Books that captivate with their exquisite prose and unforgettable storytelling. Perfect for readers who appreciate the art of language.
The City and the City
China Mieville, 2009
400 pp.
April 2010
Certainly one of the strangest and most intriguing books of 2009, The City and the City is also one of the most acclaimed. Although rooted in realism, Mieville's novel manages to skirt fantasy without slipping into the genre. It's devilishly clever—and a compelling read.
What begins as a typical police procedural—a murder investigation of a young woman—evolves into a surreal psychological, political thriller. Beszel and Ul Qoma—two separate cities somewhere in the Balkans—exist not merely side-by-side, but within, around, and on top of one another. Yet neither city recognizes the other.
The Magicians
Lev Grossman, 2009
402 pp.
March 2010
While paying homage to Tolkein, Narnia and Harry Potter, Lev Grossman manages to carve out his own path. His book both plays with magic and explores its darker side, the emotional underpinnings of those drawn to its enchantments.
Quentin Coldwater suffers the slings and arrows of high school unpopularity. But on his way home one afternoon, he unwittingly slips through a portal and finds himself on the grounds of Brakesbill College for Magical Pedagogy.
Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom
Catherine Clinton, 2004
304 pp.
February 2010
Harriet Tubman is a real-life action hero: if James Cameron were to make a film of her life, nothing—nothing!—would have to be invented to juice up the screenplay.
Most of us know of Tubman's exploits to free slaves. But the number she rescued, the hardships endured, the risks to her life, the fame she attained...and so, so much more make this biography an especially stunning read.
A Gate at the Stairs
Lorrie Moore, 2009
336 pp.
January 2010
Lorrie Moore is "brainy," "Lily-Tomlin-funny", and possibly "the most irresistible contemporary American writer" (that from Jonathan Lethem, no slouch himself).
A Gate at the Stairs, Moore's first novel in 11 years, has been widely praised for its stunning portrait of a young woman maneuvering her way through the adult world. Her heroine, Tassie Keltjin, a student at a mid-sized liberal arts college in Wisconsin, defies the take-the-girl-out-of-the-country-but-not-the-country...cliche.
That Old Cape Magic
Richard Russo, 2009
272 pp.
December 2009
Jack Griffin is spending more time with his father now that he's dead than when he was alive. Fact is, he's been carrying his father's ashes around in his car trunk for the past nine months...and can't seem to part with them. A nice piece of symbolism, funny, if a little obvious.
To make short order of the synopsis (because there's so much more to write about with this book): Griffin is in the midst of a full-blown midlife crisis—dissatisfied in his career (college professor) and his once-perfect marriage. He's stuck in the doldrums and trying to figure a way out.