Day: January 10, 2023

A Great Variety of Selves

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Late one night toward the end of September 1927, wavering between consciousness and sleep, Virginia Woolf came up with an idea for a book: to sketch, “like a grand historical picture, the outlines of all my friends.” The next morning, she recorded the thought in her diary. “It might be a most amusing book. The […]

Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2023/01/10/great-variety-of-selves-woolf/

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Square Books Top 100 of 2022

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01/09/2023

In Square Books’ early childhood, there were just a handful of writers around town — Barry Hannah, Willie Morris, Ellen Douglas, and a couple more. 

Today, our 2022 bestseller list is full of writers who live in Oxford and/or are connected to the University of Mississippi. Curtis Wilkie put two books on this year’s list — his classic The Fall of the House of Zeus (52) and the more recent When Evil Lived in Laurel (49). An interesting appearance this year is the Wildsam Guide to Oxford (17), which includes short pieces from a number of Oxford writers. Jackie Mayfield’s Oxford & Ole Miss is on the list every year (72), as is Wyatt Waters’ Oxford Sketchbook (16), and John Currence’s Big Bad Breakfast (51), as was John Cofield’s first volume of Oxford, Mississippi (35), which was outdistanced easily, of course, by the new 2022 second volume (6).  

Wright Thompson’s Pappyland remains highly relevant (8), as do David Magee’s Dear William (14), Robert Khayat’s 60 (29), Aimee Nezhukumatatil’s World of Wonders (36), Lee Harper’s Tiny Oxford (96), David Crews’ Mississippi Quotations (81), Neil White’s In the Sanctuary Of Outcasts (44), and the astonishingly durable Square Table (39), the book of Oxford recipes that, in 2022, we witnessed Square Books’ ten thousandth copy sold. 

Imperishable is our main man, William Faulkner, with six titles on our list: the paperback and Modern Library editions of both The Sound and the Fury (61 & 87) and As I Lay Dying (71 & 84), the Selected Stories (30), and a small edition of The Bear (19), which is short and inexpensive enough for some to dare to read.

Other books on the list with a local connection include Shifty’s Boys by Chris Offutt (82), a compelling noir effort, as is the case with local rock legend Tyler Keith and his first book, The Mark of Cain (65). Ralph Eubanks’ excellent gift of a book, A Place Like Mississippi (23) tells it like it is, and the novel that is an adventurous car ride around Oxford, The Last Taxi Driver (83) by Lee Durkee, is now in paperback. Current Grisham writer-in-residence Deesha Philyaw arrived here just in time for us to help celebrate The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (88), a finalist for the National Book Award and winner of The Story Prize; Jake Keiser took time out to write Daffodil Hill (20); Julie Mabus made a splash with Confessions of a Southern Beauty Queen (26); we miss Julia Reed but she still had a hit in Dispatches from The Gilded Age (62), not too far from Dispatches from Pluto (21) by Richard Grant, who fled the territory, leaving behind this Natchez book, The Deepest South of All (32). It turns out that Snackbar’s Vishwesh Bhatt writes as well as he creates culinary delights, with his I Am From Here perched at number 5. What could top that, you ask? Only John Grisham — The Boys from Biloxi (1) and Sparring Partners (2) — and the Ole Miss baseball team: from Neil White and Nautilus Press, the lavishly pictorial Ole Miss 2022 Baseball National Champions (3) and Chase Parham’s narrative version of the same event, Resilient Rebels (4).  

And this Colleen Hoover person you may have heard about, where does she fit in at Square Books? Turns out, just about anywhere her readers want, with eight different titles among our top 100, as high as # 9 (It Ends with Us) down to # 79 (Down to Us), and four of her novels in the top twenty. John Grisham had two additional books in the upper reaches of our list — The Judge’s List (7) and Sooley (a kind of personal favorite – 13). Delia Owens’ Where the Crawdads Sing doesn’t rest (11); ditto, Lisa Patton and Rush (40); and Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (12) and Malibu Rising (92). Emily Henry put two on our list — Book Lovers (29) and Beach Read (59), as did Amor Towles — The Lincoln Highway (75) and A Gentleman in Moscow (100). Familiar friends remained faithful — Madeline Miller’s Circe (43) and The Song of Achilles (33), not to mention The Liberal Redneck Manifesto (68), by Trae Crowder ‘n them.

We were much abetted by author visits, according to the numbers: Beverly Lowry and her exceptional true crime tale set around Leland, Mississippi, Deer Creek (22); good friend Berkley Hudson with his fascinating book of Columbus, Mississippi, photography from O. N. Pruitt, Possum Town; Rinker Buck’s excellent read on Life on the Mississippi (38); Jon Meacham — always good — with his book on Lincoln, And There Was Light (70); Robert St. John and his Walter Anderson (24); You Are My Sunshine (93), by Sean Dietrich, who killed it on Thacker; likewise, at his reading, Bud Smith, with Teenager (94); Jay Wellons and All That Moves Us (56); Imani Perry, whose South to America (34) would go on to win the National Book Award for Nonfiction; Wyatt Waters and Watercolor Road (28); the reliably readable Rick Bragg, author of Speckled Beauty (41) and Where I Come From (69); and from our favorite writer couple — Casey Cep and Kathryn Schulz, with, respectively, Furious Hours (66) and Lost & Found (85). We also managed to get a fair supply of signed copies of Patti Smith’s visually contemplative Book of Days (78).

Likely on a number of lists as well as our own were Run Rose Run by Dolly Parton (64); Matthew McConaughey’s Greenlights (67), and another Hollywood memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died (58) by Jennette McCurdy: Geraldine Brooks’ novel, Horse (96); The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse by Charley Mackesy (92); Midnight Library (86) by Matthew Haig; Candice Millard’s, book on the Nile, River of the Gods (90); The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk (98); and The Paris Apartment (73), by Lucy Foley. Cormac McCarthy’s long-awaited novel, The Passenger, arrived late in the year but staked a claim on #37. Tynan Kogane’s book of Cat Poems howled its way to #79, while that funny Field Guide to Dumb Birds by Matt Kracht was smart enough to get to #95, and, a certain favorite here, The Rodent Not Taken and Other Poems by Cats, clawed its way to #25.   

Thanks to all you readers and writers for making all these dreams, and so many more, come true. RH

Original source: https://www.squarebooks.com/square-books-top-100-2022

Categories: Uncategorized

Square Books Top 100 of 2022

No Comments
01/09/2023

In Square Books’ early childhood, there were just a handful of writers around town — Barry Hannah, Willie Morris, Ellen Douglas, and a couple more. 

Today, our 2022 bestseller list is full of writers who live in Oxford and/or are connected to the University of Mississippi. Curtis Wilkie put two books on this year’s list — his classic The Fall of the House of Zeus (52) and the more recent When Evil Lived in Laurel (49). An interesting appearance this year is the Wildsam Guide to Oxford (17), which includes short pieces from a number of Oxford writers. Jackie Mayfield’s Oxford & Ole Miss is on the list every year (72), as is Wyatt Waters’ Oxford Sketchbook (16), and John Currence’s Big Bad Breakfast (51), as was John Cofield’s first volume of Oxford, Mississippi (35), which was outdistanced easily, of course, by the new 2022 second volume (6).  

Wright Thompson’s Pappyland remains highly relevant (8), as do David Magee’s Dear William (14), Robert Khayat’s 60 (29), Aimee Nezhukumatatil’s World of Wonders (36), Lee Harper’s Tiny Oxford (96), David Crews’ Mississippi Quotations (81), Neil White’s In the Sanctuary Of Outcasts (44), and the astonishingly durable Square Table (39), the book of Oxford recipes that, in 2022, we witnessed Square Books’ ten thousandth copy sold. 

Imperishable is our main man, William Faulkner, with six titles on our list: the paperback and Modern Library editions of both The Sound and the Fury (61 & 87) and As I Lay Dying (71 & 84), the Selected Stories (30), and a small edition of The Bear (19), which is short and inexpensive enough for some to dare to read.

Other books on the list with a local connection include Shifty’s Boys by Chris Offutt (82), a compelling noir effort, as is the case with local rock legend Tyler Keith and his first book, The Mark of Cain (65). Ralph Eubanks’ excellent gift of a book, A Place Like Mississippi (23) tells it like it is, and the novel that is an adventurous car ride around Oxford, The Last Taxi Driver (83) by Lee Durkee, is now in paperback. Current Grisham writer-in-residence Deesha Philyaw arrived here just in time for us to help celebrate The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (88), a finalist for the National Book Award and winner of The Story Prize; Jake Keiser took time out to write Daffodil Hill (20); Julie Mabus made a splash with Confessions of a Southern Beauty Queen (26); we miss Julia Reed but she still had a hit in Dispatches from The Gilded Age (62), not too far from Dispatches from Pluto (21) by Richard Grant, who fled the territory, leaving behind this Natchez book, The Deepest South of All (32). It turns out that Snackbar’s Vishwesh Bhatt writes as well as he creates culinary delights, with his I Am From Here perched at number 5. What could top that, you ask? Only John Grisham — The Boys from Biloxi (1) and Sparring Partners (2) — and the Ole Miss baseball team: from Neil White and Nautilus Press, the lavishly pictorial Ole Miss 2022 Baseball National Champions (3) and Chase Parham’s narrative version of the same event, Resilient Rebels (4).  

And this Colleen Hoover person you may have heard about, where does she fit in at Square Books? Turns out, just about anywhere her readers want, with eight different titles among our top 100, as high as # 9 (It Ends with Us) down to # 79 (Down to Us), and four of her novels in the top twenty. John Grisham had two additional books in the upper reaches of our list — The Judge’s List (7) and Sooley (a kind of personal favorite – 13). Delia Owens’ Where the Crawdads Sing doesn’t rest (11); ditto, Lisa Patton and Rush (40); and Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (12) and Malibu Rising (92). Emily Henry put two on our list — Book Lovers (29) and Beach Read (59), as did Amor Towles — The Lincoln Highway (75) and A Gentleman in Moscow (100). Familiar friends remained faithful — Madeline Miller’s Circe (43) and The Song of Achilles (33), not to mention The Liberal Redneck Manifesto (68), by Trae Crowder ‘n them.

We were much abetted by author visits, according to the numbers: Beverly Lowry and her exceptional true crime tale set around Leland, Mississippi, Deer Creek (22); good friend Berkley Hudson with his fascinating book of Columbus, Mississippi, photography from O. N. Pruitt, Possum Town; Rinker Buck’s excellent read on Life on the Mississippi (38); Jon Meacham — always good — with his book on Lincoln, And There Was Light (70); Robert St. John and his Walter Anderson (24); You Are My Sunshine (93), by Sean Dietrich, who killed it on Thacker; likewise, at his reading, Bud Smith, with Teenager (94); Jay Wellons and All That Moves Us (56); Imani Perry, whose South to America (34) would go on to win the National Book Award for Nonfiction; Wyatt Waters and Watercolor Road (28); the reliably readable Rick Bragg, author of Speckled Beauty (41) and Where I Come From (69); and from our favorite writer couple — Casey Cep and Kathryn Schulz, with, respectively, Furious Hours (66) and Lost & Found (85). We also managed to get a fair supply of signed copies of Patti Smith’s visually contemplative Book of Days (78).

Likely on a number of lists as well as our own were Run Rose Run by Dolly Parton (64); Matthew McConaughey’s Greenlights (67), and another Hollywood memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died (58) by Jennette McCurdy: Geraldine Brooks’ novel, Horse (96); The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse by Charley Mackesy (92); Midnight Library (86) by Matthew Haig; Candice Millard’s, book on the Nile, River of the Gods (90); The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk (98); and The Paris Apartment (73), by Lucy Foley. Cormac McCarthy’s long-awaited novel, The Passenger, arrived late in the year but staked a claim on #37. Tynan Kogane’s book of Cat Poems howled its way to #79, while that funny Field Guide to Dumb Birds by Matt Kracht was smart enough to get to #95, and, a certain favorite here, The Rodent Not Taken and Other Poems by Cats, clawed its way to #25.   

Thanks to all you readers and writers for making all these dreams, and so many more, come true. RH

Original source: https://www.squarebooks.com/square-books-top-100-2022

Categories: Uncategorized

The Cloisters by Katy Hays

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Narrated by Emily Tremaine, The Cloisters by Katy Hays delivers a gothic mystery thriller. A deadly game begins when Ann discovers a hidden 15th-century deck of tarot cards. Grab a cup of coffee and see what I enjoyed about this one….

The Cloisters by Katy Hays

The Cloisters
by Katy Hays
Narrator: Emily Tremaine
Length: 10 hours and 16 minutes
Genres: Mystery
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate

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Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Narration: 5 cups Speed: 1.5x

The Secret History meets Ninth House in this sinister, atmospheric novel following a circle of researchers as they uncover a mysterious deck of tarot cards and shocking secrets in New York’s famed Met Cloisters.

When Ann Stilwell arrives in New York City, she expects to spend her summer working as a curatorial associate at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, she finds herself assigned to The Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden renowned for its medieval art collection and its group of enigmatic researchers studying the history of divination.

Desperate to escape her painful past, Ann is happy to indulge the researchers’ more outlandish theories about the history of fortune telling. But what begins as academic curiosity quickly turns into obsession when Ann discovers a hidden 15th-century deck of tarot cards that might hold the key to predicting the future. When the dangerous game of power, seduction, and ambition at The Cloisters turns deadly, Ann becomes locked in a race for answers as the line between the arcane and the modern blurs.

A haunting and magical blend of genres, The Cloisters is a gripping debut that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

mystery paranormal SUSPENSE thriller

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Ann is excited to leave her small-town of Walla Walla, Washington behind and spend the summer interning at the Met. However, she quickly discovers that she has been assigned to the Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden renowned for its medieval art collection and deviation research. Hello. I loved the setting and history.

The tale that unfolds was twisted from the relationships to the tarot cards. Can they really predict the future? If you love books steeped in the arcane, you’ll want to grab your earbuds and listen. The pacing built to a crescendo and hooked me from the start as it slowly reeled me in.

Ann befriends Rachel, another intern. The girls are opposites and the author leaves you unsure if they are besties or enemies. As Ann’s summer unfolds, you’ll encounter hidden tarot cards, romance, suspicious activity and a poisoning. It was atmospheric from the creepy gardens to the questionable relationships.

None of the characters were particularly likable, and that helped with questioning everyone’s actions and motives. Aside from Ann, there is Rachel, the girl from privilege, Patrick, the curator, and Leo, who manages the dangerous and poisonous plants. Are they being friendly or is something else at play?

The manipulations, characters and setting gave this gothic mystery a bit of a thriller vibe. It was fascinating seeing Ann with these mysterious cards and the changes in her over the summer.

Emily Tremaine narrates and masterfully captures these unreliable characters while enhancing the atmospheric tones of the tale, the gardens and museum.

A gripping tale set against the backdrop of the Cloisters that will pull listeners in.

Amazon | Audible


The Cloisters by Katy Hays delivered a gothic mystery thriller that will pull listeners in. #audiobook #EmilyTremaine #audiobookreview #SimonAudio
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About Katy Hays

Katy Hays

Katy Hays is a writer and adjunct art history professor in California, where she teaches rural students from Truckee to Tecopa. She holds an MA in art history from Williams College and pursued her PhD at UC Berkeley. Having previously worked at major art institutions, including The Clark Art Institute and SF MoMA, she now lives with her husband and their dog, Queso, in Olympic Valley, California.

About Emily Tremaine

Emily Tremaine

Emily Tremaine is an actress and audiobook narrator. She has acted in several major motion pictures, including The Wolf of Wall Street and Obvious Child, and was one of the narrators featured on the audio version of Chuck Klosterman’s Eating the Dinosaur.

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Original source: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2023/01/the-cloisters-by-katy-hays.html

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Milo Savage and the Gargoyle Hunters

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Milo Savage is a happy-go-lucky kid who loves a good prank. Unfortunately for Milo, his troubles are only beginning as he finds more than he bargained for at the sixth-grade field trip to the museum. Untold horrors lurk in the shadows, keen on discovering a secret that may spell disaster for all mankind. Drawn suddenly into a world of magic and mayhem, Milo must overcome the obstacles within himself to save the day. Working alongside bookworm Suzy, technician Sammy, and martial artist Kat, Milo plummets into danger as he struggles to navigate a world he barely comprehends. Together, Milo and his team of unlikely adventurers must fight to protect humanity from a devastating threat that seeks to undo the balance of the world once and for all.

Milo Savage and the Gargoyle Hunters: Secret of the Moonstone by D.S. Quinton is a fast-paced adventure with a lot to love. There are numerous colorful characters, but the narrative avoids becoming cluttered. Written in a highly engaging first-person style, the reader is immediately drawn into Milo’s optimistically sarcastic world, which strikes the perfect balance of playful storytelling and serious plot. There is plenty of comic relief, and although Milo and his friends face numerous threats and dangers, the story retains its bright tone throughout the journey. With action-packed battles, an immersive setting, and the promise of more to come, this first entry in the series is an outstanding middle-grade adventure.

While this children’s fantasy adventure novel is gripping and filled with action, there is one detraction to the story, the character development. While the characters learn and grow throughout the journey, this team of heroes comprises people who met that day. I feel that the characters needed more time to develop and establish themselves before embarking on a dangerous quest to save the world. The ending of this novel will leave readers excited for more from author D.S. Quinton. This first book sets up the plot for the next in the series, leaving many questions and room for more adventures.

Milo’s quest to protect the world in Milo Savage and the Gargoyle Hunters: Secret of the Moonstone is a stand-out escapade full of surprises. This children’s fantasy novel contains minor violence and crude humor, making it ideal for middle-grade readers. A tale of magic, mystery, and fun, this lighthearted journey into a perilous world is a beautiful beginning to what promises to be an incredible series.

Pages: 250 | ASIN : B0BMQR8PHG

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Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/01/10/milo-savage-and-the-gargoyle-hunters/

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The Kitchen and the Studio

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The Kitchen and The Studio: Memoirs of Food and Art by Mallory M. and John A. O’Connor is an alluring read. As the title implies, it combines a cookbook, an art book, and a memoir detailing the couple’s long and storied marriage. These elements are expertly blended to form a book that contemplates love, family, friendship, and the meals that bring us together.

We follow Mallory and John from their first meeting in a UC Davis art class in 1960 through moves, career changes, and heartaches over the next 60-plus years of their life together. Along the way, they share stories of the fascinating people they befriended and, of course, the food they shared with those people.

The book is beautifully illustrated, with stunning landscapes and still-lifes peppered throughout, along with photos and documents from the couples’ prosperous lives. Much of the art is by the co-author himself, though there are also some lovely pieces by the couple’s many friends in the field. I thought it was a nice detail that, rather than photos, many of the recipes are accompanied by paintings of the dish in question, bringing a personal touch you don’t often see in recipe books.

As someone interested in food history, this book was a fascinating resource. Coming from the perspective of one couple and how food has been a part of their own story and journey over the past 60 years, it tells a very personal story. In addition, the authors made sure to include some historical background for many of the dishes, which was incredibly enlightening.

The recipes sound delicious and include some more exotic ingredients that the standard household may not always have in stock. Readers may have to make adjustments when attempting to replicate these menus to take into account ingredient availability. This is one area I would have loved to have seen in this book, some substitution options for hard-to-find ingredients, just to make the dishes more accessible. That aside, this collection offers readers a chance to expand their cooking repertoire and experience something they might not have thought of trying. The authors have included in this informative book some helpful resources for those looking to experience the dishes for themselves, including a wine list and some information on small businesses that make quality ingredients.

The Kitchen and The Studio: Memoirs of Food and Art is a highly original presentation of food history and personal memoirs. The authors clearly have enjoyed their life together and share their passion for cooking with friends and family. The stunning artwork and poignant reflections make it an unforgettable read.

Pages 412

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/01/10/the-kitchen-and-the-studio/

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Dimension Guardian

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In a world divided into five realms —Demons, Beasts, Darkness, Light, and Humans— that have peacefully lived for centuries, a sudden increase of issues arose, pitting one group against another and shaking the balance that has long been preserved. The Dimension Protection Council discovered that the threats were perpetrated by Guardians, the sworn protectors of all the dimensions, and planned to put a stop to it all by reinstating the Guardian Tournament, where the heroes of the world play their strengths against fellow Guardians, all for the betterment of the realms. Along with the decision came the choice of putting their best Guardians from each realm in a single group, who will serve as the council’s eyes and ears inside the competition. However, as the chosen five all partake in a journey that starts during their preparation and ends with an actual battle, they will soon discover that the competition and the controversies spreading about the realms are just puzzle pieces to a much bigger picture and threat for all.

Dimension Guardian: The Realm of Beasts – The Guardian Tournament, by K.J. Amidon, is an engrossing story that introduces readers to a highly complex world of magic and the politics of it all. While the presence of creatures is nothing new in the fantasy genre, this novel stands out for it starts with a decades-old mystery that was deliberately unpacked throughout the story. Readers with a diverse set of main characters experience ongoing conflict on all sides. They can comprehend the gravity of the situation and how it will affect the entire setting.

The novel’s beginning immediately pulls readers into reading more about the fuss. Each new discovery is devoured with glee as you anticipate what further information they will get on the following pages. With a lot to digest in such a short amount of time, the fact that each scene straightforwardly explained its events makes the story understandable and easier to navigate. The main characters were also well-written in that they were all given ample time to be highlighted in every scene, and readers understood why these characters were wired in a certain way. Despite the age difference between the five, they were all given amusing and relatable traits, gaining audiences’ favor one way or another.

Dimension Guardian: The Realm of Beasts – The Guardian Tournament is a gripping dark fantasy novel that hooks readers from the first chapter and leaves them astounded by its end. It is also an excellent start for a series of books, so readers can be assured that there is more to tell. I highly recommend this for anyone that is a fan of books such as The Hunger Games because they share a common theme of tournaments, and The Shadowhunter Chronicles, for it also tackles race and its conflicts.

Pages: 275 | ASIN : B00CZE0IV0

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Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/01/10/dimension-guardian/

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The Songs of My Family

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Myra Jenkins is a loving mother with a perfect family. Her two daughters are affectionate, and her husband is a lawyer with a high reputation. But after a car accident, a couple dies, and she unfairly carries the guilt. Her life completely changes. Although she has no charges against her, her friends turn their backs on her, and her family begins a period of disintegration. Now Myra has to discover herself and regain control of her life. Part of this process motivates her to help the three children of the deceased couple, a situation that does not turn out to be as simple as she expected. Fortunately, love and affection prevail around her.

I loved The Songs of My Family because although it is a fiction story, it has much to teach. Myra, the main character, is a strong woman facing an unfair challenge. Despite that, she gives her best to solve the problem and discovers which people she can trust. She and her daughters are characters with big hearts, and they demonstrate it in their efforts to help the three children who have become homeless.

Jillian Arena’s writing is excellent and entertaining. The characters are well elaborated, and all acquire personal development as they learn to relate to each other. The story has many plot twists, which are always coherent. It allows you to maintain a constant interest. This novel has an enjoyable topic and shows that love has no limits.

The Songs of My Family is a story of love that tries to make the best of every situation. That is why I recommend this reading to those who like realism, stories of motivation, and new opportunities. This novel is perfect for inspiring a more empathetic and harmonious environment on a family and social level.

Pages: 256 | ASIN : B0BNLQQYKJ

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Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/01/10/the-songs-of-my-family/

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Saturday

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Jessica is a normal teenage girl on a normal Saturday when her mom gets the news: she got a new job offer and Jess is moving to New York. The good news? They’re finally getting away from her abusive father. The bad news? Jessica, her mother, and her two younger siblings, are uprooting their lives and moving across the country. Come Monday, Jess gets to start a new school for performing arts. Her passion for music and acting throw her into the spotlight, much to the dismay of the school’s queen bee, Macy. Macy seems to have a grip on everyone’s life and connections to all the big producers. Will Jess be able to stand against Macy and her plans to destroy Jess? Or will Jess be another one of Macy’s many victims?

I felt that Saturday was an enjoyable young adult novel overall. The title of the book is not explained until the very end of the book, which leaves readers wondering throughout the book. And in those last few pages it was made out to be a theme.

I think this would be a great book for middle-grade readers or young teens who are struggling with fitting in at school or facing bullies. This is stirring melodrama that follows an interesting character through hurdles I think that many readers will be able to relate to.

I would recommend Saturday to young readers looking for a book that is easy to read but still carries an important message. The themes of bullying and conflict resolution make this a perfect book for that age-group. It portrays ways to stand up for yourself without becoming a bully. It discusses conflict resolution without condoning abuse or putting the abuser down. It portrays the difficulty of learning right from wrong in a manner that would be beneficial for any teen. I appreciate Cindy DeFuria for finding that balance in her story and I respect the message that she is sending through this poignant contemporary fiction book.

Pages: 188 | ASIN: B0BL5FH1VC

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Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/01/10/saturday/

Categories: Uncategorized