“Stalina” by Emily Rubin is the fictional story of a Russian immigrant to the United States. The story takes place after the fall of the Soviet Union.

I found the plot to be a bit too convenient, information happens to fall into Sam’s lap just at the right time, I did enjoy the Russian/British interaction

There is great insight on how Jews were persecuted and the struggles they faced. However, the author uses these adversities to highlight the Jewish spirit

We, The Drowned by Carsten Jensen is a spellbinding, award winning novel spanning 100 years in a small Danish coastal town Marstal, and its inhabitats

Joe is not a perfect narrator and after finishing the book I finally saw what the author was trying to convey, a hard man making a hard living

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick is told in vivid narrative, it is sinful and tense, with flashes of violence, graphic sexual acts and grief

The island of Galveston is attacked by the USA. Confederate Jamie Russell is in the battle, Emma takes care of their aunt and does her part as a volunteer nurse

Conrad, one of the last of the Templars must save several crates. Archeologist Tess Chaykin is forced by a mysterious man to solve Conrad’s mystery 700 years

The making of a writer. Daniel Baciagalupo and his father flee a 1950’s New Hampshire logging town after Daniel accidentally killed his father’s lover.

Set during the 1960’s, when the civil rights movement was gaining speed and atrocities went unnoticed, the book’s existence could provide life threatening