Coming of Age

Tall Poppies Review: “Fallout Girl” Seeks Freedom From a Fractured Family

I'm a sucker for broken families--well, stories about them, anyway. Throw in secrets, especially L.A. secrets, and I'm in with both feet. Most of the cast in Fallout Girl (Blue Crow Publishing) are twenty-somethings. It's the age of becoming: choosing a career and a place to live, figuring out what…

Sonja YoergJune 28, 2018

Fiction Recommended

Jewish Boy’s Strange Journey to the Promised Land

More than historical fiction, The Immigrant by Frederic Petrovsky can be defined as a fine bit of motivational philosophizing -- and a most satisfying read. The Immigrant follows an admirable and eclectic list of previous works by Petrovsky: The Clinton Diaries, speculative fiction about former president Bill Clinton, his obsessions…

Sherri DaleyNovember 18, 2022

Fiction Young Adult Young Adult - Featured

Tale of Teenage Self-Discovery Shines Light On LGBTQ+ Struggle

I remember high school as an extreme time. One day you’re outrageously happy and everything is right in the world; the next day, you’re immensely sad and nothing you attempt goes right. (This is not unlike being a writer, but I digress). I can’t imagine what that journey is like…

Y. M. NelsonSeptember 22, 2022

Nonfiction Nonfiction - Featured

One Family’s Love and Loyalty in Depression Era Oklahoma

Momma Was Home, But She Wasn’t There is a beautiful collection of memories told in a distinct style that reads like an oral history, rather than a traditional memoir. The cadence of the speech and establishment of the timeline feels like a grandmother recounting her life to her grandchildren, teaching…

Madison HillOctober 7, 2022

Fiction Fiction - Featured

Learn “A Thing Or Two About The Game” in Heartwarming Story of Self-Discovery

“It’s all about the ice cream.” On the surface, yes, the idea of little league girls softball at the pre-teen level is to have fun. At least it should be. At least for the girls. Thinking back, my daughter’s softball coach was a tough cookie. One evening after practice, he…

Jim AlkonOctober 19, 2022

Fiction Fiction - Featured Recommended

Literary Journey of Self-Discovery Shows the Making of a Man

It’s a bold and gutsy move to open a book with a description of two dead men, their bodies mangled at the bottom of a construction pit, blood running from their mouths and stiffening into maroon jelly. “If you have to, blame me for wanting to feel the rush that…

Joanna PoncavageOctober 31, 2022

BooksToScreen BooksToScreen - Featured Fiction Romance

“Where The Crawdads Sing” Steps Out of the Bayou and Onto the Big Screen in Stunning Form

Delia Owens‘ 2018 novel, Where The Crawdads Sing (Penguin Publishing Group), one of the bestselling books of all time, is at its heart an empowering tale of a girl who survives. Left by her family to fend for herself, a young white girl grows up in 1950s coastal North Carolina, an endless…

Wyatt SemenukJuly 14, 2022

Fiction>Fiction - Featured

Harmless Teenage Prank Prompts National Panic in “Now Is Not the Time to Panic”

Kevin Wilson delivers a witty and charming coming-of-age story in his latest novel, Now is Not the Time to Panic (Ecco). Twenty years ago, famous children’s author Frances Budge was an awkward teenage loner. She had no true friends, felt uncomfortable in her own skin, and believed there was more…

Jodé MillmanNovember 7, 2022

Fiction Miscellany Podcasts Potpourri - Featured Thrillers

Writers, Ink Podcast: “Daphne” with NYT Bestseller Josh Malerman

BookTrib is proud to present to our readers the Writers, Ink podcast, a show about the business of writing. J.K. Rowling was nearly homeless when she wrote the first Harry Potter book. Stephen King penned Carrie on a small desk wedged between a washer and dryer. James Patterson worked in…

Writers, InkSeptember 19, 2022

Author Spotlight Author Spotlight - Featured

An Exclusive Interview With Karen Hinton, Hot-Button Author of “Penis Politics”

More than simply a memoir or a coming-of-age story, and more than even both together, Karen Hinton’s Penis Politics (Sartoris Literary Group) is a call to action and a call to arms. In the era of #MeToo and on the heels of Andrew Cuomo’s disgraced exit from the governing sphere,…

BookTribDecember 1, 2021

Author Spotlight Author Spotlight - Featured

C. Roloson Reese on Envisioning His “Lake Roland”

Lake Roland, by debut author C. Roloson Reese, is an enigmatic book. It’s a coming-of-age tale that spans decades. It is a mystery about a missing person but its catalyst is a beautiful and placid lake. It’s about a family man with a white-collar career as a banker, but this…

BookTribJuly 5, 2021

Author Spotlight Author Spotlight - Featured Thrillers

Spencer K. Prescott On the Beginning of a Love of Books and Her Present Writing Process

Hummingbird: Broken Wings isn’t your typical young adult fiction novel. Here, the supernatural takes hold of a young woman who already felt like her world was falling apart and her mind failing her. What do you do when you find your life suddenly spilling over with angels, demons and witchcraft?…

BookTribJune 28, 2021

Author Spotlight Author Spotlight - Featured Fiction

“Beth and Amy” Is a Delightful Sequel to Virginia Kantra’s Fresh Take on a Beloved Classic

With Beth & Amy (Berkley), the sequel to the popular Meg & Jo, bestselling author Virginia Kantra delivers a gratifying page-turner about the other two sisters from the beloved Louisa May Alcott classic, Little Women: the one who dies and the one who is vilified. The happy occasion of Jo’s…

Susan BaileyMay 25, 2021

BookBites BookBites - Featured

BookBites: Mike Bond’s Historical Saga “America” Is a Coming-of-Age Masterpiece

“A masterful storyteller.” —Sacramento Bee “One of the 21st Century’s most exciting authors.” —Washington Times “Mike Bond’s books are a national treasure.” —Art Zuckerman, WVOX Bestselling author Mike Bond is best known for his thrillers. His Pono Hawkins series, along with his novels of international espionage and military action, have…

BookTribMay 12, 2021

Listicles Young Adult

The Books of Our Lives: A Stack of Reads for New Grads

I remember when my grandson was born; I showered him with books. Yes, he was maybe two hours old, but there were books I needed him to have: A Hole Is to Dig, the Edward Eager mysteries, Winnie-the-Pooh, the Narnia residents, The Snowy Day, The Dot and the Line: A Romance…

Hank Phillippi RyanMay 20, 2021