10. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah The story of two sisters in occupied France, this is a gripping mix of Resistance history, wartime domesticity, and romance. Isabelle, the plucky heroine, joins a secret group that helps captured Allied soldiers escape through the Pyrenees. Her sister Vianne raises a Jewish child as her own after hisContinue reading “The Best Books of 2023”
Tag Archives: books
Reading Around The Map: East Asia
One of the undeniable pleasures of reading is the fact that it allows you to cross borders without leaving your couch. Such was my experience in the last month in which I read three books set in different Asian countries. Each of them showed me a part of a country I know little about inContinue reading “Reading Around The Map: East Asia”
TBR
When people talk about books, I listen. Sometimes it’s a book I’ve never heard of. Sometimes it’s a book I’ve never read. Often there is a curiosity: am I missing out on something? How might my days be enriched by the experience of a new book? I don’t know if it’s true that enthusiasm sellsContinue reading “TBR”
Reading Fun Facts
One of the undeniable pleasures of reading is learning new things. Nonfiction is all about information. How lucky for readers. I read more in the fiction/memoir genres, which are less known to impart knowledge. But those titles can also surprise me at times with new facts. You never know what new information will come yourContinue reading “Reading Fun Facts”
The 90,000 Rule
Many literary agents won’t consider projects shorter than 90,000 words. It’s simple, or so they say: books have to fit comfortably with others on shelves and endcaps, so a minimum word count is necessary to produce a certain heft. Fair enough. With only 20% of books being read in a digital format, there are ergonomicContinue reading “The 90,000 Rule”
The State of Us
After the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, books about racism and race relations dominated best-seller lists for the first time. The term white fragility entered the lexicon along with critical race theory and antiracism. A reckoning with history took the form of dialogue about the social obligation to accurately represent Black lives inContinue reading “The State of Us”
Letters To Me
When you hear the word epistolary, you might think of novels told through letters, such as the classic 84 Charing Cross Road or its successful knockoff The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Books written in journal form can also be called epistolary, though. They might be seen as letters to the self, aContinue reading “Letters To Me”
Voice Lessons
Literary agents endlessly seek original voices, those rare writers who can capture life through an idiosyncratic tone. Some projects stand apart from the crowd with the musicality of the language and the freshness of their perspective. You could argue that most acclaimed authors are distinctive. Even pulp fiction has its quirks. But a few timesContinue reading “Voice Lessons”
Say What?
If you read enough, you will undoubtedly come across some peculiar details. Sometimes they are meant to shock the reader, a confession that is unsettling in its singularity. Other times they reveal cultural differences, saying as much about social location as anything objective. For the most part, though, strange tidbits are part of the idiosyncrasiesContinue reading “Say What?”
Reading Around the Map: Bay Area
Setting is often secondary in novels. Characters might live in anonymous suburbs and towns, indistinguishable by region, lacking particular detail about the history and customs of the area. In other books, the location is as detailed as a character, full of quirks and recognizable traits. San Francisco has been my home for twenty-six years. AsContinue reading “Reading Around the Map: Bay Area”
Books Smitten 