Contemporary Fiction

Murphy’s Luck 4: Jinx vs. Fate by Benjamin Laskin

Murphy's Luck 4: Jinx vs. Fate by Benjamin LaskinA laugh-out-loud punchline of a read, Murphy’s Luck 4: Jinx vs. Fate by Benjamin Laskin continues the tongue-in-cheek tradition of this brilliantly strange series.

Murphy’s accursed reputation has spread far and wide, drawing the curious and the conspiratorial, as well as the Fed-Uppers, who would rather his jinx be kicked out of their lives forever. However, a secret society suspects that he might be their prophesied Impossible Man, and Murphy will have to use his universe of hobbies and merit badge skills to keep himself alive and find out their true intentions at Camp Orpheus. His exceptional daughter, Phaedra, is […]

2023-07-27T14:42:34+02:00July 27th, 2023|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , , |

Memoirs of Forgotten Yesterday by Aaron Grahame

Memoirs of Forgotten Yesterday by Aaron GrahameAuthor Aaron Grahame captures the struggle of chronic illness and the transient nature of memory in Memoirs of Forgotten Yesterday, an emotive long-form reflection on one man’s complicated life.

Bailey is a devoted son and daily visitor to his increasingly forgetful father, Harry, who is often lost in the past, and regularly confused by the present. As his condition worsens, the narrative weaves more sporadically through Harry’s fractured mind, revealing painful and defining moments of the Hargraves family. As Harry cycles through recollections of relationships, difficult betrayals, joyous arrivals, addictions, and disappointments, readers gradually reassemble the pieces of his […]

2023-07-26T17:01:34+02:00July 26th, 2023|Categories: New Releases|Tags: |

A Snowball in Summer by George Sanchez

A Snowball in Summer by George Sanchez

A Snowball in Summer by George Sanchez is a remarkable piece of diaristic fiction telling the story of a hard-won love. Genuine and compelling, Sanchez’s style has the immediacy of real-world speech, the brilliance of well-crafted storytelling, and unforgettable characters in a vibrantly described New Orleans.

Bryna and Jeff might not be seen as an ordinary couple – their story is peppered with affairs, despair, ghosts from the past, but also unrelenting love. After many years together, and three children, they still desire each other passionately and even more profoundly than their early days.

When Jeff is away in the […]

2023-06-16T13:54:46+02:00June 15th, 2023|Categories: New Releases|Tags: |

Review: As Time Goes By by W. Royce Adams

As Time Goes By by W. Royce Adams

As Time Goes By by W. Royce Adams is a beautifully written, heartfelt, fictional memoir, in which the stories of a lifetime trigger profound reflections on life, love, and death. With unique irony and mastery of the written word, W. Royce Adams questions his own life and life writ large, guiding the reader through an unforgettable journey.

Looking back on his life as an almost 90-year-old man, the author can zoom into his memories in incredible detail, crystallized in time and yet very alive, with a deep sense of direction and perspective, tracing the many trails of his story from […]

2023-07-06T11:12:33+02:00May 2nd, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |

As Time Goes By by W. Royce Adams

As Time Goes By by W. Royce Adams Author W. Royce Adams delivers a unique and intimately drawn reflection on a fictional life well-lived in As Time Goes By.

Recounting his “whale story without the whale,” the protagonist named Old, with wisdom to match his name, invites readers into his philosophy-forward memoir, laced with humor and potential answers to some of the biggest questions we face. From early childhood head injuries and illicit afternoons in barrooms with his grandfather to early missteps in romance, cliff jumping, and the looming clouds of war, it doesn’t take long for readers to forget that they aren’t reading an autobiography, propelled […]

2023-04-13T11:30:25+02:00April 12th, 2023|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |

Shades of Thorne Creek by Alan Havorka

Shades of Thorne Creek by Alan Havorka

Shades of Thorne Creek by Alan Havorka is a fascinating social novel following the fate of a small town population in the mid-1970s trying to survive in the midst of industrial decline, for a searing and emotive portrait. Havorka brings to life the provincial frustration against a period backdrop, teasing out the delicate personal relationships that define people and the paths they take, with sometimes tragic consequences.

Our unnamed narrator arrives in Emery, South Dakota, a perfectly normal if somewhat barren Great Plains town that has clearly seen better days, organized around a local grain elevator. Having noticed with a […]

2023-04-11T15:13:59+02:00April 11th, 2023|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |

Review: Stumble and Fall by Amy Rivers

Stumble & Fall by Amy Rivers

Dealing with the effects of trauma both at a personal and community level, Stumble and Fall by Amy Rivers is a cuttingly honest and raw novel. Through the story of Kate and Tilly, Rivers dissects the emotions and fears that many abused people go through, exacerbated by finding themselves caught in events much bigger than themselves.

Kate and Tilly are sisters who deal with trauma both in their professional and personal lives. While Kate has been assaulted in her own house, Tilly has been the victim of sexual abuse all through her teens, opening a ridge between her and the […]

2023-03-21T13:42:37+02:00March 21st, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |

Hold Circulation by Syntell Smith

Hold Circulation by Syntell SmithA character-driven drama that spotlights the beauty of banality, and the shushed secrets that form the foundation of life, Hold Circulation by Syntell Smith is the third installment of his compelling Call Numbers series.

A story of redemption and personal revelation, bouncing around the stacks of a surprisingly drama-filled library, this novel peers into the pages of a dozen or so interconnected lives, revealing Janelle Smith’s plunge into parenthood, Gerry’s questionably criminal life choices, Angie’s late-night DJ dabbling, Heywood’s spiritual crises, and much more. Stretching far beyond the shelves of the 58th Street Branch, these are richly tangled tales from […]

2023-03-16T14:31:18+02:00March 16th, 2023|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |
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