Author: Kendra Winchester

I adored R. O. Kwon’s debut novel, The Incendiaries and have been watching out for her next novel ever since. There’s something about Kwon’s stripped-down writing style that captures readers’ imaginations and spurs us on to keep reading.

In Exhibit, we follow Jin Han, a photographer living in San Francisco with her husband. One night at a party, she meets Lidija Jung, and her world feels like it’s been turned upside down. Lidija is a one-of-a-kind ballerina, brimming with talent and poise. But after an accident, she’s been forced to take a leave of absence as she tries to recover from her injury. Both women bond over their art and their drive to keep going, even under difficult and discouraging circumstances.

Soon Jin and Lidijia are sharing their innermost thoughts and desires. Jin reveals that her husband now wants children, something she’s never wanted — and will never want — and Lidjia suspects that her accident was actually planned by a competitive colleague. Soon they are exploring hidden desires, finding satisfaction in each other like no one else before.

In this sexy novel full of art, queer sex, and hopelessly entangled human relationships, Kwon explores characters’ desires to the fullest, filling her short novel to the brim with complex motivations and the impulse that drives humanity’s need for connection with others. As Jin explores her newfound queer sexuality, she stands to lose every relationship that she’s ever held dear. 

Ami Park performs the majority of the audiobook, with Sue Jean Kim narrating brief interludes between select chapters. Park captures the intense electricity between Jin and Lidjia, which she sustains throughout the novel. Her performance is intimate, imbuing the characters with a quiet strength as they’re forced to make decisions that will impact them for the rest of their lives.

In the spring of 2020, Jonathan Corcoran and his partner contracted COVID-19 and bunkered down to weather through this as-of-yet-unknown illness in the middle of New York City. While he was quarantining, Corcoran received the news that his mother had died. 

Corcoran grew up in a small town in West Virginia. His mother tried to hold the family together as Corcoran’s father gambled away what little money they had. When he managed to get into Brown University, Corcoran thought he could be free to live his life as a gay man without ever coming out to his family and friends back home. But when he had just turned 20, his mother found out he was gay and disowned him.

No Son of Mine follows Corcoran’s experience as a gay, Appalachian man trying to come into his own, in spite of his homophobic family. But even with the difficulties he faced, his story is also full of love. He met his husband, Sam, when they were in college, and they’ve been together ever since. His chosen family of friends shows up for him time and time again.

Corcoran’s portrait of his mother—and the rest of his family—is full of a love that seems to never lose hope that his loved ones might change. He extends forgiveness and understanding, only to find himself back in the same cycle of hurtful conversations and not-so-subtle threats. No matter what happens in his life, his mother always looms in the background, leaving him voicemails and promising that this time it will be different. This time she’s really sorry. 

No Son of Man examines the complex truths that make up a family; how can you love someone who you also know will always hurt you in the end? How do you maintain boundaries in the situation? When do you know that it’s worth giving someone you love another chance?

I first read Tessa Fontaine’s memoir, Electic Woman, back in 2019. I fell in love with her writing style, her beautiful descriptions and vibrant characters. Now she’s back with her debut novel, The Red Grove, which centers around a community in the California Redwoods that provides a sanctuary for women seeking a safe haven from domestic violence.

Luce is a teenager living at the Red Grove with her mom, Gloria, and her little brother, Roo. Luce’s whole world revolves around the Red Grove and its teachings. Luce knows all the statistics about women experiencing domestic violence from men. All of the stories, facts, and figures swirl around in her head, making her grateful that in the Red Grove, it’s said that it’s impossible for a man to hurt a woman.

Gloria works as a psychic to help support the household, but when one of her clients collapses and dies while visiting her house, the man’s family believes that she might have had something to do with his death. When Gloria disappears, Luce starts to try to track down where she went. She talks to Grove elders, calls back a mysterious journalist, and begins uncovering secrets that all of the adults around her never told her.

The Red Grove is this immersive story that takes the reader into this community that seems so perfect on its surface. They have their own history and traditions, all set against the peaceful backdrop of California’s giant redwoods. As Luce’s world unravels, we learn more and more about the characters around her and the role they play in the community. Underneath all of that is the thrum of a quiet power that the reader keeps wondering about; is it magic, or do these hints of the fantastical have a scientific reason behind them?

Aimee Nezhukumatathil’s World of Wonders is one of my most recommended books of all time. Ever since it came out in 2020, I’ve been sharing it with anyone who will listen. With its beautiful illustrations of plants and animals — combined with Nezhukumatathil’s personal essays — it’s the perfect book for any lover of the natural world.

Bite by Bite continues this tradition, but this time, Nezhukumatathil is writing about her favorite foods. In one essay, she describes some of her favorite memories shared with friends and family eating shave ice. In another, she shares her experience feasting upon different varieties of watermelon at a watermelon festival. I especially loved how Nezhukumatathil describes her love of fruits of all kinds — jackfruit, Saba banana, pineapple, mango, lychee, miracle fruit — she treasures them all.

As she shares her memories around her favorite foods, each essay celebrates Nezhukumatathil’s life. She has such a unique way of giving readers glimpses of her life, giving us details about her family’s love of mangos or parties of all kinds featuring lumpia. Every dish or ingredient holds a special place in her heart.

With its illustrations, Bite by Bite is the perfect gift book for any food lover. Fumi Nakamura illustrates the foods featured in every chapter, making each essay feel unique. And if you’re an audiobook lover, you will fall head-over-heels in love with Nezhukumatathil’s performance. Her warm and inviting voice is so calm and restorative. It’s like you’re at the farmer’s market and she’s sharing about her favorite finds with you as you peruse the different stalls. She possesses such a personable tone as she shares her memories with listeners.

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