Where Fiction and Reality Meet
Title: Model Home Author: Rivers Solomon Publisher: MCD Books Length: 286 Pages Category: Psychological Horror Rating: 4 Stars At a Glance: Model Home is one of those books that people seem to either love or loathe, with very little middle ground. It's that kind of story, one in which readers become frustrated with the telling... Continue Reading →
Title: Rules for Ghosting Author: Shelly Jay Shore Publisher: Dell Length: 384 Pages Category: Literary Fiction, Romance Rating: 4 Stars At a Glance: If you enjoy literary fiction that does a deep dive into what motivates its characters, what tears them apart and reunites them, and how families can be both those we're born into... Continue Reading →
Title: The Titanic Survivors Book Club Author: Timothy Schaffert Publisher: Doubleday Length: 308 Pages Category: Historical Fiction Rating: 5 Stars At a Glance: The Titanic Survivors Book Club is a book that loves books. Deeply and without reservation. This novel romances its readers with lyricism and a lushness of prose. It reached for the way... Continue Reading →
Title: Swimming in the Dark Author: Tomasz Jedrowski Publisher: HarperCollins Length: 224 Pages Category: Literary Fiction Rating: 5 Stars At a Glance: Tomasz Jedrowski’s deeply moving and stunningly portrayed novel of love set against a backdrop of political unrest and divided loyalties reads like both memoir and confessional. It is a passionate novel, beautiful and... Continue Reading →
Title: Young Mungo Author: Douglas Stuart Publisher: Grove Atlantic Length: 392 Pages Category: Literary Fiction Rating: 5 Stars At a Glance: Young Mungo is a full-circle novel that places Mungo in harm’s way and then shows us how and why he got there. It is lyrical. It is steeped in despair. It is a brutal... Continue Reading →
Title: Depart, Depart! Author: Sim Kern Publisher: Stelliform Press Length: 81 Pages Category: Literary Fiction, Current Events, Paranormal/Fantasy At a Glance: Depart, Depart! is apocalyptic and dystopian in a sense, but it is not without the hope of good overcoming the evils that men do, and I was left impressed by its overall delivery. Reviewed... Continue Reading →
Title: Aunt Sookie & Me: The Sordid Tale of a Scandalous Southern Belle Author: Michael Scott Garvin Narrator: Angie Hickman Publisher: Self-Published Run Time: 10 hours and 50 minutes Category: Literary Fiction, Humor/Satire, Historical (1960s) At a Glance: This novel was pretty much pure genius, but the narration by Angie Hickman managed to take it... Continue Reading →
Title: When Heaven Strikes Author: F.E. Feeley Jr Narrator: Vance Bastian Publisher: Self-Published Run Time: 6 hours and 4 minutes Category: Literary Fiction At a Glance: Bastian does well with this emotionally complex and enjoyable work of fiction that succeeds in illuminating and exploring the multifaceted emotional landscape of the human condition and the influence... Continue Reading →
Title: Less Author: Andrew Sean Greer Narrator: Robert Petkoff Publisher: Hatchette Audio Run Time: 8 hours and 17 minutes Category: Literary Fiction At a Glance: This is a fantastic story, and an AMAZING audiobook. I highly encourage you all to go see what Less is all about for yourselves, either in ebook or audio. Reviewed... Continue Reading →
Title: On Burning Mirrors Author: Jamie Klinger-Krebs Publisher: Amazon/Kindle Unlimited Length: 398 Pages Category: Lesbian Fiction At a Glance: On Burning Mirrors was a great read, and for once created an entire story that was not isolated on one facet of a character. Reviewed By: Courtney Ellen Blurb: Jules Kanter is a wife, a mother... Continue Reading →
Title: A San Francisco Romance: The Story of Ryan and Leland Author: Brandon Carlisle Publisher: Amazon/Kindle Unlimited Length: 356 Pages Category: Gay Fiction At a Glance: This story is akin to enjoying a warm cup of coffee… Take your time, slow yourself down, and enjoy. Reviewed By: Carrie Blurb: A San Francisco Romance: The Story... Continue Reading →
Title: Murder, Romance, and Two Shootings Author: Todd Allen Smith Publisher: NineStar Press Length: 304 Pages Category: Contemporary, Literary Fiction At a Glance: I thought the structure of this novel may have been a little bit better if it had been set up like a diary, but I have to give Todd Allen Smith a... Continue Reading →
Title: And If I Fall Author: Robin Reardon Publisher: Self-Published Length: 474 Pages Category: Suspense/Thriller At a Glance: Robin Reardon has a way of writing that draws the reader into an immediate and powerful sensation of being inside the characters she writes, even those who aren’t the main characters. This was never more the case... Continue Reading →
Title: New Year, New You Author: Steve Pacer Publisher: NineStar Press Length: 268 Pages Category: Contemporary, Literary Fiction At a Glance: I’m so glad I read this one. The writing is solid, and for the most part the story is well-crafted and engaging. The one major plot point did keep me from giving it five... Continue Reading →
Title: The Immortalists Author: Chloe Benjamin Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons/Penguin Publishing Length: 352 Pages Category: Literary Fiction At a Glance: Cerebrate and not lacking in pathos, author Chloe Benjamin persuades readers to confront the concept of freewill and the inevitability of our own mortality, entwining it in the complexity of familial bonds and our sense... Continue Reading →
Title: The Bones of Our Fathers Author: Elin Gregory Publisher: Manifold Press Length: 231 Pages Category: Contemporary At a Glance: A low-key character driven story with a slow but steady paced romance revolving around archeological find in a small town. Reviewed By: Lindsey Blurb: Malcolm Bright, brand new museum curator in a small Welsh Border... Continue Reading →
Title: Street People Author: Michael Nava Publisher: Kórima Press Length: 134 Pages Category: Literary Fiction, Drama At a Glance: Michael Nava is an accomplished storyteller, and Street People is proof that a complete story can be told in an economy of words—as long as they are the right words, deliberate and evocative and delivered with... Continue Reading →
Title: Permanent Jet Lag Author: A.N. Casey Publisher: NineStar Press Length: 222 Pages Category: Contemporary At a Glance: This one should definitely come with an Extreme Feels warning. But, don’t let that scare you off! Grab this one, guys. Reviewed By: Jules Blurb: Nineteen-year-old Lucas Burke prefers being alone. He likes the silence, and he... Continue Reading →
Title: Shaper Author: Christine Danse Publisher: NineStar Press Length: 45 Pages Category: Sci-Fi/Fantasy At a Glance: A short science fiction story about love and loss, Shaper will drag you through the wringer of emotions. Reviewed By: Ben Blurb: Nameless and without an identity, she wakes on the streets of Shapertown, an abandoned city that defies... Continue Reading →
Title: The Worst Werewolf Author: Jacqueline Rohrbach Publisher: NineStar Press Length: 150 Pages Category: Paranormal, Literary/Genre Fiction At a Glance: Read this if you are a diehard werewolf fan (the monster kind). Reviewed By: Ben Blurb: The werewolf said, “Race you to the road.” It was the last thing Tovin heard before his life became... Continue Reading →
Title: A Careful Heart Author: Ralph Josiah Bardsley Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Length: 312 Pages Category: Literary Fiction At a Glance: From a quiet novel of self-discovery to a turbulent exploration of love and friendship, Ralph Josiah Bardsley delivers another beautiful novel exploring the human condition. Reviewed By: Lisa Blurb: Travis Gaines and Stephen Davis... Continue Reading →
Title: Nightswimmer: A Novel Author: Joseph Olshan Publisher: Open Road Media Length: 244 Pages Category: Literary Fiction At a Glance: Whether you like Will or not will likely affect your reading experience—he’s flawed, as is Sean, and those imperfections make them human, adding another healthy dose of realism to the story. Reviewed By: Lisa Blurb:... Continue Reading →
Title: A Faithful Son Author: Michael Scott Garvin Publisher: Amazon/Kindle Unlimited Length: 308 Pages Category: Literary Fiction At a Glance: A Faithful Son is one of the most powerful novels I’ve read in quite some time, emotionally and spiritually resonant, and a stunning work of fiction. Reviewed By: Lisa Blurb: This captivating coming of age... Continue Reading →
Title: Lone Star on a Cowboy Heart Author: Marie S. Crosswell Publisher: Less Than Three Press Length: 107 Pages (Kindle) Category: Contemporary, Aromantic, Asexual, Biromantic, Poly At a Glance: The only issue I had with Lone Star on a Cowboy Heart was the verbiage; otherwise, I thought there were some truly emotional moments in this... Continue Reading →
The Novel Approach Reviews 