Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio (publication day July 23, 2024) is a novel about an undocumented young woman from Ecuador, Catalina, who was brought to the United States at 5 years old to live with her grandparents in Queens, and goes to Harvard. I think some people will absolutely love it. Catalina is a smartass,Continue reading “Catalina”
Tag Archives: literary fiction
Such a Fun Age
Such a Fun Age (2020) by Kiley Reid was recommended to me a long time ago, so I finally listened to it, and was mostly impressed by the author’s work, and infuriated with the white characters. Reid introduces us to Emira, a 20-something black woman who is a little adrift after college, not sure whatContinue reading “Such a Fun Age”
Remarkably Bright Creatures
I was absolutely delighted by Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (2022)! I am happily in the majority of people who loved this book, the story of widowed Tova Sullivan who lost her teenage son Erik thirty years before, and Cameron, annoying screw-up, man-child, who shows up in Sowell Bay, Washington, looking for hisContinue reading “Remarkably Bright Creatures”
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”
Klara and the Sun
If you’re interested in a quiet story told from the perspective of an artificially intelligent robot designed to be a companion for socially awkward children, don’t miss Klara and the Sun.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Beautifully written, full of quotable lines, Zevin has created a story about the art of making games that also deals with grief and the heartache of the world, and how to keep making art through it all.
Sea of Tranquility
Wow! Sea of Tranquility (2022) by Emily St. John Mandel was just as brilliant or better than the hype about it! (New York Times, Goodreads, and NPR one of the best books of the year; on Barack Obama’s 2022 list.) It’s hard to describe, but I will try. The novel opens with a younger sonContinue reading “Sea of Tranquility”
The Book of Form and Emptiness
I was really looking forward to The Book of Form and Emptiness (2021) by Ruth Ozeki because I loved her 2013 A Tale for the Time Being. It both exceeded and fell far short of my expectations in different ways. The great: I was hooked from the very first page. Ozeki has the book tellContinue reading “The Book of Form and Emptiness”
Interior Chinatown
Interior Chinatown (2020) by Charles Yu is a very quick read, and has one of the most interesting formats that I’ve read-novel-as-screenplay! I didn’t know when I picked it out to read that it won the National Book Award in 2020, but I’m not surprised. Yu tells the story of Willis Wu, who plays “GenericContinue reading “Interior Chinatown”
Reading While Fat 