15 new books to get from your local indie this week.
Is there anything better than (safe, socially distanced, double masked, sanitized) browsing at your local indie? I was having the crumbiest day the other day, and I passed by my local bookstore (the Greenlight on Flatbush, if you know it) as I was running errands. Well, I couldn’t not go in. Cheered me right up! The booksellers there had treats for my dog and advice on which cat puzzle to mail to my friend for her birthday. We bonded over our favorite pens and stationary stores. We talked about/mocked the Fran Lebowitz docuseries. (Someone called it “all wit, no world view,” and I’ve been thinking about that a lot.) Basically what I’m saying is that your day will be significantly improved by stopping by your local bookstore. And I have a shopping list of brand-new books for you! The perfect excuse.
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Ed. by R. O. Kwon and Garth Greenwell, Kink
(Simon & Schuster)
“There’s delight in Kink’s sensory abundance, the same way a buffet delights more than a menu.”
–The New Republic
Suleika Jaouad, Between Two Kingdoms
(Random House)
“A leukemia diagnosis split Jaouad’s life into two distinct parts: before and after. Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted is a beautifully crafted account of this split.”
–The Washington Post
Laird Hunt, Zorrie
(Bloomsbury)
“A beautifully written ode to the rural Midwest.”
–Booklist
Elvira Navarro, tr. Christina MacSweeney, Rabbit Island
(Two Lines Press)
“Navarro showcases her ability to lead her characters from relative normalcy into nightmare terrain in starkly elegant prose and with a winking sense of humor.”
–Publishers Weekly
Lucie Elven, The Weak Spot
(Soft Skull)
“In her debut novel, Elven has created a timeless, placeless world like something out of a fairy tale.”
–Kirkus
Jen Silverman, We Play Ourselves
(Random House)
“[A] delightful, satirical glimpse into the entertainment industry and the price of fame.”
–The New York Times
Jeremy Atherton Lin, Gay Bar: Why We Went Out
(Little, Brown and Company)
“Jeremy Atherton Lin brings a wise, wry voice to his masterful Gay Bar: Why We Went Out . This thoughtful study is part memoir, part research project, part travelogue and a large part classic essay-as-assay, seeking answers on the page.”
–Shelf Awareness
Nancy Johnson, The Kindest Lie
(William Morrow)
“It takes tremendous talent to seamlessly combine social commentary with a powder keg of a plot, and Nancy Johnson accomplishes just that in her gripping debut novel.”
–BookPage
Robbie Arnott, The Rain Heron
(FSG Originals)
“Arnott fascinates with fable-like stories and thoughtful meditations on the consequences of lessons learned too late.”
–Publishers Weekly
Elizabeth Knox, The Absolute Book
(Viking)
“When I was finished with The Absolute Book I wanted everyone I knew to read it so I could discuss it with them … [a] majestic, brain-bending novel.”
–Slate
Vendela Vida, We Run the Tides
(Ecco Press)
“It’s a tough and exquisite sliver of a short novel whose world I want to remain lost in.”
–NPR
Sonia Faleiro, The Good Girls
(Grove Press)
“[A] compulsively readable, highly impressive work … Faleiro carefully reconstructs the investigation into the girls’ deaths in all its dysfunctional detail.”
–Shelf Awareness
Nicole Perlroth, This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends
(Bloomsbury)
“A powerful case for strong cybersecurity policy that reduces vulnerabilities while respecting civil rights.”
–Kirkus
John Preston, Fall: The Mysterious Life and Death of Robert Maxwell, Britain’s Most Notorious Media Baron
(Harper)
“Preston has an eye for the telling detail and an ear for the revealing quote.”
–The Guardian
Georges Perec, tr. Harry Mathews, Ellis Island
(New Directions)
“While exploring the island—its history, its buildings, its leftovers—Perec identifies Ellis Island as a non-place, an isle of tears.”
–Frieze
