Violeta

Violeta

by Isabel Allende

Ballantine Books, 2022. 322 pages.

Fiction

This sweeping novel from the New York Times bestselling author of A Long Petal of the Sea tells the epic story of Violeta Del Valle, a woman whose life spans one hundred years and bears witness to the greatest upheavals of the twentieth century.

Allende is a master at weaving a compelling tale. The story of this book spans 100 years, but the reader never feels lost in the sweeping narrative. I appreciated that the character of Violeta is flawed and feels like a real woman with real needs.

If you like Violeta, you may also like:

Beasts of a Little Land

by Juhea Kim Ecco, 2021. 403 pages.

Fiction

This is an epic story of love, war, and redemption set against the backdrop of the Korean independence movement, following the intertwined fates of a young girl sold to a courtesan school and the penniless son of a hunter.

A Long Petal of the Sea

by Isabel Allende

Ballantine Books, 2020. 318 pages.

Fiction

This epic novel spanning decades and crossing continents follows two young people as they flee the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War in search of a place to call home.

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You Feel it Just Below the Ribs

You Feel it Just Below the Ribs

by Jeffrey Cranor

Harper Collins, 2021. 352 pages. Fiction

A haunting, provocative novel, You Feel It Just Below the Ribs is a fictional autobiography in an alternate twentieth century that chronicles one woman's unusual life, including the price she pays to survive and the cost her choices hold for the society she is trying to save. An alternate reality, unreliable narrator, and a suspenseful slow-burn story; I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this book. The novel explores the question of what sacrifices should be made for peace, and whether or not those sacrifices are worth it.

If you like You Feel it Just Below the Ribs, you may also like:

Shutter Island

by Dennis Lehane

Morrow, 2003. 325 pages. Fiction

U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his partner, Chuck Aule, come to Shutter Island's Ashcliffe Hospital in search of an escaped mental patient, but uncover true wickedness as Ashcliffe's mysterious patient treatments propel them to the brink of insanity.

A History of What Comes Next

by Sylvain Neuvel

Tom Doherty Associates Book, 2021. 302 pages. Science Fiction

For generations, Mia's family has shaped human history to push them to the stars. The year is 1945 and now it is her turn. Her mission: to lure scientist Wernher Von Braun away from the Nazi party and into the American rocket program, securing the future of the space race.

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Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventurer's Guide

Gastro Obscura : A Food Adventurer’s Guide

by Cecily Wong

Workman Publishing, 2021. 438 pages.

Nonfiction

The ever-curious minds behind Atlas Obscura are back, and this time they are showcasing breathtaking food from around the world. Ready for a beer made from fog in Chile? Sardinia's "Threads of God" pasta? Egypt's 2000-year-old egg ovens? Our very own state of Utah makes the cut with (you guessed it) funeral potatoes, and a surprising entry of potato donuts. Full of color photos and interesting facts, this volume is sure to take you on a global food adventure like none other.

If you like Gastro Obscura, you may also like:

World Travel: An Irreverent Guide

by Anthony Bourdain

Ecco, 2021. 471 pages.

A guide to some of the world's most fascinating places, as seen and experienced by writer, television host, and relentlessly curious traveler Anthony Bourdain.

Ultimate Food Journeys: The World’s Best Dishes & Where to Eat Them

by Louise Abbott

DK Eyewitness Travel, 2011. 336 pages.

This book takes travelers on a gastronomic tour of the globe to find truly world-class culinary experiences. Whether it is the most delicious street food in Southeast Asia, or the best clam chowder in New England, this beautifully illustrated book includes every must-try treat in some of the world's best destinations, and places them in their cultural and geographical context.

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Against Silence

Against Silence

by Frank Bidart

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021. 63 pages.

Poetry

Words—there is a gap, nonetheless always

and forever, between words and the world—

In Against Silence, the Pulitzer Prize winner's eleventh collection of poetry, Bidart writes of the cycles we cannot escape and the feelings we cannot forget. These bitesize poems make for a quick read, but they take a while to digest. Bidart writes about aging and death, memories, and the cycles we cannot escape, the feelings we cannot forget.

If you like Against Silence, you may also like:

Poems

by Elizabeth Bishop

Elizabeth Bishop is one of America's greatest writers, and her art is loved and admired by readers and fellow poets alike. The poems that make up Bishop's small and select body of work display honesty and humor, grief and acceptance, observing nature and human nature with painstaking accuracy. Her poems often start outwardly, with geography and landscape--from New England and Nova Scotia, where she grew up, to Florida and Brazil, where she later lived-- and move inexorably toward "the interior," exploring as they do fundamental questions of knowledge and perception, love and solitude, and the ability or inability of form to control chaos.

Whale Day, and other poems

by Billy Collins

Billy Collins's thirteenth collection, and first in four years, contains more than fifty new poems that showcase the playfulness, wit, and wisdom that have made him one of our most celebrated and widely read poets. This collection covers many themes, including Collins's profound insights on aging and mortality.

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Dark One, Volume 1

Dark One, Volume 1 

by Jackson Lanzing

Vault, 2021. 224 pages. 

Young Adult Graphic Novel 

Some worlds are made to be broken. Paul Tanasin is a young man haunted by visions of a dark and fantastic world--visions he initially believes are hallucinations. But when he discovers they are prophecies from Mirandus, a world in which he's destined to become a fearsome destroyer, he'll have to embrace the fear, rise up as the Dark One, and shatter everything. Dark One examines the dual roles we often take on in life--the ability to be a savior as well as a destroyer. 

If you like Dark One, you may also like: 

Infernal 

by Mark De Jager

Solaris, 2020. 453 pages 

Science Fiction

Stratus wakes alone, with no memory of his past. All he knows is his name and that he is not human. Possessing immense strength, powerful sorcery and an insatiable hunger, he sets out across a landscape torn apart by a war, as a dark magic drives the world to the brink of destruction. Disoriented and pursued relentlessly by enemies, he will have to learn what he truly is, or risk bringing the world into ruin. 

White Sand, Volume 1 

by Rik Hoskin

Dynamite Entertainment, 2016. 160 pages.

Young Adult Graphic Novel

On the planet of Taldain, the legendary Sand Masters harness arcane powers to manipulate sand in spectacular ways. But when they are slaughtered in a sinister conspiracy, the weakest of their number, Kenton, believes himself to be the only survivor. With enemies closing in on all sides, Kenton forges an unlikely partnership with Khriss--a mysterious Darksider who hides secrets of her own.

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The Only Good Indians

The Only Good Indians  

by Stephen Graham Jones 

Saga Press, 2020. 310 pages. 

Four American Indian men from the Blackfeet Nation, who were childhood friends, find themselves in a desperate struggle for their lives, against an entity that wants to exact revenge upon them for what they did during an elk hunt ten years earlier. 

Stephen Graham Jones’s debut novel is stunning and is a refreshing and unique voice in the horror genre. This is a great read for the Fall season when the Elk can be heard bugling in the mountains and hunting season is under way. If you’re looking for a spooky and unique read for the season, look no further.

If you like The Only Good Indians, you may also like:

Big Little Lies 

by Liane Moriarty

GP Putnam’s Sons, 2014. 460 pages.

This story follows three mothers, each at a crossroads, and their potential involvement in a riot at a school trivia night that leaves one parent dead in what appears to be a tragic accident, but which evidence shows might have been premeditated.

Certain Dark Things 

by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Tor Nightfire, 2021. 254 pages.

Welcome to Mexico City, an oasis in a sea of vampires. Domingo, a lonely garbage-collecting street kid, is just trying to survive its heavily policed streets when a jaded vampire on the run swoops into his life.

The Path of the Witch: Rituals & Practices for Discovering Which Witch You Are

The Path of the Witch: Rituals & Practices for Discovering Which Witch You Are 

by Lidia Pradas 

Fair Winds Press, 2021. 176 pages. 

Interested in becoming a witch, but you don’t know what kind of witch you want to be? This book is a beginner’s guide to exploring the different magical paths available to modern witches. Maybe you are a green witch and like to work with herbs, or a sea witch concerned with the ebb and flow of the tides. Or maybe you are, my favorite, a kitchen witch that uses food and cooking to give meaning to and influence the world around you. For the magically curious, this simple illustrated guide is a great starting point for exploring which path best matches your lifestyle. 

If you like this book, you may also like:

Waking the Witch: Reflection on Women, Magic, and Power

by Pam Grossman 

Gallery Books, 2019. 288 pages.

An exploration of the world's fascination with witches from podcast host and practicing witch Pam Grossman (The Witch Wave), who delves deeply into why witches have intrigued us for centuries and why they're more relevant now than ever. This book was previously reviewed here.

HausMagick: Transform Your Home with Witchcraft 

by Erica Felman HarperOne, 2019. 254 pages.

This is a beautifully illustrated guide from the HausWitch store and brand founder explains how to create a beautiful, healing living space using earth magic, meditation, herbalism, self-awareness, tarot, astrology, feminist spirituality, and interior decoration.

Gory Details: Adventures from the Dark Side of Science

Gory Details: Adventures from the Dark Side of Science

by Erika Engelhaupt

National Geographic Partners, 2020. 336 pages.

Erika Engelhaupt of National Geographic’s Gory Details blog has compiled some of the fascinating and provocative tales of the natural world. In this volume, you’ll find stories about gross anatomy, creepy crawlies, cultural taboos, and murderous mammals. 

If you like Gory Details, you may also like:

Cursed Objects: Strange But True Stories of the World’s Most Infamous Items

by J.W. Ocker Quirk Books, 2020. 271 pages.

Ocker profiles the infamous real-life items that have intersected with some of the most notable events and people in history-- leaving death and destruction in their wake.

Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs

by Caitlin Doughty W.W. Norton & Company, 2019. 222 pages.

Funeral director Caitlin Doughty blends her scientific understanding of the body and the intriguing history behind common misconceptions about corpses to offer factual, hilarious, and candid answers to thirty-five urgent questions posed by her youngest fans.

Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal 

by Mary Roach W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. 348 pages.

Few of us realize what strange wet miracles of science operate inside us after every meal. In her trademark style, Mary Roach investigates the beginning, and end, of our food.

Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age

Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age 

by Annalee Newitz

W.W. Norton & Co, 2021. 297 pages.

Science journalise Annalee Newitz explores the history of urban life through four ancient cities from across the globe. If you are interested in archaeology and the ancient past, you may be familiar with Catalhoyuk, Pompeii, Angkor, and Cahokia. Newitz presents the latest research on these four cities and dives into the rise and fall of these metropolises from the four corners of the globe. 

If you like Four Lost Cities, you may also like:

House of Rain: Tracking a Vanished Civilization Across the American Southwest

by Craig Shields 

Little, Brown and Co, 2007. 496 pages.

The greatest unsolved mystery of the American Southwest is the fate of the Anasazi, the native peoples who in the eleventh century converged on Chaco Canyon (in today's northwestern New Mexico) and built a flourishing cultural center that attracted pilgrims from far and wide, a vital crossroads of the prehistoric world.

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

by Yuval N. Harari 

Harper, 2015. 443 pages.

A narrative history of humanity's creation and evolution explores how biology and history have defined understandings of what it means to be human, detailing the role of modern cognition in shaping the ecosystem, civilizations and more.

Imagined Life: A speculative Journey Among the Exoplanets in Search of Intelligent Aliens, Ice Creatures, and Supergravity Animals

Imagined Life: A speculative Journey Among the Exoplanets in Search of Intelligent Aliens, Ice Creatures, and Supergravity Animals 

by James Trefil and Michael Summers 

Smithsonian Books, 2019, 232 pages. Nonfiction. 

Curious about what sort of life is out there when you gaze up at the night sky? Professors James Trefil and Michael Summers answer our burning hypothetical questions of just what kind of aliens one might encounter on distant (and not-so-distant planets). The planets described are all hypothetical, but they feel very familiar to what we have in our solar system—planets with crushing forces of gravity (Jupiter), planets with ice caps (Mars), and planets with liquid oceans trapped under ice (Europa). This fun, imaginative exploration of alien life is a great read for anyone interested in space, space tourism, or real-life science fiction. 

If you like Imagined Life, you may also like: 

Out there: A Scientific guide to alien life, antimatter, and human space travel (for the cosmically curious) 

by Michael Wall Grand Central Publishing, 2018. 245 pages.

This is a layman's guide to the cosmos, discussing astronomy, physics, the possibility of extraterrestrial life, the practical realities of life for humans in outer space, and insights into space exploration.

Packing for Mars

by Mary Roach W.W. Norton, 2010. 333 pages.

Popular nonfiction writer Mary Roach takes on space and describes the weirdness of space travel, answers questions about the long-term effects of living in zero gravity on the human body, and explains how space simulations on Earth can provide a preview to life in space.

Later

Later 

by Stephen King 

Hard Case Crime, 2021. 264 pages. 

Jamie Conklin is no ordinary child. He can see dead people. But not like that kid in that movie. The dead only stick around for a few days before they move on. And the dead always have to tell the truth. Always. Jamie’s secret puts him in jeopardy when an NYC detective discovers his unique ability and uses him to help hunt down a dangerous serial killer. 

Stephen King delivers once again on style. This man has proven time and again that he can write, and the prose holds its own with the great King classics of old. The story takes one turn after another and keeps the reader on their toes. This work is a definitely more bite-sized compared to King’s more lengthy novels, making this a quick and fun read for fans of both hard-boiled fiction and paranormal horror. 

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Light for the World to See

Light for the World to See 

by Kwame Alexander 

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020. 96 pages. 

Kwame Alexander is well-known for his slam-dunk poetry in his Newbery Award winning book The Crossover. Light For the World comprises three of his latest poems, “American Bullet Points,” “Take a Knee,” and “The Undefeated.” This book may take you less than an hour to read from start to finish, but these bite-size poems pack a powerful punch. Alexander speaks out on racial injustice and the current struggles of Black lives in society, and he calls this book a “roll of thunder, a call to action. A rally in verse.” 

These poems beg to be read aloud, and I highly suggest listening to recordings of Kwame Alexander himself reading them. These recordings are available free of charge online. If you enjoy this book, you may also enjoy Amanda Gorman’s The Hill We Climb.

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Displacement

Displacement 

by Lucy Kinsley 

Fantagraphic Books, 2015. 156 pages. Graphic Novel. 

When Lucy’s aging grandparents book a cruise through their retirement home, the Knisley family is anxious about the elderly couple going alone. Young, and recently single, Lucy volunteers to act as caretaker to her physically and mentally ailing “grands.” Lucy confronts her feelings about her grandparents’ failing health, and juxtaposes the current reality of her elderly grandfather with excerpts of his memoirs of serving in WWII. 

Fans of Knisley’s Relish will find a lot to love here—her illustrations are just so positive and they seem to perfectly capture the essence of life’s ups and downs. In some ways, this is a hard read because Knisley’s frustration and anxiety during this trip are perfectly captured. Readers that have experienced the trials of caring for aging loved ones will find a lot to relate to. While this memoir is not as universal in its appeal as Relish, it is still a very accessible and enjoyable memoir about travel, family, and love. 

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Becoming RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Journey to Justice

Becoming RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Journey to Justice 

by Debbie Levy 

Simon & Schuster 2019. 207 pages. Graphic Novel. 

Modern feminist icon and supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s life is summarized and celebrated in this accessible graphic novel for young readers. Ruth’s accomplishments for gender equality happened one step at a time, just as she evolved slowly from a good student that questioned unfairness to a law student that challenged societal norms of the time. Despite many obstacles, she persisted and became a force for change in the justice system. 

This is a quick read for any RBG fan, and a great introduction to Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s contributions to gender equality. Her major cases are summed up and easy to understand, and anyone will appreciate Ginsburg’s no-nonsense approach to fair and equal treatment. 

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Home Body

Home Body 

by Rupi Kaur 

Andrews McMeel, 2020. 188 pages. Poetry 

i dive into the well of my body

and end up in another world

everything i need

already exists in me

there’s no need

to look anywhere else

– home

New York Times bestselling poet is back with another book of illustrated poetry. In this collection, Kaur explores the past and present, and the healing that comes with accepting and loving one’s self. Kaur’s unique style is raw and honest, cutting right to the heart of issues such as self-acceptance, family, trauma, change, and healing. 

Fans of Kaur’s previous works will enjoy this work, with its familiar themes, same illustration style, and similar aesthetic. Her books would look great on a shelf together. Though this work isn’t quite the heart-wrenching masterpiece that is Milk and Honey, or the cheery and poignant collection that is The Sun and Her Flowers, this is nonetheless a solid collection from a beloved modern poet.

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Burn the Place

Burn the Place

by Iliana Regan 

Midway, 2019. 266 pages. Biography 

Iliana Regan is a self-taught chef and owner of a Michelin-star restaurant in Chicago. This memoir is an exploration of her deep connection to food, her unconventional childhood, and her struggles with identity in a world unkind to those that are different. This raw and beautifully honest look at Regan’s life really makes you feel like you’re sitting at the farm table, makes you crave chanterelles cooked in butter, makes you want to spend hours preparing the best pierogi in the world. 

I had no idea who Iliana Regan was, nor had I ever heard of her restaurants. But her personal story of finding and shaping her identity around food is a tale to which many can relate. It’s small wonder that this memoir was a National Book Award nominee. 

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Devolution

Devolution 

by Max Brooks 

Del Rey, 2020. 286 pages. Fiction 

The great Mount Rainier eruption rained death and destruction on much of the surrounding area, closing roads, burying towns, and turning Tacoma into a “morgue city.” All rescue and aid efforts completely overlooked the small mountain community of Greenloop. But rescuers eventually found that though the town had been untouched by the volcanic disaster, the residents had all been killed by something far more extraordinary and sinister. Max Brooks brings the story of the Greenloop Massacre to light through interviews with principle investigators, as well as the found journals of Greenloop resident Kate Holland. 

Once again, Max Brooks does not disappoint with his unique storytelling—posing as a journalist uncovering a shocking story through oral interviews and journals. This creature horror is full of terrifying and shocking moments, but does not shy away from social commentary either. The Greenloop residents’ lack of preparedness for a natural disaster may strike close to home right now as we wrestle with a real-life disaster of our own. Reading a physical copy of this book would be great since it is mostly made of up journal entries, but don’t overlook the audiobook’s stellar cast, including Judy Greer, Nathan Fillion, and Jeff Daniels. 

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Wanderers

Wanderers 

by Chuck Wendig 

Del Rey, 2019. 782 pages. Fiction 

All across the nation, a strange phenomenon is occurring—people appear to be sleepwalking, gathering in a “flock” and walking to an unknown destination. They can’t communicate, they are impervious to fatigue and hunger, and they cannot be woken up. Shaina wakes up one morning to discover that her little sister is one of the sleepwalkers, but Shaina and the other “shepherds” will follow the flock to the end of the road to protect them. Meanwhile, the country is hit with an apocalyptic epidemic that threatens to decimate the human race, while a team of scientists struggle to understand the mystery of what links the new disease with the sleepwalker phenomenon. 

This is possibly author Chuck Wendig’s magnum opus; sweeping, epic, and full of incredibly diverse and fascinating characters. Readers that enjoy books like Station Eleven and The Stand will find a lot to love about this end-of-the-world saga. This book contains adult language and content, so reader discretion is advised. That said, this was one of my very favorite books of the year with a lot of eerily similar situations to what is happening in the real world today.  

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Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals about Death

Will My Cat Eat my Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals about Death
by Caitlin Doughty W.W. Norton & Company, 2019. 222 pages. Nonfiction.

If you are a mortician and a funeral director, you may get a lot of questions about death. Caitlin Doughty certainly does. But she never expected that the most interesting questions would come not from grieving adults, but from the curious minds of children. This book is a charming collection of Doughty’s hilarious answers to actual questions asked of her by tiny mortals. Will my cat (or dog) eat me if I die? What happens when someone dies on an airplane? Can I keep my friend’s skull as a keepsake?

This book is informative, slightly irreverent, and laugh-out-loud funny. Each chapter is short and easily digestible, so it makes for a great book on the go. Even though this is found in the adult nonfiction section, Caitlin Doughty wrote the book with children in mind, so I found it to be a great book to read aloud with my children. A fun and easy read that will give you a lot to talk about around the dinner table—or maybe you’ll want to talk about it somewhere else.

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Eat Joy

Eat Joy: stories & comfort food from 31 celebrated writers 
Edited by Natalie Eve Garrett
Black Balloon Publishing, 2019. 194 pages. Nonfiction 

Growing pains, loss, healing, homecoming—food can play a major role in each phase of our journey through life. Food can be full of memories, can help us cope with the loss of a parent, heartache, and loneliness. In this collection of short stories, beloved authors and writers share their experiences (and recipes!) of food and how it helped them through difficult times in life.

This is a great read for anyone that has a special emotional connection to food. The book is split into four parts—growing pains, loss, healing, and homecoming—and each short story focuses on those themes. The stories are autobiographical, and are short enough to be easily digestible for when you just have a few minutes to sneak some reading in. My favorite part is the inclusion of recipes at the end of each story. Lev Grossman’s after-divorce General Tso’s Tofu is as delightfully delicious as his story is painfully hilarious. And Chantel Acevedo’s nostalgic story about her abuela’s merenquitos will fill you with longing for a quiet moment with a sweet treat.

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