Less by Andrew Sean Greer
This week I’m wrapping up Less, the novel that was awarded the Pulitzer-Prize for fiction this year. It’s a book that’s eluded me since its initial release and the announcement of it taking home one of literature’s most revered prizes shocked me. And while I had only seen it in passing glances and while shelving it at the store, the award announcement made me drop everything else I was reading in favor of this book about a failed novelist/lover on the verge on 50, wrestling with his own life trajectory. The book reads the way a mid-morning stroll to your neighborhood bakery feels like: footloose and fancy-free. And yet, there is a darker shade to this book that meditates on love, loss and second chances. It’s a strange concoction, both sour and sweet, and yet highly readable. I’m taking a major step out of my comfort zone with this one, but I’m dying to figure out what made this book stand out above the rest!
-Uriel
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Children of Blood and Bone by Adeyemi might just be my favorite Teen Fiction of 2018. The novel has a three-way split narrative, think Bardugo’s Six of Crows, rich world building with actual people of color, and strong female heroines. The mythos Adeyemi weaves is powerful with its echoes of canonical fantasy while simultaneously demanding recognition for the diversity most fantasy lacks. If you’re craving a gorgeously crafted, feminine fury powered fantasy ride that leaves you craving a sequel (and a prequel) this book is your soulmate.
-Walden
It by Stephen King
I know, I know, I’m late to the game for only JUST NOW picking up my very first King novel, but let me tell you, it has been worth the wait. I’m slowly slogging through this brick of a book and loving every minute of it. The multiple perspectives (with what appears as a singular “we” or maybe more of a plural “I” as the narrator) and time moving from past to present has me completely enraptured by this twisted tale. From the meticulous world building, to the bone-shilling slow-build horror, this book has me on the edge of my seat! And as someone who has never seen the original mini-series, I still have no clue how this story comes to an end, and I cannot wait to find out!
-Hanna
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