I enjoyed the ride of My Big Fat Fake Marriage (publication day March 11, 2025) by Charlotte Stein, although there weren’t any surprises. The banter, though, is superb!! Set somewhere in England, Hazel, who goes by Connie as an adult, works for a marketing company and is somewhat jaded, although she is close to herContinue reading “My Big Fat Fake Marriage”
Tag Archives: fiction
All the Water in the World
I absolutely loved All the Water in the World (pub. date January 7, 2024) by Eiren Caffall! This literary climate story is told from the perspective of Nonie, a 13-year old girl who has lived on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History for eight years, with her father, and older sister Bix,Continue reading “All the Water in the World”
The Last Bookstore on Earth
In The Last Bookstore on Earth (pub. date January 7, 2024), by Lily Braun-Arnold, the immaturity and poor choices made by the narrator indicated that it was clearly for a young adult audience. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this queer post-apocalyptic climate fiction, Narrated by Liz, a teenager who is living alone in the bookstore where sheContinue reading “The Last Bookstore on Earth”
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store
I was thrilled to finally get to read The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store (2023) by James McBride, as I’ve loved his writing since reading his memoir The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother and the brilliant pre-civil war historical fiction The Good Lord Bird. In The Heaven and EarthContinue reading “The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store”
How to Get a Life in 10 Dates
In How to Get a Life in Ten Dates (publication date December 10, 2024), I loved meeting Jenny L. Howe’s newest characters–Haleigh and Jack–who live in the same world with some of the same characters from Howe’s first two books–On The Plus Side and The Make-Up Test. Twenty-five year olds Haleigh and Jack have beenContinue reading “How to Get a Life in 10 Dates”
Lucky Red
Lucky Red (2023) by Claudia Cravens caught my eye when I read this review, but it took a year for me to finally listen to it. I was completely blown away by the voice of the main character, Bridget. We recently read the classic western True Grit, by Charles Portis, for my book club, andContinue reading “Lucky Red”
The Vanishing Half
I’m late to The Vanishing Half (2020) by Brit Bennett, which was deservedly named a best book of the year by many popular news outlets, and was one of Barack Obama’s favorite books of the year. Beginning in 1968, when one of the “lost twins” of Mallard, Louisiana, returns after having run away at 16Continue reading “The Vanishing Half”
What You Are Looking For is In the Library
I both enjoyed and was annoyed by What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama, translated by Allison Watts (2020). It’s really a series of interconnected short stories, with a couple characters that are in each story–two people that work in a very small library that is located in a communityContinue reading “What You Are Looking For is In the Library”
The Make-Up Test
The Make-Up Test (2022), by Jenny Howe, is a fat-positive, second chance romance set in the fraught world of the Academy. It’s filled with dogs, geeky medieval literature references, impostor syndrome and extreme competitiveness, and a difficult parental relationship that included a lot of anti-fatness. And the best part is how Howe describes the mainContinue reading “The Make-Up Test”
Skye Falling
Skye Falling (2021) by Mia McKenzie was both hilarious and heartbreaking in nearly equal measure. Bad things happen, as they do in the world, but Skye’s perspective and ability to find humor made me laugh through the tears. Skye owns a Black travel agency, leading groups traveling around the world, living her best life. She’sContinue reading “Skye Falling”
Reading While Fat 