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All in Recommendations
The Sentence is a moving novel about the pandemic and the protests of June 2020, told through a formerly incarcerated bookseller’s eyes. Reading it felt like poking a fresh wound, but this book is excellent.
Even Greater Mistakes is a wide-reaching collection of stories that will have something for everyone. Anders is just so good at cutting to the heart of our humanity with bravery and compassion.
These Precious Days is another beautifully heartfelt essay collection from Ann Patchett. It was a delight to read, especially the title essay.
His Dark Materials is such a fun, imaginative story that still feels super modern and relevant, even with (because of?) its timeless message and classic feel. I can’t believe I had never read it!
Braiding Sweetgrass was everything people told me it would be: warm, moving, eye-opening. I read a chapter a day and never wanted it to end.
For me, personally, the arrival of Four Thousand Weeks in my lap felt life-changing. I’m going to be recommending it to my fellow burned-out, anxious millennials for a long time.
The Ghost Variations is a fun and smart set of 100 flash fiction ghost stories. I read a few each day in October and loved it. Brockmeier has created something really creative here.
I loved reading Between the Lines so much. It’s a beautiful, well-paced collection of interviews that blends a love of New York City, books, and our shared humanity.
Hell of a Book is a really creative, really affecting novel that’s as funny as it is devastating. One heck of a ride, it will surprise you and move you.
Bewilderment is a gorgeously written, heartbreaking, highly consumable novel. I didn’t think it was perfect, but I definitely did enjoy it.
Zorrie is a quiet but emotional novel. It’s short, and yet contains a woman’s whole life — with deep characterization. I read it in one day and enjoyed it very much.
Abundance is a book that accomplishes exactly what it sets out to — humbling and frustrating, it’s an empathetic look inside the trap of poverty in America today. I think you should read it.
Oh my gosh, I loved The Acutal Star so much. It’s so creative and smart and well-written. Every chapter was a puzzle. This is one to savor and enjoy!
I’m late to the game with both Elizabeth Strout and Olive Kitteridge, but I’m so glad I finally arrived! What beautifully rendered characters. I loved it.
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois is a true feat. This one feels like a new great American novel, sweeping and forceful. I loved all 800 pages, and I expect it to win many awards.
The Anthropocene Reviewed is a really beautiful, perfectly digestible collection of essays that reflect on the state of the world in a way that touches something deep inside you.
Nightbitch is a wild trip of well-written, feminist magical realism. Rachel Yoder’s depiction of motherhood and the animal that lives inside us rings true, even for those (like me) who aren’t mothers.
I’m really glad I read The Promise, which brings South Africa from the end of Apartheid to the present day to life on the page, vividly and impressively. Damon Galgut is obviously a masterful writer.
Those who loved The Silence of the Girls will love The Women of Troy, its sequel. It offers a powerful look, through the eyes of Briseis, into the aftermath of Troy’s defeat and what it meant for the Trojan women who became slaves.
