Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Book Review | MORE THAN ENOUGH by Anna Quindlen


MORE THAN ENOUGH

BY ANNA QUINDLEN | PUBLICATION: FEBRUARY 24, 2026
RANDOM HOUSE | GENRE: WOMEN FICTION
RATING: ★★★★✬

"Ordinary life, ordinary women, made real."


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A woman finds herself asking surprising questions about her family and friends in this wise, wonderful novel of life, loss, and moving on—from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of After Annie.

High school English teacher Polly Goodman can talk about everything and anything with the women in her book club, which is why they’ve become her closest friends and, along with the support of her veterinarian husband, the bedrock of her life. Her private school students, her fraught relationship with mother, her struggles with IVF—Polly’s book club friends have heard it all.

But when they give Polly an ancestry test kit as a joke, the results match her with a stranger. Despite it seeming clear that this match is a mistake, Polly cannot help combing through her own family history for answers. Then, when it seems that the book club circle of four will become three, Polly learns how friendships can change your life in the most profound ways.

Written with Quindlen’s trademark warmth, humor, and insight into the power of love and hope, More Than Enough explores how we find ourselves again and again through the relationships that define us.

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Polly is part of a book club — a lively group of women who buy the book but never actually read it. That’s their rule. They gather to talk about everything except the assigned title. Not very bookish, but deeply relatable. It’s the kind of detail Quindlen writes so well: ordinary life, ordinary women, made real.

The DNA storyline didn’t interest me as much. What held me was Polly herself — her journey, her longing to be a mother, and the quiet ache beneath her hope. And Mark… the patience he shows her reminded me starkly of my own late husband. That tenderness, that steady presence, that willingness to keep believing even when life gives you difficult news — Quindlen captured something I’ve lived.

I like Quindlen’s writing. She makes her characters as real as people you could meet, or remember.

Reading MORE THAN ENOUGH was slow for me, not because the story lacked momentum, but because it touched parts of my life I’m still learning to carry. Quindlen writes with a tenderness that makes ordinary women feel extraordinary, and Polly’s journey reminded me that hope, even when fragile, is still worth holding. This book didn’t just tell a story — it made me remember my own.


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About the Author:
Anna Quindlen is a novelist and journalist whose work has appeared on fiction, nonfiction, and self-help bestseller lists. She is the author of many novels: Object Lessons, One True Thing, Black and Blue, Blessings, Rise and Shine, Every Last One, Still Life with Bread Crumbs, and Miller’s Valley. Her memoir Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake, published in 2012, was a #1 New York Times bestseller. Her book A Short Guide to a Happy Life has sold more than a million copies. While a columnist at The New York Times she won the Pulitzer Prize and published two collections, Living Out Loud and Thinking Out Loud. Her Newsweek columns were collected in Loud and Clear. Photo by Maria Krovatin



*My thanks to Will Lyman of Penguin Random House
for providing the eARC in exchange for this unbiased review.
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Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Book Review | LIAR'S DICE by Juliet Faithfull


LIAR'S DICE

BY JULIET FAITHFULL | PUBLICATION: APRIL 28, 2026
RANDOM HOUSE | GENRE: LITERARY FICTION
RATING: ★★★✬

"...the novel is undeniably heartbreaking."


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A heart-rending and hopeful debut about a teenage girl in 1970s Brazil who is unexpectedly torn away from her disabled twin sister—and who must learn what it means to fight for those we love when all the odds are stacked against us.

Everyone knows, but no one talks.

Identical twins Dolores and Mita grow up in lockstep in rural Brazil, speaking their own secret language, dancing together, inseparable even when they sleep. But at age seven, they discover that Mita has a degenerative condition—and Dolores does not. On the cusp of adolescence, Mita's illness becomes debilitating, and without telling Dolores, their parents send Mita across the Atlantic Ocean to a hospital in their father’s native London.

The rest of the family moves to Rio and begins to live a bourgeouis lifestyle, but Dolores is miserable there. She misses her small-town and most especially her twin, who her parents seem to have forgot ever existed. And she has no way to contact Mita—particularly since, at twelve years old, Dolores still cannot read or write. She is desperate to speak to her again—and desperately alone and unhappy at her posh new school. But everything begins to change when she meets a brave, headstrong girl from the favelas who shows Dolores a new side of Rio, and how to survive it.

Tensions are on the rise with the dictatorial government cracking down on protesters and dissenters. Both at home and in the country at large, there are cover-ups at play—and Dolores pushes to find the truth about right and wrong, her lost sister and her place in life. In a setting where repression and silencing were part of everyday life, Liar’s Dice is about the secrets we hold, both personal and political, and the consequences of keeping them. Atmospheric and intimate, Juliet Faithfull's coming of age novel captures the intensity of forming your own identity, and the courage and love required to forge a different life.

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LIAR'S DICE is a poignant coming of age novel that explores the shifting dynamics of a family in turmoil and the struggle to hold on to one’s sense of self amid profound change. It is not a light or fast read, but it is undeniably resonant.

The first half took some time to draw me in, yet by the midpoint the narrative had fully captured my attention. Juliet Faithfull weaves Portuguese into the text with care, offering cultural depth without distancing readers unfamiliar with the language. What struck me most was the author’s ability to convey Dolores’s tangled emotions—her guilt, love, confusion, and longing—with such clarity. The author’s note suggests that elements of the story may be autobiographical, which adds an additional layer of emotional weight.

While beautifully written, the novel is undeniably heartbreaking. It challenges the assumption that children experience emotions more lightly than adults; in fact, it shows how deeply and seriously they feel the world around them.

Overall, Liar’s Dice is an affecting and worthwhile read. Though it begins slowly and occasionally lacks fluidity, its emotional depth and thoughtful exploration of identity, family, and silence make it a memorable novel.


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About the Author:
JULIET FAITHFULL is a Spanish-British-American writer who grew up in Brazil. Liar’s Dice, her first novel, was a winner of the 2024 Irish Writers Centre’s Novel Fair and a semifinalist for the James Jones First Novel Fellowship. She was awarded a Pauline Scheer Fellowship by GrubStreet’s Novel Incubator program and her short stories have been published in the Bellevue Literary Review and Urbanus Magazine. A graduate of Harvard University and Smith College School for Social Work, Juliet works as a trilingual psychotherapist and currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her two sons. Photo: © Sharona Jacobs



*Penguin Random House provided the eARC
in exchange for this unbiased review.
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Saturday, May 16, 2026

Book Review | LUCKY SEED by Justinian Huang


LUCKY SEED

BY JUSTINIAN HUANG | PUBLICATION: NOVEMBER 11, 2025
MIRA | GENRE: GENERAL FICTION
RATING: ★★★✬

"Messy, Magnificent, and Unapologetic"


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The billionaire Sun Clan of Greater Los Angeles is your typical American family, with power-struggling aunties, emasculated uncles, scheming cousins, scandalous secrets and a fortune teller on retainer. But at the end of each combative day, the Suns are chained together with golden handcuffs, whether they like it or not.

Yet strange storms are a-brewing. Their matriarch, Roses Sun, is grappling with an existential she must produce a male heir that bears the clan's surname. She fears that if her generation is the one in which their esteemed lineage ends, they will be punished as "hungry ghosts" in the afterlife—an ancient but very real Asian superstition.

Faced with this terrifying fate, Roses summons her favorite nephew, Wayward. Believing him to possess the "lucky seed," Roses presents Wayward with a mandatory to father a baby boy who will inherit everything. When the other members of the Sun Clan catch wind of Roses's plot, all hells break loose. Wayward's family will now clash like never before in an epic war over the future of the Suns…if there is a future at all.

Yet through the chaos, Wayward sees opportunity. What if he can leverage all the conflict into a solution for his problematic family? What if he can reunite the Sun Clan by healing them? And what if the tumultuous Suns can finally learn how to love each other for the first time?

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LUCKY SEED by Justinian Huang is a richly layered exploration of a powerful yet deeply fractured family. While the novel delivers all the hallmarks of a high stakes, wealthy family drama—constant conflict, outrageous antics, and an ensemble of vividly drawn characters—it also offers a thoughtful examination of the bonds and burdens that shape the Sun Clan.

What stands out most is the novel’s unapologetic boldness. It is unabashedly messy, dramatic, queer, and culturally specific, yet it balances its humor and chaos with meaningful reflections on intergenerational trauma and the complexities of familial loyalty. As one line aptly states: “Just when you think you’ve figured us out, we will surprise you. The thing about a family with no moral compass is that there’s no predicting where we’re headed.” This sentiment captures the unpredictable energy that drives the story.

The narrative’s cinematic quality makes it easy to imagine an adaptation for television or film. Its fast paced plot, memorable characters, and striking final twist lend themselves naturally to the screen.

Though it is a longer read, LUCKY SEED remains consistently engaging—a wild, entertaining, and ultimately rewarding journey.


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About the Author:

JUSTINIAN HUANG’s debut novel, The Emperor and the Endless Palace, was an Indie Next Pick and a 2025 Stonewall Honor Book. It was hailed by Booklist as “a sweeping triumph,” and as “page-turning and deeply thoughtful,” in a starred review by Publishers Weekly. He lives in Los Angeles, where he also works as a film executive, most recently on KPop Demon Hunters. Justinian’s second novel, Lucky Seed, is a USA Today bestseller.



*Harper Collins provided the eARC
in exchange for this unbiased review.
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Wednesday, November 26, 2025

Book Review | ROBOT ISLAND by Cary Fagan


ROBOT ISLAND

BY CARY FAGAN | PUBLICATION: OCTOBER 14, 2025
TUNDRA BOOKS | GENRE: MIDDLE-GRADE
RATING: ★★★★

“Robot Island is more than a whimsical adventure—it’s a celebration of books, friendship, and the families we create for ourselves.”


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Forced into stealing valuable books from a rich widow, Willis takes refuge on an abandoned island populated by robots in this new middle-grade novel by acclaimed writer Cary Fagan. For fans of The Wild Robot.

It isn’t bad enough that Willis has to live with his cold uncle Tod in a dusty old house of used books. He can’t even spend time with his friends Harrison and Galaxi because of the nasty after-school jobs his uncle makes him take on. But then his uncle asks him to visit an old widow lady in the mansion on the hill.

To his surprise, Willis likes Mrs. Shorthouse and even the books they read together (Little Women, Great Expectations). Meanwhile, taking a rowboat ride, Willis discovers an abandoned town from the 1950s populated by square-headed robots. What is the connection between Mrs. Shorthouse and Robot Island? What will happen after the police find out that Willis has been stealing rare books from the mansion? And when Willis turns on the electricity and the robots of Robot Island come to life, will they turn out to be friends or enemies?

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"Books, Robots, and the Families We Choose"

Cary Fagan’s Robot Island is a middle-grade adventure that blends whimsy with heart, asking what it means to belong, and reminding us that families can be found in the most unexpected places.

Willis lives under the stern watch of his uncle Tod, surrounded by dusty shelves of used books and weighed down by endless chores. When Tod sends him to visit Mrs. Shorthouse, a wealthy widow in her hilltop mansion, Willis unexpectedly discovers both companionship and the joy of reading classics like Little Women and Great Expectations. But his uncle’s schemes force Willis into stealing rare books, setting off a chain of events that lead him to a mysterious abandoned town from the 1950s—Robot Island. When Willis awakens its square-headed inhabitants, he must face questions of loyalty, friendship, and belonging.

As fantastic as an island of robots sounds, Cary Fagan’s novel is more compelling than its premise suggests. Robot Island is, at its heart, a book for book lovers—especially young readers who recognize the thrill of discovering that stories can change them. It captures that first spark of falling in love with reading, and the way books can become companions in difficult times.

The “found family” trope is woven beautifully into the narrative. Mrs. Shorthouse, the robots, and Willis’s circle of friends remind us that family can be chosen and built through kindness. The friendship arc is particularly moving, even when Willis tries to push Harrison, Galaxi, and Daphne away, they refuse to abandon him. Their loyalty and courage shine, offering a model of empathy and resilience.

Fagan’s storytelling radiates warmth. Though the novel nods to modern technology, it ultimately celebrates human connection, kindness, and the timeless comfort of books. It’s a heartwarming middle-grade adventure that will inspire readers to treasure both their friendships and their stories.

Robot Island is more than a whimsical adventure—it’s a celebration of books, friendship, and the families we create for ourselves. Cary Fagan has crafted a tale that will resonate with young readers and remind adults of the moment they first fell in love with stories.


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About the Author:
CARY FAGAN's kids' books include Robot Island; Hans Christian Andersen Lives Next Door; Water, Water (winner of the Vine National Canadian Jewish Book Award); The Collected Works of Gretchen Oyster; the Kaspar Snit novels; and the Wolfie and Fly chapter book series. He is also the author of many picture books, including Mr. Zinger's Hat (Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award winner), Little Blue Chair, and Bear Wants to Sing. Cary has received the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People for his body of work. He lives in Toronto, Canada.
Photo by Josh Levine



*Penguin Random House provided the ARC
in exchange for this unbiased review.
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Tuesday, November 18, 2025

Blog Tour | KITTIWAKE STORMHAVEN AND THE PIRATE’S PORTOLANO by Victoria Williamson

About the Book:

KITTIWAKE STORMHAVEN AND THE PIRATE’S PORTOLANO

BY VICTORIA WILLIAMSON | PUBLICATION: OCTOBER 23, 2025
TINY TREE BOOKS | GENRE: MIDDLE GRADE FANTASY

"...a spirited, sea-swept middle-grade adventure that bursts with energy from the very first chapter."
-Gina Rae Mitchell


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A daring mission, a sister turned pirate and a sea full of secrets…

In a world of water where land is a legend, 11-year-old Kittiwake Stormhaven dreams of adventure aboard the Amazon Princess. When a vital mission takes the ship into dangerous waters, Kittiwake discovers shocking news - her long-lost sister, Petrel, is now a feared pirate queen.

Kittiwake must outsmart pirates, outmanoeuvre storms and face ghostly captains to save her ship, her mischievous monkey Caboodle and her friends. But in a high-stakes showdown, family loyalty collides with survival, and Kittiwake learns the ocean hides more secrets than she ever imagined.

Kittiwake Stormhaven is a fast-paced, sea-swept adventure filled with daring rescues, thrilling discoveries and the magic of friendship.


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"Williamson is an excellent writer and her prose zips along at a rate of knots."
-Iseult Murphy
"Kittiwake is a protagonist in whom many readers will recognise aspects of their own personalities."
-Mrs Sydney's Famous World's Smallest Library


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About the Author:

Victoria Williamson is an award-winning author from Glasgow, Scotland, who loved reading books and writing adventure stories from an early age. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real-life adventures, which included teaching maths and science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with additional support needs in the UK.

Her previous novels include The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, Hag Storm, War of the Wind, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, Norah’s Ark, The Whistlers in the Dark, Feast of Ashes, and Skyfleet: March of the Mutabugs. Her books have won the RED Book Award 2024, YA-aldi Glasgow Secondary School Libraries Book Award 2023 and the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2020/2021, and have been short-listed and long-listed for numerous other awards. War of the Wind and Norah’s Ark were also both nominated for the 2024 Yoto Carnegie Medals.

Victoria writes and edits Key Stage 2 books for the education company Twinkl. She spends the rest of her time writing novels and visiting schools, libraries and literary festivals to give author talks and run creative writing workshops. Her latest novel, Kittiwake Stormhaven and the Pirate’s Portolano, channels her love of pirates and swashbuckling adventure to create a steampunk world set on the seven seas, and is illustrated by the very talented James Brown.

You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and free resources for schools on her website: www.strangelymagical.com



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Saturday, November 15, 2025

Blog Tour | THE FIRST SIN by Cheyenne Brammah

About the Book:

THE FIRST SIN

All Our Sins, Book 1
BY CHEYENNE BRAMMAH | PUBLICATION: OCTOBER 23, 2025
GENRE: SCIENCE FANTASY

"It's gritty, spicy, and unflinchingly raw..." -Mike


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In the sweeping expanse of the Årdrakin Empire, the people fight and die for honor as elite warriors of the galaxy. But long ago, a prophecy was spoken that presaged the apocalypse. Everyone knows and fears the truth: one day, the empire will fall.

Tårik is a guard for small, independent Clan Tsinna. Instead of pondering the end of his civilization, Tårik’s greatest concern is maintaining his honor while escorting a group of impertinent dignitaries across the treacherous Barren Gale. When the Mother Goddess speaks a passage from the prophecy to him, he has the good sense to be frightened, but he doesn’t heed the significance of Her visit.

Then disaster strikes, and Tårik is branded as an exile, leaving him with no home, no honor, and no future. Forced into a desperate struggle for survival, all Tårik can focus on is living just one more day until luck—or maybe fate—gives him the opportunity to join a new clan. But even this is fraught with danger and uncertainty, and it takes him to an inhospitable world far from the empire where survival seems all but impossible.

Faced with new challenges, including trying to navigate first contact with the low-tech locals, Tårik believes the prophecy can’t reach him. Yet it continues to loom, signaling that his fate and the fate of the empire are irrevocably entwined.

This is a dark, spicy, adult science fantasy set in a world that includes war, violence, and other mature themes that some readers may find disturbing. Reading guidance can be found at the beginning of the book or on the author's website.


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"The blurb says dark and spicy, and it certainly delivers on that."
-Beth's Bookcase
"This was nothing short of a rollercoater ride..."
-Sarah reads.


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About the Author:

Cheyenne Brammah, also known as Iron Dragon, is a Canadian science fiction and fantasy author who “torments her characters in ways reminiscent of George R R Martin”. She’s had a pen in hand for most of her life and loves character-driven stories that are epic in scope and complexity. The All Our Sins Saga features her debut novel, The First Sin, and will be the first stories told in the Akrodaxis universe.

When she’s not writing or reading, Cheyenne dyes yarn, crochets, knits, plays video games with her wonderful husband Mathew, and dabbles in nature photography. She lives in beautiful Cochrane, Alberta, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

Cheyenne can be found online at https://akairondragon.ca/



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Wednesday, November 12, 2025

BBNYA Spotlight | PHYSICAL MAGIC by William C. Tracy


About the Book:


PHYSICAL MAGIC

The Shifting Lands Series , Book 1
BY WILLIAM C. TRACY | PUBLICATION: NOVEMBER 5, 2024
SPACE WIZARD SCIENCE FANTASY | GENRE: ADULT FANTASY

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Welcome to the Shifting Lands.

Silluka was born with only one arm and could never practice the exacting motions to summon the favor of the gods. Caught stealing, she is forced to test her powers or be branded an outcast. She fails, and loses citizenship to her village.

In a fit of desperation, Silluka tries to steal a badge of citizenship from a mysterious elder, but instead, Elder Quilqi shows Silluka a different path to gain the powers of the gods, aided by an octopus-like technological wizard who worships their own eldritch divinities. Time is short for training however, because a new island is speeding toward the coastal town, throwing deadly hurricanes and tidal waves before it and threatening all who live there.

Only the gods and godlike storm warriors protect the village from destruction, but all of them fail when a mysterious creature bursts through the wall. It's only one forerunner for a species of terrifying turtlemen: fast, deadly, and ready to invade the larger island. The village must flee inland before the invasion, while Silluka is weighed down by her outcast status and her brother’s failing abilities. To save herself, her family, and her village, Silluka must overcome stigma and self-doubt. She must learn the scope of the world outside her village. She must learn Physical Magic.

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The Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it to the semi-finals with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title.

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 (17 in 2025) finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official.


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About the Author:

William C. Tracy writes and publishes queer science fiction and fantasy through his indie press Space Wizard Science Fantasy. He also does developmental editing on all titles released from it.

His largest work is the Dissolutionverse: a space opera with music-based magic, including ten books and a TTRPG. He’s also published Fruits of the Gods, an epic fantasy with seasonal fruit magic, How To Operate Your Body, a nonfiction book about body mechanics and correct posture, and The Biomass Conflux, a sci-fi trilogy with colony ships and a planet covered by a sentient fungus. He’s currently working on a progression fantasy series about martial arts and moving islands.

William is an NC native and a lifelong fan of science fiction and fantasy. He has a master’s in mechanical engineering, and has both designed and operated heavy construction machinery. He has also trained in Wado-Ryu karate since 2003 and runs his own dojo in Raleigh NC. He is an avid video and board gamer, a beekeeper, a reader, and of course, a writer.


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