Tag Archives: grief

Not For the Faint of Heart

I absolutely loved Not For the Faint of Heart (US publication day 11/26/2024) by Lex Croucher! With the granddaughter of Robin Hood, Mariel, leading a group of Merry Men and the sturdy healer using actual science, Clem, it’s a delightful romp with some serious moments. Croucher starts us off with Clemence being kidnapped by Mariel’sContinue reading “Not For the Faint of Heart”

The Bird Hotel

The Bird Hotel (2023) is my first Joyce Maynard book, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that she has written a lot of books, and has been a regular columnist and reporter as well. The Bird Hotel follows Irene, starting with her unusual childhood as the daughter of an itinerant singer in the lateContinue reading “The Bird Hotel”

A Jingle Bell Mingle

So . . . I was able to attend one of the book tour events for A Jingle Bell Mingle (2024) with the authors, Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone. I’ve been a Julie Murphy fan since Dumplin’ (excellent book and Netflix movie). They are hilarious, as expected, and my funniest experience had to be talkingContinue reading “A Jingle Bell Mingle”

We Need No Wings

I read We Need No Wings (publication day September 10, 2024) by Ann Dávila Cardinal in one sitting! Teresa, known as Tere, is a literature professor of Puerto Rican descent stuck for the last year after her beloved husband’s unexpected death, until one day, while watering his garden, she begins to levitate. Startled and bewilderedContinue reading “We Need No Wings”

Go As A River

Go As A River (2023) by Shelley Read was a book group selection I probably wouldn’t have chosen myself. I did quite enjoy it, though, despite some unnecessary anti-fat bias in at least one character description. Victoria Nash is a 17-year old living on a Colorado peach farm in 1948, tending house for her father,Continue reading “Go As A River”

Ash

I so enjoyed Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo that I sought out Ash (2009), Lo’s first published novel. A partial gender-swapped sapphic YA re-telling of Cinderella, it won multiple awards, including a Locus and a Lambda. In Ash’s world, there are those who live in the country, or woods, and followContinue reading “Ash”

Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow

I didn’t know what to expect from Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow (publication day August 30, 2024) by Damilare Kuku, Described as “a powerful and hilarious debut novel about family secrets, judgmental aunties, and Brazilian butt lifts,” I was interested to see how it handled anti-fatness. Told from the multiple perspectives of the women inContinue reading “Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow”

The Guncle

I am a little late to The Guncle party (2021) by Steven Rowley, but better late than never, although I do have mixed feelings about it, primarily because of the anti-fat bias throughout. Patrick, who was an actor in a popular sitcom, lives alone in his Palm Springs house and hasn’t worked for several years.Continue reading “The Guncle”

The Girl Who Drank the Moon

The Girl Who Drank the Moon (2016) by Kelly Barnhill has been around for a bit, and has won many awards (including the 2017 Newbery), but I just discovered it after reading Barnhill’s brilliant When Women Were Dragons (2022). After listening to The Girl Who Drank the Moon, I immediately purchased my own hardcover copy,Continue reading “The Girl Who Drank the Moon”