Forget all your other faves. Ariana Brown is the real deal! Her poems will cut you up and heal you all at the same time. Reading this was one of the most personal reading experiences I've had in a long time.
The title will hopefully make you pick this up but I promise this collection is so satisfying, especially the very last short story in this book. Wild!
Once a year a book comes out that truly makes bookselling easy. This is that book. A beautifully written interconnecting family drama that checks all the boxes.
Ever wonder what happens when a bunch of renowned international writers gather for a weekend? No ego is left un-bruised in this novel. But I promise it's much more than the drama that unfolds between the writers. Mona is a character that will stay with you for a long time.
What does it mean to be a true ally?
What are you willing to give up so EVERYONE is free?
These are the kind of questions this book will ask of you. Could not put down. Highly recommended!
Absolutely charming, smartly plotted, and completely believable. Tiffy and Leon meet under curious circumstances but manage to build friendship and intimacy over time by writing sticky notes and leaving them about the flat. Tiffy and Leon possess specific, unique styles of voice which make them vivid, if opposite, characters. No lazy or trope-ish story here, though the climax delivers a romantic comedy of Hollywood-esque proportions.
This is a must read. Abdurraqib combines the experience of music and culture through such an engaging lens, it's hard to put it down. He can talk about Carly Rae Jepsen, Fall Out Boy, Bruce Springsteen, being black, being Muslim, living in contemporary America all in one breath with such ease and such a command for language. Seriously, even his Instagram captions are well-written (you should follow him).
This book spoke to me like it had a bullhorn. Weird and, at times, disturbing but not just for the sake of being weird and, at times, disturbing. Mona has her heart broken by Mr. Disgusting then moves to New Mexico to become a maid and...dun dun dun...looks through her clients' stuff while also cleaning out some of her own skeletons. Goodreads touts her as a combination of Mary Karr and Miranda July which I wholeheartedly agree. It feels like hearing from a friend but one of those friends you're not totally sure you like but want to hear more from, you know? Read the sequel, Vacuum in the Dark, to see what happens next!
You have adventure, family drama, laughs! A comedian, upon her fortieth birthday, takes each of her family members on one-on-one vacations and chooses Grand Canyon whitewater rafting for her younger sister. With alternating chapters between treacherous days on the water and divulging her father's scandal that changed everything, it almost reads as fiction. She meets curious characters on her boat and faces some fears while also sharing the road to her comedy career and her struggles with religion and marriage. It tackles so much in such a digestible read!
I am neither a father nor about to become one but this book about a comedian fumbling his way reluctantly through fatherhood was a very enjoyable read. Fans of Birbiglia will recognize his humor and delivery as well as his poignant storytelling as he pairs his experience being a father with his wife's experience of being a mother through her poetry. Great insight into the other side of parenthood we don't see as much that will still have you laughing out loud.
