Thank you to Soft Skull Press and NetGalley for the Reader's Copy!

Now available.

WOW. I can truly say that this was one of my favorite reads so far this year. Wildly inventive, fresh and darkly humorous, Aoko Matsuda's "Where the Wild Ladies Are" is an unexpected delight. Matsuda's modern, intelligent and quirky retelling traditional Japanese ghost stories had me hooked from the first page. From hapless employees to reluctant calligraphers and grumpy cats, this book truly encompasses everything. What I loved the most was the way each story seamlessly blended into the next with recurring characters, themes and overlapping narratives. "Where the Wild Ladies Are" is an effortless, timeless classic.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the Reader's Copy!

Now available.

Experimental, fragmented and provocative, Xiaalu Guo's "A Lover's Discourse" is wholly unique. From my reading, I understood it to be a conversational piece between lovers who cross nations, ethnicities, cultures and time to be together. Set against the modern day Brexit, the tense narration also looks at the impact of rising xenophobia and personal relations. As an immigrant who has been in love in a country that is not my own, I deeply related to the protagonist's conflicting struggles in love and duty to self. Unsettling yet thoughtful, this is a very interesting new novel.

Thank you to University of Illinois Press and NetGalley for the Reader's Copy!

Now available.

Professor Tammy Kernodle's Soul on Soul is a passionate, engaging and frank discussion about the incredible yet still underappreciated life and music of Mary Lou Williams. As a Black woman, Mary Lou Williams pioneered several movements in contemporary jazz, including integrating classical music and gospel music into the work. In addition, Lou Williams worked closely with other legendary jazz artists like Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie to shape the future of jazz.

What struck me again and again is Mary Lou William's tenacious spirit and belief in her craft. Faced with constant racism and sexism in her industry, Lou Williams rarely expressed her frustration. Instead she chose to return to work again and again despite the lack of financial reassurance that other contemporary male artists were receiving. There is something both incredibly hopeful and incredibly tragic in her story, in a society that refuses to invest in Black women's talent. What would the world of jazz music be like if Mary Lou Williams was encouraged and reached her full potential?

Overall, this is a thought provoking and well-written exploration of an incredible artist's life.

Thank you to Graywolf Press and Netgalley for the Reader's Copy!

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Spanning time and land, Mattawa's Fugitive Atlas takes on a transcontinental identity much like the author himself. With a blend of long and short form poetry, Mattawa's eclectic collection takes a modern spin on contemporary and 20th century poetry in memorable, innovative ways. The jump between the present and past lends itself to capturing the complex experiences of a transnational, translational and boundless existence, and perhaps lays a blueprint for the world that we can strive to create.

Thank you to Scribd and NetGalley for the Reader's Copy!

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Written as a long form letter to George Hobbs, "Letter to a Bigot" is a stirring call for reform of social and political laws on California's golden coast. Through detailed personal examples, Gurba captures exactly how and why the personal IS political, especially for the community of immigrants. Furthermore, Gurba argues, the harmful logics we see under the current US administration have had long, treacherous and ugly roots in older politicians' and that, as much as we may pretend, American society has a long way to evolve. In this way, "Letter to a Bigot" is not so much an individual letter as a rallying cry to ALL American politicians.

Somber yet uplifting, The Other Americans introduces us to the intertwining stories in a small, dusty Mojave town. Lalami's attention to detail, from the way a certain character handles their tea to the searing humanizing portrait of police and military officials and their political indictment makes this a worthy read!

Thank you to The New Press and NetGalley for the Reader's Copy!

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Zoe Wiecomb's Still Life is a wholly unique time traveling adventure as an author struggles to write a memoir of Thomas Pringle, a forgotten poet known only as the Father of South African Poetry. Jumping between 18th century Scotland, contemporary South Africa and the West Indies, the cast of characters expands time and space as we meet the seasoned time traveler Sir Nicholas Green, Mary Prince a West Indian slave and Hinza, Pringle's illegitimate son. It's a novel unlike anything I've ever read before as the author breaks the fourth wall constantly, creating a sort of meta questioning into the structure and function of the novel or literature in general. Provocative and interrogative in its relentless examination of Pringle, his racist and colonialist past, Still Life offers a glimpse into what it means to live in South Africa today.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the Reader's Copy!

Now available on Barnes & Noble, Kobo and Indie Bookstore.

In her debut novel The Company's Daughters, Samantha Rajaram explores the little known history of Dutch colonization of Batavia (now Jakarta) through the eyes of two women - formerly wealthy and wellkept Sontje and scrappy, resilient Jana. The story unfolds a bit like an epic drama, almost addictive in nature.

On the long voyage between the Netherlands and Batavia, the two learn to rely on each other for almost everything and become closer than friends. Once they reach the colony, the two are tearfully torn apart and must forge their own path in this new, unknown land.

What I enjoyed the most about this book is its immersive nature. Rajaram's Jana is a dynamite that captures your attention and doesn't let go. The setting of Batavia, the colonies vividly recalled. Above all, Rajaram captures the fickle and human nature of the young girls forced to become Company's 'Daughters'.

The only thing that drew me back a little bit was the description of the slaves, particularly where Jana states that "they didn't want fancy things like we did," because that's not true. Western women like Jana often have an overly simplified narratives of their slaves.

Overall, this was a really great retelling of an often overlooked part of history & I enjoyed it!

There's so much to be said about Vivek Shraya's The Subtweet about art, industry, identity and social media that I hardly know where to begin! The story begins when introverted Neela accepts Rukmini's invitation for coffee. Bound by a familiar interest in music, the two South Asian women start a friendship that is continually tested by society. Told in alternating perspectives, we see both Rukmini's and Neela's thoughts as Rukmini unexpectedly rises to fame. Unable to help herself, Neela sends out a subtweet which then takes on a life of its own. As a reader, I was somewhat disappointed when Rukmini's perspective disappears altogether as the story progresses to become more and more convoluted with a cast of entertaining side characters. What is most poignant is the way social media acts as a funhouse in this piece, how it distorts our personalities and intentions, making it all the easier to misjudge or react to others. Serving as a valuable parable of our times, The Subtweet is worth checking out!