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Reviews by Anthony Conty

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Lessons in Chemistry: A Novel
by Bonnie Garmus
Feminism for Doubters (9/11/2023)
“Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus tells the story of women in the sciences in the ’50s and ’60s confronting the type of sexism we wish was hyperbole, but we probably know better. My favorite reviewer, who happens to be female, rated this one of the best of 2022, but Imore
Peach Blossom Spring: A Novel
by Melissa Fu
Chinese and Taiwan...It's Complicated (8/29/2023)
“Peach Blossom Spring” by Melissa Fu starts in a haphazard, chaotic way that only tales of war can. China is under siege by the Japanese, and the war tears Renshu’s family apart in more ways than one. American history classes did not talk much about this, so there is nomore
Africa Is Not a Country: Notes on a Bright Continent
by Dipo Faloyin
Nonfiction At Its Best (8/17/2023)
"Africa Is Not a Country" by Dipo Faloyin starts by explaining what Africa is not. As with people who have taken a safari or done missionary work, it is easy to forget that cities and organized towns exist where no touristy activities occur. More to the point, assuming thatmore
The Colony: A Novel
by Audrey Magee
A Slice of Irish History (8/5/2023)
"The Colony" by Audrey Magee tells the story of a small island off the coast of Ireland. It reads like a poem with short, choppy one-line sentences, proving that those in the UK are likelier to honor a book with a unique narrative structure. I enjoyed it, mainly as the bondmore
Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Novel
by Shelby Van Pelt
Best of the Year (7/12/2023)
“Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt starts with an animal as a main character, and if you have seen “The Shape of Water,” your first fear is a recreation of that quirky top twist. We alternate chapters between Tova, an aquarium custodian, and an octopus.more
Then the War: And Selected Poems, 2007-2020
by Carl Phillips
I am Really Trying to Like Poetry (6/30/2023)
“Then the War” by Carl Phillips will remind you of high school English class, not in a good way. I wanted someone to explain it and get it over with. Some of the images are pleasant and deep, but I did not understand enough to recommend them, and what I did understand tookmore
Stay True: A Memoir
by Hua Hsu
90s Nostalgia Wrapped in Tragedy (6/17/2023)
“Stay True” by Hua Hsu won the Pulitzer this year for Memoir/Autobiography, a new category I was excited to see. It is partly about being the son of immigrants, part a recollection of the 90s and part about grief and loss. The children of immigrants will relate to themore
Take My Hand
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
I Didn't Want It to End (6/4/2023)
“Take My Hand” by Dolen Perkins-Valdez features a nurse who works with sexual and reproductive health that receives the odd task of injecting birth control into eleven and fourteen-year-old sisters. Again, we go back and forth between the past and the present, foreshadowingmore
Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden: Two Sisters Separated by China's Civil War
by Zhuqing Li
So much history I didn't know (5/24/2023)
“Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden” by Zhuqing Li tells the story of two sisters who end up on opposite sides of the Chinese Civil War of the 1930s but still succeed in life. However, like any war book worth its salt, you do not take sides and recognize the hardshipmore
The Story of Russia
by Orlando Figes
So Much I Didn't Know (5/13/2023)
“The Story of Russia” by Orlando Figes has a wealth of information about Russian history and recognizes that it is more complex than most realize; for example, the book contains a lot of maps, and you will need them to describe the provinces at different points throughoutmore
The Marriage Portrait: A novel
by Maggie O'Farrell
Way Better Than Expected (4/30/2023)
“The Marriage Portrait” by Maggie O’Farrell requires critical re-reading. Set in 1560 in Italy; a 15-year-old has to marry a duke after her sister passes away while engaged to the guy. Lucrezia then becomes convinced that her new husband is not what he seems, and he fearsmore
Honor
by Thrity Umrigar
A Brilliant Cultural Expose (4/4/2023)
“Honor” by Thrity Umrigar exposes a side of India we rarely see. A woman loses her husband to arson after their interfaith marriage, and a reporter who left India voluntarily must return to her homeland to cover the story. Smita, the reporter, returns to India after hermore
We Are Not Like Them: A Novel
by Christine Pride, Jo Piazza
Conversation Stimulator (3/22/2023)
"We Are Not Like Them" by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza has an explosive premise that will make it the water cooler book that "The Hate You Give" was. Two life-long best friends (one black and one white and, yes, their race matters) faced a crossroads when the white one'smore
I Will Die in a Foreign Land
by Kalani Pickhart
A Piece of History Every American Needs (3/10/2023)
"I Will Die in a Foreign Land" by Kalani Pickhart is chaotic, but I suppose the riots and protests they cover were as well. Picture it, Ukraine, 2013: the government has decided to align closer to Russia and Vladimir Putin than the European Union. People, at least the fourmore
Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artist's Memoir of the Jim Crow South
by Winfred Rembert
Such a Quick Read (2/26/2023)
“Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artist’s Memoir of the Jim Crow South” by Winfred Rembert has a difficult job right out of the gate: writing a biography about an artist or writer is challenging because most of the brilliance comes from within their mind. Luckily, Rembert toldmore
The Netanyahus: An Account of a Minor and Ultimately Even Negligible Episode in the History of a Very Famous Family
by Joshua Cohen
A Rare Dose of Humor (2/15/2023)
"The Netanyahus" by Joshua Cohen tells the story of a Jewish man in a prominent history department who does not study Jewish history. Instead, Ruben Blum is responsible for reviewing an application from a quirky Israeli scholar. The man is Benjamin Netanyahu's father andmore
Dinosaurs: A Novel
by Lydia Millet
Compelling Page-Turner (2/4/2023)
"Dinosaurs" by Lydia Millett should fire its PR team because it makes the story sound aimless, yet it hooked me immediately. A gentleman walks from New York to Phoenix (you read that correctly) and starts anew after a failed relationship. Our protagonist, Gil, has a lot ofmore
In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss
by Amy Bloom
An Honest Slice of Life (1/24/2023)
"In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss" by Amy Bloom tells the story of a couple who, when the husband develops Alzheimer's Disease, seek physician-assisted suicide to end his suffering. With this topic, many people feel strongly enough about the issue to say, "No thanks," butmore
frank: sonnets
by Diane Seuss
Poetry for Non-Poets (1/13/2023)
“frank: sonnets” by Diane Seuss (no relation) has incredibly free-range, stream-of-consciousness poetry. Imagine 137 pages of quick, rambling paragraphs where the author casually mentions death and suicidal ideation, only to move on to something else almost immediately.

Itmore
Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel
by Anthony Doerr
Strangely Life-Affirming (12/3/2022)
“Cloud Cuckoo Land” covers a lot of ground from the past, present, and future. It has so much ambition that you almost feel it is unfair to criticize it. However, you feel more competent when it all comes together because you “get it.” I think I got it. But, if you are themore

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