BY BLOOD WE LIVE: A Smart & Satisfying Culmination

By Blood We Live by Glen Duncan Reviewed by Steve(n) In his celebrated werewolf trilogy, Glen Duncan has inventively scrutinized the human experience from perspectives abstracted just enough to blur the lines between objective observation and subjective participation. Whereas The Last Werewolf was an existential examination of absolute power, moral compromise, and social isolation, and Talulla … Continue reading BY BLOOD WE LIVE: A Smart & Satisfying Culmination →

Lots of Love for LITTLE FAILURE

Little Failure, the new memoir from bestselling author Gary Shteyngart, is finally here! We're big fans of Shteyngart's novels and highly recommend this story of his life as a boy who immigrated with his family to Queens from Russia and went on to become, with the help of a one-armed Chewbacca action figure, a great … Continue reading Lots of Love for LITTLE FAILURE →

Gary Shteyngart: King of the Book Trailer (& Our Hearts)

Gary Shteyngart: bestselling author, master of the book blurb, king of the book trailer. Just when you think he can't possibly top a trailer featuring Paul Giamatti and a dachshund, Shteyngart pulls out the big guns: Johnny Franzen, James Franco & Sloane Crosley. For the record, we love Gary Shteyngart even more than James Franco … Continue reading Gary Shteyngart: King of the Book Trailer (& Our Hearts) →

Winter Catalog Feature: “Reel Cool” Raul & NIGHT FILM

"Reel Cool" RAUL - First Floor Inventory Manager Book: Night Film by Marisha Pessl "If I had to use one word to summarize the new novel by Marisha Pessl (author of Special Topics in Calamity Physics), it would have to be "creepy". When the daughter of a cult film director is found dead in an abandoned … Continue reading Winter Catalog Feature: “Reel Cool” Raul & NIGHT FILM →

Statesman Selects: ENON by Paul Harding

Paul Harding's Pulitzer Prize-winning debut novel Tinkers was hailed as a "masterpiece" (NPR) and appeared on many bestseller and "best of" lists when it was published. His follow-up, Enon, returns to the same New England family and setting to follow a year in the life of Charlie Crosby as he tries to come to terms … Continue reading Statesman Selects: ENON by Paul Harding →

Top Shelf in September: NIGHT FILM by Marisha Pessl

Top Shelf in September: Night Film by Marisha Pessl Reviewed by Raul, First Floor Inventory Manager: "If I had to use one word to summarize the new novel by Marisha Pessl (author of Special Topics in Calamity Physics), it would have to be “creepy.” The book is not necessarily “horror” nor “mystery,” but fluctuates between the two … Continue reading Top Shelf in September: NIGHT FILM by Marisha Pessl →

NIGHT FILM: A Whirlwind of Obsession

Night Film by Marisha Pessl reviewed by Raul M. Chapa, First Floor Inventory Manager If I had to use one word to summarize the new novel by Marisha Pessl (author of Special Topics in Calamity Physics), it would have to be “creepy.” The book is not necessarily “horror” nor “mystery,” but fluctuates between the two … Continue reading NIGHT FILM: A Whirlwind of Obsession →

Sneak Preview: NIGHT FILM

If you were a fan of Special Topics in Calamity Physics, then you likely already have next Tuesday 8/20 marked on your calendar. That's when Night Film, Marisha Pessl's first novel since the highly acclaimed STCP, hits shelves. When the daughter of a cult horror film director is found dead, investigative journalist Scott McGrath becomes … Continue reading Sneak Preview: NIGHT FILM →

Painful, Funny, Beautiful, Unexpected: & SONS

& Sons by David Gilbert Reviewed by Consuelo In David Gilbert’s & Sons, he creates a spectacular puzzle of characters. The story revolves around A.N. Dyer, an aging, reclusive New York author who’s major novel Ampersand is a coming-of-age classic, a la Catcher in the Rye. Gilbert gives his tale a surprising first person narrator … Continue reading Painful, Funny, Beautiful, Unexpected: & SONS →

Forget Spiderman. Read & SONS.

New novel on shelves today: & Sons by David Gilbert As per our friend Gianna on Liz & Gianna's Adventures in Bookland, the only other book blog you should be reading: "You won’t find anything better than this novel to spend your money on this summer. I am including Schlitterbahn Water Park or seeing the … Continue reading Forget Spiderman. Read & SONS. →