Every month, we select a book that we love so much that we feel confident guaranteeing that you'll love it too, so much so that we'll give you your money back if you don't. Peruse this list if you're trying to remember one you missed or are looking for more recommendations like it. You can also see previous months by clicking here.
September 2018
Lydia Kiesling’s Golden State asks the question: what if I just left this all behind? With her husband stuck in Turkey, his immigration status stuck in limbo due to a computer glitch, Daphne abandons her job at a prominent university and hits the road with her infant daughter to head for the fictional town of Altavista in the northern corner of California, but instead of finding the solace she hoped for Daphne is confronted with the reality of life in an isolated, small town, with residents that can just as easily spout islamophobic remarks or coo over her young child. At times a road novel, a campus novel and a classic California novel, Golden State is a nuanced and finely tuned look into our failings and blind spots as a culture as well as that ever elusive quest for a place to call home.
August 2018
Spare in language but expansive in scope, The Incendiaries explores fanaticism, faith, and fellowship. It's a page-turner of intrigue and character, but also leaves much left unsaid. The intersection of loss and love provides all the kindling Kwon needs for this explosive debut.
July 2018
An odd child finds her place in the world as a teenager: a part-time job at a convenience store provides the structure and rules she craves. But almost twenty years later, change--and her questioning of her place in the world--threatens stasis. This is an irresistible, quirky, layered novel that examines conformity, loneliness, and what's "normal."
June 2018
All the hype surrounding Tommy Orange is beyond well-deserved. A debut like this is one in a million. A multitude of characters, all for one reason or another on their way to one big Oakland powwow, fill these pages with stories of rage, beauty and despair. Orange Truly has a gift for voice and the characters in There There are destined to stay with you. — Emily
May 2018
Reading Disoriental is a bit like having a fever dream of a family you once had, but can only catch snippets of memories here and there. Nègar Djavadi's non-linear style kept leading me back into the dream, into the folklore of Kimiâ Sadr's family. Great-grandfathers with harems of wives, grandmothers with vivid blue eyes, and 7 uncles to name and hold close. It's the story of how a family can bind you to a place even when coups and revolutions exile you physically. Kimiâ of present day, sits in a French clinic waiting to be artificially inseminated, while past Kimiâ grows up amid the turmoil of 1970s Iran. I really can't recommend this book enough. It's got a bunch of my favorite things: queerness, epic family stories, strong women, political dissent, history, postcolonial themes, and amazing characters. — Sara
