Interview with Cynthia Rumbidzai Marangwanda, author of Shards

In 2023, I read a wonderful novella titled Shards, published by Carnelian Heart Publishing. I didn’t know exactly how to review Shards, but it blew me away. Author Cynthia Rumbidzai Marangwanda kindly agreed to answer some questions about the book, and about writing in general. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity. Jacqueline for

Shards x Cynthia Rumbidzai Marangwanda

51 pages. Published by Carnelian Heart Publishing on March 1, 2023. Fiction/novella. This wonderful novella follows a young woman over the course of two days in Harare, as she grapples with existential questions about her life and calling. Written from a first-person perspective, with a kind of stream-of-consciousness style, Shards immerses the reader into the

Continuum x Annabelle Dolidon (Ed.) with Tessa Sermet

368 pages. First published Apr. 9, 2024 (Ooligan Press) Science fiction. I will read (almost) any science fiction that happens to cross my path, and I’m so glad this collection did. Apart from Jules Verne (of course), I can’t say I’ve come across much French science fiction at all (except, of course, every science fiction

Ghostroots x ‘Pemi Aguda (DRC)

224 pages. Expected publication date: May 7, 2024 (W. W. Norton & Company) Fiction anthology. Lagos. So much literature is set there that I feel like I’ve been to that legendary place. Ghostroots is the latest collection of short stories to tackle Lagos, and, like others, it too teems with large city life and also

The Book of Japanese Folklore: An Encyclopedia of the Spirits, Monsters and Yokai of Japanese Myth x Thersa Matsuura, Michelle Wang (illus.) (DRC)

240 pages. First published April 30, 2024 (Adams Media) Non-fiction/culture. This was a wonderfully charming, entertaining, and sometimes chilling adventure through Japanese myth and legend. Matsuura introduces readers to the amazingly long history of Japanese folklore, while sharing snippets at the end of each chapter of references in current popular culture, from manga and anime

April 2024 reads

Recommended reads: and pretty much everything else I read 😊

Chernobyl: The Fall of Atomgrad x Matyáš Namai (DRC)

112 pages. Expected publication date: May 7, 2024 (Palazzo Editions) Graphic novel/non-fiction. This is a moving and very beautifully drawn record of Chernobyl and the people who were affected by the accident. By now I’ve read and watched many accounts; the event remains bewildering, and this graphic novel does not record any new facts that will

Prairie, Dresses, Art, Other x Danielle Dutton (DRC)

176 pages. First published April 23, 2024 (Coffee House Press) Mixed anthology. I’m that special kind of Philistine: I don’t read very much poetry (although I’d like to). My reason is that I’m a very literal person: I’m science-trained, and that’s become my approach to literature and to art, too. Cause, effect. It’s a challenge

The Work of Art: How Something Comes From Nothing x Adam Moss (DRC)

432 pages. First published April 16, 2024 (Penguin Press) Non-fiction. It’s a struggle for me not to use superlatives in describing this book. Adam Moss’s background as a magazine editor (New York) shows: he’s collected here a series of interviews with artists of all kinds, many famous and well-known (to me: Kara Walker, Sofia Coppola,

Migration

A quick note: I am testing a possible migration to hararereview.wordpress.com. If you’re a regular reader of/subscriber to this blog, I’d appreciate your thoughts about the new place, before I make things final. Thank you!

Dark Kingdom (Dark Law 1.5) x Wick Welker (DRC)

186 pages. First published March 30, 2024 (Demodocus Publishing) SFF. Wick Welker’s delightful pocket of the universe is further explored in Dark Kingdom, which is book 1.5 of the Dark Law series. This book is the story of Ria and Haldane, who are both enslaved by an artificial intelligence, and who must seek dark matter

They Fell Like Stars from the Sky and Other Stories x Sheikha Helawy, Nancy Roberts (tr.) (DRC)

128 pages. First published April 16, 2024 (Neem Tree Press) Fiction anthology. I devoured this collection of eighteen short stories from Palestine—about Bedouin village life, and mostly about women—in one sitting. It declares its intention in the opening story, about a young girl who decides to cut off her traditional braid as she now goes

Even More Picture Books for Young Readers (and me)

Many thanks to the publishers below, and to Edelweiss, for early access. The Keeper of Stars x Jennifer Harris, Dorothy Leung Owlkids, April 2024Another magical and enchanting book about bedtime (the best ones are). Milo and his mom read together at night, but Mom always falls asleep; and then Milo sneaks out and rides a

Table for One: Stories x Yun Ko-eun, Lizzie Buehler (tr.) (DRC)

264 pages. First published April 9, 2024 (Columbia University Press) Fiction/surrealism. Table for One opens with a curious scene: a woman is dining alone. “The woman drinks half a glass of soju for every three pork wraps, using both hands to have a quiet meal. Flipping meat with tongs, cutting it with scissors, grabbing it

A Peculiar Day in the Douro Valley: Stories x Benjamin Eric (DRC)

74 pages. First published April 5, 2024 (Querencia Press) Fiction/surrealist. I’m always up for surrealist fic because weird stories make the world fun. A couple of the stories in this collection were very fun indeed; the one with the talking dog (A Peculiar Day in the Douro Valley), and then the one with the (spoiler)