Saturday, February 16, 2019

The Curiosities by Susan Gloss

The CuriositiesThe Curiosities by Susan Gloss
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the heartwarming, albeit somewhat corny, story of Nell, an art historian who has suffered a miscarriage and wonders if her life can ever be complete without a child.

I enjoyed the structure of this book, which follows Nell and the new artists at the colony, as well as the past of Betsy, the woman who bequeathed her home and art to the colony before she died. Each alternating chapter begins with a description of a piece of art, connecting Betsy's rich history to the artists presently living in the home, and opening Nell's eyes to new possibilities in life.

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Thursday, February 14, 2019

A Raw Book of Poems

The Twenty-Ninth YearThe Twenty-Ninth Year by Hala Alyan


This powerful book of poems reads almost as a memoir, dealing with growing up, straddling different cultures, and trying to come to terms with society as a whole. Alyan succeeds in weaving jarring snapshots of trauma with haunting, and often hopeful, poetry.

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