Welcome back, book fans! Reading anything wonderful these days? I know I am. September continues to be an amazing month for books. There’s a new Deborah Harkness out today, and a new Carlos Ruiz Zafón. I have some more wonderful books to recommend today. I couldn’t decide which ones I wanted to talk about today because I enjoyed so many, so I have a little bit about each of them. And on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about several of our favorite books of 2018 so far, including There There, Stalking God, The Great Believers, and more.
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Here to Stay by Sara Farizan
Bijan Majidi becomes a hero at his school when he makes the winning shot for the team. But anonymous cyberbullying calling him a terrorist brings him a lot of unwanted attention. Farizan has written a timely, important book about fighting prejudice.
Pride by Ibi Zoboi
A retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in Brooklyn! Do I need to say more??? Okay: Zuri Benitez wants nothing to do with the Darcy family boys who move in across the street, especially Darius, but then her sister, Janae, falls for the charming Ainsley. Can Zuri fight the rapid gentrification of her neighborhood?
Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh
This hard-hitting memoir of working-class poverty in the American Midwest just made the National Book Award longlist. Smarsh details her own childhood growing up in Kansas while examining the class divide in our country and its treatment of people who struggle to earn a living.
Rosewater (The Wormwood Trilogy) by Tade Thompson
The author of The Murders of Molly Southbourne returns with the exciting start of a new trilogy, about a community in Nigeria built around an alien biodome.
The Bus on Thursday by Shirley Barrett
A darkly comedic horror novel about a woman who escapes to a small town after finishing her cancer treatment, the creepy commune where she stays, and its unstable inhabitants.
How to Invent Everything: A Survival Guide for the Stranded Time Traveler by Ryan North
A humorous, fascinating guide at how to survive in any time period, in case you happen to travel back in time and your time machine breaks. I’m being completely serious.
Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini
A powerful picture book about a father’s love for his son, inspired by the current refugee crisis. The author proceeds from this book go to the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) and The Khaled Hosseini Foundation.
The Deeper the Water the Uglier the Fish by Katya Apekina
Two teen sisters are forced to move in with their estranged father after their mother must enter a hospital. Their difference of opinion over loyalty to their mother causes a rift in their relationship.
The Infinite Blacktop by Sara Gran
I LOVE SARA GRAN SO MUCH. This is the third in her amazing Claire DeWitt series. If you like mysteries with fantastic writing and seriously flawed private investigators, run, don’t walk.
Costume Quest by Zac Gorman
Adorable middle grade graphic novel about monster friends who must visit the human world to find candy on Halloween. Perfect for fans of Over the Garden Wall and Gravity Falls.
Snazzy Cat Capers by Deanna Kent, Neil Hooson (Illustrator)
Cute story about a literal cat burglar named Ophelia von Hairball V who wants to get into the Furry Feline Burglary Institute, so she sets her sights on stealing the giant Himalayan diamond to impress them.
The Impossible Girl by Lydia Kang
Cora Lee is a resurrectionist in Manhattan in 1850, meaning she finds bodies for medical schools, no questions asked. But Cora Lee has two hearts, making hers the one body that scientists would pay the most to dissect. And someone doesn’t want to wait any longer…
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
The Man Booker-nominated novel about an eleven-year-old field slave on a Barbados sugar plantation and his journey to freedom. (Psst, read Half-Blood Blues, too.)
Sharky Malarkey: A Sketchshark Collection by Megan Nicole Dong
Based on the popular webcomic. There were cartoons in here about cats that made me literally spit my drink out. SO FUNNY.
These Truths: A History of the United States by Jill Lepore
Lepore dissects America’s history and over five centuries of events, and discusses whether the nation has delivered and upheld political equality, natural rights, and the sovereignty of the people, or “these truths,” as Jefferson called them.
That’s it for me today – time to get back to reading! If you want to learn more about books new and old (and see lots of pictures of my cats, Millay and Steinbeck), or tell me about books you’re reading, or books you think I should read (I HEART RECOMMENDATIONS!), you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’!
Stay rad,
Liberty