Just read these books.
Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar
Personal but still highly resonant in 2020. Grapples with the contradictions and stuggle for identity within us all.
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
Totally evocative of a place and time (Glasgow, 1980s) and yet universal. Unbelievable debut, worthy of all the attention.
Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
I still eat animals, but less and more intentionally. Balanced, not-preachy for the veggie-curious and those raised on meat.
Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry
Two aging gangsters reflect while waiting in a Spanish ferry terminal. Cracking, bantery ghost story.
Vacationland: True Stories from Painful Beaches by John Hodgman
Suprising. Well-written. Deeply insightful about the Northeast, childhood and aging. Also damn funny.
Piranesi by Susana Clarke
Fantasy detective story. Ambient and sparse. If the idea of a never-ending house with oceans in the basement sounds good then read this book.
In the Distance by Hernan Diaz
Modern take on the western. Beautiful landscape descriptions. Prose style shifts with narrative. A little trippy. If you like the cover, you'll like this book.
Love and Other Thought Experiments by Sophie Ward
A love story with a side of philosophy and sci-fi. Understated. More than a few stop-reading-and-stare-off moments
