Back in 2014, J.J. Hensley joined the inaugural #30Authors event. He was, and is, quite a fan favorite and has joined in every year since. Even so, I hadn't read any of his books until recently. This was mostly because I like him as a person and was afraid that, because he writes a genre I don't read a lot of, I wouldn't connect with the book. It's a thriller that uses a … [Read more...]
Beautiful and Intricate, Why We Came to the City Shines
I picked up Kristopher Jansma's latest novel for two reasons: it's getting rave reviews from readers I trust and he's a #30Authors contributor. It's hard to say which convinced me to pick it up sooner rather than later but I'm so glad that I did. Why We Came to the City is a stunning novel about a tightly knit group of friends, their relationships with each other, and how … [Read more...]
Women and Maternity Leave Dominate ‘The Creepshow’
As a woman in the workforce, I have experienced sexism. I have been patted on the head and told I'm doing a good job, was informed at age 17 that I couldn't work Friday nights because the boys wouldn't listen to me, and have had sexism mansplained to me in a variety of ways. Sometimes it's with the excuse that this sexism isn't as bad as it could be and with others it's … [Read more...]
Love and Marriage Intertwine in Fates and Furies
Last September, during #30Authors, author Sara Taylor reviewed Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff and I knew I would have to pick it up. Since then, I've read mixed reviews. Some loved it, some hated it, some loved the first half, others loved the second half, and so on. As for me, I don't fall into any of these categories because I had mixed emotions throughout the entire … [Read more...]
Euphoria by Lily King is a Literary Gem
Before Cynthia Bond was an Oprah darling, she was kind enough to participate in The Book Wheel's inaugural #30Authors event. In it, she reviewed Lily King's Euphoria, a book about three anthropologists caught in a love triangle with longterm implications. Euphoria is a stunning novel, both in its beautifully subtle style of writing and the story that King creates and I can't … [Read more...]