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”
Author Archives: bbwesquire
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”
Baby Bank
Baby Bank (publication date 9/19/23) by Sarah Robinson is a cute queer sapphic romance that hit home for me–the main character, Mila Torres, is a lawyer, and she wants to become a mother despite the fact that she is still a single bisexual at 35. With her multiple live-in friends assisting her swiping through aContinue reading “Baby Bank”
The Unstoppable Bridget Bloom
The Unstoppable Bridget Bloom (2023) by Allison L. Bitz is a delightful fat-positive YA novel of self-discovery with some romance. As the novel open, Bridget is moving in to her dorm room at her performing arts boarding school in Chicago–it’s a pipeline to Broadway and her parents sold land back in Nebraska so that sheContinue reading “The Unstoppable Bridget Bloom”
The Love Songs of W.E.B DuBois
The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois (2021) by Honorée Fannone Jeffers was an Oprah’s club pick, a finalist for the Kirkus prize that year, along with several Goodreads nominations, and I’m disappointed that it wasn’t honored more. Overall, it’s a sprawling, beautifully written, epic work of historical fiction, poetic and heartbreaking and intricate. At nearlyContinue reading “The Love Songs of W.E.B DuBois”
Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden
I loved Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden (2023) by Camille T. Dungy so much that I had to buy my own copy after reading my library copy. Soil really defies categorization–it’s a memoir (much of which she wrote during the COVID-19 pandemic), but she also writes about black history and social justiceContinue reading “Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden”
Circle of Magic Quartet
The Circle of Magic Quartet (1997-1999) by Tamora Pierce consists of Sandry’s Book (#1), Tris’s Book (#2), Daja’s Book (#3) and Briar’s Book (#4). Pierce is a prolific and beloved author, and the Circle of Magic is a beloved middle grade fantasy series that I missed out on because I was in my young adultContinue reading “Circle of Magic Quartet”
Little & Lion
Little & Lion (2017) by Brandy Colbert is a well-done YA novel that covers many themes: bisexuality, mental illness (specifically bipolar), and loyalty in a blended family, and it features a black Jewish main character in a multiethnic family. It won a Stonewall Award the year it was published. Suzette has just returned home toContinue reading “Little & Lion”
A Council of Dolls
Wow. There are few other words that do justice to A Council of Dolls, by Mona Susan Power (publication date August 8, 2023). Told in multiple perspectives over several time periods in the late 1800s and through the 1900s, each of the storylines involves a doll given to the little girl that is the mainContinue reading “A Council of Dolls”
Out of the Dawn
Out of the Dawn (pub. date 8/8/2023) by P.C. Cast is the sequel to Into the Mist, which I listened to earlier this year and reviewed just a couple of months ago. Once I realized there was a sequel, I was anxiously awaiting it, so I was thrilled to be approved to read it onContinue reading “Out of the Dawn”
