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Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese
Gut-wrenching and haunting Indian Horse depicts the horrific realities of residential schools, as well as racism and discrimination in 1960s Ontario. This is the third novel that I’ve read by Richard Wagamese and, while Medicine Walk and Ragged Company were no walks in the parks, Indian Horse’s unsparing bleakness and distressing content make those two…
1960s, 1st pov, 20th century, 4 STARS, abuse, addiction, Adult, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, canada, canadian author, conversational style, DEPRESSION, distressing reads, favourite authors, GRIEF, HISTORICAL FICTION, hockey, indigenous, indigenous author, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, male authors, My reviews, native american & first nation, Native American & First Nation authors, nuns, Ojibwe/Chippewa, Ojibwe/Chippewa author, Pedophelia, published in 2012, RACE, read in 2021, reading, rural setting, social issues, sports, trauma -
Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
With its strong sense of place and dynamic dialogues Bluebird, Bluebird makes for a solid Southern Noir, one that will definitely appeal to fans of crime authors such as Walter Mosley, Dennis Lehane, and S.A. Cosby. Bluebird, Bluebird follows Darren Mathews, a Black Texas Ranger. After helping out a friend in need Darren’s job as…
3.25 stars, 3rd pov, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Attica Locke, Black & Black heritage authors, Bluebird Bluebird, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, Contemporary, CRIME, female authors, HARD-BOILED, Highway 59 #1, MURDER, My reviews, MYSTERY, Noir, PUBLISHED IN 2017, RACE, read in 2021, reading, rural setting, SMALL TOWN, small town crime, Southern America, texas, THRILLER -
Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson
“Names have power. This is the fundamental principle of magic everywhere. Call out the name of a supernatural being, and you will have its instant and undivided attention in the same way that your lost toddler will have yours the second it calls your name.” First published in 2000 Monkey Beach is a deeply evocative…
1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 1st pov, 4 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, addiction, affairs, bildungsroman, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, british columbia, canada, canadian author, CHILDHOOD, coming of age, DEATH, Eden Robinson, family, female authors, ghosts/spirits, girlhood, GRIEF, growing up, haisla, haisla author, identity, indigenous, indigenous author, introspective, MAGICAL REALISM, MEMORY, monkey beach, My reviews, native american & first nation, Native American & First Nation authors, place as character, published in 2000, rape, re-reads, read in 2021, read in 2022, reading, rural setting, sea, sexual assault/abuse/rape, siblings, social issues, YOUNG ADULT -
The Gone Dead by Chanelle Benz
When I started reading The Gone Dead I was expecting a thriller, something in the realms of When No One is Watching or with the setting and tone of Sharp Objects. What The Gone Dead is not so much of crime/thriller story but a narrative that focuses on depicting a certain community, exploring its…
1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 3 STARS, 3rd pov, addiction, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Black & Black heritage authors, Chanelle Benz, creepy setting, family, female authors, HISTORICAL FICTION, Mississippi, MYSTERY, Poverty, published in 2019, RACE, read in 2021, rural setting, SMALL TOWN, small town crime, social issues, Southern America, SUSPENSE, The Gone Dead, THRILLER -
A Crooked Tree by Una Mannion
“That summer when I so desperately tried to reel us all in, I didn’t understand the forces spinning us apart.” The opening of A Crooked Tree is certainly chilling. Libby, our fifteen-year old narrator, is in the car with her siblings. When their squabbling gets too much their mother dumps twelve-year old Ellen on the…
1980s, 1st pov, 20th century, 3.25 stars, A Crooked Tree, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, CHILDHOOD, class, coming of age, creepy setting, family, female authors, friendships, girlhood, growing up, GUILT, kidnapping, MYSTERY, netgalley, nostalgic reads, Pennsylvania, place as character, Poverty, psychological, published in 2021, read in 2021, rural setting, siblings, SISTERS, Summer, SUSPENSE, Una Mannion, YOUNG ADULT -
Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby
“You were never out of the Life completely. You were always looking over your shoulder. You always kept a gun within reach.” Blacktop Wasteland is a thrilling, adrenaline-fueled read that gives a fresh new take on the One Last Job™ premise. S.A. Cosby’s pitch-perfect sophomore novel is brutal, twisty, and very gritty. Blacktop Wasteland will…
3rd pov, 4.5 STARS, adrenaline fuelled reads, Adult, American, Black & Black heritage authors, Blacktop Wasteland, cars, Contemporary, CRIME, DEATH, family, fatherhood, fathers & sons, grit lit, heist, lesbian side characters, lgbtq+ side, male authors, Noir, published in 2020, read in 2020, rural setting, S.A. Cosby, SMALL TOWN, small town crime, Southern America, SUSPENSE, terrific prose, THRILLER, violence, virginia -
The Bright Lands by John Fram
At first, I was intrigued by The Bright Lands: a small town in Texas, missing teen(s), possible evil entities…I kind of expected it to be a modern take on Twin Peaks by way of Stephen King. Sadly, however, The Bright Lands never delivers on its intriguing premise. The writing leaves a lot to be desired,…
2 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, BOOK REVIEWS, Contemporary, cults, gay, heavy on telling, HIGH SCHOOL, HORROR, John Fram, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, male authors, missing boys, MYSTERY, NEW YORK, PARANORMAL, problematic, published in 2020, queer, read in 2020, REVIEWS, rural setting, sex, SMALL TOWN, small town crime, Southern America, sports, SUPERNATURAL, SUSPENSE, texas, The Bright Lands, THRILLER, weak prose -
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett — book review
“At first, passing seemed so simple, she couldn’t understand why her parents hadn’t done it. But she was young then. She hadn’t realized how long it takes to become somebody else, or how lonely it can be living in a world not meant for you.” Brit Bennett’s second novel is a tour de force. The…
1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 20th century, 3rd pov, 5 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, abuse, ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS, ALIENATION, AMERICAN AUTHOR, beautiful prose, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEWS, Brit Bennett, California, class, colorism, family, FAMILY SAGA, female authors, HISTORICAL FICTION, identity, lgbtq+ side, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, Longing, los angeles, Louisiana, MARRIAGE, motherhood, mothers & daughters, New Orleans, NEW YORK, passing, published in 2020, RACE, re-reads, read in 2020, read in 2021, read in 2022, rural setting, sexual assault/abuse/rape, SISTERS, SMALL TOWN, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, social issues, Southern America, The Vanishing Half, trans side characters, trauma, twins, Washington DC -
Blackwood by Michael Farris Smith — book review
Blackwood is a gritty read. Set in Red Bluff, Mississippi, a rather dismal small-town, the story follows a small cast of miserable characters. There is a family that is new to town, that are referred to as ‘the man’, ‘the woman’, and ‘the boy’, who stir some trouble with the locals, the sheriff, Myer, and…
2 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Blackwood, creepy setting, dark, DEATH, GOTHIC, HORROR, male authors, Michael Farris Smith, Mississippi, modern gothic, MYSTERY, read in 2020, rural setting, SMALL TOWN, Southern America, southern gothic, SUPERNATURAL, unnamed characters, violence -
The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel — book review
“We can be sad, distraught, confused, pleading, forgiving. But not furious. Fury is reserved for other people. The worst thing you can be is an angry woman, an angry mother.” Once again I find myself in the minority but I just didn’t find The Familiar Dark to be a very riveting read. From its gratuitous…
1st pov, 3 STARS, abuse, addiction, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, dark, dead girls, DEATH, family, female authors, GRIEF, grit lit, missouri, motherhood, mothers & daughters, MURDER, Ozarks, Poverty, psychological, published in 2020, read in 2020, revenge, rural setting, siblings, SMALL TOWN, small town crime, Southern America, survival, SUSPENSE, The Familiar Dark, trauma, violence
luce [is reading] 