November 2017

I've made a vow that I'm going to stop spending hours reading crap on the internet. The world is full of marvelous fiction. I want to read that, not the latest Trump calamity.

Golden Hill by Francis Spufford
It's been a while since I enjoyed a book this much. The language was rich and complicated and fun. The story, too. 

Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday
She's a terrific writer and this is a wonderful first novel. (Of course now I'm obsessed with the question of whether she had an affair with Philip Roth. Not remotely fair, I know.)

How to Say Goodbye by Wendy MacNaughton
This book is gorgeous and beautiful and sad and ... everything. 

Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck
Where have I been that I haven't spent all my time gobbling up the works of Ms. Erpenbeck? Fantastic.

La Belle Sauvage The Book of Dust I by Philip Pullman
I don't usually enjoy children's literature but I had a blast reading this. 

Super Sushi Ramen Express by Michael Booth
We're going to Japan!!!

Look Alive Out There by Sloane Crosley
Her life in letters is as enviably glitzy and glorious as on instagram. 

The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
My husband is - bar none - the best writer in the English language. You might have your favorites, too, but I stand by mine. This book is astonishingly great. 

Lake Success by Gary Shteyngart 
How did I, a person who hates the world of finance so much, have such an absolute blast reading this terrific novel? 

Wolf Season by Helen Benedict
The author has such a compassionate and yet clear-eyed understanding of the myriad costs of war. Blew my mind. 

The End We Start From by Megan Hunter
First of all, this is terrific. Really beautiful and compelling. But I'm not sure how this is a novel and not a short story. It makes me wonder why we don't publish more short stories as little books.