Tall Poppy Writers

Fiction

Tall Poppy Review: A Perilous Royal Romance

From the first line (“Would he die tonight?”) to the last, Weina Dai Randel’s beautiful prose pulls you into ancient China with the story of royal concubine Mei and her struggle to prevail over the rigid traditions that thwart her hopes of love. In The Empress of Bright Moon (Sourcebooks…

Janie ChangJuly 25, 2019

Fiction

Tall Poppy Review: “All About Evie,” Identity and a Three-Legged Dog

Fans of Lamb’s previous twelve novels will recognize her distinctive way of spinning a tale in her thirteenth, All About Evie (Kensington): a chatty female protagonist with an unusual dilemma, secondary characters who are lovably quirky, a slow-burning romance that has every reason not to work out, and a heart-warming…

Kathryn CraftOctober 31, 2019

Fiction

Tall Poppy Review: Another Side of WWII America in “The Last Year of the War”

The Last Year of the War (Berkley) is now available in paperback. Read on to learn more about this emotionally compelling novel of trauma and friendship. —∞— We are all curious about other people’s lives, aren’t we? That’s why photo albums are endlessly fascinating — people we know seen as…

Hank Phillippi RyanJune 25, 2020

Fiction

1600s Canada Is the Setting for Timeless Story of Friendship

I love history. I love books. I do not like staying up into the wee hours of the morning reading because then I cannot write/work/function the next day, but that is exactly what happened when I read Aimie Runyan’s Duty to the Crown (Kensington). I couldn’t put it down. I…

Cathy LambMarch 28, 2019

Fiction

Tall Poppy Review: “True Places” Captures Identity

At the beginning of True Places (Lake Union Publishing) by Sonja Yoerg, Suzanne Blakemore, a mother of two teens, is overwhelmed by the duties that so many mothers these days feel like they must take on in order to do the job properly. As the book begins, feeling a strange emptiness…

Katie PryalJanuary 3, 2019

Fiction

Tall Poppy Review: Yin, Yang and All Things in Between

I love books that take me somewhere else entirely, especially if I learn new things in the process, and Three Souls (HarperCollins) by Janie Chang manages to hit both marks. Set in China in 1935, the novel follows the ghost of young Leiyin who seeks entry to the afterlife, but…

Abby FabiaschiFebruary 28, 2019

Fiction

Tall Poppy Review: “Dragon Springs Road,” Orphan’s Tale

In Dragon Springs Road (William Morrow Paperbacks), Janie Chang constructs a magical, rich and compelling historical novel set in the early twentieth-century about Jialing, a girl of Eurasian descent, as she navigates her life as an orphan near Shanghai, China. The Western Residence of Dragon Springs Road is the place Jialing…

Tif MarceloSeptember 27, 2018

Fiction

Tall Poppy Review: “Forget You Know Me” New Suspense

It’s no secret that Domestic Suspense is a juggernaut of a genre right now—and Jessica Strawser’s Forget You Know Me (St. Martin's Press) exemplifies why this genre is so appealing. The story takes relatable characters living common lives and pulls one thread on the fabric of their lives to set…

Aimie K. RunyanFebruary 7, 2019

Fiction

Tall Poppy Review: “Have You Met Nora” Questions All You Know About Identity

I can’t remember the last time a novel swept me up into a life and a world so very different from my own while also making me question so very much about myself. But Nicole Blades' Have You Met Nora? (Dafina) is just that book. Nora, is a protagonist who walks a…

Sonali DevNovember 10, 2018

Fiction

Real People, Real Problems in Cathy Lamb’s “No Place I’d Rather Be”

Full disclosure. I love Cathy Lamb’s books and No Place I'd Rather Be is no exception. Her writing is so warm, funny and real. Real people, real problems, solved in real ways. I mean, what’s not to like? Oh, wait, that’s not enough for you? Okay fine, this book has…

Ann GarvinSeptember 7, 2017

Fiction Listicles Thrillers

Are You Kidding Me? 9 Thrillers About Children Gone Wrong

There’s no question that in the pantheon of COVID heroes, parents deserve a seat at the top. All of those moms and dads who once relied on eight-hour-a-day schools or eight-hour-a-day camps to take their darlings away, even briefly. To be forced into the present day proximity and relentless home…

Hank Phillippi RyanJuly 2, 2020

Fiction Miscellany Podcasts

Tall Poppy Review: Exploring an Extraordinary and Unexpected Bond

Caroline has it all: a loving husband, three gorgeous children, a happy extended family and a career she’s passionate about; so when she takes a mail-in DNA test on a lark, she expects the results to be nothing more than an interesting topic of conversation at a dinner party. She…

Nicole BaartMarch 25, 2021

Fiction Listicles

7 Novels About Immigration That Tackle the Question: Can We Learn to Belong?

Immigration is always a timely topic in books and film, but never more than today with the world so easily accessible by planes, trains, and automobiles (and ships.) More importantly, as we reexamine our ethnic and cultural identities in the United States and worldwide, we ask ourselves: who are we…

Heather WebbNovember 4, 2021

Fiction Listicles

13 Must-Reads to Keep You Cozy This Fall

It’s that time again. Leaves are changing, temperatures are dropping and daylight is dwindling. There is no better season to curl up with a good book, and this year’s releases offer many fabulous choices. From haunting thrillers to small-town drama to heartwarming romance, I’ve hand-picked something for everyone this fall.…

Julie CantrellSeptember 2, 2021

Fiction Listicles

From Bus Rides to College Diplomas: 6 Books for the Back-to-School Season

Happy back-to-school season! The return of yellow buses, kids with backpacks, and the harried school supply section at Target has me thinking about my own school days. The scent of crayons and rubber cement in elementary school. The first date butterflies and Friday night lights of high school. The coed…

Nicole BaartSeptember 9, 2021

Fiction Listicles

The Good, the Bad and the Complicated: 8 Books Showcasing Sisterly Bonds

Katniss Everdeen set the bar high for sisters when she stepped in to take her sister Prim’s place in The Hunger Games. Mary Boleyn — good move as it turned out — stepped aside to let her sister Anne marry Henry VIII. Sisterly relationships are fraught and conflicted and seething…

Hank Phillippi RyanOctober 28, 2021

Tall Poppy Review: A Perilous Royal Romance

Tall Poppy Review: “All About Evie,” Identity and a Three-Legged Dog

Tall Poppy Review: Another Side of WWII America in “The Last Year of the War”

1600s Canada Is the Setting for Timeless Story of Friendship

Tall Poppy Review: “True Places” Captures Identity

Tall Poppy Review: Yin, Yang and All Things in Between

Tall Poppy Review: “Dragon Springs Road,” Orphan’s Tale

Tall Poppy Review: “Forget You Know Me” New Suspense

Tall Poppy Review: “Have You Met Nora” Questions All You Know About Identity

Real People, Real Problems in Cathy Lamb’s “No Place I’d Rather Be”

Are You Kidding Me? 9 Thrillers About Children Gone Wrong

Tall Poppy Review: Exploring an Extraordinary and Unexpected Bond

7 Novels About Immigration That Tackle the Question: Can We Learn to Belong?

13 Must-Reads to Keep You Cozy This Fall

From Bus Rides to College Diplomas: 6 Books for the Back-to-School Season

The Good, the Bad and the Complicated: 8 Books Showcasing Sisterly Bonds

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