Tag Archives: Debut novel

Wherever you see a head, hit it: Donnybrook by Frank Bill

I can change a flat tire and complete an oil change. I can construct and refinish furniture, perform minor electrical work, and grow my own food. I can bait a hook, wield an axe, and I’m proficient in all manner of water activities (swimming, diving, snorkeling, canoeing, kayaking, etc.). I can gut a fish, climbContinue reading “Wherever you see a head, hit it: Donnybrook by Frank Bill”

Hell at the Breech by Tom Franklin

There is a particularly vein of literature that I find both unsettling and fascinating. Donald Ray Pollock, Daniel Woodrell, Frank Bill, Bonnie Jo Campbell, and Cormac McCarthy are modern writers who successfully mine that vein (impoverished, desperate, violent, and real).  I now consider Tom Franklin to be one of them. In his debut novel (yes, debut,Continue reading “Hell at the Breech by Tom Franklin”

Above All Things by Tanis Rideout

From Goodreads: In 1924 George Mallory departs on his third expedition to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Left behind in Cambridge, George’s young wife, Ruth, along with the rest of a war-ravaged England, anticipates news they hope will reclaim some of the empire’s faded glory. Through alternating narratives, what emerges is a beautifully rendered storyContinue reading “Above All Things by Tanis Rideout”

Charlotte Street by Danny Wallace (and why I want to be British)

I’m an introvert. Shocking? Not really. I did share my Myers-Briggs results. Albert Einstein and I are both INTP. Coincidence? No. However, I’m also mostly American. Those two things don’t go together; it’s like admitting you want to be unpopular. In America, introversion is something to be corrected. As I work in a quasi-serious research library and archiveContinue reading “Charlotte Street by Danny Wallace (and why I want to be British)”

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis

From Goodreads: In 1923, fifteen-year-old Hattie Shepherd flees Georgia and settles in Philadelphia, hoping for a chance at a better life. Instead, she marries a man who will bring her nothing but disappointment and watches helplessly as her firstborn twins succumb to an illness a few pennies could have prevented. Hattie gives birth to nineContinue reading “The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis”

Ashenden by Elizabeth Wilhilde

From Goodreads: Spring 2010, and when Charlie and Ros inherit Ashenden from their aunt Reggie a decision must be made. The beautiful eighteenth-century house, set in acres of English countryside, is in need of serious repair. Do they try to keep it in the family, or will they have to sell? Moving back in time,Continue reading “Ashenden by Elizabeth Wilhilde”

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

From Goodreads: The School of Essential Ingredients follows the lives of eight students who gather in Lillian’s Restaurant every Monday night for cooking class. It soon becomes clear, however, that each one seeks a recipe for something beyond the kitchen. Students include Claire, a young mother struggling with the demands of her family; Antonia, anContinue reading “The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister”

Wilderness by Lance Weller

From Goodreads: Thirty years after the Civil War’s Battle of the Wilderness left him maimed, Abel Truman has found his way to the edge of the continent, the rugged, majestic coast of Washington State, where he lives alone in a driftwood shack with his beloved dog. Wilderness is the story of Abel, now an oldContinue reading “Wilderness by Lance Weller”

America Pacifica by Anna North

From Goodreads: Eighteen-year-old Darcy lives on the island of America Pacifica–one of the last places on earth that is still habitable, after North America has succumbed to a second ice age. Education, food, and basic means of survival are the province of a chosen few, while the majority of the island residents must struggle toContinue reading “America Pacifica by Anna North”