Does listening to audiobooks count as reading? Here it does. Let’s discuss your favorite reads — or listens.
All tagged recommendations
Garth Greenwell’s “Small Rain” explores the isolation and unraveling of self that so many of us endured during the first COVID-19 summer. His unnamed protagonist experiences this in a way that’s magnified tenfold, as he is confined to a hospital room with a potentially fatal diagnosis: an aortic dissection. The fact he survived such low odds and remains coherent adds an underlying tension to every encounter. He is suspended in a liminal state, living on what feels like borrowed time.
Named “the greatest American novel you’ve never heard of” by The New Yorker, John Williams’ “Stoner'' certainly earns that distinction with a simple, beautifully woven story about a Midwestern English professor living a remarkably unremarkable life.
Ben Shattuck has easily delivered a contender for my favorite read of 2024 by weaving together 12 richly drawn, interconnected narratives that span centuries. Masterfully blending elements of historical and contemporary fiction, romance and Americana, there is a little something for everyone in this Northeast-set collection.
Expectation: A slow-burn coming-of-age story about forbidden love.
Reality: A beautiful, sensual and deep exploration of desire and connection. While closely aligned to the film adaptation, the source material is worth the read.
Derf Backderf's "Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio" takes readers beyond the iconic photograph, offering a meticulously researched and haunting graphic novel about the events that occurred on May 4, 1970, between students at Kent State University and the Ohio National Guard.
Expectation: A straight-forward mystery thriller framed around 90s nostalgia.
Reality: More literary fiction than traditional suspense, Makkai’s use of hindsight evaluation to move the plot forward had me hooked.
For expecting this to be a frothy history, I was surprised by the detailed explorations of how the sausage was/is made – from studio system contracts to politicking and power grabs. People looking for an exhaustive recap of the awards themselves will be disappointed as Schulman presents more a chronicle of Hollywood in 11 eras, with the Oscars serving as a (sometimes loose) connective thread to introduce the films, actors and creators that defined each generation.
Expectation: A heavy-handed young adult classic that prioritizes hijinks over meaningful character development and scenario exploration.
Reality: Thoughtful and engrossing, the story had me hooked from the first chapter. This is a fantastic historical fiction introduction to America’s racial injustices.
For readers that want to brush up on the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, the “March” series is an exemplary feat of storytelling that exposes the hypocrisy, violence and injustice that spurred the movement while celebrating the everyday people who protested – and died – for desegregation and the passing of the Voting Rights Act.
Paced like a thriller – there’s short chapters and each has a clear focus – Egan stays rooted in basics and not minutiae. There’s detail on the inner workings of the KKK, state and national politics, “Roaring 20s” culture and immigration panic to provide a contextual foundation, but the author keeps everything aligned to his thesis: how Indiana served as a microcosm for a growing wave of racism in northern states, and the resisters who fought it.
If you find time to read only one book in recognition of Native American Heritage Month (or Nonfiction November, for those who celebrate), I highly encourage Adrienne Keene’s excellent spotlight on notable individuals from some of the 574 federally recognized American Indian Tribal nations.
Expectation: The lauded writer swapping complex family dramas for a gauzy faux-Hollywood story.
Reality: Sentimental and affecting, it felt like a warm hug every time I revisited Lara’s past, even though not every memory is rose-colored.
Expectation: Honestly, I had no idea what to expect having somehow missed all productions and required readings of this classic play for more than 40 years.
Reality: It’s easy to interpret Wilder’s words as cursory but that’s a lazy examination of the masterful story he told here.
Expectation: A decades-spanning exploration of lust, love and monogamous monotony.
Reality: Smart, funny and heartfelt, Hill brings his characters to life in vivid detail while translating macro ideas about society into intimate, meaningful moments.
Expectation: A dramedy about two messy best friends navigating early adulthood in Ireland.
Reality: A surprisingly relatable story that succeeds, even though our main characters — Rachel and James — are difficult to love.
Expectation: A smart, timely commentary on celebrity culture and self-esteem.
Reality: All of that plus laugh out loud funny. I was compulsively entertained from start-to-finish.
Expectation: A ripped-from-the-headlines story of monied greed and comeuppance.
Reality: A nuanced and contained story that proved to be my favorite of the author’s even though it’s less beloved than “Station Eleven” and “Sea of Tranquility.”
Expectation: A family mystery-thriller akin to Alice Sebold’s “Lovely Bones.”
Reality: Not so much a mystery, but a slowburn exploration of the Lee family dynamics, which have a solid foundation of secrecy.
Beaton is a phenomenal storyteller, and I was captivated by this memoir and its images from the first page. While she covers heavy topics - gendered violence, rape, drug abuse and death - she also infuses warmth and humor into the pages, which help the reader understand how she survived the ordeal.
Expectation: A collection of stories exploring different facets of American history that were misrepresented.
Reality: A top-to-bottom solid collection that takes you on several intriguing and understated journeys that force the reader to question “what would you do?”
