The nitty-gritty: Funny and heartwarming, Kira Jane Buxton takes on truffles and Tuscany in this worthy follow-up to her beloved Hollow Kingdom series. After loving the brilliant Hollow Kingdom, I was a bit leery to read Tartufo, a straight-up piece of literary fiction that didn’t have the speculative elements I usually look for in my […]
The nitty-gritty: A remarkable story in so many ways, Shelby Van Pelt’s debut will stick with me for a very long time. What a wonderful surprise this was! I thought Remarkably Bright Creatures was a story about a woman and an octopus, but it turned out to be so much more than that. This is […]
The nitty-gritty: A unique glimpse into the mind of a mountain lion as he navigates the hazards of Los Angeles. “I’ve never eaten a person but today I might” Open Throat has such a great concept. The story is told from the perspective of a lone mountain lion who lives in the hills near the […]
The nitty-gritty: An devastating exploration of woman’s place in a world ruled by men, On the Savage Side will haunt you long after the final page is turned. “I touched the water with my bare hands, and the river touched me back with hers. I wanted to leave my old life behind as easy as […]
The nitty-gritty: Emily St. John Mandel explores the tenuous boundaries between the past, present and future in Sea of Tranquility, a thoughtful and emotional journey through time. “We knew it was coming.” Once again, Emily St. John Mandel has written a thought-provoking, luminous story about the future, the past, and all the moments in between. […]
The nitty gritty: Brutal and beautiful, heartbreaking and healing, Betty is an extraordinary coming-of-age story that I won’t soon forget. Depending on which way the wind is blowing, the snow comes in. At first the flurries melt before they land. Then they pile lightly like dust, bringing their cold in. I can see my mother’s […]
The nitty-gritty: Beautifully written and carefully plotted, The Glass Hotel was an unusual and emotional read. Like many other readers, I loved Station Eleven and have been curious to see what Emily St. John Mandel would do next. Even though I didn’t have a review copy of The Glass Hotel, I was determined to read […]