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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 story 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.
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.
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.
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.
Reminiscent of Wioletta Greg’s Swallowing Mercury, this short but impactful novella follows six young women’s lives, from a river behind to Iron Curtain to the Olympics and eventually, their freedom. Sandu’s English language debut explores the ties between women, the hunger for a better life, and the simultaneously futile and miraculous hope in an unforgiving world.
A beautifully meditative and clever treatise on the millennial experience. Hamya is the sort of intelligence born of careful observation and a natural wit. Every modern adult must read this book.
Perfect for fans of Adam Ehrlich Sachs' pithy yet poignant themes, Awake begins Voetmann's forthcoming trilogy inspired by the absurdity of humans. The book itself is slim but it certainly packs a punch, inviting the reader into its playful, weird, and, at times, grotesque world.
This 1940's Turkish classic - translated for the first time into English - holds all the beauty of Anna Karenina with all the feminist power and fury of The Second Sex. Suat Dervis was a writer and activist coming of age during the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Maureen Freely has brought her words and her world to life in a stunning translation that speaks to her intrinsic understanding of the author's soul.
Poet Elaine Feeney's debut novel follows three women in search of, amongst other things: companionship, peace, and a decent bra. It's been a pleasure to watch this Renaissance of female Irish authors discussing femininity in modern times, from Doireann Ní Ghríofa to Sally Rooney and now Elaine Feeney. As You Were is hilarious, tragic, irreverent, intimate. A true pleasure to read.
This newly translated French classic from the 1940's is a cornerstone of fantastical, gothic literature. Set in an ancient, haunted mansion the book follows an estranged and bizarre family as they live out the strange will of their late uncle, an occult scientist. While the book carries hallmarks of the gothic genre, it turns the idea of a haunted house on its head and ultimately becomes a twisted exploration of human nature.
Alexis continues to stun as he finishes off his Quincunx - five novels of different genres threaded together by their philosophical preoccupation and character driven plots. In the vein of his other books, Ring, the romance of the five, takes its chosen genre and completely subverts it. Ultimately this is a fascinating exploration of race, folklore, and love.
Like a knife twisting in a wound this gothic tale turns on itself creating moments of intense pain and, strangely enough, transcendent peace. Bouysse is a master at his craft, exploring ethical and religious boundaries with poise. Rose's world, as it was for many nineteenth-century women, is relentlessly cruel towards such a resilient spirit. Rose herself is a stunning image of what happens when a woman is pushed too far.
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!
A chilling coming-of-age story that reads like an original fairy tale-dark, grotesque, and haunting. Perfect for fans of Wioletta Greg's Swallowing Mercury, Little Foxes Took Up Matches pairs adolescence with the collapse of the Soviet Union for a powerful novel.
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!
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!
A wholly transportive and fast-paced heist novel filled with a cast of intriguing and flawed characters. Beautifully dark prose and a dynamic plot make this a book you'll want to sink into for days!
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.
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!
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.
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.
Waters returns with a new Southern Gothic masterpiece centered around a girl fueled by rage and the witch she befriends. The River Has Teeth explores the grief and horror of male violence - all set in the foothills of the Appalachians where magic and mysticism permeate the earth.
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!
Thrilling, gorgeous, and epic to the highest degree, Beasts of Prey is the next great YA fantasy! Gray immerses her readers in the gloriously atmospheric world of Lkossa - all while maintaining a heart pounding, fast-paced plot. Koffi and Ekon are written with nuance and passion, the beating heart of this addictive story.
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!
A fresh and fascinating look at the hidden complexities of the stories we tell. Who is a monster? What makes a hero? As with the best stories, Len takes a diametrically opposed world and colors it in with shades of gray. Only A Monster is deliciously dark and deceptive - the ultimate fantasy read.
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.
Told through Laura Gao's signature kinetic art style, Messy Roots combines hilarious inner dialogue, early 2000's childhood references, and moments of pure vulnerability, creating a graphic memoir that is both effortlessly accessible and beautifully honest. It is a gift to be allowed in on Gao's journey of self-discovery.
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 Katie Henry's wry humor, Pest is a quirky, coming-of-age escape! You'll cheer for Hal as she takes on pests of all forms--entitled neighbors, a nepotistic society, and, of course, a few creepy crawlies. This is teen angst at its finest!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
MEMOIR
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.