Tag Archives: Reading Well

Reading Well: Doxology by Nell Zink

Nell Zink‘s Doxology (2019) traces America through its fin de siècle and entry into the 21st century, following a set of characters combining family of origin and family of choice, and centered on the East Coast. A doxology is a … Continue reading

Posted in Culture | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Reading Well: Only Human by Sylvain Neuvel

Only Human (2018) is the conclusion of Sylvain Neuvel‘s trilogy that started with Sleeping Giants and continued with Waking Gods. If you liked those, you’ll enjoy the conclusion of the series. For me, I was happy to see the story … Continue reading

Posted in Culture | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Reading Well: John Crow’s Devil by Marlon James

As a big fan of A Brief History of Seven Killings and Black Leopard Red Wolf, I decided to look at the rest of Marlon James‘ output, starting with his debut novel, John Crow’s Devil (2005). The novel traces the … Continue reading

Posted in Culture | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Reading Well: Ginger Bread by Helen Oyeyemi

I’ve been a fan of Helen Oyeyemi since her debut novel, 2005’s Icarus Girl, which I thought was one of the best ghost stories I had read in a long, long time. I read Ginger Bread (2019) having skipped many … Continue reading

Posted in Culture | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Reading Well: Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

Trail of Lightning (2018) is the opening novel of a YA duology set in, well, I guess technically it’s a dystopia, but it really is focused on the world after the dystopian events. I think it is Rebecca Roanhorse‘s debut … Continue reading

Posted in Culture | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Reading Well: The Minotaur Takes His Own Sweet Time by Steven Sherrill

I didn’t even know that Steven Sherrill‘s The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break (2000) had a sequel until quite recently. The initial emergence of the ancient Minotaur into modern times was one of my favorite novels of the early 21st … Continue reading

Posted in Culture | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Reading Well: Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel

Reading Half Brother (2010) was somewhat surreal. I kept having this memory of reading not this book, but another book, quite similar to this book, but somehow darker, but maybe the same book? Turns out I was remembering Karen Joy … Continue reading

Posted in Culture | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Reading Well: House of Names by Colm Tóibín

Sitting in a long tradition of revisiting the Greek classics, Colm Tóibín‘s House of Names (2017) tells of the House of Agamemnon. Agamemnon fought in the Trojan War and, when things weren’t going so well, agreed to sacrifice one of … Continue reading

Posted in Culture | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Reading Well: The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

I had never read Carson McCullers‘ The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter (1940), which is sort of a shameful admission, right? Now, I have; and if you haven’t read it yet, you should, too. There are a few things to … Continue reading

Posted in Culture | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Reading Well: Educated by Tara Westover

Educated (2018) is in the same broad genre as Hillbilly Elegy, a tale of an individual’s struggle to move beyond the context and control of their family of origin. It shares many of the same strengths and weaknesses. On the … Continue reading

Posted in Culture | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment