Category Archives: Uncategorized

If someone put a gun to my head and asked me who my favorite authors are (that happens so often), I’d probably have to say Mikhail Bulgakov, Grace Paley, Toni Morrison and Cheryl Strayed. (A Russian who carried a German Luger in the pocket of his trench coat in case he needed to off himselfContinue reading “A Beautiful 2 X 4”

Tayari Jones is back in her hometown Atlanta, teaching Creative Writing at Emory after being in New York for a decade. She is also a professor-at-large for Cornell. We have three of her four books in our house, and my partner, Julie, handed me Leaving Atlanta which is a novel set in Southwest Atlanta fromContinue reading “Two by Atlanta’s own Tayari Jones”

I get that reviewing The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand right after writing about Ocean Vuong is like hosting you for dinner at Antoine’s in New Orleans, and then offering you a fried twinkie for dessert. But I say, if you can’t enjoy a fried twinkie during a global pandemic, when can you? Hildebrand has writtenContinue reading “Virtual Beach Read”

Maybe you shouldn’t read this right now.  I mean, Ocean Vuong is a genius, and I don’t mean that as a passing compliment. Last year he won the MacArthur Genius Award which gives you $600,000 to spend on anything you want.  They didn’t give it to me because they knew I would’ve spent it allContinue reading “When Literary Avoidance Fails”

Picture of the actual Dutch House in Philadelphia

A Particular Kind of Black Man, a novel that reads more like a memoir, will have you worried about that question, will pay out with a big and satisfying answer and then question whether or not you were told the truth. I know that’s a confusing bit to chew on along with your Choco Taco,Continue reading “Can a Nigerian American family sell everything in their ice cream truck at a festival in Utah?”

“To be a nun and a lesbian is difficult…..but to be a nun and a lesbian in SHOW BUSINESS!……” I know this quotation from Justin Vivian Bond as Kiki in their variety show Kiki and Herb probably isn’t making you laugh as much as it always makes me, but that’s because you have to hearContinue reading “To be a nun and a lesbian in ICELAND!”

I have a confession to make. I only read 223 pages of this book. I know, I know. I said I was going to turn over a new leaf and then only review books I had finished so why am I writing this one? Well, I was pretty amused by the first 223 pages untilContinue reading “I’d better get a library card because I’m checking out of this relationship.”

My Dad gave me this memoir when he was done with it, which, if you read it, will impress you. He did say that there were some scenes that were too much for him, which is fair, and it is exactly these scenes that crash through the ethers, sending shock waves and reverberations back intoContinue reading “Something a little Heavy”

I mentioned earlier that I would give the copy of the book I have reviewed (after spraying it with Lysol) to the first person who emails me saying they want to pick it up from my front yard fence. I can’t do that with Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu because I already gave it away. MyContinue reading “It’s everyone’s problem.”