by Elissa Sussman Overall: I’m going to be upfront and say, this is an “it’s not you, it’s me” review. Funny You Should Ask is a contemporary romance, which is a genre I almost never read. However, after reading all the raves on Bookstagram, I decided to give it a try. Chani’s a struggling writerContinue reading “Funny You Should Ask”
Author Archives: Liz Helfrich
The Sweetness of Water
by Nathan Harris Overall: Lyrical and introspective, The Sweetness of Water tells the story of two families in the immediate aftermath of the American Civil War. Prentiss and Landry are brothers, formerly enslaved Black men, who have decided to leave Georgia but don’t yet know where they’re going or how they’ll get there. Meanwhile, GeorgeContinue reading “The Sweetness of Water”
Honey Girl
by Morgan Rogers Overall: Grace Power wakes up after a crazy night in Vegas trying to piece together what just happened. She’s wearing a “Bride” t-shirt she’s never seen before, and has a gold ring on her finger, a photograph of herself at a church with a woman whose name she doesn’t know, and aContinue reading “Honey Girl”
The Mountain in the Sea
by Ray Nayler Overall: A fascinating and original work of science fiction, The Mountain in the Sea takes place on Earth at an unspecified future date. Humans have managed to create a conscious android and fully autonomous AI and have devastated vast swaths of the planet’s ecosystems. On a small island off the coast ofContinue reading “The Mountain in the Sea”
The Haunting of Alejandra
by V. Castro Having grown up in Texas, I was familiar with the tales of La Llorona, the ghost of a crying woman. The Haunting of Alejandra expands this legend into a modern horror story. Alejandra, a stay-at-home mom with three children, is deeply unhappy with her life. She feels trapped in a marriage toContinue reading “The Haunting of Alejandra”
Play the Fool
by Lina Chern Overall: In this entertaining contemporary mystery, we meet Katie True. Katie’s currently working in a failing mall outside Chicago, the latest in a string of jobs headed nowhere. She didn’t like college and has never found her passion – except for reading tarot cards. She can’t stand her parents and older sister;Continue reading “Play the Fool”
Lies We Sing to the Sea
by Sarah Underwood Lies We Sing to the Sea is a YA fantasy that takes The Odyssey and Greek mythology as a jumping-off point to tell a new tale about love and sacrifice. Centuries after the events of The Odyssey, all is not well on the island of Ithaca. Every year, the community sacrifices twelveContinue reading “Lies We Sing to the Sea”
Africatown: America’s Last Slave Ship and the Community It Created
by Nick Tabor Overall: This excellent, compulsively readable work of non-fiction tells the story of the community in Alabama that grew up following the voyage of the Clothilde, which is believed to be the last ship to transport enslaved people from Africa to the United States. Africatown makes a convincing case for how systemic racism,Continue reading “Africatown: America’s Last Slave Ship and the Community It Created”
Nocturne
by Alyssa Wees Overall: In music, a nocturne is a short work evocative of night, and that’s exactly what the reader gets with this fantasy. Grace Dragotta lives in a boardinghouse in Chicago during the Great Depression and spends nearly every waking hour dancing in the Near North Ballet company. Her best friend Emilia, soonContinue reading “Nocturne”
Harvard Square: A Love Story
by Catherine J. Turco Overall: Harvard Square: A Love Story examines two central notions. First, it looks at the idea that for decades people had been complaining that the Harvard Square wasn’t what it “used to be.” Every generation bemoans changes in the marketplace that make the beloved world of the Square seem different (usuallyContinue reading “Harvard Square: A Love Story”
Liz Helfrich 