Tag: recommendations

Black Experience, books, reading, review

James by Percival Everett

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If you are unfamiliar with Percival Everett’s work, it will help you to understand that he focuses on the use of language before you start this book. This is the story started by Huckleberry Finn, but from with Jim as the protagonist. To believe this is simply a retelling of the Mark Twain tale is to enter the book from the wrong standpoint. In the original telling Jim is made a simpleton, with Huck saving him. In this telling, the story is about an intelligent man in terrible circumstances helping a boy survive an adventure of his own making while staying focused on the pursuit of justice for a family born in servitude.

Language – its acquisition and its use – is a symbol of expected intelligence. This novel shows it as another protection to survive. By using language to fool the white people into a false sense of safety and superiority allows for the slaves to build a rich life together under the noses of those that believe themselves better. When there is treasure found with Huck it is the books that Jim clings to. His simple request for a pencil, however, to write his story leads to tragedy for the man who brought him the pencil. As Jim puts his story down on paper, you see how much the pencil, and his ability to use this language, is dangerous. From the beginning of Jim’s “adventure” you see him switch between the poverty of language expected of a slave to the breadth of language when posing as a white man in blackface, never knowing how to speak to stay “safe”. The brutality in the book shown to those of color is jarring and explicit. The lengths taken to keep slaves in fear are extreme. Throughout Jim’s adventure, however, we begin to see him emerging from the fear and desire to simply survive into an angry man in search for true justice and action.

The structure of the book is itself part of the telling. You begin with the lyrics to derogatory songs made to make fun of the slaves, with more songs interspersed between the story. This is James’ journal of his feelings and thoughts. And the ending you learn of the structure further in the book, and upon reflection it makes perfect sense.

This book, in my opinion, needs to have multiple readings. I personally read it the first time, but have heard that the audio version highlights the language changes even more. The message is multi-layered and deserves many revisits to learn more about the time, and ourselves.

books, reading, review

Dinner at the Lakeside Supper Club by J Ryan Stradal

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This novel follows generations of women – matriarch Betty, her daughter Florence, granddaughter Mariel and great granddaughter Julia – as they live their lives in the north woods of Minnesota. This is a story of generational expectations, familial obligations, and family conflict. This story shows that those that know you best are the ones that hurt you the most.

The story flips back and forth between times and people, which at times can be confusing and difficult to keep track, especially if you are listening to this. The technique, however, is effective in revealing the story – as you are never really sure of the full history of life in a linear way as you hear the history and revisit it with different eyes of experience and maturity.

In linear fashion: Betty arrives with Florence in tow and finds a job, purpose and a future at the Lakeside Supper Club in Bear Jaw MN. Florence, in desperate need for love and acceptance creates that security for her mother with Floyd, while destroying it for him and his male partner. She is not formally banished from the place, but knows she is not welcome because of the price Floyd paid for her selfishness. Florence becomes a mother herself, and becomes preoccupied with keeping her daughter Mariel safe and close. When Mariel meets Ned, the heir to a family chain of restaurants, they fall in love and marry. After tragedy again strikes near Florence, impacting others deeply again, there is a distance between Mariel and Florence that keeps her from Bear Jaw again. Through a series of events when Florence waits to be picked up by Mariel at the church – for two months – Florence reveals that she was simply waiting for when Mariel was ready to let her in.

The complex relationships between these women also hides difficult realities. Betty is searching for security after she runs away with Florence from the Yellow House. The implication is that they fled abuse happening there, and Betty would do anything to make sure she didn’t face that again, including making Floyd give up on his secret love. Florence married and gave birth to Mariel, but couldn’t bear to let her out of her sight. She was doing the same thing that Betty did – trying to make sure she was secure, even at the cost of her daughter’s dreams of moving away. Mariel, having given up on her hopes, finds new ones with Ned, but again her mother’s focus on the wrong thing ruins everything for everyone else. After forgiveness has been found, and Mariel gives birth to Julia, there is little time for these two to get to know each other, for Mariel dies of lung cancer when Julia is four. Her father takes over the Lakeside Supper Club, but Julia knows that this has been saved for her future, as she will inherit it. She hates working there, loving nature instead. Ned allows her to strike out on her own at college in Ohio, and comes back to sell the Supper Club when she is 21. Julia had kept waiting for her mother to come to her to show her the way, but she never appeared. After she sells the place to someone local that will love it as her family did, her father then lets her in on the fact that her mother would be proud Julia was able to make her own destiny.

books, reading, review

Amy Sarig King:  “Attack of the Black Rectangles” and “Me and Marvin Gardens”

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Author Amy Sarig King (also published under A.S. King) writes about middle schoolers from their perspective – and does it with empathy and talent. Both of these books focus on pre-teen aged boys who are strong enough to know who they are and go against the social ethos of fitting in at any cost.

In Me and Marvin Gardens you meet Obe Devlin, an 11 year old boy living through the suburbanization of the farm land his Great-Grandfather drank away. He is getting nose bleeds daily, started by the sucker punch from his former best friend to prove Tommy was “cool enough” to hang with the new kids that moved in. Obe’s new best friend is “putrid Annie”, another person the new boys don’t like. Obe stands up for Annie when she is kissed without consent and calling it inappropriate as it should be, even when adults don’t get it. Obe goes on to find a surprise on his property that becomes his friend. As he works to save the new friend from encroaching modernization and society, Obe finds a way to stay true to himself while also learning to accept that time moves on.

In Attack of the Black Rectangles you again meet a pre-teen boy – Mac – who is dealing with a father that calls himself an alien, a crazy teacher that covers words in a book (as though the word “breast” would be something that boys will giggle at when in context of a girl being lead to a Nazi shower in a concentration camp), and a town with rules that creep in to meet one person’s view of how the world should think or act. Again, Mac stands up against the injustice of censorship even when adults don’t care. He finds a way to do the right thing without compromising his own view of right or wrong. And he learns to face the reality of what his father truly is.

Both books show determination and the strength of knowing right from wrong, and when to ask for help from adults. It also shows that adults don’t always get it right. Well written and engaging, with lessons for all ages.

books, reading, review

The Real Mrs Tobias by Sally Koslow

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This is the story of three generations of wives that have married into the Tobias family. Veronika, a survivor of WW2, married David; Melanie (Mel) married their son Jake; and Birdie married the grandson Micah. Veronika is a psychiatrist, Melanie is a social worker and Birdie is an aspiring author. Birdie and Michah have been having challenges in their marriage, which comes to a head when a drunk Michah hits a woman with his food truck and runs from the scene. The meddling and self serving interference of both mother Mel is annoying. If we are to have any compassion for her it is very hard. All revolves around what she wants – to have her granddaughter with her always, regardless of what is best for the child or her parents. She is also unethical by keeping a patient she has a conflict of interest with (it was her nanny that Micah hit) and her counsel to her patients was about how it made her feel for her own choices. Veronika, also a meddler, is not easy to care about either. Condescending and self-righteous, she too meddles to her family’s life. In the end, however, all seems clear that the meddling can do some good, even if it is misguided. While I never liked most of the characters, I did want to learn how it was all going to wrap up.

books, reading, review

Twice a Quinceañera by Yamile Saied Méndez

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One month before her wedding, Nadia Palacio decides to stand up to her fiancé, whom she had been with for over 10 years, five of them engaged, and call off the wedding. With her family coming to Utah from all over the world, and the wedding date scheduled for the day before she turns 30, she decides to celebrate herself. She has always been an achiever, always working to please her family, being the first to graduate college and the first to be a lawyer. How had she let everyone, especially Brandon Lewis, take away her belief in herself?

So why not use the wedding venue to celebrate herself? She never had a Quinceanera – why not a double one? The money is non-refundable anyway. But when she goes to discuss this change with the venue, she finds herself face to face with her passionate fling in college – known only to her as Rocket.

Marco, who had returned home from wandering the world over the last ten years, had been haunted by the memory of that incredible time with Nani. He fled college to keep her from being held back by him – his family always said he broke everything he touched. And now, he is face to face with her – and finally knows her real name!

Through alternating points of view of the two main characters we learn how to accept yourself for who you are, unapologetically, and to forgive yourself for making mistakes. And if you are open to being honest with who you are to yourself, you will be more able to be open to sharing that with someone else.

books, reading

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

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Prologue: Aiden goes to his favorite place, the public library, to find solace. He picks up his favorite book, Black Water Rising by Attica Lock, and settles in. Someone sits down near him with books, and leaves a note with a list of books, in case you need them.  He ignores it and continues with his own mystery book.

Flash forward and we meet Aleisha, a teenager working at the library. She is bored with the job and doesn’t like it. Mukesh, a widower, comes to the library to return a book his late wife had checked out, The Time Traveler’s Wife, that her read and asks for help on finding another book. Aleisha, being a teenager, was rude. After this happens, her brother, Aiden, tells her she could do better. When she finds a list of books, in case you need them, she begins to take the list seriously, and read each. She then shares this list with Mukesh, one by one.

As each book is read by these people, you see how they are entangled in their own lives, and how they take the lessons from the books to help them through their days. They try to be brave like Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird, try to learn from not being afraid of Mrs DeWinter in Rebecca, and more. Mukesh finds connections with Aleisha, and others in the world he re-enters after his wife’s death. And he uses these books to help bridge a relationship with his granddaughter, Priya.  There are other copies of the list found, and people who use these to connect to themselves and to others. But who wrote the list?  I will not spoil this for you. 

This story lays out all I hold dear for books. They take you to different worlds, teach you how others live, and provide you with tools to build a better reality based upon what you have learned. They help you build relationships with other who have shared this experience. Books open worlds for everyone. This is a story of how hard life can be and how books can help you through difficult times. I must admit, I will be re-examining these titles again (I have read most of them already but not all).

To Kill A Mockingbird

Rebecca

The Kite Runner

Life of Pi

Pride & Prejudice

Little Women

Beloved

A Suitable Boy

in case you need them

books, read around the world, reading

His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie

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Meet Afi Tekple of Ghana. She is about to married Elikem Ganyo – who will not be at the wedding because of a business trip. We meet Afi’s greedy Uncle Pious, her best friend Mawusi, her mother, and her mother-in-law “Aunty”. At the wedding ceremony Eli’s brother Richard stands in for him.

And we hear the story of when Afi’s father died his brother Pious did not take in Afi and her mother, but Aunty took her in and gave her a place to live and work. How generous and kind Aunty is, and how much Afi and her mother owe her. As the story continues, we learn that Afi has ambitions to be a designer – she is already a seamstress. She agrees to marry Eli, who is with an unsuitable woman according to his family that does not take care of their sickly daughter, because of what is owed to Aunty. But Afi wants the fairytale – to have him fall in love with her, to win his heart.

After the wedding Afi and her mother are sent to Accra, where Richard and Eli live. She is given a flat with modern conveniences she is not accustomed to. Yet Eli still doesn’t come. Afi decides she would like to go to fashion school to help her achieve her own goals. Eli, who she speaks to daily on the phone, supports her both financially and emotionally.  Aunty’s daughter, Eli’s sister, Yaya comes to take Afi to look at schools. As time passes it is apparent to Afi that everyone around her is reporting her actions and interactions with Eli and others back to Aunty, and she is beginning to feel uncomfortable with this – no one seems to be looking out for only her, but to protect what they had been given by Aunty’s “generosity”.

As Afi makes her own friends and her confidence grows in her fashion abilities, she is able to connect with Eli and their marriage becomes closer to what she wants, but the “other woman” remains in the picture. When Afi decides it is time to demand what she wants, regardless of anyone else’s desires, that she begins to grow for herself. As Afi defies Eli’s family, and her own family, she begins to make strides toward building her own dreams.

As Afi continues to grow up and be successful, she continues to be true to herself and her needs and desires. Ultimately this is a story of knowing who you are, what you will accept, and not compromising your values to get part of it.

This was a fun book to read. I look forward to reading more from this author.

books, Hispanic Cultures, reading

Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez

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This book is very complex, but also very simple.

The story begins with us following Olga while she is working to make a bride and her uber-rich family happy by ordering hand-made napkins, while making sure she has added enough to use at her cousin’s wedding in a few weeks. We meet her congressman brother, Prieto, as he greets his constituents – the part of the job he loves most. After he returns to his office, we hear him being summoned for a meeting with Arthur Selby – someone not a constituent or a donor – which will be resentfully attended.

As we learn more from each of these siblings, you learn of how their father Johnny was a revolutionary looking to change schooling to make the next generations of kids more equal, but returned from Vietnam as a heroin addict. After meeting and marrying Blanca, also a revolutionary, they had two children. While clean for a stretch, Johnny descended back into drugs, crack and became infected with HIV/AIDS. Blanca kept her eye on the revolution, giving speeches globally, until one day she left on one of these trips, but never returns. Olga was 13 and Prieto was 17 when their mother left. Because of their father’s habit that kept him in and out of jail, their Abuelita raised them, with the large family all helping.

While physically abandoned, each child continued to hear from Blanca and what she thought of their life choices via mail – no return address and no way to contact her. Neither shared with the other that they received these communications. The revolutionary diet of rhetoric they were brought up on, even with absent parents, impacted them, as did watching their father struggle with trying to provide for them while being chained to his addiction.  

Prieto took a grassroots approach to this revolution, first as a councilman, then as a congressman. Teased as “pollyanna” he didn’t have a side hustle – something that everyone else seemed to have going as an open secret. Olga took the educational route, gaining entry into an ivy league school where she looked safe enough, but never felt like she fit in or what to do next. Getting in had been the goal for her, while for those of Ivy-type families it was only the start of the chase.

Both siblings were faced with the realities of what the “establishment” was and how this establishment abused the power of it. Those with money, status, and skin were always plotting to keep it, and more importantly keep it from people not like them. Because of the systemic biases that have been built into all systems, education, housing, pay, healthcare and more, life is stacked against everyone “else.” The story highlights how people of color must decide on buying into the establishment version of success, or their own culture’s version.

The story is about how to use power to get what you want. It also highlights that these traits exists on both sides of the coin – the revolutionary mother was manipulating them and countless others to get what she wanted. It is the extremes of each side that pit us against each other – and that power itself, regardless of where it comes from, corrupts.

Extremely well written, engaging and thought provoking. This story of disenfranchisement, hidden secrets and the desire to be loved lays bare that we each must find our own definition of success, embrace the life you have and be open to ask for help when you need it.  

books, reading

Back at it – 2019 has begun

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Ending the year 2018 with a big historical biography has slowed me down. While it was an amazing book, Clara Barton was a complex individual with a spine of steel, and a depth I had not fully appreciated prior to reading this biography, the dense volume took much time to digest. I ended up taking the last week off before year end with no reading at all. All in all, the year of 2018 was a successful reading one for me. 2019 is looking to be another one.

This year I am continuing with the reading challenges that I found last year. These are right up my alley – one is reading about different cultures – and I am excited to see what I am going to mark off my personal around the world book challenge. The first challenge to be tackled by me, however, is from my TBR list – The Bookshop of Yesterdays.

The main character is named for Miranda in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and the bookstore she inherits is Prospero Books. The story begins when Miranda hears that her Uncle Billy, whom she has not seen or heard from in 16 years, has died. Billy was known for his scavenger hunts – and he sent one to Miranda after his death. She returns from Philadelphia to California to find out what happened. Throughout the story, the mystery of why Billy disappeared on her 12th birthday is driving her forward to reveal the secrets her parents have kept from her. The parallels to The Tempest abound through the book, and I am sure I would have noticed more if I had actually read Shakespeare’s story. If you are familiar with the book, you will solve this much quicker than if you do not. Either way, the characters are engaging, if playing according to the rules of the original. All in all, this was a good read.

 

books, reading, Uncategorized

Year in Review – adding to the lists

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The New Year is lapping at our toes. The press is already showing the lists of Best Books for the Year. I may not be done with my reading, but I will jump in the fray wrapping up lists and challenges for the year.

Goodreads has kindly informed me that as of today I have read 26,895 pages across 80 books so far this year, with my longest book coming in at 1376 pages (Noble House). Even though this is owned and operated by Barnes and Noble, the discussion groups have been a great source of titles and inspiration for me. One group ran monthly challenges in honor of its 10th anniversary year.  I chose books from member’s libraries, books on my TBR list, prize winners, buddy reads, and recommendations from members. While the time was well spent for myself, I was one of 13 that completed the full challenge with all possible points, and was entered to a raffle that many times – and won third prize.  I am now on the hunt for great titles to spend my gift cards on.

As I do that, here are some books you may be interested in – and how I challenged myself to read so widely.

List 1:  Books I read for the PBT Decatholon:

MONTH TITLE AUTHOR
September: The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir Jennifer Ryan
August: The Thirty Nine Steps John Buchan
July: The Hearts Invisible Furies John Boyne
June: Marley and Me John Grogan
May: The Finkler Question Howard Jacobson
April: Runaway Alice Munro
March: Maus 1: My father bleeds history Art Spiegelman
Maus 2: And here my troubles begin Art Spiegelman
The Little Prince Antoine de Saint-Exupery
February: An Invisible Thread Laura Schroff
January: Beartown Fredrik Backman

 

List 2: Books I read for my travel log: Around the world

COUNTRY TITLE AUTHOR
Saudi Arabia Girls of Riyadh Rajaa Alsanea
Afghanistan The Pearl That Broke Its Shell Nadia Hashimi
Chile Ten Women Marcela Serrano
China The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane Lisa See
Dominican Republic How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents Julia Alvarez
Ethiopia Life After Coffee Virginia Franken
France The Velvet Hours Alyson Richman
Hong Kong Noble House James Clavell
Iran: Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood Marjane Satrapi
Ireland The Heart’s Invisible Fury’s John Boyne
Kenya Circling the Sun Paula McLain
Korea Please take care of mom Kyong-suk Sin
New Guinea Euphoria Lily King
Pakistan I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban Malala Yousafzai
Peru The Bridge of San Luis Rey Thornton Wilder
Scotland Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine Gail Honeyman
Singapore Crazy Rich Asians Kevin Kwan
Sweden Beartown Fredrik Backman
Turkey The Lost Sisterhood Anne Fortier
USA A Fall of Marigolds Susan Meissner

 List 3: My best reads of the year

Title Author
Girls of Riyadh Rajaa Alsanea
The Weight of Ink Rachel Kadish
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine Gail Honeyman
Before We Visit the Goddess Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
The Most Beautiful Book in the World: Eight Novellas Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt
Faithful Alice Hoffman
The Pearl That Broke Its Shell Nadia Hashimi
The Hate U Give Angie Thomas
A Fall of Marigolds Susan Meissner
Beartown Fredrik Backman
The Rent Collector Camron Wright
The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir Jennifer    Ryan
Before We Were Yours Lisa Wingate

Last but not least, as I read through the Best Books lists of the year, my TBR list continues to expand.  Currently at 126, here is what I am working on:

List 4: To Be Read (TBR):

Title Author
No Turning Back: Life, Loss, and Hope in Wartime Syria Rania Abouzeid
The Labyrinth of the Spirits Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Unsheltered Barbara Kingsolver
Pretend I’m Dead Jen Beagin
Those Who Knew Idra Novey
Asymmetry Lisa Halliday
The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State Nadia Murad
Nine Perfect Strangers Liane Moriarty
We Should All Be Feminists Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Truth and Beauty Ann Patchett
Autobiography of a Face Lucy Grealy
Almost Everything: Notes on Hope Anne Lamott
Artemis Andy Weir
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women Elena Favilli
In Search of Lost Books: The forgotten stories of eight mythical volumes Giorgio van Straten
Little Edward Carey
Night of Miracles Elizabeth Berg
White Houses Amy Bloom
Radio Free Vermont: A Fable of Resistance Bill McKibben
Alternate Side Anna Quindlen
The Diary of a Bookseller Shaun Bythell
Relic (Pendergast, #1) Douglas Preston
The Clockmaker’s Daughter Kate Morton
The 19th Wife David Ebershoff
Educated Tara Westover
The Library Book Susan Orlean
Codename Zero (The Codename Conspiracy #1) Chris Rylander
The Rules of Magic Alice Hoffman
Under the Volcano Malcolm Lowry
Less Andrew Sean Greer
Red Clocks Leni Zumas
Do Not Say We Have Nothing Madeleine Thien
For The Immortal (Golden Apple Trilogy #3) Emily Hauser
For The Winner (Golden Apple Trilogy #2) Emily Hauser
For The Most Beautiful (Golden Apple Trilogy #1) Emily Hauser
The Power Naomi Alderman
The Art of Hearing Heartbeats Jan-Philipp Sendker
The Story of Zahra Hanan Al-Shaykh
The Yellow Birds Kevin Powers
Burial Rites Hannah Kent
Maya Jostein Gaarder
The Samurai’s Garden Gail Tsukiyama
The Year of the Hare Arto Paasilinna
The Tango Singer Tomás Eloy Martínez
The Lady and the Unicorn Tracy Chevalier
If You Leave Me Crystal Hana Kim
The Masterpiece Fiona  Davis
Sea Prayer Khaled Hosseini
Sleeping Giants (Themis Files, #1) Sylvain Neuvel
The Last Watchman of Old Cairo Michael David Lukas
I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life Anne Bogel
The Girl Who Knew Too Much Amanda Quick
Other People’s Houses Abbi Waxman
Jerusalem, Drawn and Quartered: One Woman’s Year in the Heart of the Christian, Muslim, Armenian, and Jewish Quarters of Old Jerusalem Sarah Tuttle-Singer
A Place for Us Fatima Farheen Mirza
We Are Legion – We Are Bob (Bobiverse, #1) Dennis E. Taylor
Uncommon Type: Some Stories Tom Hanks
An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic Daniel Mendelsohn
The House of Broken Angels Luis Alberto Urrea
The Immortalists Chloe  Benjamin
Something Beautiful Happened: A Story of Survival and Courage in the Face of Evil Yvette Manessis Corporon
Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved Kate Bowler
Hey Ladies!: The Story of 8 Best Friends, 1 Year, and Way, Way Too Many Emails Michelle Markowitz
Pops: Fatherhood in Pieces Michael Chabon
The Optimistic Decade Heather Abel
The Great Alone Kristin Hannah
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women Kate  Moore
The Underground Railroad Colson Whitehead
Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1) Ernest Cline
Destiny by Design- Leah’s Journey Mirta Ines Trupp
The Two-Family House Lynda Cohen Loigman
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian Marina Lewycka
The History of Love Nicole Krauss
The Seven Good Years Etgar Keret
The Music Shop Rachel Joyce
The One-in-a-Million Boy Monica Wood
I Love Myself When I Am Laughing… And Then Again: A Zora Neale Hurston Reader Zora Neale Hurston
The Neverending Story Michael Ende
Improvement Joan Silber
My Ex-Life Stephen McCauley
From a Paris Balcony Ella Carey
Homesick Eshkol Nevo
The Calligrapher’s Daughter Eugenia Kim
Sassafrass, Cypress and Indigo Ntozake Shange
The Space Between Us Thrity Umrigar
The Secrets Between Us Thrity Umrigar
The Miniaturist Jessie Burton
The Bookshop of Yesterdays Amy Meyerson
Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader Anne Fadiman
If All the Seas Were Ink: A Memoir Ilana Kurshan
The Pearl Sister (The Seven Sisters #4) Lucinda Riley
Three Daughters of Eve Elif Shafak
Us Against You (Beartown, #2) Fredrik Backman
The Map of Salt and Stars Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar
Freud’s Mistress Karen  Mack
Everything Here Is Beautiful Mira T. Lee
By the Book Julia Sonneborn
Everything You Want Me to Be Mindy Mejia
The Orphan’s Tale Pam Jenoff
History Is All You Left Me Adam Silvera
The Women in the Castle Jessica Shattuck
The Alice Network Kate Quinn
Lincoln in the Bardo George Saunders
The Keeper of Lost Things Ruth Hogan
Little Fires Everywhere Celeste Ng
Ordinary Grace William Kent Krueger
Not Me Michael Lavigne
The Letter Kathryn Hughes
The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun Sébastien Japrisot
Perforated Heart Eric Bogosian
10:04 Ben Lerner
Prayers for Sale Sandra Dallas
The Most Dangerous Place on Earth Lindsey Lee Johnson
Someone Knows My Name Lawrence Hill
The Golden Son Shilpi Somaya Gowda
The Healing Jonathan Odell
Anything We Love Can Be Saved Alice Walker
Say You’re One of Them Uwem Akpan
Joy in the Morning Betty  Smith
Carter Beats the Devil Glen David Gold
The Night Journal Elizabeth   Crook
The Beauty of Humanity Movement Camilla Gibb
I, Mona Lisa Jeanne Kalogridis
A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty Joshilyn Jackson
The Weight of Heaven Thrity Umrigar
Love Anthony Lisa Genova