Everything Here Is Beautiful is Mira T. Lee’s debut novel, and a very sophisticated one it is. In the back of her book, there’s an interview with her in which she describes how she didn’t want to write about mental illness per se, but about relationships and how they...
I read this book because I’d heard that it was apocalyptic fiction from a woman’s point of view, which seems to be relatively rare. I enjoyed it thoroughly. As a physician, I’ve been trained to anticipate influenza epidemics and pandemics. The medical aspects were...
If you ever wanted a story about the Underworld, filled with trolls and other monsters, Double-Crossing the Bridge is for you. Sarah J. Sover's debut successfully blends an Ocean’s Eleven-type heist with sheer fantasy with high Monty-Python-quality wildly-hysterical...
Hamartia successfully blends time travel with reincarnation with the interesting concept that souls can be harvested. In the futuristic city of Hamartia, Grace Dartmouth learns that her nine-year-old son is afflicted with metagenesis, a disease in which a human’s soul...
All That's Bright and Gone by Eliza Nellums was released on December 10, 2019. This book deals with love, secrets, family, mental illness, and the potential of inheriting mental illness. Six-year-old Aoife navigates life agains the backdrop of major family...
Akashic Books, an independent publisher based in Brooklyn, is dedicated to publishing urban literary fiction and political nonfiction by authors ignored by the mainstream. Akashic has an excellent reputation and when they release a new book, the quality is guaranteed...
The cover of this book alone would prompt me to read it. As a Texas gal who lives in a city where El Día de los Muertos is celebrated, the skeleton with its ties to Sugar Skulls drew me in. This book is about grief, hauntings, and identity. The protaognist, Daphne...
M.A. Guglielmo’s debut novel, Summoned, is a lively, fun book which should appeal to older YA readers (and adults wanting a light-hearted read). Daniel Goldstein, a Jewish gaming designer, is told by his grandmother’s ghost to summon a jinn to save the world from...
A World War II novel from a woman's point of view, The Flight Girls follows a young Texas woman who, despite her privileged life in Dallas, leaves the security of home and family to fly military aircraft for the US Army. The main character, Audrey, is strong and...
The Wild Impossibility is Cheryl A. Ossola’s debut novel, but an accomplished feat it is, combing elements of mystery, historical fiction, psychological drama, and love story into a cohesive whole. Kira, the protagonist, has suffered two miscarriages. With the second...
I had a hard time getting into the first few pages of Monkey Temple, mostly because I didn't feel well-grounded at the onset. However, I was soon captivated. As a woman of a certain age (roughly the same age as Jules, the protagonist of Monkey Temple), I found myself...
The Resurrectionist of Caligo by Wendy Trimboli and Alicia Zaloga is a gothic fantasy with Victorian England overtones, Jack-the-Ripper type murders, political intrigue, a bit of romance, and some magic tossed into the mix. It’s a delight to read with an original...
Dianne Freeman’s debut novel, the first in the Countess Harleigh mystery series, A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder, is a witty romp of a Victorian mystery. The second in the series, A Lady’s Guide to Gossip and Murder, is just as delightful. Frances (Lady...
Laurel, Runaway Love Story’s heroine, is a free-spirit who wants to be an artist. Her plans are derailed time and again by her own lack of commitment and tendency to run away when things don’t go her way. In Runaway Love Story, her plans are again derailed, this time...
I read this novel because I enjoy being transported to different places and cultures. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal reveals the immigrant experience in Britain, particularly in the Sikh community of London’s Southall. The protagonist, Nikki, a...
-Let’s Connect-
If you love literature, art, photography, exclusive sneek peaks, author giveaways, and things that light up the soul, you will want to sign up for Suanne's low-volume newsletter...