Because I am Chloe Gong’s hero (please see photo below for evidence), I have taken it upon myself to spearhead the voting campaign for her fabulous debut and our 2022 kids’ pick finalist, These Violent Delights.
(Legend has it that if you say “These Violent Delights” three times in PSB: Boston Edition, I will appear behind you in the YA section to tell you about this book.)
A few months ago, I was visiting a couple of friends of mine, outside in their backyard because, you know, COVID. One of them, a professional baker, said “I have to show you this book” and rushed inside, returning with a coffee-table-book-sized tome. From the fraction of the cover I could see while he carried the book over, I knew exactly what it was.
Whether it’s their cute velvety noses or the fact that they’re totally oblivious to the global situation, animals bring us a lot of comfort in times like these.
Do you want to read about journalists boldly fighting corruption and lies in a dystopian nightmare? Cool, we have plenty of newspapers for you!
But okay, maybe you want a little escapism to go with our horrifying reality. Good news: there are journalists in fantasy and science fiction too! Meet some of my favorite fictional journalists.
Sixteen-year-old Mina's mother is dead and her father--a magician who cut out her heart and replaced it with one made of glass--is cruel. When the two move to Whitespring Castle, Mina plans her escape in the arms of the king. She does not love him, but he is good and kind.
There was a moment near the end (that I won’t spoil for you) when I realized just how special In the Distance is, how much Diaz had played with our expectations, stretched the norms of storytelling, and created something totally unique. It’s a moment when (OK, a tiny spoiler) essentially nothing happens, but the way that nothing happens shows the real depth of Diaz’s novel.
When Margot runs up some very unauthorized charges on her dad's credit card
she has to spend her summer working in his Bronx grocery store
instead of in the Hamptons with her private school friends.
The votes are in and counted and we can now announce the 2016 Porter Square Books of the Year!
The adult winner is Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly. Here is Sarah's original staff pick for the book and here is her very convincing post on why the book deserves this award.
