Laura G Recommends
Karen Russell is, in my humble opinion the reigning queen of magic realism. Her short stories are each masterpieces in their own right : achingly familiar and yet highly peculiar. Altogether they are absolutely enchanting!
Lyrical, existential, and above all accessible, Alexis' latest novel is filled with enchanted pastoral scenes juxtaposed by violence and death. DAYS BY MOONLIGHT is a joy to read, perfect for lovers of Saša Stanišic's rich provincial worlds or Claire-Louise Bennett's poetic prose. This book has the quiet power of thunder in the distance; echoing, rousing, and inevitable.
This is a stunning novel with quiet, powerful prose to take your breath away. Sopinka flawlessly inhabits the rich inner world of her protagonist. Powerful in a soft way.
This novel takes place in a town that can only be described as "curmudgeonly." Its host of characters ranges in both age and species. Over the course of an evening the sleepy town descends into chaos. Full of a distinctively Eastern European brand of magical realism, this is an enchanting fireside tale.
A postmodern fairytale, dark and enchanting in its simplicity. Set in a crumbling cultural period, this book shows a child’s perspective of an idyllic life during a tumultuous moment in history. Each vignette is an exploration of family, identity, and the loss of innocence.
This French bestseller translates beautifully into a double narrative: one voice young and disillusioned with her bourgeois world, the other old and radiant, yet masked by humble origins. A gently sardonic and bittersweet exploration of philosophy, love, and art. It will remain in your mind long after you’ve turned the last page.
“The circus arrives without warning,” and in a similar manner this book invites you into its world. Rarely are books such an absolute feast – for the senses and the imagination. And I envy you that you are about to read The Night Circus for the first time. Savor it!
Pond is a complete and utter escape on par with a certain other Irish writer’s masterpiece. Contemplative, rich, and an absolute delight – pure aesthetic pleasure.
Enchanting and eerie. The Changeling is a literary classic and cornerstone for writers like Daisy Johnson and Karen Russell. Highly evocative, this book is a force unbeholden to the reader, the writer, or the world.
In 1666 a blind astronomer makes a prediction that at the stroke of noon on June 30th of that year a solar eclipse will cast all of Europe into darkness for four seconds. Is he mad or a visionary? Sachs brings a unique comic and philosophical sense to his debut novel, an intricate fable about understanding ourselves and the world. Perfect for fans of Mark Haber!
A sly beast of a novel, this gothic tale will entrance you! Hypnotic prose, an unreliable narrator, and a spiraling story with no foreseeable end make this book truly haunting. Perfect for a crisp October night!
Reinhardt's Garden is such a small book, and yet, like a tropical jungle, filled with hidden jewels. Join the narcissistic, cocaine-addict Jacov Reinhardt and his poor, hapless scribe as they search halfway across the world for Reinhardt's lost hero. Haber spins a fascinating tale with writing that gives no quarter to gristle. Ultimately this is a darkly satirical, melancholic journey into Reinhardt's very own heart of darkness.
Never have I read a book that so eloquently captures what my own heart cannot put into words. Paper Houses is a spinning coin of vulnerability, showing the fear and desire for human connection one moment and flipping to create boundaries the next. Fortier's vision of Emily Dickinson is luminous and loving and her understanding of the poet's soul shines through each page. This is a fearless exploration of self, isolation, and the painful hope and hunger for love.
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.
Gala is a Cuban literary star, radically combining both fantasy and realism in her English-language debut. The Black Cathedral is a haunting, twisted tale driven by a chorus of dubious narrators. Each voice adds complexity to a story growing as quickly and haphazardly as the cathedral at the center of the plot. At its heart, The Black Cathedral is a tale of race, religion, and fate. The prose are darkly comedic, painting modern Cuban life with a gritty, no holds-barred brush.
Millwood has created a sinister, obsessive parable set in a harsh, arctic Norwegian town in 1617. The Mercies is utterly hypnotic, creating a humble and stark atmosphere strung through with tension and hidden rage. Beguiling and haunting, this is a tale of community, witches, and love in a punishing world.
Sharks in the Time of Saviors is a raw, glorious debut combining ancient gods and modern realities. Kawai Strong Washburn is a lyrical genius, weaving a strange story of family, heritage, and the bonds of grief. Washburn's Hawai'i seeps off the pages; warm, dangerous, and full of mystery.
Hilarious, fierce, and so satisfying, We Ride Upon Sticks is the story of a women's field hockey team that turns to witchcraft to win the state finals. Barry weaves an unforgettable tale rooted in the history of the New England witch trials and 80's nostalgia. This is the feminist/occult mashup you didn't know you needed.
This is a heist novel. The target? Not jewels, not world-changing technology. It's chickens. Barn 8 is philosophical, whimsical, and utterly absurd. Unferth has created another charming masterpiece that belongs on the shelf with Confederacy of Dunces and Catch-22. You will fall in love with this story.
Iseult Wince, a Victorian near-spinster, is convinced that her deceased mother lives in the scar on her neck. And so the haunting, gothic tale begins with echoes from the golden age of gothic, feminist stories such as THE YELLOW WALLPAPER. Pohlig's tale is chilling in its examination of modernity and femininity while enjoying moments of absurd humor. This is a dark, gothic comedy of manners that will keep you entertained and horrified throughout.
Nettel's latest is dynamic, unsettling, and edged with tension. Each story captures a quiet aspect of daily life, examining it under a warped lens until the mundane becomes eerie and strange. A photographer's son is haunted a young woman about to undergo cosmetic eye surgery. A woman watches her neighbor's date unfold. A man going through marital troubles finds solace in a garden. Nettel continues to illuminate the strange, often alien aspects of inhabiting a human body. Bezoar may be her best work yet.
Evie Wyld, author of ALL THE BIRDS, SINGING, is back with her signature transcendent story telling. Follow Sarah, Ruth, and Viv, three women separated by centuries but linked by their home and the ghosts that haunt them. THE BASS ROCK is a study in contradictions: riveting and yet quiet, miraculous and still entirely mundane. Wyld rejoices in the small joys of life while maintaining a sense of dread as thick and tangible as fog on the seashore. Absolutely breathtaking!
Vadnais has created an intoxicating vision of the end times - luscious and lovingly rendered in sparkling prose. Fauna is a terrifying reminder of the power of Mother Nature. Nothing stays buried forever and, like an ouroboros, our world is a constant cycle of tender life and ferocious death.
Perfect for fans of Kieran Millwood Hargrave's THE MERCIES, this Norwegian bestseller is an atmospheric-lover's dream. Set in the secluded village of Butangen in 1880, THE BELL IN THE LAKE chronicles its residents' lives, all centered around a 700 year old church and its mystical bells. Mytting effortlessly captures the push and pull between history and modernity, stringing his story with tension and moments of rare beauty. This novel is achingly real, as if one could step into the pages and find themselves looking up at the towering wooden staves.
Disturbingly timely, The Animals In That Country chronicles the journey of one no-bullshit woman and her half-wild dingo as they race against a deadly pandemic. Jean is brilliantly crafted - unapologetically rough and yet filled with hidden vulnerability. McKay's tale pulled me in with its entertaining nature then dragged me under with its profound nuance.
Eartheater is a visceral and surreal tale of one woman's compulsion to eat dirt and the visions of death it brings. Reyes' characters are nuanced and emotionally resonant, their familial ties the beating heart of this story. Ultimately this is a magic realist tale of lost women and those that search to bring them home.
Following his charming fictionalization of Madame Tussaud's life in LITTLE, Edward Carey returns with a reimagining of Pinocchio! Filled with his trademark spindly pen and ink illustrations, THE SWALLOWED MAN is charming and atmospheric - an aestheticized world to sink into and explore. Carey effortlessly puts his own spin on the beloved characters of Geppetto and Pinocchio, adding nuance and emotional depth to their relationship. This is a parable of parenthood, grief, and growth (of both noses and hearts).
Striking and visceral, Rabbit Island is a surreal masterpiece. Each story surprises with its enticing balance of the grotesque and the mundane. Navarro's latest work is truly one to be savored.
Arnott's latest is mythical and intense. The story reads like a heavy storm rolling over the hills - all-encompassing and powerful. Ren and Zoe are diametrically opposed forces carrying the story to an epic conclusion. This is magic realism and dystopia at its best!
González's English language debut is wonderfully bizarre, chronicling the lives of three Midwesterners and the hallucinogenic that covers their city. Beryl, Berenice, and Vik live in a society of contradictions that mirrors our reality in a clarifying way. AMERICAN DELIRIUM is filled with mayhem and yet also unexpected tenderness, ultimately creating a heartfelt and distinct look at the inherent strangeness of our own America.
Lucy Ives shocks and delights with her latest short story collection. Cosmogony is an intriguingly foreign look at day to day life, especially the life of women. Each story adds to its predecessors to create a collage of all the alien, strange aspects of ordinary life.
YA
This book was absolutely fantastic! A knock-out cast of diverse characters, a complex and layered world, and an ever increasing descent into chaos that left me breathless. Is it too bold to say that this series could be the next Throne of Glass? My only wish is that the second book was here already!
A fierce and fiery tale of sisterhood and betrayal set in a world rich in magic and deception. In this story there is no one who is wholly good or entirely evil, each person and group is haunted by history and intention. This is an intricately written debut that is sure to amaze fans of Alwyn Hamilton and Sabaa Tahir! Fascinating characters, magic, and world-building, Pau Preto is a name to watch!
WICKED SAINTS has everything I look for in a book: dark monsters, powerful magic, and a stunning atmosphere that permeates every page. This book is lush and darkly romantic, filled with blood and bones. Perfect for fans of Maggie Stiefvater and Leigh Bardugo, Duncan's thrilling debut explores the ecstasy and heart-breaking tragedy of what it is to love a monster.
High School senior Emoni Santiago is a single mother who dreams of becoming a professional chef, but circumstance and culture stand against her. Told in short, vignette-like chapters, WITH THE FIRE ON HIGH takes difficult, often disenfranchised issues and makes them easy to empathize with. Printz and National Book Award winner Acevedo is a powerhouse of love, compassion, and raw talent.
Elizabeth Lim's latest novel is completely enchanting! Lim reimagines the tale of Thousandfur in an epic adventure filled with beautiful, rich imagery and a stunning, breathless plot. SPIN THE DAWN reminds readers of the possibilities of stories - the ways they can be reimagined and re-spun into new and fascinating works of artistry.
Sometimes a book is just too good for words - this is one such book. WILDER GIRLS is a raw, speculative debut filled with stunning prose and a brutally fierce story. The atmosphere of Raxter is eerie, permeating every page. Powers is unflinching when looking into the hearts and minds of adolescent girls - their wants, fears, and will to survive. This is exactly the sort of story we need right now.
Power returns with a haunting thriller filled with raw power. Burn Our Bodies Down is brutal and (at times) gruesome, centered around the powerful bond forged between mother and daughter. Truly, Power's expertly crafted story sang to the deepest, most hidden part of my soul: the part that intrinsically understands every young girl's potential for fury - and wishes for them to be released!
The world of Sabor is fascinating and complex, the characters are nuanced and powerfully written. Ultimately, this is the enemies-to-allies road trip adventure you've been waiting for! Completely engrossing!
Alaine is now among my favorite heroines. She's whip-smart, humorous, and most powerfully, loving. Told through letters, texts, and journal entries, DEAR HAITI, LOVE ALAINE is an intimate look into the life of a young Haitian American girl. Written by Haitian Americans, the Moulite sisters give personal insight into the life of a second-gen American girl, filling their book with empathy, hilarity, and hope.
Ruby writes with her signature genre-mixing style to create a tale that's part ghost story, part historical, and completely compelling! Watching Frankie grow from an abandoned young girl to a fierce woman is a pleasure, and witnessing the hidden lives of Depression-era Chicagoans through the eyes of a ghost is intimate and magical.
A gloriously epic debut, BLOOD HEIR is a lush, magical story that entrances the reader from the first sentence. Amélie Wen Zhao is a master of both prose and pacing, making me fall in love with writing all over again. Her characters are morally-complex and conflicted. Add in a slow-burn romance and I was completely intoxicated. Zhao is definitely a name to watch!
Fans of Wes Anderson rejoice! A CASTLE IN THE CLOUDS is charming, witty, and edged with danger! When Sophie interns at a grand hotel in the Swiss Alps, she doesn't expect their biggest event of the year to turn into a dastardly, daring adventure! Soon Sophie must navigate a long list of suspects and a convoluted string of clues if she wants to keep her job. Gier is a master of cozy romance as well as playful mystery. CASTLE is a book you will return to over and over again, like a well-loved sweater!
"Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it." Foul Is Fair is a primal, savage retelling of Macbeth following one girl out for the blood of her rapists. Capin's prose are seductive, drawing you in before slicing to the quick. This is catharsis at its best and perfect for the #metoo movement!
This is a darkly comedic tale of six best friends. Alexis is a memorable protagonist - unapologetic, powerful, and inextricably tied to her chosen family. When her coven accidentally kills a boy, they must all deal with the consequences, their guilt, and their fracturing family
There are books in this world that will haunt you. They will grab you by the throat and refuse to let go. AGNES AT THE END OF THE WORLD is one such book. McWilliams is a raw, stunning new voice. She fearlessly delves into the complexities and turmoil of family and religion - how they can simultaneously strengthen and destroy us. Agnes and Beth are two sides of the same coin, two different paths in a world that tries its best to bury young girls with heart and teeth.
This is an electric debut novel that stuns from the first sentence. Johnson's characters are stunning enigmas of fear, desire, and desperation. The world of Hell-mouth is wonderfully foreign with unsettling hints of familiarity. Ultimately this is a sci-fi adventure that shocks and delights.
Ghost Wood Song is as eerie and atmospheric as a haunted pine wood grove. Waters effortlessly delves into the Southern Gothic tradition while maintaining her own unique narration. Shady Grove's story is one of murder mystery, intricate family ties, and a nuanced queer love triangle. Her lyrical tale is as charming as a bluegrass lick and as haunting as a fiddle's last note.
Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a complex, luscious fairytale populated with Persian demons and poisonous girls. Reading this book was like smelling a rose; rich and petal-soft one moment, then sharp and dangerous the next. Bashardoust is an expert weaver of tales, creating twists and turns that keep the reader enthralled with Soraya's journey.
LaCour returns with an achingly tender and profound tale of one girl's battle against trauma. Set in an isolated farm along the atmospheric Northern California coast, WATCH OVER ME explores the bewilderment, emotional paralysis, and potency of grief.
Achingly raw and stunningly real, Printz Honor-Winning author Jessie Ann Foley returns with a tale of one girl's climb out of the wreckage of her life. Exploring themes of trauma, both personal and generational, Mia's story is fully dimensional and painfully realistic while also battling for hope and acceptance. You Know I Am No Good is a reclaiming for teenage girls everywhere: of their bodies, of their minds, and of their souls.
A wholly compelling and vibrant retelling of Romeo and Juliet, These Violent Delights is sharp as a dagger and thrilling as a sword fight. Gong's intimate grasp of 1920's Shanghai's nuance and energy imbues every page while her fast-paced plot and dimensional characters give life to the rich setting. This glittering tale burns with blood feuds and political revolution, monsters and monstrous men.
Saft weaves a tangled political plot through a wartorn continent, imbuing her frostbitten setting with a haunting sense of danger. Colwick Hall is eerie and forlorn, the perfect setting for the grotesque and mysterious - as well as a dark, gothic romance.
Part Wuthering Heights and part War and Peace, Down Comes the Night is entirely addictive!
Luminous and haunting, Rebecca Mahoney's shimmering debut examines PTSD and grief through a speculative lens that resonates powerfully. It is a sweet sort of ache to watch Rose battle and overcome her trauma. It is an addicting mystery to watch the residents of Lotus Valley learn to live amongst their own unnatural ghosts. You will be swept away by this tale.
SCIENCE/NATURE
Ambitious and extensive, UNDERLAND plunges the reader into an epic journey below the earth; from sea caves to the catacombs of Paris to fungal networks and beyond. This haunting and lyrical treatise is an exploration of humanity's expansive ties to the subterranean, not only including Macfarlane's travels and observations but those of artists, murderers, and explorers. Macfarlane seeks out the darkness of our world, weaving his findings together in a narrative of mystery, strangeness, and ultimately, brilliance.
STRANGE HARVESTS follows the journey of several natural commodities from harvest to marketplace. It's a fascinating insight into humanity's connections with the natural world, a complex tapestry of first hand narratives, history, and science. Through the book Posnett shows us the subtle harmony of ecology and economy, posing the question: can humanity balance our desire to consume or will we inevitably destroy our harvests?
A fascinating, almost meditative look at one of nature’s most ubiquitous insects. Hanson is a conservation biologist who writes like a novelist. Absolutely fantastic!
Perfect for amateur mycologists with questionable "morels," Entangled Life is a fascinating look into the world of fungi. Fungi are the mysterious connectors of our Earth, the synapses that connect trees, plants, and us. Sheldrake is unafraid to move in a philosophical direction, using his scientific expertise to consider fungi's implications on our own views of autonomy, community, and society. This is a masterfully written, highly fascinating addition to the compendium of fungal knowledge.
Desert Notebooks is rich, haunting, and profoundly unique in its exploration of the end times. Ehrenreich takes readers to the wilds of the Mojave to the neon glow of Las Vegas - amongst coyotes and Joshua trees, to labyrinthine canyons, to a phosphorescent city surrounded by it all. Each landscape is described with stunning beauty. Ehrenreich draws from stories of the Serrano, Mohave, and other desert peoples to inform our understanding of our rapidly changing world, reckoning with the environmental apocalypse that haunts all our futures.
Philosopher and scuba diver Peter Godfrey-Smith returns with a new meditation on oceanic life. While Other Minds dealt specifically with the octopus, Metazoa expands to the biology and evolution of all the creatures he's met beneath the sea. Filled with luminous, full color photos from the author himself, Metazoa is a meditation on life, consciousness, and our future.
HISTORY/BIOGRAPHY
THE LADY FROM THE BLACK LAGOON is the true story of lost film pioneer Milicent Patrick. Patrick was the artistic and creative genius behind one of cinema's most famous monsters. How do we not know more about this creative and trailblazing woman? Her work was claimed by a jealous male colleague and what should have been a bright career was cut tragically short. With dogged persistence and years of research, horror filmmaker Mallory O'Meara sets out to discover more about this forgotten icon. LADY reads like a detective thriller, captivating and rewarding for those who are willing to explore the sexist culture that has shaped Hollywood to this day.
Award-winning historian Charles King chronicles the life and legacy of Franz Boaz, the father of cultural anthropology. GODS OF THE UPPER AIR connects the views of culture yesterday to today, contextualizing and destroying arguments for racism, especially in our politics today. This is an intellectual adventure with a very real impact on the key moral issues of our times.
Miles Harvey illuminates the obscure, wild, and completely ludicrous story of James Strang, a charismatic con man who capitalized on Americans' fervent religiosity in the 1840's. The story itself is supremely unlikely - a confluence of events perfectly converged and perhaps the only man in history capable of turning them to his favor. Harvey's research into Stang's pirate colony utopia is superb, translating into a story-like biography that reads with effortless humor and style. Absolutely marvelous!
Armstrong's latest work is perhaps her most powerful to date, exploring the scriptures of the Bible, Quran, and Torah. Written with the intellect of a theologian and charged with compassion, Armstrong asserts that most people read scripture to confirm their own views, then shows how to read for transformation. This is a vitally important work for believers and non-believers alike.
While the Cold War raged and America and the USSR fought for global supremacy, two zoos in Berlin, one East and one West, battled not over warheads, but over polar bears and pandas. Mohnhaupt chronicles the epic, and often times hilarious rivalry between two head zookeepers and the fallout it caused. This is a charming and riveting history of one of the strangest proxy wars ever fought.
One of the foremost Egyptologists of our time, Toby Wilkinson chronicles the West's frantic race to claim Egypt's rediscovered ancient past. Beginning with the 1822 deciphering of hieroglyphics by Jean-François Champollion, Wilkinson follows Europe and America's obsession and subsequent plundering of Egypt's history as it led to the Nile Valley's own modern rebirth.
ART
The Louvre is one of Paris' most iconic buildings - it has a been a fortress, a palace, and now it holds one of the world's greatest collections of art. While many books on the Louvre simply include facsimiles and descriptions, Rizzoli's edition shows the art within the context of the building and its architecture. This beautiful tome is a celebration of museums, history, and art.
MEMOIR
Olstein writes with eloquence and power. While pain is highly individual, I found echoes of my own chronic pains within her words - all described with a fierce simplicity that I have never been able to achieve. To someone living with chronic pain, this book is pure catharsis, a warm voice in an endless tunnel of dark saying "I hear you. I understand you." To anyone else, this book is the first step toward empathy. PAIN STUDIES must be read by all.