Sep 4, 20213 min read

Friday Book Debrief Vol 59

HELLO HELLO Friday is here and that means you get to read another Friday debrief!

You know the drill, every week some of our glorious writers let us know what they have been reading this week. As always the full list is also available for easy browsing in our US and UK Bookshops! If you buy any of the books in our shops, not only are you actively supporting us and our work but you are also supporting independent bookstores with 10% of your purchase going directly to them at no extra cost to yourself, and all carbon emissions are offset! Good vibes all round. Now enough chat, big love and here is this week's debrief!

A Visit from the goon squad by Jennifer Egan - Maggie

This book starts off with a woman named Sasha who is obsessed with shoplifting for the hell of it. Bend me over and call me HOOKED.

Buy it from our Bookshops - US & UK.

The Push by Ashley Audrain - Melissa

I just started this and I'm absolutely reeled in by the nontraditional descriptions of motherhood. The books I typically read paint an idyllic portrait of what it's like to have a child, but The Push details what it's like to have a baby and not feel bonded at all. It's written in second person, which I'm still getting used to, but I can't wait to get back to it because it's a real page-turner!

Buy it from our Bookshops - US & UK.

Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia - Mel

I had high hopes for this debut novel and so far it’s just about exceeding them. It’s smart and beautifully written, intricately tying together the many women starring within its pages. Garcia will be one to watch for sure.

Buy it from our Bookshops - US & UK.

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout - Courtney

As NSW remains in lockdown after two months which will roll into three (that we know of) I have been indulging in my guilty pleasure of a good ole fantasy romance novel. This far I haven’t gotten a huge taste of the romance thus far but if the hype is accurate is will be coming (is that a pun? Oops).

Buy it from our Bookshops - US.

The Wreckage of My Presence by Casey Wilson - Lauren

As a big fan of the tv series Happy Endings, I am enjoying listening to Wilson’s book on audio. She is just as delightfully funny as she is real about grief, depression, and family, and somehow makes every topic in each essay relatable. It is undoubtedly time for a rewatch once I’m finished reading. Penny Harts forever!

Buy it from our Bookshops - US & UK.

The only good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones - Maggie

I am hella confused but extremely HOOKED. Only one chapter in, but I know this one is going to be spooky and perfect for the introduction of fall.

Buy it from our Bookshops - US & UK.

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton - Aleks

You know when you're skimming the book section at Costco between picking up industrial-sized sacks of rice and coffee so you never need to go out in public for the next few months, and you see a cover that just sounds delightful. That's this book, and it delivers. Paranormal Sherlock Holmes-esque hijinks on the high seas. Get into it.

Buy it from our Bookshops - US & UK.

The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox - Nikki

Reading this 650-page chunk in the middle of New Zealand's current Level 4 lockdown and feeling very grateful for the escape. This is a smart, intricately layered, richly plotted standalone fantasy that's giving me some Neil Gaiman vibes.

Buy it from our Bookshops - US & UK.

L.A. Weather by María Amparo Escandón - Karen

"The twins were here one minute, gone the next." So begins Escandón's latest book that takes place in the span of a year in 2016 and chronicles the life of the Alvarado family, a modern Mexican-American family, living in California, and dealing with secrets that will completely upend the course of their life so far. I just started reading it but I'm a huge fan of how Escandón writes her novels with so much intrigue that you're hooked from the start and I can't wait to see where the story goes.

Pre-order it from our Bookshops - US.

Self-Help by Lorrie Moore - Jessica Maria

I loved Lorrie Moore's short story collection Like Life and the first couple in this 1986 collection are already brilliant. Looking forward to diving deeper into this collection filled with second person perspective stories.

Buy it from our Bookshops - US & UK.