Book Reviews

Cover detail of The Transmigration of Bodies, by Yuri Herrera

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2 Brilliantly Written Novels From Mexico Head Up A Wave Of Literary Talent

2:10pm July 11, 2016

by John Powers

Critic John Powers says there's a boom in good fiction emerging from Mexico. He recommends Among Strange Victims, by Daniel Saldaña París, and The Transmigration of Bodies, by Yuri Herrera.

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You Are Having A Good Time By Amie Barrodale

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Is 'You Are Having A Good Time' Beautiful Or Grotesque? Yes

7:00am July 10, 2016

by Carmen Maria Machado

Amie Barrodale's debut collection is packed with ill-advised relationships and broken, mean characters in ugly, funny scenarios; these stories live at the intersection of discomfort and pleasure.

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Stuck Inside With The AC On? Try These Five Cool YA Reads

7:00am July 09, 2016

by Caitlyn Paxson

Summer can seem slow for eager readers — not much on the shelves, and not much coming. But we've got some recommendations for great young adult reads to while away the long hot days.

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'Underground Airlines' Is An Extraordinary Work Of Alternate History

4:17pm July 07, 2016

by Maureen Corrigan

In his new novel, Ben H. Winters imagines that the Civil War never happened and that slavery is still legal in some states. Critic Maureen Corrigan says Underground Airlines is "one suspenseful tale."

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'Underground Airlines' Presents A Scarily Realistic Alternate History

3:00pm July 07, 2016

by Bethanne Patrick

Ben H. Winters' new novel is set in a modern-day America in which almost everything seems normal — except for the fact that the Civil War never happened, and slavery is still legal in four states.

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'I Am No One:' Feels Like Somebody's Watching Me

7:00am July 07, 2016

by Annalisa Quinn

In Patrick Flanery's new novel, the border between mental illness and justified paranoia grows porous as average guy Jeremy begins to fear he's under surveillance. But is he? It's never quite clear.

Here Comes The Sun By Nicole Dennis-Benn.

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'Here Comes The Sun' Shows A Complex, Heartbreakingly Real Jamaica

12:59pm July 06, 2016

by Michael Schaub

Nicole Dennis-Benn's assured, gorgeous debut novel follows Margot, a worker at a rich Jamaican resort, whose home life is a series of sacrifices as she struggles with family and forbidden love.

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'Faith' Makes Fat A Force To Reckon With

10:00am July 06, 2016

by Etelka Lehoczky

Valiant Comics' plus-size superhero is starring in her first solo book — and while the story (and her costume) underwhelm, Faith herself is a glorious creation; smart, compassionate, geeky and fun.

The Prisoner of Hell Gate By Dana I. Wolff

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'Hell Gate' Is An Infectious But Unsatisfying Take On Typhoid Mary

7:00am July 05, 2016

by Jason Heller

Dana I. Wolff's new novel digs up the story of infamous disease vector "Typhoid Mary" Mallon — it's a fun, fast read, but misses a rich opportunity to draw parallels to modern pandemic scares.

Harriet Logan, owner of Loganberry Books in Shaker Heights, Ohio, shares her summer reading recommendations including a graphic novel about trash and a George Eliot classic.

Books
Arts

Pack These Pages: Three Must-Reads For Summer

5:07pm June 29, 2016

Harriet Logan, owner of Loganberry Books in Shaker Heights, Ohio, recommends a graphic novel about trash, a George Eliot classic and a children's book about a bear pianist.

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