Author Archives: Daniel (@MKNN)

Reading Well: Babel by R.F. Kuang

Posted on June 1, 2025 by Daniel (@MKNN)

How much do you love Oxford and how much are you fascinated by linguistic etymology? The answers to those questions will scale directly with your enjoyment of R.F. Kuang‘s 2022 novel, Babel. Set in a parallel 19th century, Babel exists … Continue reading →

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Reading Well: The Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz

Posted on May 17, 2025 by Daniel (@MKNN)

The Cairo Trilogy was my first encounter with Naguib Mahfouz, the only Egyptian writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize (1988). The three books were originally published in quick succession, with Palace Walk released in 1956, and both Palace of … Continue reading →

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Reading Well: Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward

Posted on May 9, 2025 by Daniel (@MKNN)

Back before I treated multibook series as single entries, I wrote about Jesmyn Ward‘s Salvage the Bones, Where the Line Bleeds, and Sing, Unburied, Sing. I’m a fan. As such, I was greatly looking forward to her 2023 novel, Let … Continue reading →

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Reading Well: Blue in Green by Wesley Brown

Posted on April 24, 2025 by Daniel (@MKNN)

Wesley Brown‘s Blue in Green (2022) is a fictionalized retelling of a key moment in the life of Miles Davis. It is August, 1959, just over a week after the release of the magnificent, majestic, masterpiece Kind of Blue. Miles … Continue reading →

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Reading Well: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Posted on April 16, 2025 by Daniel (@MKNN)

I’ve always been a devotee of Barbara Kingsolver (see prior writeups of Unsheltered and Prodigal Summer), but had largely assumed the crowning achievement of her illustrious career would be 1998’s The Poisonwood Bible. Enter 2022’s Demon Copperhead, a novel of … Continue reading →

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Reading Well: Bob the Gambler by Frederick Barthelme and Double Down by Frederick Barthelme & Steven Barthelme

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Daniel (@MKNN)

Donald Barthelme is easily the most famous of the clan, but his brothers, Frederick and Steven, were also writers, English professors by profession and somewhat degenerate gamblers by choice. I read Bob the Gambler by Frederick (1997) first, and enjoyed … Continue reading →

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Reading Well: The Fraud by Zadie Smith

Posted on March 27, 2025 by Daniel (@MKNN)

The Fraud, Zadie Smith‘s 2023 novel, is a bit of a departure for her: it is a historical novel, focusing on real people and real events in the late 19th century, specifically the household of the once-acclaimed writer William Harrison … Continue reading →

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Reading Well: The Bloodsworn Trilogy by John Gwynne

Posted on March 14, 2025 by Daniel (@MKNN)

John Gwynne‘s Bloodsworn Trilogy contains The Shadow of the Gods (2021), The Hunger of the Gods (2022), and The Fury of the Gods (2024). My guess is most of you who will absolutely adore this trilogy already know about it, … Continue reading →

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Reading Well: The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang

Posted on March 1, 2025 by Daniel (@MKNN)

S.L. Huang retells the story of Water Margin, a tale described as a minor classic of martial arts literature in their 2023 novel, The Water Outlaws. While retaining the setting and shape of the source material, Huang gender-flips many of … Continue reading →

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Reading Well: To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

Posted on February 21, 2025 by Daniel (@MKNN)

I usually hold off on writing about series until they are complete, but it’s not clear when (if?) Moniquill Blackgoose plans to release a sequel to 2023’s To Shape A Dragon’s Breath. I hope they do, as this is an … Continue reading →

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