Book Reviews

December 2013

The Decline of Pigeons by Janice Deal | reviewed by Matthew Kabik

November 2013

Housebound by Elizabeth Gentry | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

The Virgins by Pamela Erens | reviewed by Ed Davis

The Taste of Marmalade by Tessa McWatt | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

Microtones by Robert Vaughan | reviewed by Nancy Freund

Whatever Don't Drown Will Always Rise by Justin Lawrence Daugherty | reviewed by Peter Tieryas Liu

My Beauty by Rowena Macdonald | reviewed by Thomas Michael Duncan

Bess by Daphne Gottlieb | reviewed by Paula McGrath

First Book of Frags by Dave Lordan | reviewed by Philip Coleman

October 2013

Red Room:New Short Stories Inspired by the Brontës | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

The Hypothetical Girl by Elizabeth Cohen | reviewed by Maria Anderson

Sorrow by Catherine Gammon | reviewed by Erin Lewenauer

Goodnight Nobody by Ethel Rohan | reviewed by James Claffey

September 2013

TAMPA by Alissa Nutting | reviewed by Michael Wayne Hampton

Chasing the King of Hearts by Hanna Krall | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

The Man Who Noticed Everything by Adrian Van Young | reviewed by Jackie Thomas-Kennedy

Paper Dreams | reviewed by Curtis Smith

In the House Upon the Dirt Between the Lake and the Woods by Matt Bell | reviewed by Jeffrey Condran

August 2013

Beacons: Stories for our not so distant future | reviewed by Caitlin Corrigan

Grey Cats by Adam Biles | reviewed by Susan Jupp

An Elegy for Mathematics by Anne Valente | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

Little Raw Souls by Steven Schwartz | reviewed by Brian Seemann

Only Fools Die of Heartbreak by Thor Garcia | reviewed by Gabino Iglesias

Spolia | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

Why We Never Talk About Sugar by Aubrey Hirsch | reviewed by Erin McKnight

Hauptbahnhof by Joanna Walsh | reviewed by Bobbi Lurie

Death of a Ladies' Man by Christiana Spens | reviewed by Maria Anderson

The Miracles of Ordinary Men by Amanda Leduc | reviewed by Patrick Thomas Henry

Fun Camp by Gabe Durham | reviewed by Michael Wayne Hampton

July 2013

Bear Season by Bernie Hafeli | reviewed by Kristen Orser

The Consummation of Dirk by Jonathan Callahan | reviewed by Charles Dodd White

Flashes of War by Katey Schultz | reviewed by Jeffrey Condran

Beasts & Men by Curtis Smith | reviewed by Matthew Kabik

What You Are Now Enjoying by Sarah Gerkensmeyer | reviewed by Maggie Desmond-O'Brien

June 2013

Entertaining Strangers by Jonathan Taylor | reviewed by Paula McGrath

Last Call in the City of Bridges by Salvatore Pane | reviewed by Michael Wayne Hampton

The Great Disappointment by Kathryn Dow | reviewed by Nancy Freund

Is That You, John Wayne? by Scott Garson | reviewed by Curtis Smith

Nights I Dreamed of Hubert Humphrey by Daniel Mueller | reviewed by Melanie Page

I Am Holding Your Hand by Myfanwy Collins | reviewed by Brian Seemann

Summer Reviews Special: Recommendations from our reviewers | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

More Stories about Spaceships and Cancer by Casper Kelly | reviewed by Cortney Bledsoe

Grind by Mark Maynard | reviewed by Joe Trinkle

Make It Stay by Joan Frank | reviewed by Susan Jupp

Spark by Courtney Elizabeth Mauk | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

Strategies Against Extinction by Michael Nye | reviewed by Ursula Villarreal-Moura

The Brain Harvest by Ken Nash | reviewed by Ryan Werner

May 2013

Haven's Wake by Ladette Randolph | reviewed by Kathy Fish

The President In Her Towers: a report by Tom Whalen | reviewed by David Rose

Building Waves by Taeko Tomioka | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

One by Blake Butler and Vanessa Place | reviewed by Peter Tieryas Liu

April 2013

A Floating Life by Tad Crawford | reviewed by Nancy Freund

Maverick Jetpants in the City of Quality by Bill Peters | reviewed by Jess Stoner

Almost Gone by Brian Sousa | reviewed by Ethel Rohan

The Way We Sleep | reviewed by Michael Beeman

Low Down Death Right Easy by J. David Osborne | reviewed by Michael J. Seidlinger

March 2013

SaltWater by Lane Ashfeldt | reviewed by Paula McGrath

The Way of the Dog by Sam Savage | reviewed by Steve Himmer

The Briefcase by Hiromi Kawakami | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

18% Gray by Zachary Karabashliev | reviewed by Tara Cheesman

February 2013

The Mere Weight of Words by Carissa Halston | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

In the Body by Allison Baggio | reviewed by Shawn Syms

The Plum Rains by John Givens | reviewed by Susan Jupp

Stupid Children by Lenore Zion | reviewed by Thomas Michael Duncan

January 2013

Tell Everyone I Said Hi by Chad Simpson | reviewed by Jess Stoner

A Bouquet by Karel Jaromir Erben | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

Whatever Happened to Harold Absalon? by Simon Okotie | reviewed by Steve Himmer

May We Shed These Human Bodies by Amber Sparks | reviewed by Brian Seemann

December 2012

Best European Fiction 2013 | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

Heart of Scorpio by Joseph Avski | reviewed by Ursula Villarreal-Moura

Beneath the Liquid Skin by Berit Ellingsen | reviewed by Robyn Goss

My Mother was an Upright Piano by Tania Hershman | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

November 2012

People With Holes by Heather Fowler | reviewed by Jess Stoner

A Floating World by Karen Best | reviewed by Matt Dube

The Murder of Halland by Pia Juul | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

The Same Terrible Storm by Sheldon Lee Compton | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

October 2012

The House Enters the Street by Gretchen E. Henderson | reviewed by Jess Stoner

The Beautiful Wishes of Ugly Men by Adam Prince | reviewed by Nancy Freund


Àgua Viva by Clarice Lispector | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

Little Sinners by Karen Brown | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

The White Goddess by Simon Gough | reviewed by Steve Himmer

September 2012

Breakfast At Midnight by Louis Armand | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

Lesser Apocalypses by Bayard Godsave | reviewed by Wendy Lotterman

Hymnal for Dirty Girls by Rebekah Matthews | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

The Names of Things by John Colman Wood | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

August 2012

The Sky Conducting by Michael Seidlinger | reviewed by Jess Stoner

I Burn Paris by Bruno Jasieński | reviewed by Laura McCune Poplin

Rim/Wave by David Giannini | reviewed by Wendy Lotterman

Radio Iris by Anne-Marie Kinney | reviewed by Steve Himmer

July 2012

Shut Up/Look Pretty | reviewed by Jillian Phillips

The Maladjusted by Derek Hayes | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

Revelation by Colin Winnette | reviewed by Jess Stoner

Elsewhere, California by Dana Johnson | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

The Islands by Carlos Gamerro | reviewed by Steve Himmer

June 2012

Into This World by Sybil Baker | reviewed by Susan Jupp

Fame & Madness in America by Garrett Socol | reviewed by Nancy Freund

The China Factory by Mary Costello | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

Notes from the Committee by Catherine Kasper | reviewed by Evan Harris

May 2012

Jailed by Myra Sherman | reviewed by Jess Stoner

Kino by Jürgen Fauth | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

Miss Fuller by April Bernard | reviewed by Nancy Freund

The Lola Quartet by Emily St. John Mandel | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

April 2012

Light Without Heat by Matthew Kirkpatrick | reviewed by Robert Kloss

Variations of a Brother War by J.A. Tyler | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

Love Sketches by David Appleby | reviewed by Susan Jupp

All Her Father's Guns by James Warner | reviewed by Nancy Freund

The State of Kansas by Julianna Spallholz | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

March 2012

Crash & Tell by Lori Baker | reviewed by Jess Stoner

The Fallback Plan by Leigh Stein | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

We Bury the Landscape by Kristine Ong Muslim | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

The Faster I Walk, the Smaller I Am by Kjersti A. Skomsvold | reviewed by Steve Himmer

February 2012

In the Time of the Blue Ball by Manuela Draeger | reviewed by Jess Stoner

Echolocation by Myfanwy Collins | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

Laikonik Express by Nick Sweeney | reviewed by Susan Jupp

Destroy All Monsters, and Other Stories by Greg Hrbek | reviewed by Ashley Cowger

January 2012

And Also Sharks by Jessica Westhead | reviewed by Jess Stoner

The Mimic's Own Voice by Tom Williams | reviewed by Laura McCune Poplin

Omicron Ceti III by Thomas P. Balázs | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

There is Something Inside, It Wants to Get Out by Madeline McDonnell | reviewed by Nancy Freund

The Brothers by Asko Sahlberg | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

December 2011

A Friend in the Police by John Givens | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

The Book of Happenstance by Ingrid Winterbach | reviewed by Jess Stoner

Ayiti by Roxane Gay | reviewed by Thomas Michael Duncan

How to Stop Loving Someone by Joan Connor | reviewed by Ashley Cowger

November 2011

Sherry & Narcotics by Nina-Marie Gardner | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

30 Under 30: An Anthology of Innovative Fiction by Younger Authors | reviewed by Robert Kloss

Amazing Adult Fantasy by A.D. Jameson | reviewed by Jess Stoner

Bohemian Girl by Terese Svoboda | reviewed by Steve Himmer

October 2011

Bear Down, Bear North by Melinda Moustakis | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

The Princess, the King and the Anarchist by Robert Pagani | reviewed by Susan Jupp

the stinging fly: issue 18 | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

I Am a Very Productive Entrepreneur by Mathias Svalina | reviewed by Jess Stoner

The Complete Works of Marvin K. Mooney by Christopher Higgs | reviewed by Robert Kloss

September 2011

So You Know It's Me by Brian Oliu | reviewed by Laura McCune Poplin

Death Wishing by Laura Ellen Scott | reviewed by Amye Archer

The Indefinite State of Imaginary Morals by Rae Bryant | reviewed by Beth Posniak Fiencke

From the Darkness Right Under Our Feet by Patrick Michael Finn | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

August 2011

The Vanishing Point of Desire by Vi Khi Nao | reviewed by Jess Stoner

Katzenjammered by Norma Kassirer | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

The Girl with Brown Fur by Stacey Levine | reviewed by Steve Himmer

Domestic Apparition by Meg Tuite | reviewed by Faye Rapoport DesPres

How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive by Christopher Boucher | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

July 2011

Summer recommendations | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

Unfinished by Lily Hoang | reviewed by Jess Stoner

The New Moscow Philosophy by Vyacheslav Pyetsukh | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

The Many Revenges of Kip Flynn by Sean Dixon | reviewed by Nancy Freund

June 2011

Normally Special by xTx | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

Cowboy Maloney's Electric City by Michael Bible | reviewed by Jess Stoner

Daddy's by Lindsay Hunter | reviewed by Chelsea Biondolillo

Various Men Who Knew Us as Girls by Cris Mazza | reviewed by Valerie Nieman

May 2011

How I Lost the War by Filippo Bologna | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

Fabric: Preludes to the Last American Book by Richard Froude | reviewed by Jess Stoner

apt, a literary journal | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

When Pacino's Hot, I'm Hot by Robert Levin | reviewed by Nancy Freund

Giraffes in Hiding by Carol Novack | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

April 2011

Abbott Awaits by Chris Bachelder | reviewed by Steve Himmer

Seven Years by Peter Stamm | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

Nahoonkara by Peter Grandbois | reviewed by Ben Forsberg

Marry or Burn by Valerie Trueblood | reviewed by John Oliver Perry

March 2011

I Have Touched You by Gregory Sherl | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

The Sum of His Syndromes by K. B. Dixon | reviewed by Nancy Freund

Peter Never Came by Ashley Cowger | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

Impotent by Matthew Roberson | reviewed by C.J. Opperthauser

February 2011

My Business is to Create by Eric G. Wilson | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

The Orange Suitcase by Joseph Riippi | reviewed by Nancy Freund

Blood Lotus #19 | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

How to Escape from a Leper Colony by Tiphanie Yanique | reviewed by Rebecca Hussey

January 2011

Where We Going, Daddy by Jean-Louis Fournier | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

Gasoline by Quim Monzo | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones

The Mothering Coven by Joanna Ruocco | reviewed by Michelle Bailat-Jones