Every week we’re sharing what our some of our writers are currently reading.
The full lists can both be found in our US & brand new UK Bookshop! With every purchase you will be supporting independent bookstores. Nearly EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS has been raised so far, and all that change keeps bookstores around the country open rather than lining the pockets of a certain billionaire *cough cough*
Grown Ups by Emma Jane Unsworth - Mel
It didn't even take one full chapter to have me chuckling and jotting down superb quotes that the novel's main character, Jenny, is full of. She is quirky and very much the every-woman type, if that woman is also living in this technology-fueled, anxiety-ridden present day. I can't get enough of her.
Leave The World Behind by Rumaan Alam - Courtney
Something has happened but no one knows what. Cut off from the rest of the world in rural isolation our characters mull in anxiety and fear about what is happening and what could happen to the world as they know it. I am really enjoying the unknown elements of this novel; the mystery that is saturated with fear is so enticing to read. Sometimes I wonder how I would cope in a dystopian future and I think this book is a perfect representation of the average person without a plan who is as clueless and unheroic as you can get. I’ve been mentally comparing the detailed and atmospheric writing to that of Stephen King, but better!
Art in the Light of Conscience: Eight Essays on Poetry by Marina Tsvetaeva translated by Angela Livingstone - Akilah
I knew nothing about the book nor the author, save its minute presence in Valeria Luiselli's Lost Children Archive. The captivating title was enough to make me try it and, so far, I'm at turns entertained, in disagreement, or eased back in awe at how Tsvetaeva describes the poetry of her friends, of the creative process itself, at how different kinds of readers relate to the art.
Home Is Where You Are by Melissa Grace - Lauren
I may only be a few chapters into this book, but already I am loving the quippy dialogue! A rom-com set in my hometown of Nashville, TN AND the love interest is a musician?! Yes please and thank you!
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple - Melissa
I'm not sure how I feel about the format of this one so far, but I've only heard good things about the story. So, I'm giving it a chance!
The Good Lord Bird by James McBride - Jessica Maria
To be honest, between work the looming US election, I haven’t had much chance to spend time with a book this week. But I’ve been meaning to read this book for years. Perhaps I’ll catch some time this weekend.