It is a bittersweet moment when you turn the last page of a world that has been such a vivid part of your life for the past five years. Spending over 900 pages in Colson Whitehead’s New York of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, with Ray Carney, Elizabeth and Pepper, has been one of the …
My ultimate comfort read is a memoir of sorts, but totally focused on the writer’s relationship with books and reading. I can’t get enough, especially when the author is from the UK. Lucy Mangan is the television critic for The Guardian and this is her second reading memoir, after Bookworm, which focused on her childhood …
Nisha is a burnt-out abortion clinic worker who accidentally inherits an ancient Hindu power, after which chaos of the finest order ensues (think literal demons coming for her). Patel’s research into Indian history and mythology gives the story added weight (not to mention how sharply she captures the current state of reproductive rights in our …
Something is slowly creeping towards giant walls from the sea? All tech and buildings are made out of mushrooms and plants? Murder?! This book really has everything and more. If you’re looking for a refreshing and strange read, The Tainted Cup checks all the boxes, from murder-mystery to fantasy to sci-fi. –Kelly S., Village Books, …
Meet Nathaniel of Saltwater Bookshop in Kingston, WA! In a sentence or two, tell us who you are. It is said, that on Saturdays in the afternoon, you might find a bookseller waving their hands about and exclaiming things about some nonsense book or another. This is only 80% true, even on other days he …
A “centaur,” in modern tech speak, is an individual who uses technology to be a more productive version of themselves. A “reverse centaur” is a person who is forced by technology to work at a pace that is thoroughly inhuman. Doctorow isn’t anti-AI, rather, he—like Pope Leo XIV—is all too aware of the cost hidden …
This is the new standard for AI horror. Tremblay blends satire, paranoia, and genuine emotional depth into a story that is as heartbreaking as it is terrifying. Julia and Bernie quickly become characters you care about, and their cross-country journey transforms from a technological experiment into a meditation on identity, humanity, and love. Unsettling, clever, …
The Hairdresser’s Son is an exquisite literary achievement about mystery, discovery, the search for understanding, and the potential for change. Cornelis left the day he learned his wife was pregnant, leaving home only to meet death a day later. Now, his son, Simon, is running the inherited barber shop left to him by the man …
Spencer Ruchti of Third Place Books and Misha Stone of the Seattle Public Library spoke to Libby Denkmann on KUOW’s Soundside about the past year in books. The episode is overflowing with good recommendations and good feelings, if you’re in need of either right now. The interview can be found on your preferred podcast app, or at …
How to categorize this! Set across 15th-18th century France, you could call it lush, historical horror, dark academia, queer romance, or a fantasy retelling of the tale of the Beast of Gevaudan. (A little something for everyone.) Professor Sebastian Grave is a morally complicated near immortal who shares his skin with a demon and has …
