Jess Recommends

Having and Being Had, by Eula Biss: I have always loved Eula Biss, and I will always love Eula Biss. Her writing does the exact thing I am drawn to: Interrogating a topic from every single angle, in a way that is memorable but not overwhelming. For this book, Biss is interrogating what it means to be a wealthy white woman buying a house, and what that means. And when I say "what that means," I mean: She asks what capitalism even is, what the purpose of capitalism is, what does having a gravy boat mean for her class, what is class, what defines the middle class, and what is the relationship between time, money, play, and art. This book feels timely and purposeful in the way that money is always timely and purposeful -- but also, an important book to read if you want to re-examine the system we live in, and maybe for some of us, a system we also reject.

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Christy Recommends

Open Book, by Jessica Simpson: Well that was seriously fun to read. Self-deprecating, warm, funny, personal. And dishy without ever veering into meanness.

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Chelka Recommends

Time Travel for Love and Profit, by Sarah Lariviere: I can't say enough good things about this book. It made me LOL when I really needed it. It doesn't read like a kids' book at all. You'll love it, too, if you were a nerdy kid, you understand Star Trek jokes, and you're really good at suspending disbelief.

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Erika Recommends

All Girls, by Emily Layden:  I'll admit, Layden's lovely debut novel -- which follows a handful of students at an all-girls boarding school over the course of a scandal-plagued schoolyear -- is VERY much in my wheelhouse. But in addition to illuminating the complex feelings the girls have about school, sex, their friends and families, etc., Layden does a great job showing how an institution that's built on tradition is forced to confront some very modern problems. There's a lot going on here (I mean that in the best way), and it all adds up to a really compelling picture.

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Greg Recommends

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Klara And The Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro: This novel is an absolute master class in empathy! Ishiguro's singular genius is making incredibly complex human emotions seem easily relatable. He does there in this parable told from the perspective of an Artificial Friend -- a robot. But this novel is SO human -- about how we love, hope, and connect to others. Rich with symbolism, allusion, and allegory, this is just a stunning work of art. Easily a favorite of the year!

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January Favorites

With the holidays behind us, we've all found more time to read. Here are some books we've read and loved lately.

Mother To Son: Letters to a Black Boy on Identity and Hope, by Jasmine L . Holmes

Light for the World to See: A Thousand Words on Race and Hope, by Kwame Alexander

Homeland Elegies, by Ayad Akhtar

This Will Be Funny Someday, by Katie Henry

The Prophets, by Robert Jones, Jr.

A Promised Land, by Barack Obama

Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder, by T.A. Willberg

The Orchard, by David Hopen

No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality, by Michael J. Fox

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Greg's Favorites of 2020

A Promised Land, by Barack Obama

Hollywood Park, by Mikel Jollett

Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey, by Kathleen Rooney

Deacon King Kong, by James McBride

Transcendent Kingdom, by Yaa Gyasi

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Christy's Favorites of 2020

From The Desk of Zoe Washington, by Janae Marks

Interior Chinatown, by Charles Yu

Is This Anything?, by Jerry Seinfeld

Dragon Hoops, by Gene Luen Yang

Superman Smashes The Klan, by Gene Luen Yang