Fierce women, an atmospheric setting, weighty secrets, simmering rage, and magnificent storytelling are the necessary ingredients for noirish storylines.

Campbell's setting is an off-the-grid island in Michigan's Great Massasanga Swamp, "The Waters," and is home to the aging Hermine "Herself" Zook who has provided solace and solutions to women in the surrounding hardscrabble male-dominated communities.

The outside world starts to close in, and traditions and boundaries unravel, threatening long held explosive secrets to endanger not only a way of life but families and relationships.

This touching enchanting story is buoyed up by the endearing, often quirky, characters which will have readers turning pages until the very end.

A delicately but very nuanced written novel exploring a father/daughter relationship, personal and national identities, and Bantu geometries/indigenous astronomies.

When Athandwa Rosa Siziba is born, her father lives Zimbabwe to further his studies of the Cosmos and then being accepted into the prestigious yet secretive "Program". Athandwa grew up idolizing her father and when he mysteriously dies becomes committed to finishing his research and to find out the truth behind his death which has caused her panic attacks. Her hard work and dreams are realized she is accepted into the "Program" and moves to the United States.

The strength of this book is the compelling characters whose realistic portrayals allow for the multi-storylines to be seamlessly integrated into a compelling and genius tale.

I especially appreciate the inclusion of the subject of Bantu geometrics and Indigenous astronomies as too often we so easily dismissive of non-Western cultures.

Once again, Tshuma offers up her special storytelling skills.

All Bucky has ever wanted to do is play college football, even if it means he will be a walk-on on a community college team. But, just as this dream looks possible, an unknown reality snatches the ball right out of his hands. Bucky is unknowingly an undocumented immigrant according to misfiled documents and is being deported back to his birthplace, South Korea and being immersed into a culture he knows nothing about and a language he does not read or write.

In this blunt story with no-nonsense consequences, Bucky has many hurdles and faces each as he just needs one more play to make this nightmare go away, even as he questions, who am I and what is my past and more importantly what is my future.
Milan does a great job holding the tension in the storyline and as a reader several times I was holding my breath as Bucky is so close to escaping his situations and then Milan reels me back in with the next challenge.

Bucky's personality kept me grounded in this story as one absurdity after another at times felt like one too many, but unfortunately for many this is reality, just change the character name and the birth country.

A sober story told with warmth and understanding.

When a burnt corpse is found outside of a NGO compound at a remote Sudanese border town where the current uneasy peace of the civil unrest always seems on the brink of collapse, the five people living/working inside the compound wonder what the future holds for them.

The strength of this book is the incisively and vividly written characters who are essentially strangers to each other but through events beyond their control will have to cross more borders than imposed national borders to survive a catastrophic event.

I appreciated how Sudanese history was beautifully woven in to the storyline providing for a strong sense of place which I enjoy in a historical storyline as the past is never far from the present.

This poignant story informs of the plight on the Sudanese people from the effects of colonialism, civil wars, and climate changes.

A keenly observed lyrical historical novel about an enslaved mother's resolve to search for her five children sold away from her.

When the plantation master in Barbados announces in one breath that The Emancipation Act of 1834 abolishes slavery providing, but in the next breath takes all that joy away when stating the enslaved are now "apprentices" for the next six years and cannot leave the plantation without grave consequences, Rachel decides to take her freedom now and runs away with a cruel overseer on her heels.

This is a compelling and heart-wrenching read of a mostly ignored fact that upmost in the minds/hopes/dreams of enslaved peoples was to reunite with family members.

Through Rachel's journey with impossible odds and insurmountable obstacles to learn the truth of what happened to her children, the storylines explores how she and each of her children defined freedom for themselves in the cruel world they inhabit.

Shearer is a splendid storyteller and has written an absorbing and thoughtful as well as tense and exciting tale.

A grippingly readable family saga using linked short stories to offer a riveting intimate glimpse into three generations of a Mexican American family as they experience the vicissitudes of life.
The family tree at the beginning of the book was my foundation to delve into the lives of the wonderfully drawn characters with their keen sense of culture and their indomitable spirit that keeps families alive.
In 1958, Octavio "Papa Tavo" Izquierdo and his pregnant wife Guadalupe "Abuelita" decide to settle in McAllen, Texas to fulfill the dreams of building a house and starting a business that will accommodate and support their future expanding family now and in the future. All was going well until a series of misfortunes happen believed caused by a curse.
This tightknit family moves us with deep insights and trials, as love soothes them through the difficulties of life and the celebrations, traditions, and faith provides the bonds of what belonging means.
A beautiful cover befits this heartful book and the Tejano culture tops off this genuine story.

A clear-eyed and endlessly thought-provoking entertaining read of the age-old debate of the role of technology as a tool for betterment, and opportunity.

The author displays her journalist skills as she effectively combines a matter-of-fact view with intimate details across a vast and diverse timeline from 1950s India of a rural Dalit community to the 1970s United States and the beginning of the rise the entrepreneurial technological behemoths to the futuristic corporate-run governments with algorithm driven solutions being the norm as climate change rages its revenge.

This was a smart, original, and completely absorbing read for me from the mysterious introduction of the narrator, Althea, accused of murdering her father (the King Rao of the title), the fresh look at the Dalit community, and the encroaching role of technology versus individual choice/freedom.

Raising fascinating questions, this book is a terrific pick for book groups that enjoy discussing timely issues.

A touching story with wide appeal and a sharp example of a family's past haunting the present.

It is 1995 and Jordanian- American Amani Hamdan has convinced her father to return to his native Jordan to fence, a sport she did not even know he ever played, with the Jordanian king as part of this 60th birthday celebration. Amani has recently found a blue letter written by her paternal grandmother, Natalia, and is determined to learn about Natalia and her history. As Amani peels back the layers of her complex and complicated relationships within her family, the secrets reveal a history of trauma and hidden objectives.

Abu-Jaber writes with style, keenness, and fervor as she artfully blends in cultural and historical details of the past to help readers understand Palestine and Transjordan areas in Middle East history.

There is plenty of adventure, sexual tension, and poignancy. But at times the pacing felt uneven and the end felt a little rushed and I needed more closure.

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy family drama stories with a historical bent and elegant prose.

Inspired by the real life case (Relf v. Weinberger), Perkins-Valdez's richly observed novel is blistering and incisive story of a Black nurse whose young patients' has reproductive injustices inflicted upon them because of their race and class.

It is 1973, recent nursing school graduate Civil Townsend is excited to be starting her job in her hometown of Montgomery, Alabama and do her part to help women in her African American community make choices about their bodies. Civil is alarmed when she is assigned to give regularly scheduled birth control shots to young sisters aged 11 and 13, either who is sexually active. When Civil receives unsatisfactory answers from her boss, she decides to stop giving the girls the shots. Then, without Civil's knowledge, a surgical procedure will forever alter the lives of those involved.

This is an emotional compelling and heart-wrenching storyline that tugged at my heartstrings. As a reader I found that the author's writing superbly drawn characters evoked my emotions and the seamless integration of the meticulously researched historical details provided the outrage that is needed to make sure this does not happen again.

This is a great book club discussion book for groups who like to discuss weighty and timely issues.

A much needed book to understand the legacy of injustice!

In 1905, Belle de Costa Greene is hired to her dream job, to be the personal librarian to financier to J.P. Morgan and curate his ever expanding rare manuscripts private collection. As trust builds between employee and employer, Belle's responsibilities to expand to representing Morgan at auctions. While Morgan's name opened the door for Belle in this all-male industry, it was Belle's keen eye, probing research, and shrewd negotiating that earns the respect of her colleagues.

But Belle is keeping a secret. She was born Belle Marion Greener and is an African American and so walks a tight rope as she balances her private life and protects her family and her career.

This biographical novel is beautifully, wisely, and masterfully told. The collaboration between the two authors is seamless as the reader gets immersed in the glamorous life that affords Belle's position and the trials and tribulations that agonized Belle has she passed for white, while being proud of her African American identity.

A graceful tale and the well-honed characters will earn a place in readers' heart.

I would be remorse if I did not mention that Belle's and her family's story is another example of the wastefulness of discrimination and prejudice.

A richly observed tale spiked with survival and violence, rough justice, and love.

The reader meets Ruthie Fear when she is six years old and follow her up until her early thirties as she battles her inner demons on what type of life does she want to live as her home in the Bitter Root Valley, Montana is battling its own demons of progress versus preserving the present.

The plotting is intricate, the characters are well drawn and the pace never lets up as there are natural and man-made disasters to provide the tensions between people as they attempt to survive and thrive.

This tale of the American West is complexly layered and provides no easy answers as I pondered what would I do in the various situations.

But, if for no other reason, read this book for the spectacular landscape writing.

I am so very touched by American Dirt, a richly told timely and relevant contemporary story.

Cummings clear-eyed storytelling, compelling narrative and characterizations along with being expertly plotted had my heart racing in the many tense situations. While there are many situations where human darkness could reign, this is balanced by the goodness of within many others.

Like many tough issues that can happen in life I appreciated that this story was told with grace and hope.

A stunning story that presents its point without force but will leave each reader to examine their own humanity.

Van Meter's debut is a mournful novel on Evie's attempt to be self-truthful about her childhood through teen years into adulthood.

The format is both a strength and weakness of this story, The main sections of the book is names for the three days leading up to Evie's wedding, if her fiancé returns from being at sea, and the subchapters for each of these days contain in a nonlinear manner events in Evie's personal and working life. The strength is this format showcases the lyrical language and the interconnection of the unpredictability and love of Evie's personal relationships and the natural environmental her home Winter Island – when it is good it is very good and when it is bad it is horrific. The weakness is because of the nonlinear narrative events caused a spoiler or two a little too early and enforced for me the lack of character growth.

This tale deconstructs how human tell stories and decided on which version of events are remembered. As the pull of tides on the island are an essential force I will remember this story for the pull of family bonds and of an island on a soul.

The Shadow King is a richly textured and carefully constructed compelling must-needed work of historical fiction. As Fascist Italy invades Ethiopia in 1935, the men prepare to defend their country, but the women of Ethiopia will not be denied to preserve their country. Mengiste wrote this storyline to honor the women of Ethiopia who fought along side the men and are too often ignored in the history of wartime.

Pairing expressive language with well-drawn unforgettable characters the story grips the reader as we become involved in the intimate harrowing details of the characters against the broader background that is the history and politics of the time.

A richly rewarding reading experience this memorable work of historical fiction that provides a much needed Ethiopian point-of-view on one of the beginning points of WWII and equally needed what it means to be a woman at war.

This sweeping tale is equal parts heart-wrenching, impactful and hopeful and highlights Dennis-Benn strong storytelling skills.

The unflinching portraits of the complex characters each of whom is looking to be comfortable within their skin is told with compassion and psychological acumen and provides a new view into the immigrant tale of those who migrated and those who are left behind at "home".

As the story expertly touches on self-discovery and identity in a meaningful way, the characters show us all of the intricacies of dreams, betrayals, colorism, motherhood, and sexuality especially when it crosses societal and cultural expectations.

While reading about Patsy and her ordeals was thought provoking, I was enthralled by Tru, Patsy's daughter, and her struggles as a young girl to understand her place in family and friends lives and her place in her community. As Patsy and Tru had similar dilemmas, Dennis-Benn seamlessly shows the changing generational/cultural attitudes making for a stunningly emotive effect.

Be prepared to be amazed by this bold, powerful and reflective read.

I so enjoy when a story drags me to where they want me to be as these five fearsome girls sneak their way into your heart. Raised in a Bangalore slum, each character gets to provide their backstory that centers around lives defined around by femaleness and class structure as they fight for their future, adventures, and just to be. The unnamed first person plural narrative voice showcases the ingenuity and solidarity of the characters in the unconditional acceptance of each other and each just want to live their best life.

This lithe tale while explore our humanity is as profound as it is entertaining.

Female power shines brightly!

House of Stone is an impressive debut that examines the integration and recreation of personal and national identities through the lens of one "family" from the dissolution of Rhodesia, the birth of Zimbabwe, and what being a nation entails.

It is through the lens of the hopeful wily protagonist Zamani and his obsessive need to immerse himself into the family history of his landlords in order to re-create his "his-story" that makes this storyline so poignant.
While the violence is brutal it is well-balanced by the lively luminous prose as Tshuma deftly weaves the historical and personal into a seamless chronicle and provides a testament to the "culture of enforced amnesia."

At the end, I was so appreciative of how cleverly this story not only engaged me into the lives of these compelling characters, provided a thought-provoking history lessons but left me with an extraordinary reading experience of a place and time that is more universal than not.

This captivating and poignant story opens at the start of the Korean War and thwarts the dreams of two sisters; one who lives in the United States with their parents and the other sister who was left behind in Korea. This deeply moving story is told in alternate chapters by the sisters as each describes their upbringing of separation necessitated by the political climate and economic difficulties. As a consummate storyteller, Kim, makes the story historically informative as we understand the heart and sacrifices made by the family.

I so enjoyed Kim’s first book and I was just as enthralled with this well-crafted warm-hearted book. It gave me a new understanding of the strength and resilience of families affected by displacement.

A charmingly heartrending story that will soothe your soul as three strangers on a road trip across America find themselves discovering there is more to the journey than just the tourist sites. One of the most appealing aspects of this storyline is the engaging and sympathetic characters who each had lost something that set then on their paths to figuring out their American Dream. This a beautifully executed debut novel where the dissimilar group of characters showcases the similarities among people as individuals and as members of the human race. A rich rewarding read for those looking an insightful and big-hearted tale.

A gutsy protagonist, Auntie Poldi, who has experienced the vicissitudes of life and has a passion for cocktails and virile men in uniforms has "retired" to Sicily to drink wine and admire the scenery until a young reliable handyman disappears. As Poldi sets out to get her man, literally and figuratively, the reader is taken on several adventures that take on some challenging and deadly turns. While it took me a while to find my reading form for this novel, it was the landscape and history of Sicily, the witty dialogue, the mythological references, and Poldi's eccentric personality that kept me turning the pages.
This atmospheric novel is the first book in a series captured me with its promises of another Poldi adventure to come. Readers looking for a fresh take on mysteries, especially cozies, will delight and relish this book.