LOOKING TO 2020: Staff's Most Anticipated Titles for the New Year!
LAURA G'S LOOKING TO 2020 PICK
Creatures is an ocean tide, enticing the reader then begging them to give chase. Van Meter explores the depths of human pain; the sharp sting of grief and burning despair of loneliness. Inextricably tied to place, this book uncovers a darkly glittering world both above and beneath the waves. Winter Island is a fog coated land unto itself populated by humans who can't help but betray each others' love. Driven by emotion, Van Meter has written a stunning, tactile book. I half expected to taste the sea salt on the page.
LAURA M'S LOOKING TO 2020 PICK
This is possibly one of the weirdest books I've ever read. It starts as a magical-realism meet-cute where a woman falls in love with a ghost, and morphs into a swirling, poignant tale about relationships, loss, and the limits (and freedoms) of desire. What's more, I found myself laughing out loud, sometimes at the absurdity, and sometimes while shaking my head at some sentence Bonnaffons had the gall to write. Bonnaffons pulls off that delicate alchemy between strangeness and truth, and I will be forever be in awe of her work. If you like strange fiction that packs a punch, don't miss this book!
LAURA M'S LOOKING TO 2020 PICK
In this spare, delicate fable, a father and daughter live an ancient hunter/gatherer lifestyle in a post-human world. While reading, I felt the pace of the modern world slow down, and my reality became the same as the characters': following mountain streams, traveling under the stars, the daily tasks of hunting and fishing. This book's quiet beauty will stay with me for a long time, and finishing it felt like waking from a long, beautiful dream. Read THE BEAR to be transformed.
KEATON'S LOOKING TO 2020 PICK
James McBride is a national treasure. One of our greatest living writers, his ability to swing between out-loud belly laugh humor, biting cultural satire and intensely felt pathos puts him in a league of his own when it comes to American letters. And his latest novel, DEACON KING KONG, might just be his greatest literary achievement yet in an already glittering career. Taking place in a Brooklyn housing project during the 1960s, the story follows a drunken elderly fool and the aftermath of his decision to shoot the most dangerous drug dealer in the neighborhood. What follows is a Quixote-level misadventure that could very well become another modern American classic. I can't wait for you to read this book!
MARK'S LOOKING TO 2020 PICK
The witch is dead, discovered by a group of children playing near the irrigation canals. Who is the witch? Let Melchor escort you into the insidious, violent world of a provincial Mexican village. A stunning English-language debut about depravity, violence and the fear all of us live with. Reminiscent of Bolano's 2666 but with glimmers of hope and humanity slipping through.
Coming March 31st from New Directions!
JOY'S LOOKING TO 2020 PICK
The List of Things That Will Not Change is an exquisite gem of a middle grade novel. Spare, moving, filled with real pain and real joy, this is a book that will be read and treasured and re-read many times. Bea is a delight of a character-- real and nuanced and heartwarmingly imperfect. As she slowly reveals her fullest truths, I loved her more and more with each turn of the page. This is Rebecca Stead at the very top of her already prodigious game. Brilliant and deeply true.
CASSIE'S LOOKING TO 2020 PICK
Filling in the mythological gaps left by centuries of retellings, the anticipated sequel to ONCE & FUTURE was everything I wanted and more. Completely full of love for the original Arthurian legend while fearlessly adding their own twists and turns, SWORD IN THE STARS is not just the perfect end to this duology; it’s one of my most anticipated books of 2020. Ari and her diverse Knights return to end the Arthurian cycle once and for all, but all final quests come with the most terrible costs. Between the gut-wrenching emotional beats and the meta jokes that make you laugh so much your face aches, SWORD IN THE STARS is a triumph.
SONIA'S LOOKING TO 2020 PICK
Time-travelling assasins, cryptocurriencies and blockchains, cyber trolls and other digital hobgonlins populate this much-anticipated second collection from sci-fi scion Ken Liu. The book includes collected stories, a previously-unpublished novellette, and an excerpt from the third book of Liu's Dandelion Dynasty series, The Veiled Throne. With a pub date in late February of 2020, this book has lovers of expertly written, future-facing fiction giddy with anticipation.
TRACI'S LOOKING TO 2020 PICK:
Dubbed as the novel version of the TV show FLEABAG-- TRUE LOVE is a dark comedy about modern romance from one of today's most provocative literary voices and a book that I can not wait to read. Striking and evocative cover design as well!