Bookseller
Set on an NGO compound in Saraaya during rising tensions at the Sudanese border, this book does the rare thing of capturing a place on its own terms, not for the comfort and education of the American reader, which I deeply appreciate and was enchanted by. There is much terror in this book, but it is also full of love and lightness, and a few pages near the end had me laughing out loud. I fell hard for these characters and their relationships with one another.
This is a perfect, moody, romantic little novel. A quick read with lasting impact, this book made me feel less lonely in the world.
Poetically and intimately written, this memoir is about memory and magic and the ways our personal and political histories are passed down as legends, as hauntings. A one-of-a-kind book.
As always, George Saunders' characters are irreverent, hilarious, and tender-hearted. This is a book for our times, which manages to provide both warning and hope.
In Kaleidoscope, twin stories of sibling love and romantic love are woven together to ultimately tell a nuanced story of self-love. I ached for Morgan and Riley, for how strong their bond was despite the secrets they kept. Wong's wisdom of the heart shines.
Harlem Shuffle is the book I recommend to people when I don't know what they like to read. That's because in my mind, everyone should like this book! It's a well-plotted literary novel with the most likable criminal protagonist I've met in recent history.
This second novel in the enchanting Neapolitan series is my favorite. The series follows the friendship and rivalry between two young women who outshine their underprivileged and often violent surroundings. A saga about fate, fortune, and social dynamics in 1950's Naples.
For the adventurous reader, this book of stories delights. Each one is spectacularly smart, hybrid in genre, and bold with intention. The perfect read for someone who loves the weird and the mystical.
A literary zombie novel about a woman who loses and then finds herself during a worldwide plague. This novel questions what we hold on to when everything is at stake.
Have you ever read a crime novel that centers not on the horror and mystique of the murderer but the women effected by his crimes? This is both a satisfying thriller and a feminist literary gem.
