This was my first Abdurraqib book, and it definitely won’t be my last. I now know what I’ve been missing out on!

Through the lens of basketball, this essay collection explores the connection one can have to a city, to its people, and the perseverance and faith required to go on living. Abdurraqib makes a beautiful, spiritual plea for remembrance, love, and hope, ensuring we can’t forget values necessary for life. The power in Abdurraqib’s words blew me away—it almost felt holy in some moments (this coming from a very non-religious person).

Just genius—beautiful, endlessly touching, and full of love. I highlighted so much, but won’t share any quotes as the advanced copy I read isn’t final. Make sure you have your highlighters/pencils/pens ready for this one.

Thanks Random House and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy.

Content Warnings

The Sitter by Angela O'Keeffe

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Gorgeous and heart-rending.
-
“It’s not as if always is never true. It’s that it wears thin. It’s that it can’t cover every situation, every deed. It’s that always is seldom always.”

This is one of the books I got on my recent trip to Aotearoa New Zealand and I’m so glad I picked it up!

This slim novel follows a writer and her muse, Marie-Hortense Fiquet, the wife of Cézanne, who appears to her as a ghostly presence. The novel is told from Hortense’s perspective as she watches over the writer during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. I was a tad hesitant to read a pandemic novel, but this story blends history and memories into the narrative, helping it rise above the fear of the early days of the pandemic. However, COVID-19 does play a very large role in the present-day narrative, so beware if that could be triggering for you.

I really loved the historical parts that explored Hortense’s memories of her life and her husband. O’Keefe brought her to life beautifully, and gave her the agency and space for understanding that she lacked during her life. The writer’s own story—told through a short story she writes while ill—was equally beautiful and paralleled Hortense’s story in interesting ways. Plot aside, this novel sings with a quiet elegance, yet feels warm and comforting, even when the story takes a darker turn. You can feel Hortense’s love for the writer, who has given her a second chance in many ways.

This is a story of healing and connection, honesty and recollection. O’Keefe’s writing charmed me and I’m eager for more!

Content Warnings

The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman

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emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

I am finally sick of Alice Hoffman’s writing—it’s too saccharine and dreamy for me. I have finally realized it !!! Also this plot was BONKERS like why is Mia’s self worth tied so strongly to her love for a man, why did she fall in LOVE with a dead author and WHY is Nathanial Hawthorne written as a raging feminist???? Even if he was liberal for the time, I cannot believe this.

A Thread of Violence: A Story of Truth, Invention, and Murder by Mark O'Connell

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dark informative medium-paced

3.75

Content Warnings