Read this book. It's not often that I start off a review with these words, but Tiffany McDaniel's debut novel, The Summer that Melted Everything, is more than worthy of an off-the-bat recommendation. I say this for many reasons: the writing is beautiful, the characters are unforgettable, and the storyline is an important one. Plus, it made the Guardian's Not the Booker Prize … [Read more...]
Archives for February 2017
‘The Marvelous Misadventures of Ingrid Winter’ Misfires
I've read a lot of books over the years. Many I've loved, many I've hated, but a few have left me with no feelings, whatsoever. Unfortunately, The Marvelous Misadventures of Ingrid Winter by J.S. Drangsholt fell into this last category. It wasn't that I disliked the book, but rather I finished it not knowing exactly what I had just read and was unsatisfied. I'm not sure if this … [Read more...]
‘The Inseparables’: A Fresh Take on Dysfunctional Family Dramas
Picking up The Inseparables by Stuart Nadler was a bit of a risky choice for me. The Goodreads reviews are mixed but a few of them compared it to The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer, which I did not love. Ultimately, I was pulled in by the idea of three generations of women and family dysfunction. Both of these topics endear themselves to me and taking a chance on The … [Read more...]
Claire Fuller Shines Once Again in ‘Swimming Lessons’
A couple of years ago, I opted to read an upcoming debut by an author by the name of Claire Fuller. I didn't know anything about her but the book, Our Endless Numbered Days, intrigued me so I gave it a go. Not only did it end up being one of my favorite books of the year, but Fuller has since graciously donated her time to #30Authors. So when I learned that she had a new book … [Read more...]
Do the Super Bowl Ads Offer Hope?
I look forward to the Super Bowl every year. Not because I care about the game (I did read Concussion, after all) but because it gives me uninterrupted reading time. From time to time, I'll look up to watch the commercials but I don't worry about it - I know Twitter will tell me which ones to pull up on YouTube. But this year I actually tuned in. Okay, well, I tuned into the … [Read more...]