Pick this up for a collection reads like Grimm fairy tales by way of contemporary Argentina: mysterious, bizarre, and darkly funny. Samanta Schweblin's prose is spare and startling. It's the perfect book for a month of cold winter's nights!
Kate
This is the 18th-century women-in-science pirate girl gang you've always dreamed of, tearing down ideas of patriarchy and colonialism as they swashbuckle their way across Europe and the Atlantic. Felicity is fierce, funny, and whip-smart. I didn't think I could love a book as much as Gentleman's Guide, but this one is just as good--and it's a companion novel, so you can pick this one up even if you haven't read the first one yet!
Kate
Like the music he writes about, Hanif Abdurraqib's essay collection is by turns novel and nostalgic, euphoric and poignant, contemplative and raw. A moving examination of the way pop culture ties into the current state of our nation--and how it affects us on a personal level.
Kate
Hey, it's easy to feel discouraged right now. The world feels big, individual actions seem small, and one might even say that things are objectively BAD. Luckily Lin-Manuel Miranda & Jonny Sun are here to give you a dose of inspiration. Best read daily--or whenever you're feeling down--these pages will pick you up in the morning & comfort you at night. A great gift for the winter season or way to kick off the new year.
Kate
One of my all-time favorites and the perfect tale for a cold winter's night! Edith Pattou retells the Norwegian folktale "East of the Sun, West of the Moon," weaving a wild tale of curses, castles, blizzards, and white bears. (The sequel came out last month--a full 15 years after the first book--and it's just as much fun.)
Kate
This is the 18th-century women-in-science pirate girl gang you've always dreamed of, tearing down ideas of patriarchy and colonialism as they swashbuckle their way across Europe and the Atlantic. Felicity is fierce, funny, and whip-smart. I didn't think I could love a book as much as Gentleman's Guide, but this one is just as good--and it's a companion novel, so you can pick this one up even if you haven't read the first one yet!
Kate
Strange and spectacular--my favorite book I've read this year. Carmen Maria Machado's stories will haunt you in the best possible way.
Kate
Think a group of costumed kids can't scare Darth Vader? In the words of the iconic Sith Lord, I find your lack of faith disturbing. Adam Rex's impeccable comedic timing makes this book a laugh-out-loud joy from start to finish (and yes, more than one Porter Square bookseller was literally laughing out loud).
Kate
How to be creative, for people who don’t believe in books on how to be creative. Questlove unpacks the (many, varied) processes of the artists he’s known and worked with. His advice is interspersed with stories from his life and fascinating dissections of what makes a creative piece work, from The Wizard of Oz to Norm Macdonald’s jokes to Da Vinci to D’Angelo. At the very least you’ll come away with a great
playlist.Kate
Tracy K. Smith brings her incredible craft and compassionate eye to the job of US Poet Laureate. Her latest collection explores both our current political moment and our complicated national history, featuring the environmental destruction wreaked by Dupont, police brutality, racial inequality, political unrest, womanhood and motherhood, and an especially moving piece created from letters from black soldiers in the Civil War. These poems are luminous and illuminating, timely and timeless. Pick it up.
Kate
