Zelda has just turned 21 and life is good. She lives with her older brother Gert, has a boyfriend, goes to the Community Center for classes, and has a therapist who helps her understand things about people and life that don’t make much sense to her. What makes her happiest is Vikings and she loves everything having to do with their culture. Her favorite book at the library is ... Read More...
Queenie: A Novel
Queenie is a 25-year-old British Jamaican woman who’s got her dream job and a strong circle of friends. She’s also separated from her white boyfriend, living in a tiny dump of an apartment with roommates she avoids, and is on the verge of losing her job because she spends so much time at the office dealing with her personal life. She’s the eponymous star of Candice ... Read More...
Foe: A Novel by Iain Reid
Junior and Henrietta live on a small farm. They are isolated from everyone, but close to each other. When Terrance arrives and tells them that Junior has been selected to participate in a program building a much-needed space community they are puzzled by the news, but accept Terrance’s assurances that it is an amazing opportunity. He tells them they have two years before Junior ... Read More...
Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg
Bill Clegg's Did You Ever Have a Family was one of my favorite debuts for 2015. It came out last week in paperback so if you missed it last year you need to get after it now. A wonderful novel that lends itself to book club/reading group discussions. If you take a major event and separate out all the people involved in that event—whether responsible for it or ... Read More...
Tuesday Nights in 1980
When art dealer Winona George throws a fabulous party on New Year’s Eve 1979 to welcome in the 1980s there’s no way of knowing who and what will converge in her art filled apartment in downtown Manhattan. That James Bennett and his wife Marge arrive late is not too surprising—James is an eccentric art critic. As the esoteric bunch of artists and wealthy NYC bohemians ... Read More...
Did You Ever Have a Family
If you take a major event and separate out all the people involved in that event—whether responsible for it or impacted by it, you get wildly divergent impressions about what actually happened. This is what author Bill Clegg does so soulfully in his debut novel, Did You Ever Have a Family. June’s daughter Lolly, her daughter’s fiancé, June’s ex-husband, and her ... Read More...
