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| From historical fiction to gothic horror to heartwarming romance, these witchy books offer a spellbinding fall read whatever your reading preferences.
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For your reading list Credit: Grove Atlantic Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart Shuggie Bain came out in February but it's out in paperback this month, and been gathering a ton of press recently: It's shortlisted for both the National Book Award and the Booker Prize; a finalist for both the Kirkus and Center for Fiction First Novel prizes. It's safe to say it's highly acclaimed.
And, boy, is it deserving.
This vivid, sweeping novel tells the story of young Hugh "Shuggie" Bain and his upbringing in 1980s and early 90s Glasgow, a city struggling with the closure of its mines and the resulting widespread unemployment. He and his mother, Agnes, live in rundown public housing, which his half brother and sister — despite loving Shuggie dearly — can't flee fast enough. Agnes is living with alcoholism, which brings her often to the point of incapacitation, and no one but Shuggie knows how to care for her. Indeed Shuggie all but worships his mother and has learned how to tend to her as if she were the child and he the parent. Theirs is a beautiful and tragic relationship: Shuggie isn't like other boys; his neighbors, father, and teachers warn Agnes that he's "not right." He doesn't understand what makes him different, or why such difference is bad, but Agnes sees and loves and defends who is: a child who doesn't yet have the language or models to recognize his queerness.
Douglas Stuart — who spent 12 years creating this masterpiece — has drawn a vivid picture of working class Glasgow, clearly evoking the smells and sounds and textures of Shuggie's bleak corner of the city. Told in multiple distinct third person perspectives, Stuart invites you into this complicated but tender family and the individual struggles of not only Agnes and Shuggie, but also of Shuggie's brother, Leek, who wants to be an artist but knows it's impractical; his sister, Catherine, who marries young and follows her husband to a job in South Africa; and his estranged father and namesake, who decided early on he couldn't handle his wife's alcoholism and son's identity. Stuart's writing is reminiscent of Frank McCourt's in its scope and poignancy, and the novel is both heartbreaking and heartwarming — though more so the former. It's absolutely one of my favorite books of the year. Get your copy. — Arianna Rebolini
This Week in Virtual Book Events: Oct. 12–Oct. 17 Monday, Oct. 12 Darcie Little Badger (Elatsoe) and Eric Ganworth (Apple: Skin to the Core) discuss their new books, moderated by Anton Treuer — hosted by Books Are Magic, 7 p.m. ET, more info. Karen Russell (Sleep Donation) and Vanessa Veselka (The Great Offshore Grounds) discuss their new books — hosted by McNally Jackson, 7 p.m. ET, more info. Tuesday, Oct. 13 Cory Doctorow launches his new book, Attack Surface — hosted by The Strand, 8 p.m. ET, more info. A panel on ageism and sexism in the literary community, featuring Devi S. Laskar (The Atlas of Reds and Blues), Sejal Shah (This Is One Way to Dance), Anjali Enjeti (The Parted Earth), Soniah Kamal (Unmarriageable), and Jenny Bhatt (Each of Us Killers) — hosted by Community Bookstore, 7:30 p.m. ET, more info.Wednesday, Oct. 14 Alice Hoffman discusses Magic Lessons with Jodi Picoult — hosted by Warwick's, 4 p.m. PT, more info. Marilynne Robinson discusses Jack with Fatima Farheen Mirza — hosted by Harvard Book Store, 7 p.m. ET, more info. Thursday, Oct. 15 Claire Messud (Kant's Little Prussian Head and Other Reasons Why I Write) and Maaza Mengiste (The Shadow King) discuss their new books — hosted by Politics & Prose, 7 p.m. ET, more info. Ina Garten discusses her new cookbook, Modern Comfort Food with Shay Spence — hosted by BookPeople, 7 p.m. CT, more info. Friday, Oct. 16 Rebecca Roanhorse discusses Black Sun with Erika T. Wurth — hosted by Collected Works, 6 p.m. MT, more info. Kimberly Zieselman discusses her memoir, XOXY: Intersex Woman, Mother, Activist, with Robin Honan — hosted by Books Are Magic, 7 p.m. ET, more info.Saturday, Oct. 17 John Freeman discusses the latest installment of Freeman's, which features the best new writing on love, with Robin Coste Lewis, Tommy Orange, and Matt Sumell — hosted by Litquake Festival and City Lights, 5 p.m. PT, more info. V.E. Schwab discusses The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue with Taylor Jenkins Reid — hosted by Skylight Books, 6 p.m. PT, more info.And many more! Check out the full list here.
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