In recent years, my consumption of short stories has significantly increased. I now appreciate the short story for its own artistic merit, moving past the idea that it’s less significant than a novel. After reading several novels to start my 2026 reading year, I knew...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 189: Dominion by Addie E. Citchens
by MHill | Mar 21, 2026 | Book Reviews, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
I have stated previously on the blog that I’m not a new fiction book reader. Mostly, I’ve read backlist novels and only purchased new books from my favorite authors. There is always an exception to any reading rule I have made for myself. This is the case for Dominion...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 188: Grace by Elizabeth Nunez
by MHill | Mar 15, 2026 | Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Is happiness a prerequisite for marriage? Is it possible for a marriage to withstand the moral ambiguities and difficult circumstances that life throws your way? Elizabeth Nunez’s exceptional 2003 novel, “Grace,” appears to grapple with those two critical questions....
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 187: Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson
by MHill | Mar 8, 2026 | Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
One of my favorite Booktube channels, Books with Zara, brought Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson to my attention with one of her recent videos. The video was about heartwarming reads, and she discussed several books that qualified for that honor. She captivated me...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 180: Sanshiro by Natsume Soseki
by MHill | Dec 18, 2025 | 2025 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Booktube has become of my favorite places to find out about books, and I have watched a lot of content there. One of my favorite Booktube channels is Books with Zara. Zara has eclectic taste in fiction, and I have liked the vibe of her videos. She recently did a video...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 177: The City in Glass by Nghi Vo
by MHill | Nov 15, 2025 | 2025 Book Reviews, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Wisdom From Kammbia Novella Review
It does not happen to me often when I read a work of fiction. With The City in Glass by Nghi Vo, I’m left uncertain about what I read or the novella’s true theme. Nghi Vo tells the story of Vitrine, a demon that loves the city of Azril. In some respects, she is the...
Rereading Erasure by Percival Everett
by MHill | Nov 1, 2025 | 2025 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Fiction about Artists, Marion's All-Time Favorite Novels, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Rereading Series, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
"A trout is very much like truth; it does what it wants, what it has to." The above quote came near the end of the novel, Erasure, by Percival Everett. I'm rereading this wonderful and thought-provoking novel again to see if it will make my all-time favorite novels...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 174: The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe by Kij Johnson
by MHill | Oct 5, 2025 | 2025 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Wisdom From Kammbia Novella Review
I have never read H.P. Lovecraft before, and it seems his stories reinterpreted by modern authors has come onto my reading radar. I read The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle earlier this year and that novella was a reinterpretation of Lovecraft's story, The...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 173: Ormeshadow by Priya Sharma
by MHill | Oct 1, 2025 | 2025 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Wisdom From Kammbia Novella Review
Having had this blog and reviewed almost 500 books for close to fifteen years, I’ve realized my favorite stories are coming-of-age stories. I cannot pinpoint exactly why coming of age stories pique my interest the most as a reader. But they do. Ormeshadow by Priya...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 172: Aleph by Paulo Coelho
by MHill | Sep 26, 2025 | 2025 Book Reviews, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
A few years I finally read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Coelho’s most well-known inspirational novel has captivated and enchanted readers around the world. I will admit that I did not get the same feeling as many readers have from it. However, it intrigued me, and I...