Book Review
Tokyo Junkie
by Meg Nola
Robert Whiting’s memoir "Tokyo Junkie" details his long-standing relationship with Japan’s populous, quirky capital. Whiting first arrived in Japan as a US Air Force soldier; he watched Tokyo emerge from its post-war malaise to...
Book Review
Tibet
by Meg Nola
P. Christiaan Klieger’s "Tibet" is a complex, storied survey of the mountainous homeland of the Dalai Lama. Once a powerful empire, Tibet has struggled for centuries to maintain its identity and independence, pushing back against...
Book Review
Waterfall
by Meg Nola
In Mary Casanova’s evocative novel "Waterfall", a young artist readjusts to life after a harrowing stay at a mental institution. Set in 1922, amid the lush Minnesota wilderness, the novel creates an idyllic, unique sense of place....
Book Review
Growing Up Bank Street
by Meg Nola
Donna Florio’s "Growing Up Bank Street" is a vibrant, heartfelt memoir, centered on one of Greenwich Village’s most notable series of blocks. A lifelong New Yorker, Florio combines historical context with personal experiences in her...
Book Review
The Uncommon Case of Daniel Brown
by Meg Nola
Historian Gordon H. Shufelt’s true crime book recounts the 1875 murder of a Black man by a white policeman. While racial police brutality is still not uncommon, the grim distinction surrounding Daniel Brown’s death is that, in late...
Book Review
An I-Novel
by Meg Nola
First published in 1995, Minae Mizumura’s "An I-Novel" was Japan’s “first bilingual novel;” this translation maintains its original tone and cross-cultural resonance. In the mid-1980s, the narrator, Minae, sips whiskey while...
Book Review
Certain and Impossible Events
by Meg Nola
Candace Jane Opper’s memoir centers on a pivotal event: the suicide of a friend from her teenage years, who’s internally referred to as “Brett,” and whose real name she has tattooed between her shoulder blades. Brett shot himself...
Book Review
High-Vibe Feng Shui
by Meg Nola
Ashley Cantley’s "High-Vibe Feng Shui" reworks the traditional Chinese philosophy of design and natural harmony, making it more accessible and less intimidating. Cantley is a certified Feng Shui professional with experience as a design...