Laura G Recommends
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, like the static electricity before a storm.
Heidi Sopinka returns with flawless prose and aching atmosphere in this hypnotic exploration of art, power, ownership, and identity. Utopia solidifies Sopinka as an artist at the top of her game--unafraid to be equal parts tender and cutting in her musings on feminine relationships. This book is devastating in the most beautiful way possible.
This novel takes place in a town that can only be described as "curmudgeonly." Its host of characters range 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.
Pond is a complete and utter escape on par with a certain other Irish writer’s stream of consciousness masterpiece. Contemplative, rich, and an absolute delight – pure aesthetic pleasure.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Mohamed Kheir's English language debut is pure atmosphere, inhabited by characters caught in the web of fate, tragedy, and the Arab Spring. It's a stunning feat of craft, creating seemingly disjointed pocket universes tied together by human beings and the haunting remnants of their long-lost connections. Slipping is a book to be savored and continuously explored, much like the magical worlds described within.
A girl in search of her father. A talking scholar's cat. A boat made of skeletons. Khadija Abdalla Bajaber's debut novel is a magical realist odyssey inspired by Swahili and Hadrami culture, full of rich characters and fascinating prose. The plot sparkles like waves in the sun, and, like any good sea voyaging tale, shows that the journey is not complete just because you've arrived back on land.
Catherynne M. Valente is back with her signature haunting prose and raging characters! Beginning as a tale of one woman's marriage, Comfort Me With Apples quickly tilts into a bone-chilling horror story softened only by Valente's lush, fantastical world. This story will not bring you comfort. It comes with teeth and claws to swallow you whole.
Winner of the Prix Goncourt, this novel will astound you. Le Tellier is a master of craft, bending genres to tell a story that is both otherworldly and yet tenderly mundane. Hunter's translation perfectly captures Le Tellier's unique style of prose. This is a must-read for all, and especially for fans of André Alexis.
The Bear Woman is a chimera: part exploration of modernity, part historical research and retelling, and always written through a feminist lens. Ramqvist moves seamlessly between stark scenes of brutality and quieter moments filled with familial love. This beautiful autofiction is perfect for fans of Doireann Ní Ghríofa or Heidi Sopinka. Absolutely stunning!
Naga's experimental sophomore novel is filled with pithy yet sensual prose. This is an exploration of power, abuse, and the eternal question: who deserves to own the narrative? If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English is set on a knife's edge. It's a horrific kind of pleasure to watch the scales tip.
Rory Power returns with what could be her greatest work yet. Set in a gloriously atmospheric Greek-inspired fantasy world, In a Garden Burning Gold follows two siblings as they fight to keep their family safe. In this world there is no love without loss, no trust without betrayal, and no magic without pain. Absolutely stunning
Tess Gunty's stunning debut takes us to the heartland where a crumbling apartment building in a dying town is filled with horrible secrets. I'm continuously impressed by Gunty's discerning and sensitive eye, particularly when looking at the oft glorified yet equally overlooked people of middle America.
Pollard's debut novel perfectly captures the simultaneous absurdity and banality of both ancient and modern life--particularly during the pandemic. Perfect for fans of Sheila Heti, Delphi has all the ambivalence of scrolling through Twitter paired with all the rage of Medea.
Days Come and Go is an aching chronicle of Cameroon, told through the eyes of three generations of women. In it, Anna and her family become almost mythic archetypes, crafting a pattern of tragedy and hope. Boum expertly maneuvers between their intimate moments of joy and aching losses of innocence, all handled with tender care.
Another stunning translation from Maureen Freely. Soysal was unflinching when looking at the issues of her time (and ours): misogyny, corruption, and violence. This nuanced novel follows a group of dinner guests over the course of one night from serving raki to being interrogated in a prison cell. Absolutely sparkling with clarity, intelligence, and subtle hope.
YA
A fierce and fiery tale of sisterhood and betrayal set in a world rich in magic and deception. In this story no one 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!
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. Power 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.
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.
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'm No Good is a reclaiming for teenage girls everywhere: of their bodies, of their minds, and of their souls.
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.
Addictive and enthralling, this character-driven sci-fi will pull you under! Joan He has mastered the art of plot twists, creating a fascinating tale revolving around two sisters who will do anything to reunite. The atmosphere is tangible, the mysteries are riveting, and the sororal love is a haunting testament to the bonds between women.
Part Princess Diaries and part Crazy Rich Asians, Tokyo Ever After is a technicolored blend of family dynamics, romance, and culture! Izumi's story is a totally heartfelt and immensely fun comedy of manners about finding your people and your place in the world. Emiko Jean's Tokyo is a character all on its own - its vibrant atmosphere imbuing every page as Izumi's (mis)adventure unfolds. Readers will fall in love with this fresh, dynamic coming-of-age tale!
Told through the voices of three Black Muslim girls across the country, You Truly Assumed is a heartbreakingly poignant story. Sabreen opens up many issues for discussion including the racism, xenophobia, and cyberbullying that are intrinsic to American culture. This is a hopeful tale of creating space for yourself and your community... and then standing your ground!
Fall in love with Ophelia Rojas, a romance-obsessed girl with a penchant for plants. Racquel Marie's debut captures the complexities of youth and the growing pains that come along with finding yourself. Ophelia After All is truly an ode to romance, real friends, and, of course, roses!
Hauntingly atmospheric, Saft's sophomore novel does not disappoint! Maggie and Wes' story is a nuanced parable of loss and connection, exclusion and community, and the aching hope -- and fear -- that someone will see us exactly as we are. Set in a fictional world with painful similarities to our own, this story will consume you.
Wilder Girls' successor is finally here - and it's eerier and more atmospheric than any reader could hope for! Filled with iridescent wheat, bioluminescent melons, and a mercury-esque blight, Hollow's End is the perfect setting for impending doom. Fraistat's debut highlights both the comforts and horrors of small towns, old families, and the secrets they bury.
Perfect for fans of Tokyo Ever After, Claire Ahn's debut is an effortlessly fresh exploration of culture, family, and the teenage years. Seoul is painted in vibrant colors, becoming a character all its own. This is the coming-of-age tale of the summer!
This is a book with teeth, with fire, and with a bloody, beating heart. White's speculative horror YA takes us to a world filled with grotesque monsters - both human and not - and furious teens fighting for their right to live. Just as Benji sheds his skin to become a dark creature of wrath, Hell Followed With Us warps our own world inside out, showing the ugliest and brightest parts that humanity has to offer.
As warm and lush as citrus on the Amalfi coast, Thiede's debut encompasses all the greatest parts of fantasy: intricate world building, fascinating magic, and passionate characters with dark secrets. This is a compulsively readable novel perfect for fans of Serpent & Dove.
Perfect for fans of Erica Waters' atmospheric horror, Wake the Bones is an idyllic Kentucky summer suffused with bone-chilling horror. Kilcoyne drags her readers to dark roots where bones are buried and magic is hidden.
Folk horror meets psychological thriller in Ryan La Sala's sun-drenched new novel. The atmosphere drips off the page in this one--perfect for fans of Midsommar's idyllic floral facade. Mars is a character you can't help but love, which makes his journey all the more horrific and addictive.
Seton Girls is fascinating--a timely look at class, race, and the patriarchy featuring an addictive group of female friends, a privileged academy, and the damning secrets that tie them together. I adored Aly's role of both outsider and confidante. Thomas truly shows teenage girls' ability to transcend the subtle yet dangerous misogyny that pervades our world.
Fast-paced and filled with heart, this is the nuanced ace/aro (yes--they're two separate things) rep we need! Jack's narration is comedy gold, and his crew of lovable misfits is out to steal some poker chips, some fame, and your heart!
A gorgeous translation from Emma Ramadan, Phalaina is a fascinating tale of one strange girl which expands outward to hold a mirror up to modern humanity and science. This is a unique, almost philosophical exploration of our ties to nature, morality, and each other, written in the guise of a thrilling mystery.
This is HG Wells' The Invisible Man for a new generation, complete with nuanced critiques of privilege, ethics, and modern day teenage life. Paired with an academic rivals-to-lovers romance, this speculative debut is intriguing and ambitious.
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.
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.
Everything Karen Armstrong touches turns to gold. In Sacred Nature, she turns her unique mind to the spiritual power of nature, illuminating the common themes throughout all earthly religions: fear, awe, and tranquil contemplation of our natural world.
HISTORY/BIOGRAPHY
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, ludicrous, and completely true 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.
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.
A fascinating and timely book exploring one of the most infamous art collections in the world. Phillips gives a nuanced account of the fall of two great empires - Britain and Benin - while looking towards a future of repatriation, justice, and the future of art and museums.
Every new Mary Beard release is cause for celebration! In Twelve Caesars the wold-renowned classicist traces our modern-day politicians' roots back through 2,000 years of history. As with SPQR, Beard is unafraid to answer philosophical questions along with the historical: How do we decide our leaders? Why do autocrats loom so large in our histories? And, ultimately, who deserves to be remembered?
Fans of Kassia St. Clair will adore the latest from renowned folklorist Maria Tatar. Tatar sets out to prove the existence of "heroinism" in opposition to our culture's obsession with "heroism," highlighting the stories of countless women from ancient times to present day. The Heroine with 1001 Faces ellaborates upon an oft forgotten canon of dangerous, mischievious, and defiant women.
An excellent read for fans of Toby Wilkinson's A World Beneath the Sands or Robert MacFarlane's Underland, Under Jerusalem is a fascinating exploration of one of the world's most important and contested cities. Lawler uses subterranean archaeological digs to uncover the city's many occupants - pilgrims, historians, politicians - and show how each of them has affected the history and politics that still haunt Jerusalem to this day.
Subin possesses such a keen eye for both small details and the bigger picture, creating a work that's as fascinating as it is accessible. The question of who can create a god is one that's haunted our history from the start, and Subin is unafraid to poke holes in theology, history, and our current culture to figure it out.
Patrick Boucheron's latest work lays at the intersection of religion, biography, history, and memory. Stalking the famed Church Doctor's life and legacy from the fourth to sixteenth century, Trace and Aura is a treatise not only on Catholic theology and humanism, but on the way we interact with history itself. Boucheron deftly handles the inherent issue of recursion within such an examination, creating an enlightening and accessible masterpiece.
An absolutely fascinating look into the literary micronation of Redonda--ruled by writer kings ranging from genius to unhinged. Hingston parallels the history with his own journey of discovery making this part historical retelling, part travelogue, and entirely enthralling.
Highly accessible, Kevin Lygo gives readers a tour through one of history's most infamous empires. From Constantine to the Ottomans, this book is filled with fascinating anecdotes and hundreds of gorgeously rendered facsimiles. As Robert Peston says in his forward, the Byzantines make Game of Thrones look tame!
What Mary Beard is to antiquity, Toby Wilkinson is to Egyptology. In Tutankhamun's Trumpet he focuses in on the infamous boy king's tomb on the hundredth anniversary of its discovery. Filled with incredible photography of each artifact, this book shows the true riches and cultural depths of the Nile Valley.
MEMOIR/ESSAYS
A Ghost in the Throat is obsessive - a self-proclaimed female text that is both highly introspective and yet reverently fixated on one female poet's life in 18th century Ireland. Ní Ghríofa fills her book with such esoteric details that she somehow manage to capture the breadth of the female experience: the traumas, the joys, and the desperate need to give one's self to family and strangers alike.
Wilkinson is a simultaneously fierce yet tender writer, using his horticultural knowledge and the ubiquitousness of weeds as a vehicle to discuss family ties, colonialism, and sexuality. I continue to be astounded by his subtle discernments of such complex topics. Reading this book is like wading through the roots and brambles of life: at times painful, and yet so rewarding.
Flesh and Blood is so wildly personal, allowing the reader into moments of both quiet, meditative reflection and terrifying, chaotic medical scares. A sense of graceful maturity permeates Moss' memoir (alongside her intrinsic humorous outlook on the absurdity of human bodies). It is a gift and a treasure to be granted such unmitigated access to Moss' personal journey.
An absolutely enchanting collection of essays exploring our connection to stories and magic. Urquhart is gifted with such a keen eye, not only for hidden details, but connecting these esoteric elements to our own quotidian lives. A must-read meditation on the folklore we carry within ourselves.