When I tell friends about the book I’ve been reading, they scrunch up their faces and say that it sounds depressing. The Golden Age, by Joan London, takes place in a polio rehabilitation home for children in 1950s Western Australia. I can understand why the...
Coney Island, 1911. The height of the legendary, intoxicating fairy tale that drew thousands of pleasure seekers each summer. With her mermaid-like hands and ability to hold her breath, young Coralie is one of the “extraordinary things” her father has put on display...
Turtles All the Way Down, by John Green Turtles All the Way Down offers a powerful view into the mind of 16-year-old Aza, a girl with obsessive-compulsive disorder. She cannot control her thoughts as they spiral, and, she wonders, if she doesn’t control her own...
Lab Girl, by Hope Jahren After reading Lab Girl, I will never look at trees the same way again. Hope Jahren gave me a new appreciation of these silent but knowing inhabitants of our planet. She has dedicated her professional (and one could argue her personal) life to...
Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders Confession: for the first few chapters, I wasn’t sure I was going to finish this novel. It is largely formatted as a type of play with each line of dialogue attributed to the character. There is little to no narration. If...
