The Boswellians' Top 5 Books of 2022 - Part One

 

December. The last month of the year. Holidays. Family. Shopping. Stress. Wouldn't it be nice to just hide out in a quiet corner with a book or five? Of course it would. 

Fortunately, the last month of the year also means year-end favorites lists. And every year, we have every one of the booksellers at Boswell pick their five favorite books from the past 12 months. So over the next couple of weeks, we'll feature roundups of all of the Boswellian's top five picks along with notes on the books and the bookseller's recommendation write-ups. 

So why not pick a bookseller or two, pick some of their picks, and hole up in your favorite cozy reading corner?

Let's start with our proprietor Daniel and his top 5 books of the year. Which is actually a double dose. Five times two. That's right, we give him ten picks. And here they are!

#1 Search by Michelle Huneven. Daniel writes: "Restaurant reviewer Dana Potowski is asked to be on the committee to pick the new minister for her Unitarian Universalist congregation and decides to write a memoir about the experience, but how is she going to do that when she’s agreed to confidentiality? The committee, a varied lot of big personalities, seems to be on the same page regarding generalities, but when it comes to the specifics, conflicts arise, factions take hold, and Dana’s not exactly the only committee member keeping a few secrets.  If you had asked me for a shortlist of compelling plots for a novel, I would not have come up with this one, but I would have been dead wrong, and not just because whenever I describe it to someone, I often get the response: I would read that! Search is a wonderful novel filled with vibrant characters, essential philosophical questions (most notably, what do we want from life?), and a cornucopia of foodie delights."

#2 Marrying the Ketchups by Jennifer Close. Daniel writes: "The Sullivans have run their family restaurant in Oak Park for three generations, but three unexpected occurrences send the family into disarray - the 2016 election, the Cubs World Series victory, and the sudden death of Bud, the family patriarch. Then there are the setbacks that should have been expected, given the ill-chosen life partners of the Sullivan third generation, Gretchen, Jane, and Teddy. The story is centered on them, two sisters and a cousin, with special appearances by Teddy’s younger half-sister Riley, as their lives spin out of control, sending them back to Sullivan’s. But family is not the best place to avoid drama. This first-rate fractured family free-for-all is Chicago-infused and food forward, from sandwich loafs to sliders. So glad I finally read a Jennifer Close novel - I can’t wait to read another!

#3 Lark Ascending by Silas House. You'll see this one again in our top 5's. In fact, you'll see it again below in this very blog! Daniel says: "In the not-too-distant future, fires have ravaged much of the world, and America, like much of the world, has been taken over by extremists. Even the isolated Maine woods have become too dangerous. The only option is for Lark and his family to escape to Ireland, the only country still open to refugees. But during the harrowing voyage, not only does tragedy strike at every turn, but hopes for a peaceful resettlement are dashed. Can Lark, with the help of two newfound companions (one canine) find peace in the legendary settlement of Glendalough? I’m not generally a dystopian reader, but Lark Ascending’s beautiful language and imagery, combined with the emotional heft of the story, drew me in from the first paragraph."

#4 Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. Another book you'll be seeing again! Daniel says: "If you can say one thing about widowed aquarium cleaner Tova Sullivan, the once-again-jobless Cameron Passmore, and star-aquarium-attraction Marcellus the Octopus, it’s that they’ve all had their share of misfortune. Yes, this is a story of grief, of losses both recent and in the past. But it’s also a story of found family, of hope, and of purpose. Van Pelt infuses all her characters with grace, not just the protagonists but the members of Tova’s Knit-Wit social group, Cameron’s Aunt Jeanne (who raised him after his mom disappeared), and even the elusive developer who Cameron suspects is his father. But the star of the show is probably Marcellus, whose dexterity and wisdom never fails to inspire. Why haven’t I read Sy Montgomery’s The Soul of an Octopus? And while I’m asking, why haven’t you read Remarkably Bright Creatures?"

#5 Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks by Patrick Radden Keefe. Daniel says: "While I have a subscription to The New Yorker, I don’t read every long-form article. In fact, I consider it a triumph if I can get through the cartoons, Talk of the Town, at least one review, and at least one article.  But even when I did read some of the pieces collected in Rogues, I found it fascinating to revisit them as part of a collection. Rogues, particularly if you exclude the closing profile of Anthony Bourdain, reads as a collection of true crime short stories, being that they have the vibrancy of the best fiction. I love the way traditional crime subjects like drug cartels and arms dealers are mixed with the corporate misdeeds of unscrupulous hedge fund managers, look-the-other-way bankers, and unrepentant television producers, leading me to wonder if we should reshelve some of those corporate narrative books that are currently in our business section. Whether you want to read more Patrick Radden Keefe or are just hungering for juicy narrative nonfiction, this should satisfy you 12-fold."

#6 (or 5.1, if you prefer to keep it top-five-only-ish) The Partition by Don Lee. Though not in their top 5's, this did also get recommendations from Chris and Tim. Daniel writes: "In the shockingly never-released-in-paperback Lonesome Lies Before Us, Don Lee wrote the anti-ethnic ethnic novel, where only a plate of food might hint at a character’s brownness. So in an about face, The Partition’s stories are packed with hapa haoles, gen 1.5s, and lots of where-are-you-from inquisitions. I loved the story 'Late in the Day' in which a filmmaker’s labor of love (itself an anti-ethnic ethnic film) is called out for using a biracial actor and instead takes a mercenary job as director of a short vanity film, only to see it picked up by PBS. Another of my favorites is 'UFOs,' where a television reporter takes two lovers, a married White guy and an earnest Korean American doctor who can spot her plastic surgery. Just about every story turns messy, and why should it be otherwise? The way these stories span decades and the tone of melancholy punctuated with humor make The Partition’s stories almost Alice Munro-esque. A worthy bookend to Lee’s first collection, Yellow, and here’s hoping it will be seen as similarly groundbreaking."

#7 (or 5.2, you get the idea) Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe. Daniel writes: "Four girls are growing up fast in a Chicago housing project, trying to keep it together while their literal homes are being destroyed. At the center of the story is Fe Fe, who sees the pull of the streets take her friends. Just a warning - there are moments of violence, addiction, and abuse. But the writing! Just read that Double Dutch Scene on page 37. And those girls - it’s hard not to fall in love with Fe Fe. Highly recommended!"

#8 The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music by Tom Breihan. Daniel says: "I am completely obsessed with Tom Breihan’s ‘Number Ones’ column in Stereogum. He’s been telling the story behind every Billboard chart-topper since the list started in 1958, and what started as capsule summaries have now turned into essays that almost always have something interesting to say about pop music and popular culture in general. But was this enough to make a book? You bet it was! Breihan looks at 20 particularly influential songs and the artists that created them and offers original-to-this-book essays that dig even deeper than his column. I’m sure there will be arguments about who made the cut, who was left out, and when it came to some of the artists, whether this was their move-the-needle #1, or was it another cut? And there’s always the problem of those groundbreakers, like Bob Dylan, who never got higher than #2 on the singles chart. The key here is that it doesn’t matter if you know the songs or not, especially now that you can listen to just about anything almost instantly. No less than enthralling!"

#9 Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro. Daniel writes: "Two families who live across the street from each other in suburban Connecticut are bound together by one tragedy, a fatal car accident involving the Wilf family, and one miracle, in which Ben Wilf facilitates the birth of Alice Shenkman’s child. The story careens back and forth across time, as the strands of connection deepen and spread. I love books like this, from Simon Van Booy’s The Illusion of Separateness to Frederick Reiken’s Day for Night, and the fact that I’m referencing novels from nine and twelve years ago calls attention to how rarely I find books that capture this feeling of awe that I found in Signal Fires. It was clear from reading Inheritance that Shapiro is adept at capturing life’s reversals; I’m so glad to see that this special skill is equally on display in this beautiful and delicate novel."

#10 All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews. Daniel writes: "All Sneha really wants when she relocates to Milwaukee is a circle of friends, a special someone, and a steady income, but even those goals turn out to be a harder to achieve in this debut novel. She’s got a few friends and a possible love interest, though most of them are struggling with goals and money, plus both her contractor boss and the flat manager turn out to be, well, two pieces of work. Plus, contract work kind of sucks - you’re in the company (it’s obvious to any Milwaukeean where she works, but it’s never spelled out in the story), but not really of the company, much the way that Sneha must navigate her life in Milwaukee as a queer South Asian woman. There’s almost a chaotic feel to the narrative - will Thom forgive Sneha, will things with Martina work out, can Tig get her commune together, and just how much money is Amit going to spend trying to save a drug-addicted friend? – but to me, that’s just the way things feel during the kind of quarter-life crisis that Sneha is experiencing.  And props for getting the Milwaukee details right circa 2016, considering Mathews never lived here, though she went to school in Madison. Milwaukee is usually used as a no-place-in-particular setting, but here, Mathews plays off oddly Edenic history of socialist mayors that is meaningful to some millennials, even if the contemporary city struggles with prejudice and crime. Even the name-checked restaurants reinforce the narrative – not necessarily fancy, but a little too expensive for the unsteady paychecks of most of this crew, particularly Tig, who generally orders the most expensive thing on the menu. In the end, everything’s going to work out. Right?"

From the Boswellian with the most top 5 picks to the Boswellian with the least. Amie gives us her two favorite books of the year. 

#1 Amie's first pick is Windswept, a middle grade novel from Newbery Honor winner Margi Preus. This gripping fantasy tells the story of a girl who must save the children of her world from being 'windswept' and vanishing in the swirling snow. How about this review, from the hard-to-please Kirkus, which gave Windswept a starred review: "Inspired primarily by the Norwegian fairy tale 'The Three Princesses in the Mountain Blue,' this edgy, somewhat dystopian tale set in a world where race holds no significance masterfully blends European fairy-tale motifs with timely warnings about human greed, waste, and destructiveness while extoling the power of storytelling... An inventive, memorable must-read."

#2 Amie's second pick is The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka, author of  The Buddha in the Attic. Speaking of Kirkus, they must be asking Amie for advice, as The Swimmers was named one of their best books of the year. Vogue agreed with them and put it on their best-of list, too. And here's a glowing Washington Post review, in which Becky Meloan says that Otsuka's novel "starts as a catalogue of spoken and unspoken rules for swimmers at an aquatic center but unfolds into a powerful story of a mother’s dementia and her daughter’s love. If Otsuka doesn’t write another novel for several years, it will be okay. This is one to be savored and reread."

And let's have one more bookseller chime in here. Namely, me, your humble blog editor and events & marketing dude, Chris. I adore these books!

#1 The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty. This one won the National Book Award this year, and all I can say about that is it deserved it and more. Give this book every dang award you can find. PHEW WHATTA BOOK! I can't wait for Gunty's next novel. Here's my write-up for this one, too: "The Rabbit Hutch is wonderful, insane, and brilliant, and I love, love, love it. Rust belt, Indiana. The denizens of a crumbling apartment building are desperate to transcend their crumbling lives; to transcend trauma, forgottenness, and fame, to transcend the emptiness of material circumstances. To transcend the body. This book is ALIVE. The lives within it pop, scream, and bleed off the page."

#2 Lark Ascending by Silas House. As promised, entry #2 for this one. Every time I see someone else pick this book up, I can't help myself and wind up walking over to them just to say "that book is so, so, so beautiful." Here's my write-up: "If, like me, you have a less-than-sunny outlook on the prospect of avoiding simultaneous civil collapse and climate catastrophe in your lifetime, then you may find it counterintuitive when I tell you this novel of a young man running from the aftermath of those very events is the most comforting thing I’ve read all year. A dark book for dark times, Lark Ascending is, all the same, written so beautifully, full of honesty and compassion. In his old age, Lark recalls his harrowing journey to escape an America ruled by fundamentalist and swept by massive fires, sail across a stormy Atlantic, and trek across Ireland to a thin place that may offer sanctuary. House offers something necessary - hope that through all the violence, hatred, death, scarcity, and destruction of the impending collapse, a glimmer of humanity might remain."

#3 Stay True: A Memoir by Hua Hsu. Since this book has hit a number of Best Book of the Year lists, including the NYTimes and Washington Post top tens, I feel like it's by 'told ya so' book of the year. The one that I was telling everyone was going to be a hit when I read it earlier this year as a galley. It is so moving, so well written, so just plain good. Here's my official write-up: "This memoir is so many things: a time capsule of 90s America from a West Coast outsider, a dissection of friendship through lenses of philosophy and language theory, a lived account of Asian diaspora in America. It’s road trips, cigarette breaks, mixtapes, and late nights goofing off. It’s the tone of nostalgia from a Smashing Pumpkins song. It’s the core-deep impact a friend can have, and it’s the tragedy of an early, senseless, violent loss. This book tore me completely apart. For anyone who’s ever found a friend who let them find themselves, for anyone who’s ever lost a friend who took a chunk of you with them, this book is going to destroy you then put you back together again, a little wiser and a little more tender."

#4 Inciting Joy: Essays by Ross Gay. I can't remember the last time I had two nonfiction titles in my top 5. Perhaps never. Daniel will argue that it only sort of counts because of how most memoir would have been classified, decades ago, as fiction. But this isn't decades ago, is it? Okay, anyway. Here's my write up for Gay's follow-up to The Book of Delights, which also made my top 5 the year it was released. "Ross Gay has got to be one of the most generous human beings alive, and his essays in this book are beautifully messy, meandering, in-progress things, building onto and into each other as he searches his life for the connective tissue from which joy is made. It’s written the only way it could be while staying an honest exploration of the messy, in-progress thing that is being human. Gay casts a wide net in his search for joy, and the book ends up being about way too much to list, the result of a fierce and roaming intellect that delights in getting down into the nitty-gritty. But, a sample: his essay on masculinity and grief (and football, and fathers, and meditation, and… you get the idea) pretty much rended me completely apart and then, mercifully, rebuilt me again. Here’s a writer at the height of his powers accounting for himself and in turn inviting us join him in this accounting, this search for a gentler, more connected, joyful way to be. I would have finished this book faster except I kept having to take breaks to cry – tears of gratitude, of grief, and yes, most definitely, of joy."

#5 The Coward by Jared McGinnis. Don't really have a funny, quippy thing to say about this one. It's a kind of novel I read a lot of and like a lot - realistic literary fiction that leans hard into funny/sad and is also a bit rude. This is a really good example of that genre. It's not for everyone, but if it's for you, you can't miss with this one. My write up: "The Coward is a spectacular dirtbag bildungsroman. Jarred is paralyzed after a car accident that killed a woman, and he blames himself for her death. In fact, blames himself for a lot of things; classic King Midas in reverse syndrome. Maybe the only person he blames more is his estranged, alcoholic father, under whose roof he’s now stuck living. Alas, Jarred can barely push himself down the block before he’s out of breath, so his tried and true method of running away from his problems is no longer a particularly viable option. Some soul-searching and past-confronting may be in order, as quick wit and anger are only going to carry him so far. Is he destined to spend the rest of his life as a living, breathing (and annoyed) cautionary tale / inspirational token to the able-bodied? How long can he dodge medical bill collectors? Could the barista at the fancy coffee shop actually be interested in him, like, that way? And can he reconcile with his father, finally mourn his mother, and learn not run out on the people who care about him? The Coward will probably not be the book for everybody - the voice is callous, sarcastic, and comes with quite the chip on the shoulder - but if your interest is piqued, I can promise this book will lend your heart some serious warmth by the end."

See you tomorrow with more top 5 picks. Read on, dear readers.

Staff Recommendations, Week of December 6, 2022

It's December! And the first week of December brings a handful of new releases we recommend you snag. Consider this your minature gift guide (and hey, if you want a not-so-minature gift guide, click here and browse our full gift guide online) for the absolute latest in book gifting. Even if you're gifting books directly to yourself. Away we go.

This week begins with a whole lotta Jason! Jason Kennedy first recommends Stella Maris, the second novel in the highly anticipated Passenger books by Cormac McCarthy. Jason says: "Now we get Bobby Western's sisters tale. Alicia commits herself to a psychiatric hospital because, as we know from The Passenger, she has had delusions for most of her life. In a series of discussions with her psychiatrist, we are dazzled by clever wordplay, math, and the relationship between a sister and brother. This is a fast and challenging read. Cormac McCarthy has deftly fleshed out a brilliant mathematician in Alicia, who struggles with the world and how it works."

Conrad Silverberg chimes in with this delightfully annotated recommendation: "Stella Maris is the second book, a coda if you will, of Cormac McCarthy's duology* that began with The Passenger. From what I had heard, I was expecting a kind of Rashomon**-like experience with different characters recasting themselves in the lead role, shoehorning themselves into the center of events, whose perspectives contradict and utterly supersede those of all others. But, that's not quite it. More like McCarthy was so enthralled with the backstory of one of The Passenger's major characters (if, for the most part, an off-stage character - a sort of Fifth Business***), he couldn't help but bring them to the fore and flesh out their story. We can only be grateful that he did. We come to know one of the most richly layered, intricately developed, deeply flawed yet completely compelling characters you'd ever hope to meet in fiction. The sister of The Passenger's protagonist is very much the lynchpin that ties everything together, and so maybe Fifth Business after all.

Notes:

*Like a trilogy, but with two books - I suppose that's better than calling it a bi-ology.

**The book of short stories by the Japanese master Ryuno Akutagwa, perhaps better known from the 1950 film adaptation by the great Akira Kurasawa.

***The role in a play or opera that is neither hero nor heroine, villain nor confidante, but is absolutely essential to bringing about the story's denouement - like some doddering old nurse who absentmindedly switched two babies at birth only to reveal all at the end."

Jason also recommends Cursed Bunny, a paperback original by Bora Chung. He says: "This collection has all horror in it. Especially the kind of horror that makes you chuck the book away in squirming disgust - but then you quickly collect the book again to continue reading because you simply have to know what is going to happen. Read this if you want your mind warped and dreams filled with the grotesque."

What else does Jason have for us today? A recommendation of The Tatami Galaxy by Tomihiko Morimi, translated by Emily Balistrieri, that's what! Jason say: "This book will make you think about how our decisions can or cannot change our fate or outcomes. The unnamed narrator lives out four different scenarios based on which school organization he joins. It’s interesting that his decisions lead to him the same friends, situations, and frustrations. The narrator is always wondering if it’s greener over the hill or if their life is just the way it’s supposed to be. A fun, whimsical tale."

Daniel Goldin gets in on the recommending with The Ingenue, the second novel  by Milwaukee native Rachel Kapelke-Dale. Daniel says: "Saskia Kreis, a once-piano prodigy who now writes test prep questions, returns to Milwaukee after her the death of her mother, the writer of feminist fairy tales, only to find that the family home that she expects to inherit has been gifted to someone else. And not just anyone else, but Saskia’s former secret lover. Basically, WTF? I really enjoyed the way mom’s revisionist stories are woven into the story, as well as the local Milwaukee details that infuse the narrative. But really, it’s the suspenseful way the secrets are peeled away in The Ingenue that makes this a Midwestern Gothic not to be missed."

Kapelke-Dale will be in town this month for a neat event, too. On Tuesday, December 13, 6:30 pm, she will appear at Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, 1584 N Prospect Ave for a conversation with book influencer Brynn Teaman. Registration is required, so click here and reserve a spot.

And now it's over to Tim McCarthy for the latest in comedic cozy mysteries featuring well-known Vermont politicians. That'd be paperback original Feel the Bern: A Bernie Sanders Mystery, by Hope Never Dies author Andrew Shaffer. Tim says: "Crash Robertson spent five years studying political science at Georgetown, and she's figured out how to put it to work. She was the Sanders intern hopeful carrying the best bottle of maple syrup to her interview. She's also whip smart and a Vermont native. Now she's Bernie's only assistant at a harvest festival in her very own hometown. It's a weird set of circumstances because she hasn't been home in years and showed no sign of wanting to go back. Then things get really interesting. A floating body shows up in Lake Champlain, and so does a billionaire who's buying out struggling maple syrup businesses and making a cheap imitation with… that’s right, high fructose corn syrup. Can you say MINO!? (Maple In Name Only). Bernie will never stand for this, but really, how much drama can a cute little town like Eagle Creek stand? Oh, you’d be surprised. I enjoyed this every bit as much as Schaffer’s Obama-Biden mysteries, and… there are recipes involved. So Happy Holidays! Take a break. Read the book. Feel the Bern!"

We've got one book to recommend with its paperback version hitting our shelves this week.

Jen Steele wants you to set sail with Maiden Voyages: Magnificent Ocean Liners and the Women Who Traveled and Worked Aboard Them by Siân Evans. Jen says: "What marvelous book! An exquisite blend of history and biography, Maiden Voyages takes you on a cruise to a part of women's history that is not often discussed. Sian Evans highlights the unsung sheroes of the day as well as giving the reader a truly informative book."

Staff Recommendations, Week of November 29, 2022

 

Another light week for staff recs. But light can be fun, right?!

In new books, Oli suggests you check out this fun graphic novel for middle grade and older readers - Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Club: Roll Call, written by Molly Knox Ostertag, and illustrated by Xanthe Bouma. Oli says: "Best friends Jess and Olivia have played Dungeons and Dragons together for ages, creating stories together as Jess plays a character and Olivia conjures dungeons to explore and monsters to fight. When a new school year begins and Olivia wants to invite more people into their campaign, Jess doesn't understand why it can't just be the two of them, like always. This is a fun and meaningful graphic novel about friendship, inclusion, and (of course) battling monsters. I especially liked the D&D stats showing up next to people they encounter at middle school, showing bullying potential and humor in the same way that moral alignment and special attacks are displayed for monsters in their campaign. D&D fans and newcomers alike can dive into this tale of middle school social worlds and high fantasy adventures."

You're looking at the cover photo to the left and you're thinking, that is not a new book. But! It is a book recommended by one of our newest booksellers, Keith. So we welcome him to the blog with his write-up for Herman Melville's classic Moby-Dick, one of his all-time faves. Keith says: "The sheer verve of Melville’s prose will knock you sideways. He had a virtuosic command of the English language, and Moby-Dick features some of the most imaginative, electrifying, rapturous passages you could ever hope to read. It’s also an astoundingly capacious and wise book, brimming with natural history and insightful meditations on the inherent equality of all people, the eternal conflict between personal will and human destiny, and the all-consuming fire of revenge. In short, this is the result of a genius applying his talents to the most enduring of raw materials. I stand in awe of this novel."

Kathy also has a staff rec this week, for the recently released book Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese. Kathy says: "An engrossing book that imagines a back story for Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter. Isobel (a proxy for Hester Prynne) is a skilled seamstress who has synesthesia, causing her mind to link letters on a page and words people speak to particular colors and hues. She emigrates to Salem from Scotland with her husband and is soon on her own, struggling to make a living and build relationships with people in the town who are suspicious of newcomers. A chance meeting with Nat Hathorne (later Hawthorne) leads to unintended consequences, and Isobel must turn to her new friends for help. Isobel's synesthesia is used to wonderful effect throughout, as is the history of the Salem witch trials and of the underground railroad."

And let's wrap up with one from Chris, who wants you to read My Pinup, the recent book by essayist Hilton Als. Chris says: "What a moving, soulful, rangy little book. Als’s mini-memoir begins with meditations on Prince as queer Black icon, and from there he explores the artist’s performances (and obliterations) of dichotomies between masculinity and femininity, black and white, the sacred and profane. The way Prince made all of us fall in love with him. In his writing for The New Yorker, Als is especially adept at understanding the drives, desires, and wounds that shape an artist’s personality, how they influence her work, and in turn, how that work shapes and influences the culture at large. In this book, he doubles his gaze back (and forth and back and forth) from Prince to himself to contemplate how the artist’s transformations influenced his own becoming. My Pinup is an elegant ode to one of America’s greatest artists and a deeply personal account of the love that artist allowed a writer to crack open in himself."

And that's it! Roll your way into Boswell to check these books out. And keep an eye on this blog, as we'll soon start posting our yearly roundups of Boswellian Top 5 picks.

Staff Recommendation, Week of November 22, 2023

 

A very happy Thanksgiving week to you and yours from the Boswellians. We have but one staff rec for you this week, from Daniel Goldin. 

The Hero of This Book by Elizabeth McCracken. Daniel says: "This is not a memoir, the narrator assures the reader. To be clear, McCracken is married with children, and the narrator is neither of these things. And that clerk at the London inn who checks the narrator in? He’s completely imaginary. The story takes place on one London trip after the death of the narrator’s mother, revisiting the places they went together several years earlier, with each stop a jumping off point to a free-ranging collage of memories and reflections. Autofiction, you ask?! No way, answers the narrator. But however you wish to categorize it, the results are glorious – and perfect for Elizabeth Strout fans."

We sure do hope this tides you over until next week, when we'll be back with more books! Until then, enjoy the holiday, which hopefully means bonus book time for you, and read on.

Staff Recommendations, Week of November 15, 2022

 

Welcome to another wonderful week of book recommendations from the Boswellians. Here's what we've been reading lately.

Lots of great books in this year's gift guide (coming soon!) - like The Boy and the Dog, a novel by Seishu Hase, translated by Alison Watts, and recommended by Jason Kennedy, who says: "In this novel, we follow Tamon, a dog displaced by the earthquake and resulting Tsunami that hit Japan in 2013. Each section he has a new person who needs to help Tamon and also needs Tamon's help. Seishu Hase has written a tale about the hard journey it takes to come back from tragedy, the sacrifice and will, and the knowledge that what’s happened will never be erased, but family helps."

We've also got a book recommendation by Daniel Goldin to share for The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music by Stereogum editor Tom Breihan. Daniel says: "I am completely obsessed with Tom Breihan’s ‘Number Ones’ column in Stereogum. He’s been telling the story behind every Billboard chart-topper since the list started in 1958, and what started as capsule summaries have now turned into essays that almost always have something interesting to say about pop music and popular culture in general. But was this enough to make a book? You bet it was! Breihan looks at 20 particularly influential songs and the artists that created them and offers original-to-this-book essays that dig even deeper than his column. I’m sure there will be arguments about who made the cut, who was left out, and when it came to some of the artists, whether this was their move-the-needle #1, or was it another cut? And there’s always the problem of those groundbreakers, like Bob Dylan, who never got higher than #2 on the singles chart. The key here is that it doesn’t matter if you know the songs or not, especially now that you can listen to just about anything almost instantly. No less than enthralling!"

Sounds great, right? Even better, catch Daniel interviewing Tom Breihan for a virtual event on Tuesday, November 29, 7 pm. Click here to register.

Next, Tim McCarthy considers the history of the universe along with Brian Thomas Swimme, author of Cosmogenesis: An Unveiling of the Expanding Universe. Tim says: "The universe has evolved a consciousness (in us, and perhaps others out there) that thinks it basically understands how everything developed, over the last 14 billion years. It’s a mind-blowing watershed in time, when awareness of the universe has emerged from the creative workings of the universe itself. Swimme believes this understanding must include more than math and science. The story of universal evolution involves the story of people like him, whose ideas are built on Pythagoras, Einstein, Hubble and Lemaitre; writers like Ursula Le Guin and philosophers like Emerson were also immersed in cosmology. He thinks our view must be autobiographical, an “auto-cosmology,” with ourselves as a developing part of a newly emerging whole. I was just looking for a small bit of knowledge and some inspiration when I found this book. I wanted a connection with forces greater than COVID and control of Congress, and that’s what I got. It’s an introduction to the people who have tracked our universal origins, wrapped into Swimme’s own story. The sense of wonder rising from his personal discoveries is compelling and unique. He’s looking for a new way of seeing the world."

Kay Wosewick wants you peruse a book called On Browsing by Jason Guriel. Kay says: "Guriel muses about the superior, open-ended experience of browsing, whether it be in bookstores, record shops, or the rare video store. Memories flooded back of visits to favorite shops in distant cities, spending hours lost in stacks or bins, finally leaving with heavy bags to discover daylight had vanished or weather had changed. Unparalleled joy!! On Browsing also speaks to the satisfaction of enjoying these media the old-fashioned way: a book in hand, and music or a movie selected from your own curated library. Come to think of it, it’s time to watch The Shining again…"

Parker Jensen recommends you don't forget to check out Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don't Want to Forget to Remember by Lauren Graham. Parker says: "Iconic Gilmore Girls star Lauren Graham is back with her second collection of essays, and they are just as witty and insightful as last time. In Have I Told You This Already? Graham lets readers behind the scenes to explore the ins and outs of Hollywood, from the unspoken rules of social hierarchy to what a day in the life of an actor looks like. But she also reveals truths about her family and herself that have shaped her experiences in the world and how she moves through it. From her humble beginnings as a struggling actress slash sales associate at Barney's to growing up in a family historically notorious for being forgetful. Through it all she shows us the importance of storytelling, listening, and cherishing those around you. I ate these stories up and would happily wave a hand at Graham to say, 'So what, tell it to me again!'"

Over in the land of paperback releases, we've got a couple of recommendations. The first is New York, My Village, a novel by Uwem Akpan, a book that gets the dual-recommendation treatment from Jenny Chou and Daniel Goldin. First, Jenny says: "It is the rare work of literary fiction that leaves readers wondering if the war against those stealthy little insects known as bed bugs can ever really be won. After finishing Uwem Akpan’s shrewd, heartfelt, and ultimately delightful novel, I turned that question over in my mind for a while before shifting my thoughts to war in general and the scars left behind even if the battles end and a victor is declared. Ekong Udousoro, a Nigerian editor and publisher, receives a fellowship to work alongside an American publisher in Manhattan while he edits a collection of stories about the Biafran War, also known as the Nigerian Civil War. The novel weaves seamlessly between Ekong’s life in the present day to accounts of the war from his collection of stories and from his friends and family. These sections are painful to read but eye-opening about the ramifications of colonialism, especially for those of us who were only vaguely aware that the war even took place. Between his work colleagues, the other renters in his building, and the congregation at a New Jersey church he visits, both micro and macro aggressions abound. The biggest insults are the racist attacks on the Nigerian food he loves, particularly since Ekong finds so much joy in trying all the American and ethnic food to be found around New York. Ekong is a keen observer of everything, from New Yorkers to bed bugs, and his observations are often filled with humor. And it’s those bed bugs who journey with him throughout his time in New York, always a step ahead, causing misery that reaches out to touch every part of his life, a small but mighty symbol for the war that his country may never recover from."

Daniel adds: "Ekong Udousoro is a Nigerian editor is sent to New York on a program where he’ll guest edit a collection on the Biafran Civil War for Andrew & Thompson, an independent but still significant publisher. His troubles begin at the border, where they won’t let him in, and continue most notably at the editorial pitch meetings, where seemingly friendly faces betray racism and ignorance. That said, some of Ekong’s negative assumptions about others wind up being off base, leading to happier outcomes, albeit after heated discussions. I particularly loved the New York observations, making this a satisfyingly place-y novel."

Jason Kennedy has a nonfiction book for us as well, and that's The Last Winter: The Scientists, Adventurers, Journeymen, and Mavericks Trying to Save the World by Porter Fox. Jason says: "An entertaining yet sobering look at how climate change has affected our world - not in some coming-soon-to-you preview, but how people, animals and environments are forever changing right now. More than once, the book left me feeling very dejected and terrified at what we face in the coming decades. This is not a new argument; this is not something that has snuck up on civilization, and we are past the time for turning away from the stark realization that we are losing glaciers and snow (and the important melt that comes from snow that keeps areas from drought in the coming summer). Porter Fox introduces the reader to some amazing people, some of whom have lived through horrible experiences like wild fires, and some who are trying to geoengineer the earth (think floating sea walls) to help protect our shores. Is it too late - will we completely lose our winters? Only if we don’t at least try to help those on the front lines deal with climate change."

Whether you're in holiday shopping mode or in avoid-all-things-holiday-shopping-related mode, or somewhere in between, we hope these recommendations offer a bit of gentle guidance for your book buying, reading, and enjoying. Until next week, read on.

Staff Recommendations, Week of November 8, 2022

Evening comes earlier and the days are only getting shorter. Which means it's time to spend more time cozied up by a lamp with a good book. Here are our recommendations.

Jen Steele rings in the end of daylight savings time with supernatural noir from CL Polk entitled Even Though I Knew the End. She says: "Helen Brandt’s time is almost up. Instead of heading west with her gal, she’s pulled into one last case, a mystery only she can solve. The White City Vampire is striking fear into the hearts of Chicagoans and Helen may have to make a deal with a devil. Even Though I Knew the End is a clever, supernatural, and suspenseful noir making you wish you didn’t know the end!"

Cold weather is also arriving, which means it's probably time for reading about Vikings. Right? Jason Kennedy has just the remedy: The Wolf Age: The Vikings, the Anglo-Saxons and the Battle for the North Sea Empire by Tore Skeie, translated by Alison McCullough. He says: "This a bloody and violent history of the struggle of power in Scandinavia and England around the 10th century. This period has few actual records that are completely trustworthy, yet Tore Skeie brilliantly uses the poems of the Skalds to help craft his tale. This is a page-turning burner of a history tale that will reshape your understanding of this time period."

Oli Schmitz gives us a glowing review of Scattered Showers: Stories, the new short story collection from Rainbow Rowell. They say: "I’ve been waiting for this book since I knew it existed, and each short story was well worth the wait. It’s time! Scattered Showers is here for you! For best friends and fans and breakups and falling in love and complicated family Christmases (two, and they’re my favorite stories of the bunch). I will go on about the short story that takes place in the Simon Snow universe ('Snow for Christmas') to anyone who’ll listen, but this book is more than just one story. New characters and some familiar favorites take the stage in a short story collection made for all the feelings. There’s plenty of the expert humor and dialogue that fans of any Rainbow Rowell novel will recognize, with storytelling that invites any reader to connect with the characters, different as they are, wherever they are in their lives."

Rowell fans rejoice (at least if you're reading this before Saturday!) - Rainbow Rowell appears in-person at Boswell this coming Saturday, November 12, 7 pm central. Tickets for this event cost $19.99 plus tax and fee and include admission to the event and a copy of Scattered Showers. Click here to purchase tickets for this In-Person event now. Masks required at this event.

Even though this book came out in October, Jason Kennedy just snuck in a recommendation, so let's show it some love. You Are My Sunshine: A Story of Love, Promises, and a Really Long Bike Ride by Sean Dietrich. Jason says: "At the start of Covid, Sean and his wife are battling both a health scare (the math teacher, as Sean calls her often, was in recovery from breast cancer) and lack of jobs. Jamie (her actual name) gets it into her head to bike the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Towpath Trail. Sean steadfastly refuses, yet he still ends up in Pittsburgh on his trike looking for the start of the journey. Told with great humor that will have you laughing out loud, Sean also has a way of making himself the butt of his own jokes."

Oli also recommends a paperback original entitled Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes by Travis Baldree: "Legends and Lattes is the perfect comfort read, with a story as sweet as Thimble's cinnamon rolls, as warm as a fresh cup of coffee, with a subtle dash of queer romance. In a Dungeons and Dragons-type world, Viv the battle-weary orc hangs up her sword for good, intending to settle down and open a coffee shop. What follows is a cozy adventure about creating a home and building a new life, one of found family and formed community. Rarely do I find myself exclaiming aloud while reading, but I couldn't contain an "aww" here and there - and some scenes were so cute that I nearly cried. I want to join the regulars at Viv's coffee shop, with its promise of coffee, conversation, and the sense of things falling into place. This book is so cozy!"

In books getting their second life as paperback releases today, we have a recommendation from Daniel Goldin for the first novel by Milwaukee native Rachel Kapelke-Dale - The Ballerinas. Daniel says: "Delphine, Lindsay, and Marqaux were inseparable friends and fellow dancers at the Paris Opera Ballet. Now Delphine is back as a guest choreographer, hoping to make Lindsay the star dancer in her new work about Rasputin and the Tsarina Alexandra. But there are a lot of stumbling blocks to this show’s success, like Delphine’s old beaus Jock and Dmitri, Lindsay’s husband Daniel, and Natalie, the head of the company, who wants to push Delphine in a more feminist and modernist direction. So many secrets! So many betrayals! The Ballerinas is a page-turning story of friendship dynamics with an interesting take on the physical tolls and psychological abuses borne by women dancers. Sometimes the author blurbs seem out of left field, but in this case, the Jessica Knoll comparison and the Andrea Bartz recommendation lead readers in the right direction."

Kay Wosewick impatiently yet passionately recommends Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson: "Termination Shock is set about two decades out, when climate change is wreaking havoc in nearly all corners of the world. Someone must take action ASAP, right?! Politics are messy, technology is clever, and the characters are an eclectic lot. This is top-notch Stephenson, though he leaves us hanging. Speed it up Neal!!"

That's all for this week folks. Stay warm, keep the sun lamps going, and check in next week for more great reading. Until then, (vote, then) read on!

Staff Recommendations, Week of November 1, 2022

 

Halloween has come and gone. It is November. We're now deep into fall. The end of the year approaches swiftly. What does it all mean? Nothing! Time is but a construct. How about some staff recs?

Let's start with Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell, which has recommendations from Rachel Copeland and Oli Schmitz. First, from Rachel: "Tennal Halkana can't escape the truth of his existence no matter where he runs, who he sleeps with, or how many drugs he takes - he's a mind reader, the result of illegal neuromodification experiments. Out of options, he's conscripted into the military, forced to sync with Surit Yeni, an architect capable of controlling a mind as wild and chaotic as Tennal's. Yet Surit won't sync an unwilling reader, so they fake the sync and plan Tennal's escape. What follows is a fight they never anticipated - for autonomy, for justice, and for each other. Maxwell deepens the worldbuilding established in Winter's Orbit with a focus on the mysterious alien remnants that seem to have endless horrifying possibilities. I don't know how it's possible in a story that engages in difficult topics such as coercion and mental health issues, but Ocean's Echo left me with a distinctly warm feeling. Can one feel hugged by a space opera? Asking for a friend."

And now from Oli: "Set in the same universe as Winter's Orbit, but with an entirely standalone story and new cast of characters, Ocean's Echo is an adventure in space, minds, and galactic politics that truly stands out. As a fan of Maxwell's previous book, I love that Ocean's Echo is another character-forward space opera, with a story that illustrates very real mental health and relational issues and centers themes of building trust and selfhood. Surit is an architect who can "write" commands into the minds of others; Tennal is a powerful "reader" who can pick up on thoughts and intentions. When the military tries to force Surit to sync with Tennal, they realize that neither has signed up for this, but they must work together to protect their autonomy. The narrative is a split point-of-view between these two characters, and I loved their distinct voices and the dynamic they have together. You can trust Maxwell to carry you safely through to the end, even as the characters navigate a charged military-political landscape and dangerous, mind-bending bits of chaotic space. I found myself rooting for the characters, hooked even more by every twist, and all-around captivated by the story."

Rachel and Oli so love this book that we will host a virtual event featuring Everina Maxwell in conversation with them on Saturday, November 12, 11 am. Click here to register. 

Let's stick with Rachel for her rec of A Restless Truth, the second book of The Last Binding series by Freya Marske. Rachel says: "Maud Blyth has a mission: pose as a lady's maid on board an ocean liner to escort an old lady who has key information in the fight against a magical conspiracy to steal power from every magician in England. And then the old lady gets murdered. Armed with a notebook filled with her brother Robin's visions of the future, a scandalous actress, a bored lord, a surprisingly helpful thief, and a foulmouthed bird, Maud has to find the murderer before she becomes the next victim. The second book in the Last Binding trilogy manages to capture the same energy of the first book while being almost entirely different - and no matter what, I'm here for the Edwardian clothing, the cat's cradle-esque magic, and the queer romances. One gets the feeling she could take the world established in this trilogy and spin it into a few more series - or maybe that's my wishful thinking. To say I'm ready for the next book would be an understatement - I'm slamming my fists on the desk screaming WANT. BOOK. NOW. Respectfully."

Now on to Tim McCarthy for some poetry. Tim recommends Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light: Fifty Poems for Fifty Years by Joy Harjo. Tim says: "Joy Harjo offers us this lifetime of poetry, 50 years of listening to her own voice and sharing it with the world. It’s a unique book of poems because she tells us, in detailed notes, her thoughts about each one and how it came to be. It also opens with a loving and revealing forward from Sandra Cisneros, beginning with their early time together at the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop and moving through a lifelong friendship. I don’t have the knowledge or the desire to analyze these poems. I just listen. And what I hear is exceptionally beautiful and telling, as important as words can be. I give my wholehearted thanks for this gift, for being allowed to hear Joy Harjo, our three-term United States Poet Laureate, open herself to us fully."

A legacy rec is next - from former Boswellian (now onto other things-ian) Sarah Clancy, who suggests Dogs of War by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Sarah says: "Playing on our very real concerns about the future of armed conflict, Dogs of War explores what happens when our weapons can question the morality of what they're being commanded to do. Told from the perspective of Rex, a combat Bioform built from a dog, and those around him, Adrian Tchaikovsky applies his expert eye for extrapolation to the best and worst of modern humanity, painting a picture equally terrifying and optimistic. Dogs of War reminds us that there are plenty of good people and sentient beings in our world, and they are worth fighting for. Rex, as it turns out, is a very good dog."

Picture book time! Jen Steele recommends the adorable Will We Always Hold Hands? by Christopher Cheng, illustrated by Stephen Michael King (no, not that one, hence the middle name). Jen says: "No matter what Rat asks his friend, Bear is quick to respond that he will be there for Rat. Together. Always. Holding hands. Will We Always Hold Hands? is a perfect ‘I love you’ picture book gift that’s sure to make you smile and your heart sing!"

From Oli Schmitz, Butterfly Child by Marc Majewski. Oli says: "A father helps his child regain confidence in this beautiful story about the joy of self-expression. I adore Marc Majewski's vibrant illustrations, which are a perfect fit for the book's themes of support and embracing creativity."

Now onto the paperback picks. We begin with Kay Wosewick who suggests Bewilderment by Richard Powers. Kay says: "Bewilderment belongs in the hands, head, and heart of every reader. The story is as timely, as wise, and as profound as Power’s Overstory, but Bewilderment is far more tightly packed and decidedly darker. You’ll be pulled into stunningly beautiful as well as haunting applications of cutting edge technologies. You’ll feel the joys and the terrors of parenthood’s rollercoaster. You may or may not anticipate the collapse of the wall of denial, but you’ll surely suffer its soul-crushing aftermath. Richard Powers, you broke my heart. And you will again and again as this book becomes worn from rereading."

And Ann Patchett's essay collection These Precious Days also comes out in paperback. Here's Daniel Goldin's take: "At first, I thought this book was a follow-up to This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage, and why not? Patchett wrote this was the case in her introduction, which laid out why, when an author writes essays, they don’t worry about dying in the middle of writing them the way many do with novels. Sure enough, there are meditations on knitting, flying (or rather her husband flying and Patchett passengering), writing (of course), and my personal favorite, a salute to Snoopy. Speaking of flying, it’s hard for Patchett to fly under the radar; what book lover hasn’t read her appreciation of Kate Di Camillo, which first appeared in The New York Times? But the more I read, the more I see two themes took root: the value of friendship and the transience of life, which come together in the also well-known title essay. And in that way, the book started reminding me more of Patchett’s first nonfiction book, Truth and Beauty, about her friendship with the poet Lucy Grealey. And that’s a good thing – the result is a powerful, heartfelt collection."

We will see you in 7 days time, dear readers. Until then, read on.