Tag: Contempo Lit

Review: The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin

~ The Lit Bitch ~ 1 Comment

Tara Conklin is one of those authors that has a large cult following. With the success of her novel THE HOUSE GIRL, so many people love her and would eagerly read any of her novels. THE HOUSE GIRL has been recommended to me over and over again, but I just haven’t been moved to pick it up.

It came out at a time when I was working on my Master’s in American History and was knee deep in slave research for one of my papers, so the last thing I wanted to read was anything about slavery or the south or the Civil War.

Then THE HOUSE GIRL got buried under all of my other TBR books and long forgotten. Then her latest book started making appearances on  my social media accounts and I was once again struck by how many people rave about her books! I was thrilled when a copy landed on my desk for review—so excited in fact that I made room for it on my review calendar! Continue reading “Review: The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin” →

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Special Feature: Love Poems for Married People by John Kenney

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I recently had the privilege of reviewing this hysterical collection of poems and I couldn’t resist talking about it today for Valentine’s Day!

This was a book of poems that I could read over and over again, and I frequently paused to share a few with my husband of fifteen years, who laughed just as hard as I did.

There is something refreshing and real about these poems and they are the perfect gift for your significant other on this special holiday. Whether you are a ‘long time’ married person, just staring out, or simply in a relationship—there is so much truth in these little poems about the day to day nuances of relationships.

I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this book of poems and I hope that you consider checking them out or sharing them with a loved one this Valentine’s Day.

Recently John Kenney was interviewed on NPR and the interview was a hoot to read! This book has sky rocketed to number #7 in all books on Amazon and #1 on B&N.com – just ahead of Michelle Obama’s Becoming so the secret is out about this hilarious little book of poems.

The book has recently been optioned by Ryan Reynolds’ production company, Maximum Effort. “I’m stunned, thrilled and flattered that Ryan and his team like the book,” Kenney says. “As my wife said, ‘That’s amazing, considering that the poems aren’t that good.’”

 Based on his wildly popular New Yorker piece, Kenney presents a hilarious collection of love poems for, well, married people. The original selection, featuring a range of topics from parental gripes to dwindling sex lives, is a perennial favorite, skyrocketing to the top of the New Yorker‘s most-shared list each year, and now Kenney is writing a collection of new poems that dig even deeper into what it’s like to be married to the person you love. With an ironically elegant package, this is a delightfully funny collection that’s perfect for not only Valentine’s Day, but anniversaries, wedding season, and more.

John Kenney is the author of Truth in Advertising, which won the Thurber Prize for American Humor, and the forthcoming novel, Talk to Me (which Putnam published on January 15, 2019). He has worked for many years as a copywriter and has also been a contributor to The New Yorker magazine since 1999. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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Review: The Curiosities by Susan Gloss

~ The Lit Bitch ~ 1 Comment

As many of you know, one of my New Year’s resolutions was to read more books outside my comfort zone. I do read a lot of women’s fiction, but I often pass on books that have anything to do with pregnancy loss or infertility.

Not necessarily because it’s a sensitive subject, but more because I often find that it’s incredibly heavy and when I read, I want something happy. This book caught me a little unaware when it came to its subject matter, but that was mostly my fault.

This cover looks so happy and colorful. Just looking at this cover made me think spring. I have also seen a lot of hype for this book on my social media, and mainly my Facebook group, Bloom Tall Poppy Writers. This author is a Tall Poppy Writer and when I saw this book up for review, I eagerly jumped at it for these two reasons. I didn’t really know what it was about—just that I wanted to read it.

Had I actually read the description, I probably would have passed, but I didn’t and that was a stoke of luck.  Continue reading “Review: The Curiosities by Susan Gloss” →

Special Feature: MORE THAN WORDS by Jill Santopolo

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I have this book up for review but not until March 8th. But I wanted to get this info out there for all of you do you can be sure to add this book to your TBR list!

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Light We Lost, Jill Santopolo, comes her much anticipated second novel MORE THAN WORDS (Putnam; on sale Feb 5).

Response to The Light We Lost was phenomenal. It was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick, a Belletrist and Skimm Reads pick, and New York Times and international bestseller that’s been translated into more than 35 languages. Advance praise (below) for MORE THAN WORDS – yet another tender and moving story set in NYC, about a woman at a crossroads after the death of her father, and caught between the love of two men – shows that the new novel is also uniquely memorable and simply extraordinary, and again comes from a deep place in Jill’s heart:

It was written after my father died in a car accident and while many people I care a lot about were fighting cancer. It was also written while I was falling in love. I think you’ll see pieces of all those emotions in this story—the mixture of love and loss, of despair and hope, and, ultimately, of peace and self-discovery and the knowledge that sorrow and joy can coexist in our hearts, that we can live and love even as we mourn.

Advanced Praise

Continue reading “Special Feature: MORE THAN WORDS by Jill Santopolo” →

Review: Everything Here Is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee

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I haven’t read a lot of books about mental illness, or books where mental illness is a predominant theme. I also have not read a lot of Asian literature, so needless to say, this book is way out of my comfort zone.

This book focuses on two Chinese sisters, one with mental illness. One of my New Year’s resolutions was to read more books outside my comfort zone, so I thought this book might be a good place to start.

I originally passed on the hard copy debut as I couldn’t fit it in my review schedule, but now with the paperback being released, I didn’t want to miss out on a book that sounded so promising.  Continue reading “Review: Everything Here Is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee” →