This dizzying, death-leaning new classic could see a cult following beyond 2024. In Philip Roughton’s expert hands (he’s the translator of several Halldór Laxness novels, after all), Icelandic author Jón Kalman Stefánsson writes my favorite kind of novel: one that measures every maudlin, throbbing emotion of the human experience; one that trusts the intelligence and …
Consider me in love with Old Enough by Haley Jakobson. This is every bisexual dream girl’s dream book. Jakobson handles the main character’s past traumas, growing pains, and young adult anxieties with an abundance of care and grace. I love this book, and I want you to read it SO BAD! –Nell, Country Bookshelf, Bozeman, …
Two story elements you wouldn’t expect to find in the same book: a classic cursed-violin musical deal with the devil, and aliens from another galaxy running a doughnut shop in southern California. Sci-fi and folklore strike brilliant sparks against each other in this delightfully inventive tale of a runaway trans teen violin prodigy; her mysterious …
“In prose drenched with awe, Charlie J. Stephens’ tender novel takes a child’s perspective on the pains of being poor in rural Oregon. Knowing that children like Smokey are cast as furniture in the house of adult desires, immobile and without needs, A Wounded Deer Leaps Highest begs us to take them seriously.” —FOREWORD REVIEWS, starred review In …
This is my favorite kind of non-fiction book—a failure. Which is to say that it isn’t a biography of the influential mid-century poet Frank O’Hara, although it’s full of biographical detail and wise analysis of his life and work. It also doesn’t offer definitive answers about the fraught relationship between distant fathers and their underappreciated …
Bodie Kane has returned to her New Hampshire boarding school campus to teach a podcast class 20+ years after her graduation. In a compulsively readable story, she poses questions pertaining to the murder of her classmate and former roommate. Her flashbacks, speculations, and current timeline are all equally engaging. –Mary, Secret Garden Books, Seattle, WA …
I […] read this YA fantasy book for a book club I am a part of and I thought it was so good! In this world, every 16 year-old girl goes through a Purity Ritual in which the purity of their blood is revealed. Red blood means you’re human, golden blood means you are not. …
This entry comes from a National Book Award-winning novel that investigates familial and social trauma in the Black communities of rural Mississippi, wrapping its plot in layers of beautiful, magical realist prose. Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward “I like to think I know what death is. I like to think it’s something I could …
For the many Ian McEwan fans, Lessons will not disappoint. McEwan’s acute introspection forces his readers to pay close attention to a life few of us would want to live. A childhood spent in Libya while his stepfather serves in the British military, a troubling experience with his piano teacher during his boarding school years, a seemingly good …
Honestly this book is phenomenal in every way. Gorgeous writing – ✔️Lush and epic worldbuilding – ✔️ Strong well developed female protagonists – ✔️ Slow-burn sapphic romance – ✔️ Excellent plot and pacing – ✔️ Nuanced exploration of empire as tool for oppression – ✔️ –Rania, Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, WA Find books that …
