My Current Reads
Books I’ve read and reviewed.
Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland
Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland traces the origin of a secret Vermeer painting (created by Vreeland, not a real-life missing Vermeer) told in vignettes, where each subsequent point-of-view switch sets up the previous storyline, as we follow the painting backwards through time.
This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan
In This Could Be Us, Soledad Barnes is facing a devastating betrayal that shatters the life she built with her husband. As she struggles to provide for her daughters, Soledad begins a journey of self-discovery and resilience. Alongside her rebuilding, a new romance challenges her to trust again.
After Annie by Anna Quindlen
After Annie tells the story of three of the most important people to the titular character, Annie Brown, following her sudden death. Annie's husband Bill, their four children, and her best friend Annemarie, are left to grapple with the void left by her absence. Quindlen explores what the first year following Annie's death looks like for this trio of loved ones.
The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
In The Warm Hands of Ghosts, set during WWI, Arden crafts a narrative rich with potential, introducing Laura Iven, a field nurse from Halifax, Canada, rocked by tragedy and determined to uncover the truth behind her brother's disappearance. Meanwhile, Freddie Iven awakens in a half-destroyed pillbox, forming an unlikely alliance with German soldier Hans Winter as they navigate survival amidst chaos.
All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, and Jamie Grant
Issued by DC Comics as a 12-issue run from 2005 to 2008, All-Star Superman centers on the idea of Superman suffering from overexposure to the Sun—the very celestial object that grants him his superpowers on Earth. Faced with the news of his inevitable death, Superman embarks on twelve labors as he prepares the world he calls home for his absence.
Wellness by Nathan Hill
Following a deliciously drawn-out, meet-cute in early 1990s Chicago, Jack and Elizabeth eagerly immerse themselves in the underground art and growing hipster scene. Fast forward to 2015 and the pair, now married with a young son, struggle to navigate middle age, parenthood, and life in the Information Age.
Night of the Witch by Sara Raasch and Beth Revis
In Night of the Witch, Raasch and Revis venture into the Trier Witch Trials, where Fritzi and Otto unite against zealot witch hunters led by Kommandant Dieter Kirch. While rich in historical detail, the story's burdened by the weight of research, making the protagonists and antagonist feel one-dimensional.
Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson
Wilson's Mouth to Mouth starts in the JFK airport lounge, when two college acquaintances bump into each other and catch up on what's been happening in the intervening decades, sort of. Now in their 40s, one….
Whalefall by Daniel Kraus
Jay Gardiner, a seventeen-year-old estranged from his family, dives into the Pacific Ocean to locate his father's remains, hoping to ease the guilt of his suicide. A giant squid and a hungry sperm whale unexpectedly jeopardize his mission, trapping him inside the whale's belly.
Night of the Living Queers edited by Shelly Page and Alex Brown
Night of the Living Queers is a light and playful collection of Halloween-centered stories that many will enjoy for those fun palate cleansers that are definitely needed.
The Art Thief by Michael Finkel
While I found the story itself fascinating, and the level of crimes committed and the resultant aftermath rather horrific in their way, several choices made by Finkel kept this from rising above ordinary….
Someday, Maybe by Onyi Nwabineli
Someday, Maybe is a compelling debut novel that follows a young Nigerian woman's emotional journey through unimaginable loss after her husband dies by suicide. Throughout her grief,