For The Book Obsessed
[ad_1] It is said that no two people ever read the same book. Our personal history goes a long way in determining the points of references that resonate with us in a story. This is especially true for my time with Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi, since so much of what resonates with me about … Read more
[ad_1] Another month has rolled around and, with it, the many continuing stresses and fears affecting our daily lives. So, we turn to books not only as an escape, although it can be that, but also as a strengthening and nourishing force that lend us warmth and endurance. Our favorite reads this month include a … Read more
[ad_1] Following the death of her mother, Fiona buys a new house in order to start a new chapter of her life, one with fewer reminders of painful memories. Unbeknownst to Fiona, this house has a melancholy history, and slightly more ghosts than she anticipated. In learning to live with her unexpected companions and their … Read more
[ad_1] Kirabo presses against the boundaries of tradition in her small village of Nattetta, Uganda. She does not outright reject her people’s customs, but her desire to learn where she comes from—specifically, the history of her mother—drives her to seek help along the edge of what tradition allows to find her own way into womanhood. … Read more
[ad_1] In Eighty Days to Elsewhere, Ramona Keene works in her family bookshop. Two Old Queens Books & Tea is owned by Romy’s Uncle Merv and his partner Tommy, and she has worked there since she was a teenager. It’s cozy and safe—if a little dusty—and Romy spends most of her time trying to get … Read more
[ad_1] The first two-thirds of Sisters is filled with allusions to the event that lies at the crux of the story; these sprinkled tidbits of information slowly work to clear the dirt away from the truth of what happened. When you discover the details of that event, you might be shocked, like I was, or … Read more
[ad_1] When she was about 30, Julian of Norwich got sick and saw God. For about a week she lay in bed, beholding Christ in gory, color-changing agony (“all his blessed face covered at one point in dry blood”), several heavens, and the cosmos contained in a walnut. Not long afterwards—from what historians can tell, … Read more
[ad_1] What’s not surprising at all? The fact that Abbe, Jess, and Emma could not wait to talk about a great book for 30 minutes, as they do every month for the Read it Forward book club. In August, they read The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett—a stunning work of fiction about two inseparable twins … Read more
[ad_1] The Chicago Review of Books acknowledges the unfortunate passing of Randall Kenan on August 28th, 2020. His work as a writer and educator, and contributions to the field of literature, particularly as a Black, gay writer from the South, cannot be overstated. If I Had Two Wings, Randall Kenan’s second collection of stories, immediately … Read more
[ad_1] Happy September! Fall is in the air, which means it’s time to put great new fall books on our bookshelves. Here are ten of our favorite books coming out this month, including works of sci-fi, fantasy, memoir, environmental reportage, and much, much more. City of SparrowsBy Eva Nour; Translated by Agnes BrooméMelville House “Growing … Read more