BookPage | May 14, 2020

“When Franklin Delano Roosevelt died in 1945, he was praised for the significant advances African Americans made during his administration. One editorial said black Americans had ‘lost the best friend they ever had in the White House.’ The New Deal did provide African Americans with substantial assistance and more reason to hope, but FDR needed the support of Southern Democrats in Congress to advance his agenda, and he was reluctant to take actions on race that would upset them. What he was able to achieve came largely thanks to the efforts of an informal group of black activists, intellectuals and scholars working within the government. As historian Jill Watts shows in her meticulously researched and beautifully written The Black Cabinet: The Untold Story of African Americans and Politics During the Age of Roosevelt, these ‘black cabinet’ members succeeded in stopping or modifying many policies that would have made institutionalized racism even worse than it was.”

Follow the link above to read the full BookPage review of The Black Cabinet by Jill Watts!

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Ms. Magazine | May 13, 2020

“The Feminist Know-It-All: You know her. You can’t stand her. Good thing she’s not here! Instead, this column by gender and women’s studies librarian Karla Strand will amplify stories of the creation, access, use and preservation of knowledge by women and girls around the world; share innovative projects and initiatives that focus on information, literacies, libraries and more; and, of course, talk about all of the books.

Each month, I provide Ms. readers with a list of new books being published by writers from historically underrepresented groups.”

Book of the Little Axe by Lauren Francis-Sharma and My Mother’s House by Francesca Momplaisir were included in this fabulous round-up! Follow the link above to see the full list.

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Tor.com | May 12, 2020

“Francesca Momplaisir’s novel My Mother’s House tells the tale of a sentient home that burns itself to the ground in rage and despair at housing a terrible and abusive man. The dark and unsettling story follows Lucien, who flees his home country of Haiti with his wife, Marie-Ange, and their three children to move to New York City’s South Ozone Park and seek a fresh start. The family then buys a run-down house that they name ‘La Kay,’ or ‘My Mother’s house,’ which becomes a place for fellow Haitian immigrants to find peace, food, and legal assistance. What the family doesn’t know, however, is that all the while the house is watching and passing judgment on all of its inhabitants and is particularly upset at Lucien’s cruel behavior. But after La Kay burns itself to the ground, Lucien’s true evil nature is revealed.”

Follow the link above to read the rest of this wonderful review from Tor.com!

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Artforum | May 12, 2020

“Best-known as one of the three women who founded Black Lives Matter, and the powerhouse behind the grassroots movement that’s now transforming the Los Angeles County prison system, Patrisse Cullors is also a formidable artist. Fresh on the heels of major victories in both arenas—her Reform LA Jail’s initiative, Measure R, passed by a landslide 71 percent in the February election, and recent performances at LTD, Frieze LA, and The Broad have won her the attention of the Los Angeles art scene—Cullors talks here about the intersection of activism and creative expression.”

Follow the link above to read this amazing interview!

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LitHub | May 12, 2020

“You know what they say: April showers bring May books. Here’s today’s brand-new batch coming to (virtual) bookstores near you. Consider this a friendly reminder that it’s never a bad idea to support your local indie.”

Happy pub day to My Mother’s House by Francesca Momplaisir, Book of the Little Axe by Lauren Francis-Sharma and The Black Cabinet by Jill Watts! Follow the link above to read the full article and see what else is being published today.

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The New York Times | May 12, 2020

“There’s long been a standard story of the civil rights movement. It starts on a December evening in 1955, when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Ala., bus. With that single act of defiance, the story says, Parks set off a movement that sped across the South of the 1950s and 1960s, through Little Rock and Greensboro, Anniston and Ole Miss, Birmingham and Selma, and brought Jim Crow tumbling down. Then, in the bitter spring of 1968, the movement went to Memphis. There it died, on a motel balcony awash in its martyr’s blood.

It’s a profoundly powerful story, in large part because it’s a sacred one, built on a fundamental faith in sacrifice and suffering as the route to redemption. And for years historians have been pushing against it. They’ve stretched the movement’s chronology, extended its geography, recovered all-but-forgotten events and given its overlooked activists their due, all in an effort to make its history deeper, richer and more troubling than the standard story lets it be.”

The New York Times reviewed The Black Cabinet: The Untold Story of African Americans and Politics During the Age of Roosevelt by Jill Watts. Follow the link above to read the full review.

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Library Journal | May 11, 2020

“Several new works of fiction tackle multigenerational family drama, Tudor expert Alison Weir's new novel stars the naive Katheryn Howard, and a guide to taking your cheese boards to the next level top this week's list of new titles.”

My Mother’s House by Francesca Momplaisir and Book of the Little Axe by Lauren Francis-Sharma are both included on this fabulous list! Follow the link above to read the entire article.

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Bitch Media | May 11, 2020

“It’s difficult to focus on anything, including pop culture, given that we’re in the midst of a life-altering pandemic—and that’s perfectly okay. It may take a while for us to return to some semblance of our normal lives, but in the meantime, finishing a single book—no matter how long it takes—might be a comfort. For those who are looking for a place to start, here is another monthly list of BitchReads from a variety of literary genres, including thrillers, novels about everything under the sun, and nonfiction books that explore everything from religious traditions to sexual harassment in the workplace. I hope there’s something on this list for everyone. As always, happy reading!”

My Mother’s House by Francesca Momplaisir was included in this fabulous round-up! Follow the link above to read more.

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New York Times Book Review | May 8, 2020

“‘My Mother’s House,’ Francesca Momplaisir’s debut novel, begins from the point of view of La Kay, a house on fire. The walls talk, scheme and ultimately give in to an impulse to self-destruct. The house has a large range of human intentions and emotions, including an affinity for Michael Jackson and rap music, and can burst pipes and inhale fire to act on its fears and desires. It provides one of three perspectives in the novel; the others belong to its owner, Lucien, and Sol, a woman living in the basement.”

My Mother’s House by Francesca Momplaisir was reviewed in the New York Times Book Review! Follow the link above to read the full piece.

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Refinery29 | May 8, 2020

“These authors write books about the dark and twisted underbelly of life – crime, murder, the supernatural. And they all have drawn inspiration from an unlikely source: motherhood. Here are the stories of moms and the dark sparks of creativity that inspired their work.”

Vanessa Lillie explains her inspiration for her debut novel, Little Voices. Follow the link above to read more.

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Tor.com | May 7, 2020

Tor.com put together a list of all the genre-bending titles heading to bookstores in May. My Mother’s House by Francesca Momplaisir was included on this list! Follow the link above to see the full round-up.

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Library Journal | May 1, 2020

“Haitian American author and scholar Momplaisir delivers a tale of immigrants and the American underclass where they often find themselves, but it is also an exploration of oppressive male violence. As a young man in Haiti, Lucien, the novel’s protagonist and villain, stalks Marie-Ange, the daughter of Duvalier’s assistant, and saves her from death after a coup’s backlash. Eventually they marry, and Lucien brings Marie-Ange and their three young daughters to America to live in a house he owns in Queens, NY. This house is a sentient character in the novel, but not all-knowing, unaware of the extent of violence under its roof. Lucien manages to keep his pedophilia and sexual predation hidden from the neighbors, as he captures several women and keeps them trapped in the house’s basement bomb shelter. In Momplaisir’s hands, Lucien’s character is multidimensioned and his rendering almost sympathetic.”

Follow the link above to read the verdict of this Library Journal starred review!

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Paperback Paris | May 1, 2020

“Biblios, feast your eyes! At the top of every month, we scour the biblio corners of the web to find you new and interesting fiction and nonfiction books — those for the impulse reader with empty shopping carts waiting to be filled to the stacks-obsessed bookworms whose to-be-read shelves always seem to be toppling over.

Our latest Book Bag features an affable and amusing tale of adulting and sibling struggles in Emma Straub’s All Adults Here, Samanta Schweblin’s eerie, engrossing novel of intimacy and isolation in a new era of technology, a stirring and unforgettable collection of new poetry from the ever-indelible Jenny Zhang, and many more.”

My Mother’s House by Francesca Momplaisir was included in this fabulous round-up! Follow the link to see the full list.

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Amazon | May 1, 2020

The Wife Stalker by Liv Constantine is an Amazon Best Book of the Month in the Mystery, Thriller and Suspense category! Follow the link above to see the full list.

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The Big Thrill | April 30, 2020

“Pinpointing the exact moment sisters Val and Lynne Constantine began finishing each other’s sentences might be difficult—but determining when that skill would manifest into a lucrative career is a little easier to gauge: October 17, 2017.

That’s when The Last Mrs. Parrish, the first novel under the pseudonym Liv Constantine, hit shelves—a story that caught the attention of critics, readers…and Reese Witherspoon. To say that Liv Constantine then became an overnight success would be misleading, but it’s no exaggeration that being selected for Witherspoon’s book club created a frenzy that led to multiple foreign rights deals, an Amazon Studios option, and a lucrative contract with HarperCollins.

Their sophomore thriller, 2019’s The Last Time I Saw Her, continued to rack up the accolades, while earning coveted spots on dozens of Most Anticipated lists across the globe, and—yes—was also optioned for film. So far so good, right?

They’re far from done.

This year’s THE WIFE STALKER finds itself on many of those same Most Anticipated lists, and the sisters are once again poised to rock the genre with a novel of psychological suspense that chills with its compelling tagline: All she wants is the perfect family….yours.”

Follow the link above to read the full interview with Liv Constantine!

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Los Angeles Times | April 30, 2020

“This is an excellent time to have some absorbing cookbooks on hand. Not only because many of us could use inspiration figuring out what to cook while we shelter but also because we’re craving connection.

A parallel has emerged between restaurants and cookbooks in recent years: In the same way that chefs are expressing autobiography through their menus, hazarding to reveal themselves and where they come from, the best cookbook authors have also become willing to risk exposing their truest selves on the page.

It’s a daunting feat, being equal at recipe mastery and storytelling. Some of the recent books that achieve this remind us about what we’re missing while restaurant dining rooms remain closed; others shed light on home traditions around the country and the world. Each offers us a chance to disappear into finely wrought words and worlds and, if we’re up to it, into our kitchens.”

Meals, Music, and Muses by Alexander Smalls was included in this fabulous round-up. Please follow the link above to read the full article.

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Publishers Weekly | April 28, 2020

“In bestseller Slaughter’s macabre 10th thriller featuring Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Will Trent (after 2019’s The Last Widow), Will and his partner, Faith Mitchell, are investigating a prison murder when inmate Daryl Nesbitt extends an offer. Nesbitt will tell them who the killer is if the GBI will look into eight incidents—one recent—that he believes are connected to the rape of Beckey Caterino eight years earlier. Nesbitt is serving time for child pornography discovered on his computer during the cops’ investigation of the Caterino case, but Nesbitt maintains that Chief Jeffrey Tolliver—the now-deceased husband of Will’s girlfriend, medical examiner Sara Linton—framed him, and that a sadistic serial attacker remains at large. Will’s scrutiny of Jeffrey’s detective work sends Sara on a wistful trip down memory lane, leaving Will uncertain of their future. Will and Jeffrey’s inquiries, unfolding through frequent flashbacks, add nuance and complexity to an already intricate plot. Slaughter delivers an unflinching, deeply empathetic exploration of the stigma surrounding rape and the enduring trauma suffered by its survivors.”

Follow the link above to read the review on the Publishers Weekly website.

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Library Journal | April 28, 2020

“La La Fine is an animal empath extraordinaire finally enjoying a stable life. She is in veterinary school and lives with her devoted fiancé, Clem, a chiropractor, and their loving animals, Black and Blue. But her complicated childhood catches up with her, derailing all she holds dear. Long abandoned by a cold mother who walked away while La La was drowning in an icy pond and raised by Zev, the locksmith/thief father who taught her his trades, she is drawn back into his drama when he is arrested for breaking into a home, which causes the elderly owner to tumble down the stairs—a fall he may not survive. La La takes on Zev’s attorney’s fees, using her empathic gifts and her housebreaking skills to steal from homes that also house animals in distress. No good can come from this plan.”

Other People’s Pets by R.L. Maizes received a fabulous starred review from Library Journal! Follow the link above to read the full review.

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