Book of the Week: ‘Natalie Tan’s Books of Luck & Fortune’
Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck & FortuneRoselle Lim2019, 299 pagesFiction Living in Montreal’s Chinatown, Natalie Tan hears a bird singing her mother’s song outside her window and knows that her mother has passed away. “Ma-ma was gone.” Natalie returns to San Francisco to settle her mother’s affairs. Natalie left years ago to pursue her career as a chef. She and her mother had quarreled about Natalie’s choice and they hadn’t spoken in...
Book of the Week: ‘I’m Telling the Truth, But I’m Lying ’
I’m Telling the Truth, but I’m Lying Bassey Ikpi 2019, 248 pages Nonfiction Bassey Ikpi’s collection of essays is tender and poetic while covering the difficult topics of mental health and trauma. The collection spans the complexities of living as a Nigerian-American in the U.S. and the fragmenting of Ikpi’s psyche prior to being diagnosed with bipolar II and an anxiety disorder. She is the first to admit that the splintered memories...
Book of the Week: ‘Sing To It’
Sing to ItAmy Hempel2019, 160 pagesFiction – Short Stories This collection of 15 short stories has been a long time coming for fans of Amy Hempel’s work. Her last book, The Dog of the Marriage, was published more than a decade ago, so this new work is met with much enthusiasm. Hempel has a knack for blurring the line between minimalist prose and poetry with some of her shorts being no more than a few sentences long. Her settings are...
Book of the Week: ‘Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Everyday’
Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Everyday Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky 2018, 287 pages Nonfiction Make Time is a must read for anyone who feels overwhelmed with their to-do list. Too often our to-do lists keep growing like a life sucking mole, yet what we accomplish isn’t what is most important. We spend our time on filler tasks, getting caught up in social media threads and binge watching Netflix; instead of focusing on the...
Book of the Week: ‘My Italian Bulldozer’
My Italian Bulldozer Alexander McCall Smith 2016, 232 pages Fiction Paul Stuart is a well-known food writer, living in Scotland. He is stunned when his girlfriend of four years, Becky, leaves him for a personal trainer. His editor Gloria realizes that he needs a change. She tells him that he should go to Tuscany and get material for a new book. Paul agrees, but when he arrives there has been a mistake and there isn’t a rental car...
