustively-researched true story. Ellen and William Craft were enslaved in the same town in Georgia, married, though living in different households. Ellen, a seamstress, was a very light-skinned woman and the half-sister ofContinue reading “Master Slave Husband Wife”

Zero Days

Zero Days by Ruth Ware (2023) had a cover review and interview with the author earlier this year in my favorite place to find recommendations: BookPage. I was completely intrigued by the idea of a penetration tester on the run and having to use her skills to save herself. Jacintha (Jack) Cross and her husband,Continue reading “Zero Days”

Rock, Paper, Scissors

I wouldn’t have picked up Rock, Paper, Scissors (2021) by Alice Feeney on my own, because I don’t usually gravitate to twisty domestic thrillers, but it was an acceptable book group selection. Told in alternating first person perspective, Mr. and Mrs. Wright are headed for a weekend away in Scotland at a converted chapel, drivingContinue reading “Rock, Paper, Scissors”

Life on Other Planets

Life on Other Planets: A Memoir of Finding My Place in the Universe by Aomawa Shields (2023) is an inspiring memoir — Shields is an astronomer, astrobiologist, actress, mother, and wife. She’s also an African-American woman with a PhD in a STEM field who was privileged to go to boarding school and M.I.T, but hasContinue reading “Life on Other Planets”

The Miracles of the Namiya General Store

The Miracles of the Namiya General Store by Keigo Higashino, translated by Sam Bett (2019. originally published in Japanese in 2012) is a sweet, poignant novel about how one person can make a difference in someone else’s life. Higashino is a popular novelist in Japan, comparable to US blockbuster author James Patterson–I thoroughly enjoyed hisContinue reading “The Miracles of the Namiya General Store”

Rise to the Sun

Rise to the Sun (2021) by Leah Johnson (You Should See Me In a Crown) is a contemporary sapphic YA romance that takes place over the three days of a summer music festival. Both Olivia and Toni are from the Indianapolis area, but they don’t know each other. Olivia goes to the festival with herContinue reading “Rise to the Sun”