Disco. Witches. Fire Island. Those four words say it all, and Blair Fell's novel delivers on each and every one of them. I've been telling friends (and anyone who will listen) that Fell's novel, The Disco Witches of Fire Island, is the "more lighthearted" version of Rebecca Makkai's The Great Believers (another novel that I will talk to... Continue Reading →
Most people here know I'm an English teacher, an avid fan of Shakespeare (we have the same birthday), and an even bigger fan of Scotland (a Caledonophile). So when my sister-in-law gifted me Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid, I put it at the top of my TBR pile. And it doesn't disappoint. Shipped from Breizh... Continue Reading →
Kelly Barnhill's novel When Women Were Dragons explores the ways in which women were (and are still) told to fit into certain roles, certain standards, and certain ways of living. And when they don't, those women dragon. Yes, they dragon. As in "dragon" as a verb.
If you're looking for a novel that is intelligently written, comes replete with fully-formed characters, features memorable locations, and passes the Bechdel Test, then look no further than Sarah Penner's debut novel, The Lost Apothecary. I think it's well documented that I favor a novel with parallel narratives (see The Ex Talk and anything by... Continue Reading →
Amy Bloom's first foray into creative historical nonfiction with White Houses is nicely done. With an intimate look into the lives of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Bloom manages to build a story about the things that were often left unsaid through her narrator Lorena Hickok.
shelly. walston. writes. 