I’ve known of Ivan Coyote for years now. I saw them speak when I was in college, an experience that was deeply impactful and that created in me a lifelong fan. But, much to my shame, this is the first book of theirs that I’ve actually finished reading – and I finished it in
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME – TA-NEHISI COATES
This book is short but will turn your worldview on its head, shake it up and set it decisively to rights. It follows in the tradition of James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time, a book so short but with such power that it is still one of the most important books on race in
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA – TJ KLUNE
This book is magical. And I’m not just talking about, you know, the actual magic. I hadn’t really heard anything about either this book or this author before. Then it seemed like, overnight, it was everywhere. And I noticed it because, well, have you seen the cover? It’s stunning. But it turns out that
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE ARGONAUTS – MAGGIE NELSON
For a short book, this packs one hell of a punch. It’s a memoir, kind of about everything. But if I had to try to distill it down I’d say it’s a critical assessment of society’s need to categorize people based on their gender and sexual orientation. It’s also a deep dive into what
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE WINDOW SEAT – AMINATTA FORNA
I loved this book. I’ll say that right up front, in case you only see the tiny excerpt of this post. I adored it, I enjoyed every minute I spent reading it, and though I just finished it, I already want to read it again. I hadn’t ever read anything by Aminatta Forna before
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | NATIVES – AKALA
About once every five years I pick up a non-fiction book that leaves me speechless in wonder. I’ve been lucky this year, because I’ve had a few of these – some memoir, some topical. This book, however, is arguably the most deeply impactful book I have read or expect to read for a decade
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER – BERNARDINE EVARISTO
I was intimidated going into this book. It’s long, and it’s written in an experimental style of verse that doesn’t include periods or capitals. I was nervous I’d be unable to find my feet and that it would prove too difficult for me to get into. Not so. It took about 50 pages, but
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | MY LOVELY WIFE IN THE PSYCH WARD – MARK LUKACH
I’ve had this book sitting on my shelves pretty much since it came out. I was drawn to it because it’s about a woman suffering through some serious mental health issues, which strikes a chord with me, but also because it’s not written by her – it’s written by her husband. This is a
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE – TAYARI JONES
I’m not sure what made me choose this book when I did. I had just started using Audible, and I hadn’t yet built a library of books to choose from. This one wasn’t too expensive, and I remembered hearing good things, so I downloaded it. I was out walking to an appointment one day,
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | WARLIGHT – MICHAEL ONDAATJE
This was, I hate to admit, my first Ondaatje book. I’ve tried a few times in the past to read him, but I’ve never made it very far. I think this was due, in part, to having watched the film adaptation of The English Patient when I was about fifteen and a bit too
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY – MARY ANN SHAFFER & ANNIE BARROWS
I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf for… I don’t even know how long, but definitely years. And it’s not like I didn’t know it would be good. I’d been told. Several times, and by a few different people whose opinions of books I trust. So I have no idea why I waited so
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | PIGS IN HEAVEN – BARBARA KINGSOLVER
***WARNING: Contains spoilers for The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver*** In the sequel to Barbara Kingsolver’s The Bean Trees, we catch up with a slightly more mature and settled Taylor, who is living with her musician boyfriend Jax and her adopted daughter Turtle, now six. But of course, things can’t stay calm and secure for long. As
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE BEAN TREES – BARBARA KINGSOLVER
This isn’t the first time I’ve read this book, but it might as well have been. It was my first Kingsolver, read at the fervent recommendation of my mother. Over the years, the memory of the book’s specifics faded, but the general feeling that I had loved both the story and characters, and that
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TOP TEN TUESDAY | ALL TIME FAVE BOOKS READ FROM 2013-15
This week’s Top Ten Tuesday on The Broke and the Bookish is: All Time Favourite Books Read In the Past Three Years. This works out perfectly because halfway through 2013 is when I began blogging regularly here, and when my reading life really picked up post-university. It’s been a wonderful, wild ride, and I’ve met
