Fiction

This Other Eden: A Novel by Paul Harding - Book Review

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$28.00
ISBN: 9781324036296
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Published: W. W. Norton & Company - January 24th, 2023

A bleak, but lyrical, look at what happens to an outlying community on a remote island off the coast of Maine, when so-called civilization decides their future fates for them. A poetic tale of racial, religious and societal injustice and prejudice. ~ Reviewed by Becky Doherty


How to Build a Boat by Elaine Feeney - Book Review

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How to Build a Boat By Elaine Feeney Cover Image
$18.95
ISBN: 9781771965859
Availability: Available for Pre-Order Now
Published: Biblioasis - November 7th, 2023

A beautiful and lyrical vignette of the lives of a small cast of characters. Centered around a boys' school in Ireland, dynamics shift when a new teacher comes to teach woodworking, and introduces the project of building a boat. At its heart though, are the ways in which humans interact with each other, and themselves, and the ways that relationships can hurt and heal us. Be it in the often brutal world of young teenagers, or the messy world of marriage, add to it religion and addiction, and the different ways that we can cope, or not, with those things, and Feeney has brought together a novel encompassing the fragility of the human psyche and shown us the beauty that can exist there. Highly Recommend! ~ Reviewed by Becky Doherty


How We Named the Stars by Andrés N. Ordorica - Book Review

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$17.95
ISBN: 9781959030331
Availability: Available for Pre-Order Now
Published: Tin House Books - February 6th, 2024

Beautifully conveyed through Daniel's poetic perspective is his story of love, loss, and self-discovery which blossoms in vivid color against a rich backdrop of Mexican-American culture and identity. Life affirming amid its tragedy, Ordorica's coming of age novel is a lyrical meditation on grief, youth, mortality, love of all kinds, and finding your place in a world full of wonder and opportunity. ~ Reviewed by Bethany Marsfelder


The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng - Book Review

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$28.99
ISBN: 9781639731930
Availability: Available for Pre-Order Now
Published: Bloomsbury Publishing - October 17th, 2023

Eng’s new novel is atmospheric, mesmerizing, cinematic, all-in-all just sublime. Set in the lush, humid, mists of Malaya, we are drawn into the stories and histories of the people there, all sparked by a visit one season by the famous author, Somerset “Willie” Maugham. The language is as poetic and alluring as the country and people it describes, stunning! ~ Reviewed by Becky Doherty


The Goth House Experiment by SJ Sindu - Book Review

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$19.95
ISBN: 9781641295192
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Published: Soho Press - October 17th, 2023

Widely varied stories exploring the fissures of contemporary life. Sindu expertly blends realistic, supernatural, gothic, and dreamlike elements to depict believable, often flawed people hovering on the cusp of disaster. ~ Reviewed by Mike Hare


James: A Novel by Percival Everett - Book Review

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$28.00
ISBN: 9780385550369
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Published: Doubleday - March 19th, 2024

Huck and Jim embark on another exciting adventure on the Mississippi with as many twists as there are bends in the river. Jim lives by a strict survival code. As far as white folks were concerned, Blacks were not entitled to be addressed by a formal name like James and he takes special pains to maintain the subservient guise. He can read and write and speak eloquently when there are no white people around and lapse back into "dis," dat," and "dose" when they are. This is an immensely enjoyable trek but, as you are drawn along the river, the author never lets you forget the vicious undercurrent of racism flowing just beneath the surface. ~ Reviewed by Alden Graves


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