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ADAM Adam's favorite books are modern stories written by and about people from diverse backgrounds that offer unique perspectives on the world. He hopes one day to have a mustache as nice as President Taft had and believes it's a tragedy that America hasn't had a president with facial hair since 1913. He writes about the media and pop culture for various magazines and websites like Electric Literature and Paste Magazine. |
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A breezy, yet rewarding read. Stradal is the king of Midwestern summer reads. If you read his debut, KITCHENS OF THE GREAT MIDWEST, you'll recognize the coziness in his story. He wraps a culinary saga into a family drama about two sisters who were turned against each other by an inheritance. If you're looking for something funny with light heartbreak, this book is for you. He tugs at the heartstrings but doesn't punch you in the gut. This book was the perfect palette cleanser and a great way to break a reading rut if you find yourself stuck in one.
Nell Zink is one of the best writers alive. I've never been disappointed by one of her books and this one is no different. I've been telling people it's a "punk rock political novel." While that elevator pitch is correct, the book is packed with so much more. Zink's astute social commentary flourishes through decades as the 1980s fade into disappointment in the '90s through 9/11 and current politcal turmoil. While Zink may not be for everybody - and this book can be challenging at times - the payoff is worth it. It's timely because the vicious cycle never ends. It was timely three decades ago. It's timely now.
A house. A family. An intimate history. Broom's memoir is one of the most emotional reads I have ever encountered. She begins with a yellow house her mother bought in the 1960s when hope filled New Orleans. Over the decades, the writer tracks childhood friends, family squabbles, and the history of a town that falls into despair. Within the book, there are many rooms filled with nooks and crannies to fall into. Some last pages. Others are thematic ties throughout the entire work. The memoir is equally uplifting and heartbreaking. It's one of the best I read this year. Maybe in my entire life.
If you're looking for strange, quirky, and humorous: this book is for you. While Arnett's debut novel covers death and depression, she allows it to be funny. Because even in our darkest moments, we deserve a laugh. At its core, it is about a mother and daughter getting over the suicide of their husband and father. He was a taxidermist, always surrounded by death. Now his daughter must step into the role. It's raw and earnest. It's darkly funny. It's truly unlike anything I have ever read before.
This debut novel centers around a strong, independent, and very flawed woman in a small North Carolina town from the 1940s through the 1980s. That character, nicknamed Knot, is one of the best characters to be introduced into the literary canon this decade. At times the protagonist and at others the antagonist (depending on which character you ask), Knot stuck with me. For better or worse. If this ever gets adapted by Hollywood (and it should), whichever actress plays Knot is stepping into an Oscar-ready role. That's how perfect Winslow wrote her.
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Here is a biblical story for feminists. Set during the Great Flood, the story isn't about Noah and how he lined up animals two-by-two. Instead, it's about his wife, the titular Naamah. She is a strong woman for young girls to look up to. In these pages, she reshapes the world after tragedy. Imagine Mother Theresa, Princess Diana, Michelle Obama, and Beyoncé all rolled into one - that's Naamah. Blake - a poet, though this is her debut novel - uses her background to breathlessly move between reality and fable to tell a story about thousands of years ago, but keep it fresh for the modern age.
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From wicked curveballs to nasty sliders, this book is a baseball geek's fantasy. Not a geek and just a fan? Good! Kepner writes for both the casual fan as well as the die hard fanatic. This is a great history through a very specific lens. Imagine the Ken Burns documentary in written form. I loved how this book was equally dense and breezy. I honestly can't believe how fun it was. But, then again, baseball the game is so damn fun.
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Emily Nussbaum is on the proverbial Mount Rushmore of television criticism. She created New York Magazine's Approval Matrix. She has been the lead critic at The New Yorker since 2011 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 2016. Her insight, written with such wit and breeziness, makes this a must for any TV fanatic or just the casual watcher who wants to know more. In this book, you'll connect with her as she explores her own likes and dislikes as she navigates the changing landscape of what's on the tube and how we talk about it.
Beautiful. Bleak. Those are the two words I would ultimately use to describe Lin’s debut. It seems understated, mostly because a lot of people use beautiful to describe nearly everything. Everything from Lin’s prose to her characters to the unjust actions that happen to this Taiwanese family struggling to survive in Alaska is beautiful. There is so much to say about this book; yet, a simple blurb from a bookseller would pale in comparison to her beautiful prose. That seems like a cop out. Trust me, though. Once you finish this book, you'll understand.
This debut was an eye-opening experience for what it is like to live as an Arab woman in America. Rum took her personal history, culture, and secrets and transformed them into a generational family drama to explore the side of her experience she hasn't seen in literature before. Sometimes somber and heartbreaking while other times serene and heartfelt, this book opened a world I had not been invited into before. You may not feel like you'll be able to connect to the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, but if this white dude from Pennsylvania can, anyone can.
Cullen's COLUMBINE - his 10 year odyssey into exploring the facts and myths of the 1999 school shooting - is one of my most re-read books. It dives into the killers' minds and reads like an expose on the event. His book about Parkland is vastly different, but just as important to read. Instead of discussing the shooter - whom he does not name throughout the book - he chose to follow the survivors in the year since the tragic shooting. The result is a poetic revelation that will uplift and inspire those reading. We hear so much that the next generation is apathetic. These kids have proven that is completely wrong. The next generation has some strong leaders already. It's time we follow their lead.
Stop! Read this book. It is one of those memoirs where you'll feel elated one page, and then like you were punched in the throat the next. T Kira Madden is one of the best essayists I have ever read, and the sincerity she writes with while discussing everything from her complicated home life (including alcoholism and overdoses) to her queerness, and not fitting into a posh private school. I simply can't urge you enough that this fluid collection of pieces will simply move you and make you feel all of the feels. I actually hate that term - feel all of the feels - but this book has stuck with me for so long after finishing it that I still can't figure out a way to describe everything it has done to me.
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Do you love spy novels but hate that they all seem to be about white men? This beautifully written book about an African-American female intelligence agent in the middle of a coup d’état in West Africa is for anyone looking for a diverse and refreshing spy story. Told as an intimate reveal to her sons, the plot jumps through time to keep an already thrilling story even more edge-on-your-seat. Wilkinson brilliantly weaves in the metaphor regarding a spy's double life and "double consciousness." She elevates would could be a traditional spy story, but shatters expectations with her literary prose and strong grasp for diverse characters.
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Helen Oyeyemi is one of my favorite living novelists. Full stop. This is a great addition to her already stellar catalog. She was once again inspired by a classic folk story - this time Hansel and Gretel. Here she used the themes and moral lessons found in a children's story to make them feel more relatable than ever. Perhaps the most captivating aspect of her writing is exactly how magical it is. Usually reviewers will throw that adjective around whenever they feel like it. Yet, reading Oyeyemi is completely a magical experience. Even in the mundane, you'll be transported by fantastic sentence after fantastic sentence.
This is a debut novel that shouldn't be missed! It's a taut noir that will please both fans of page-turning mysteries as well as those who seek the beautiful language of a high literary novel. Maren offers a very moody tone throughout two time periods (the present and two decades ago). She completely nails the Southern setting, which can feel like its own character at times. It feels completely engulfing and I was shocked by how quickly I finished it. An immensely thought provoking page-turner.
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You might be familiar with Obioma's first book, the stellar THE FISHERMEN. It could be hard for writers to follow up an outstanding debut, but I am pleased to report this second novel builds on his gorgeous writing and skill for tapping into the inner workings and desires of his characters. Don't expect a straight forward saga about Africa, immigration, and love. Obioma uses a chi (a guardian spirit and force within a person) to narrate the story. This will take you beyond the simply question of "what is happening" and truly explore the "why" of it all. The characters, the locations, and the events make this novel a can't miss, but the prose of the chorus narration makes this novel one you should push to the top of your to be read pile.
These essays feel like short stories because that is how beautiful Chee's writing is. It's unexpected and he offers lyrical explorations into seminal moments from his life. Expect to read about everything from first time in drag to the devastating loss and heartache of early romance. If you don't believe me turn to one of these three stories: "1989," "Girl," or "After Peter." They all appear back-to-back-to-back and I bet you can't read just one.
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The rage and the trauma experienced in this book feels so urgent thanks to the gripping and atmospheric writing from Hobson. His writing tackles such heavy topics - prison, the foster system, gambling, death - and wrapped me up in the world I had no business connecting with. Reading this tragic coming-of-age set in 1989 from the safety of my 2018 couch, I felt the insecurities and small successes his characters did. I am far different from Sequoyah, but left this book truly understanding him like a long lost friend.
You may think you don't need to spend so much money on a coffee table book when you can just read Ad-Rock, Mike D, and the late MCA's bios on Wikipedia, but this is so much more. This book is a gorgeously packaged memoir/cookbook/essay collection dedicated to three NYC underground punks turned hip-hop legends. It's an ode to their greatness told by your favorite celebrities who were shaped by their word craft and mind-blowing production skills. We'll never get the Beasties in concert again, but this is the best way to pay respect to Adam Yauch, and realize the genius behind the jokes.
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The rage and the trauma experienced in this book feels so urgent thanks to the gripping and atmospheric writing from Hobson. His writing tackles such heavy topics - prison, the foster system, gambling, death - and wrapped me up in the world I had no business connecting with. Reading this tragic coming-of-age set in 1989 from the safety of my 2018 couch, I felt the insecurities and small successes his characters did. I am far different from Sequoyah, but left this book truly understanding him like a long lost friend.
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What the hell happened in the 2016 Presidential Election? So many books have tried to answer that question. This novel doesn't. It does use a finance bro who seemingly has it all to show how Wall Street greed can break a person. The main character is likable, all things considering, which is one of the many ways Shteyngart shines in this novel. His keen eye and wit look deep into America finding fractures and beauty in every scene. The book build and builds to a stellar ending that makes the entire journey incredibly worth it.
When I read a story collection I usually I gobble up the works in a few sittings. It became evident with this debut collection that I wanted to sit with the characters much, much longer. The characters in Thompson-Spires' work were so rich it would have been a disservice to read their tales too quickly. Instead, I paced myself for over half a year, reading a story or two per month. I don't seem to have much in common on the physical surface with these characters, but their struggles and successes with self-acceptance, depression, and overcoming the expectations of others to love oneself are moments anyone reading can empathize with. This is a collection I see myself reading over and over throughout the years to learn different things I missed in these character's lives.
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The type of novels I like are the ones that allow me to experience intimate moments of characters with whom I am nothing alike. Lydia Kiesling's debut is about a new mother on a verge of a breakdown in a country that is about to do the same. In a time that a lot of my friends are having kids, I immersed myself into this world where I was given plenty of opportunities to learn about the strenuous experiences of those new to motherhood. The plot expands on the main character's experiences to analyze a dying town, which offered a lot to unpack and continue thinking about long after I finished the final page.
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The aspect I loved most about this short story collection was how it transported me so easily to the settings of each story. Taking place mostly in Mississippi, readers can expect to meet unique characters who are shattered, mysterious, and yearning for something bigger. All of Nick White's characters are so memorable and bold. He pays homage to William Faulkner and the collection was praised by Jesmyn Ward. Needless to say, this is a must read for anyone who loves Southern literature.
This is a recommendation for all of those scoffing at the fact that President Bill Clinton wrote a mystery: this was the most fun I've had with a book in a long time. Repeat: this thriller is dang good fun. The President in the book isn't really missing. He goes under the radar to help catch a cyber terrorist. As someone who has never read Patterson before I gobbled this up in two days and am clamoring for a follow up with this fictional president and the interesting world Clinton/Patterson created.
The best part of reading a deWitt novel is that you have no clue how it's going to feel. He's written everything from a western mystery and a paranormal/folklore mash-up. Now, he's written a "A Tragedy of Manners" combining his trademark wit and an undeniable eye for tragic turns. When a rich widow and her emotionally stunted son face a scandal and the potential loss of their money, they dash off to Paris to start anew. Expect fast-paced humorous dialogue and characters that are easy to love, but just as easy to love to hate. There are such laughable highs, but expect devastating lows.