I discovered this novel years ago in a small bookstore in Mendocino. Written in 1944, it is the story of a young woman entering adulthood on her family’s Montana wheat farm at the cusp of WWII. Ellen struggles to understand the relationship between her father, who faces lingering health issues as a result of combat …
Part autobiography and part civil rights primer, March chronicles Rep. John Lewis’ childhood on an Alabama farm and his involvement with the civil rights movement. Artist Nate Powell powerfully captures the tension of this period in stark black and white illustrations. The complete trilogy spans the civil rights movement up to the inauguration of President …
This love story is an endearing mix of a daydream and a fever dream. Written in the 1970s, it takes place in New York and centers around two best friends (and third cousins!) and the two incredible women they fall in love with. It’s smart, funny, satisfying, and often completely silly. One of our most …
This is one of those rare history books that puts your heart in your throat. Candice Millard’s portrayal of Teddy’s doomed expedition is both informative and gripping. I was truly frightened for the characters’ safety! –Jackson, The Well-Read Moose, Coeur d’Alene, ID Look for the author’s thrilling new book, River of the Gods, at The …
Within a few paragraphs, I knew I was in good hands. The hands of a writer at the top of her game, exhibiting perfect control without apparent effort. The story is set in late-1960’s London and follows the still estimable Laura Palfrey (we assume she was once estimable from her handful of memories of married …
This is a really wonderful coming-of-age novel set mostly in the English countryside. The writing style and narrative choice lends to a very immersive experience while reading. You follow the main character growing up through many family struggles and her first love while being transported around England. It’s heartwarming, very witty, and an overall great read. –Rachael, …
Passing Strange by Ellen Klages is a remarkably restful piece of quiet fantasy that I can’t recommend enough. Set in the queer quarters of 1940 San Francisco, we follow the budding romance between two women: an artist for the pulps and a singer newly arrived trying to find a place to belong. That’s it. And …
Set in Alaska in the 1920s, a husband and wife are drifting apart. Unable to have their own child, they create one out of snow one night, and it changes their whole lives. This novel is full of rich imagery and wonderful characters. Eowyn Ivey has written a beautiful fairy tale that really reaches out …
We don’t consider it often, but writing about the past, even in the most straightforward way, makes time elastic. Take The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis, for example. It’s a 1983 novel that’s having a renaissance due to Netflix’s acclaimed screen adaptation. (Side notes: I’ve seen one episode so far and agree with the accolades. I …
Gibbs Smith continues their charming wilderness writing series with Ernest Thompson Seton’s Wild Animals I Have Known. Look, we’re suckers for pretty books, and Gibbs Smith is doing a marvelous job with the design and layout of this series (we’ve thrown a couple more of them on this Newsletter List on bookshop.org). Seton’s Wild Animals I Have …
