Clearly drawing inspiration from Toni Morrison, this is a stunning debut, deserving of all the attention it has been getting. It's a slave narrative, focusing mainly on the relationship between the two boys who care for the animals on the plantation. Groundbreaking and beautiful.
A solid biography that paints an honest portrait of ER and details the fascinating and unconventional relationship she had with FDR. I found it enlightening and moving - watching her overcome the small mindedness of her class and time to become a voice for women, minorities, and immigrants was awe-inspiring.
Memoirs written by poets really can't be rivaled. This was such a pleasure to read. For anyone who loves to linger with words.
One of my favorite books in the last decade. This book is like nothing I've read before. Set in an Africa-like fantasy world, Tracker is called on to find a missing child. Unforgettable characters and richly imagined worlds and customs move this book into a category of its own. I loved it and can't wait for the next installment!
An absolutely gorgeous family drama set in Hawaii. A really solid debut - I am looking forward to reading more from Kawai Strong Washburn in the future!
This book is so different, so unlike any other novel I've read. It's laugh out loud funny and incredibly poignant. A satire about Hollywood and what it's like to be an Asian-American actor. This is a solid read, and an important one! I absolutely loved it.
A police procedural that ticks all the boxes - depressed, recently divorced detective, a twisty plot, and a genuinely surprising ending. Everything you could ask for in a good mystery.
A year in the life of a Harvard freshman, Selin - awkwardly tall & charmingly self-aware. This book is so so funny with moving insights on language and identity. One of my new all-time favorites!
--Becky
This book of short stories by the author of Fates and Furies is one of those books that left me feeling utterly changed. It's rare to encounter an author so willing to dive into the darkness of the human experience. This book is raw, brave, honest. It evokes such a sense of place that you can almost feel the Florida humidity. Such a powerful read.
A mystery told in reverse over the course of four days - this book is unlike anything I've ever read. For fans of hisorical fiction, mysteries, or just really great, well told tales.
A rollicking adventure as we follow our heroine off the grid in search of her friend's daughter. I laughed out loud throughout this book - it's one of my favorite books of the year!
Ma Jian weaves the history of the Cultural Revolution in China with an intense character study of a high-up official in the communist party struggling with his past self and painful memories. All brilliantly done. Also worth reading the foreword!
Bridie Devine is a female detective in Victorian London. With the help of a dead man, she goes in search of a kidnapped child. This book is a ton of fun. I loved every second of it.
The novel follows a young woman as she tries to rebuild her life after her beloved fathers violent death. It's a slow-moving but gorgeous story about grief, identity, and place.
--Becky
McBride expertly blends humor and pathos in his character driven book set in the Causeway Housing Projects in New York. I have fallen madly in love with every character - he somehow evokes this longing in every single one of them with such lightness. It's such a hopeful book.
This is a novel about climate change, but framed within the more personal narrative of Franny as she follows the last Arctic Terns on their migration. This is an absolutely stunning book that will stay with me for a long time.
I picked this up because I wanted an escape from the current news cycle and found it so inspiring and uplifting to read about how we've overcome even darker times and how we've made (imperfect) progress. Well worth a read.
A book that takes a hard look at some of the poorest regions in America and analyzes the lives of individuals in order to get a bigger picture of some of the problems causing inequality in our country. Written with empathy and compassion, this was an excellent read.
Debut author An Yu absolutely kills it with this novel. When a young woman's husband dies leaving no note, just a sketch of a mysterious fish man, she goes on a bit of a quest to find out what happened. For fans of Murakami! This book was strange and lovely. A fantastic debut.
A character driven story about a Ponzi scheme and its consequences. It's dark and beautiful. Fans of Station Eleven will immediately recognize Mandel's unique writing style. It felt like revisiting a much loved vacation spot.
This book was endlessly fascinating. It's about the Galvin family of 12 children, 6 of which were diagnosed with schizophrenia. The book is engaging and written with compassion. It's also a history of schizophrenia research done over the past half century.
A very light and uplifting novel. Set in a cafe in Tokyo where people have the chance to go back in time - with the caveat that they will never be able to change the future. It's a quiet, but beautiful little book. A comfort read, and one I'll come back to again and again.
A story of a woman struggling with depression written with empathy and a healthy dose of humor. It's such a compelling story with vivid characters helping to move the narrative along. I read it in a single sitting.
Absolutely heartbreaking, but beautiful from start to finish. This is such a compelling and important novel. Written with so much compassion and so much heart. I very highly recommend this book.
One of the strangest "mysteries" I've ever read. It's both disturbing and strangely delightful and has one of the best main characters of all time. I couldn't get enough of it and was a bit devastated when it ended.
