literary fiction
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‘The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies’ by Kate Westbury
Kate Westbury’s The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies is a historical mystery set at Oxford during the Great War. When a librarian’s death reveals hidden secrets, student Ginevra Bishop and war veteran Sidney Braithwaite must uncover the truth while navigating betrayal, friendship, and unexpected connections. Continue reading
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‘This Is Not About Us’ by Allegra Goodman
A literary family saga about grief, forgiveness, and the relationships that shape us, This Is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman is a compassionate novel that reminds us reconciliation is always a choice. Continue reading
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The Greatest Journeys Are Sometimes Found on the Page
Why novels may be the greatest journeys of all — carrying us across centuries, continents, and imagined worlds from the comfort of home. Continue reading
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‘Taipei Story’ by R.F. Kuang
College student Lily Cheng travels to Taiwan with the goal of improving her Chinese. Like many language students, she imagines that immersion will quickly solve the problems that textbooks cannot. Instead, she discovers just how exhausting it is to live every day in a language she does not fully understand. Continue reading
American Literature, authors, book review, Book Reviews, book-blog, books, booktok, contemporary, fantasy literature, female author, feminism, fiction, japanese mythology, literary analysis, literary essays, literary fiction, literature, new releases, publishing, reading, The Tearoom, travel literature, world history, writing -
The Most Important Email I Ever Sent to an Author
Sometimes the most important opportunities begin with an email you never expect anyone to answer. Continue reading
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‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’ by Shelby van Pelt
A review of Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby van Pelt — a tale of loss, found family, and the surprising bond between an aging octopus and a lonely widow. Continue reading
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‘A Founding Mother’ by Laura Kamoie and Stephanie Dray
We have recently celebrated the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, making this an especially fitting time to revisit the people who shaped the earliest years of the American republic. Abigail Adams may not be the most famous figure of Revolutionary America, but I came away convinced that she—and the entire Adams family—were indispensable… Continue reading
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‘Whale Fall’ by Elizabeth O’Connor
Some stories are about ambition. Others are about the cost of ambition when it is pursued without compassion. Elizabeth O’Connor’s Whale Fall is both. At its heart, this is a story about the choices people make when they want something badly enough—and the regrets that follow. But it is also a powerful examination of how… Continue reading
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Across The Wall: THE WARSAW ORPHAN by Kelly Rimmer
The Warsaw Orphan made me ill in all of the ways that a good book should. Descriptions of dying, starving, homeless people waiting for death to gather them–but worst of all were instances of the soldiers’ indifference. Continue reading
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The Empty House & Discovering Rosamunde Pilcher
If a story is good, if it has the author’s heart in it, the reader will never forget the day the book was read. Continue reading
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Book Review: The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson
The Bookseller follows a woman named Kitty who lives in Denver, where she runs a bookstore with her best friend, Frieda. In 1962 it’s not usual for her to be unmarried at the age of thirty-eight, but she tells herself she’s content. Having gone through a failed courtship and several dates that led nowhere, she’s… Continue reading
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Book Review: The Paris Winter by Imogen Robertson
The Paris Winter leaves a proper chill in your soul after you finish reading it. It is the haunting story of Maud Heighton, an English painter who takes art classes in Paris, all the while struggling to get her daily meal. Her situation doesn’t go unnoticed at the academy, especially when she starts to lose… Continue reading
Mariella Hunt & the Tearoom 