Authors
The Sound of Violet: A Romance That Risks Hard Conversations
A frank look at The Sound of Violet by Allen Wolf, where the rom-com charm bumps up against questions of…
❧Fiction
20 Books of Summer
All Our Yesterdays: Natalia Ginzburg’s Big-Hearted Italian Wartime Novel
A patient reader's look at Natalia Ginzburg's All Our Yesterdays, a 1952 Italian wartime novel worth the commitment.
Book
Three Books, One Festival: A Reading Round-Up From Hay 2023
A roundup of three nonfiction and literary fiction picks from the Hay Festival 2023, including Regenesis by George Monbiot.
author
Tangled Iron Cages Interview: Cecil Homer on Prairie Morality
Cecil Homer's Tangled Iron Cages on the Prairie follows three Illinois farm-town lives. Read our interview breakdown of the moral…
Coming of Age Fiction
Hero of Yesterday Review: Trett’s Sequel Asks Bigger Questions
Henry D. Trett's Hero of Yesterday revisits David Alan Taylor five years after a deadly shooting. Our take on the…
Authors
Dinosaurs Walk Into a Library: A Picture Book Worth a Look
A look at AG Allen's children's book where dinosaurs invade a classroom trip, with our take on why it works…
4 star
Writers, Ink Podcast Drops Kerrie Droban True Crime Episode
Writers, Ink podcast's latest episode features criminal defense attorney Kerrie Droban discussing true crime writing and her new book Aurora.
20 Books of Summer
David Park’s Quiet Vietnam Novel Lands Hard on Late-Career Guilt
A close look at David Park's Spies in Canaan, a Bloomsbury novel about a retired Foreign Service officer haunted by…
author anthony avina
When a Village Freezes: A Parable Called Dreamford
Kinga Szumska's Dreamford uses two farmers and a sudden freeze to tell a story about rebuilding after disruption.
2023
Burlesque, Mobsters and Chicago’s Fair: Sinners of Starlight City
Anika Scott's Sinners of Starlight City mixes Depression-era Chicago, burlesque and family secrets, with some historical liberties.
Authors
The Devil’s Safe”: A Thriller Where House-Sitting Goes Very Wrong
MJ Holt's debut thriller turns a simple house-sit into a deadly game of drugs and deception.
20 books of summer (2023)
William Trevor’s Conman Classic: “Other People’s Worlds” Unpacked
A deep dive into William Trevor's 1980 novel about a charming, manipulative conman.