The titles that bookstores just can't keep in stock
Kerri Miller's Must-Read: What I Read When I'm Not Reading For Work
“How to Be Both"by Ali Smith
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Last week I told you about a drug-addicted cop I’ve fallen for in David Swinson’s “The Second Girl.” This week, I’m writing about a book that was handed to me by a friend, and has been sitting on my nightstand stack for months.
Now, to be honest, I feel torn when friends recommend books. On the one hand, it’s meaningful to me that Patty Simmons wants me to experience what she discovered in reading “How to be Both,” by Ali Smith. And I admire and trust her literary sensibility. Besides, the book was longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2014. Patty has good taste!
But I also realized last weekend that I’ve avoided reading this book so far because it feels like another novel that I have to bring some critical thinking to: I have this sense of preparing for the eventual discussion we’ll have about it and knowing that “I liked it” won’t be enough. It's a hard-to-categorize novel about the meaning and impact of art.
Still, the best part of being among kindred book-loving spirits is talking about what moves us and that’s a two-way street. So, this weekend I’ll be reading “How To Be Both.” I’ll let you know what I think!
-K.M.
Carla Hayden is first woman, first African-American to be confirmed as Librarian of CongressPresident Obama called Carla Hayden's milestones on gender and race "long overdue."
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The friendliest way to move a bookstoreThe independent bookstore in Minneapolis recruited its customers to help them move 10,000 books by hand on a muggy Sunday afternoon.
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After shootings and protests, stores can't keep these books in stockThree Twin Cities bookstores have sold out of Ta-Nehisi Coates' book, "Between the World and Me," in just the last week, and other titles are flying off the shelves.
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Two brilliantly written novels from Mexico head up a wave of literary talentBuy these books
Critic John Powers says there's a boom in good fiction emerging from Mexico. He recommends "Among Strange Victims," by Daniel Saldaña París, and "The Transmigration of Bodies," by Yuri Herrera.
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A sled dog tell-all"Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube" by Blair Braverman
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Blair Braverman's memoir about life in the Arctic and her path to sled dog racing has earned her the title of a "21st-century feminist reincarnation of Jack London."
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Where are the female spies in fiction?Roles for female characters in the spy genre tend to fall into two categories: the imperiled love interest or the femme fatale.
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A journey to emotional deep space"The Dream Life of Astronauts" by Patrick Ryan
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Patrick Ryan's book of short stories is set around Cape Canaveral, Fla., during the 1960s and '70s. Critic Maureen Corrigan says it's the best new short story collection she's read in light years.
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An illuminating memoir of a woman in science"Lab Girl" by Hope Jahren
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Hope Jahren's new book will change the way you think about plants — and the way you listen to them.
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Talking Volumes 2016 season guideThe 16th season of Talking Volumes includes interviews with Elizabeth Alexander, Carl Hiaasen, Gloria Steinem, Ann Patchett and Colson Whitehead. Season tickets are now available.
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In search of the truth of a kidnapped father"The Return" by Hisham Matar
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After the fall of Qaddafi, Hisham Matar returned to his Libyan homeland after more than two decades to see if he could find his father.
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"I write about awful people," says Gay Talese"The Voyeur's Motel" by Gay Talese
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"I'm a little bit drawn to what is forbidden," Talese adds, and he draws readers along with him in his latest book, "The Voyeur's Motel," based on the journals of an innkeeper who spied on his guests.
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Where darkness and magic abound"A Natural History of Hell" by Jeffrey Ford
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Jeffrey Ford's new story collection is packed with fairies, demons, historical figures and death personified: not always the freshest concepts, but when the stories work, they're enthrallingly eerie.
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Stuck inside with the AC on? Try these five cool YA readsSummer can seem slow for eager readers — not much on the shelves, and not much coming. But we've got some recommendations for great young adult reads to while away the long hot days.
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