Fiction Recommendations

Before War Dances, I had only read Sherman Alexie’s novels. So I
am used to the feeling of having his stories and characters unleash
their quiet powers until I am willingly held hostage, both begging for
the release to have time to reflect, yet longing to have the experience
keep going, as I don’t want to finish his tale and say goodbye to newly
made friends. Therefore, I was hesitant to read Alexie’s short stories
only because I wasn’t sure if, in shorter form, Alexie could give me the
gift of the journey I was used to taking with him. But I was wrong.
These stories are a hurricane of strength. Each one makes you pull back
in awe, take spacious breaths when the chance is there, but lifts you to
spin, whirl, and ache at the connection that is so finely wrought
between the characters and the story he creates again and again. Do not
miss out on this incredible read.

One of the most talked-about books of the season is a debut novel by the cofounder and coeditor of n+1, the acclaimed magazine of politics, literature, and culture. But don’t worry; you don’t have to be an intellect or (it pains me to say) a baseball fan for that matter to be blown away by this book that is set around our national pastime. “Reading The Art of Fielding is like watching a hugely gifted young shortstop: you keep waiting for the errors, but there are no errors. First novels this complete and consuming come along very, very seldom.” —Jonathan Franzen, author of Freedom

This is a visceral account of three young boys growing up with a graveyard shift mother and temperamental father whose love is a dangerous, ferocious thing that simultaneously cements and fractures their struggling family. Together, these wild boys tear through childhood, creating and destroying; making this is an intense look at the childhood bonds that forever shape our lives. It may just be a slip of a novel, but it packs quite a punch.

Last year's big anthology release was My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me, a book of smartly retold fairy tales. This year, it's Tin House's Fantastic Women, a collection of sublime and bizarre stories told by some of the best speculative and surrealist writers out there. Includes work by Aimee Bender, Miranda July, Karen Russell, and many more. A must-read for those who crave the gorgeous and the strange.

New in paperback, this book is so much at once. A coming-of-age novel, a mystery surrounding family secrets, and a striking love story. Truong introduces us to ten-year-old Linda Hammerick, a young girl who has synesthesia—she experiences every word as having a taste. Not knowing that this is a neurological condition, Linda tells only her best friend about her odd capability. We watch Linda grow up and seek connection, but all the while keeping people at a distance because of the way she experiences life slightly askew. When a family tragedy forces Linda to return to her childhood home, Linda finds out that she has not been the only one in her family to keep aspects of them selves hidden. A quirky but poignant story well worth the read.

Great House is one of the best books about writing I've read, though it's not really about writing. If asked, I'd have to say it's really about a large desk that manages to link together a cast of otherwise disparate characters. One of those characters is a writer, and her take on the habit and art of writing brings the story to life. This is a novel quite worthy of its National Book Award nomination.

A mesmerizing, moving, and elegantly written debut novel, The Language of Flowers beautifully weaves past and present, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past. We think this is a great selection for book groups and for fans of White Oleander by Janet Fitch. Writer Jamie Ford calls it, “A deftly powerful story of finding your way home, even after you’ve burned every bridge behind you. The Language of Flowers took my heart apart, chapter by chapter, then reassembled the broken pieces in better working condition—I loved this book.” 

This historical romance has a little bit of a dark edge, but not terribly so. The heroine of the novel is force to marry a man who still mourns his deceased wife and children and who wasn't really looking to get over his issues. But she plans on winning him over, and with much angst and sexual tension she does so. It's a good summer read.

Seeing the world of Rome the lives of its citizens adjust to the bloody coups and political upheavals that are at the center of the story line is interesting and rewarding, but it's the relationship between four particular women that pulls you in hard-core. It's rich and wonderful, with good action and a well-woven plot that resolves itself very satisfactorily.

Far and away one of my favorite novels of all time, this book feels like a mystery where instead of figuring out whodunit, you are unraveling the past to put the present into context. I loved the narrative style, which might remind you of Joesph Boyden's Three Day Road, and the powerful role that the natural setting played. It's an import, so it's expensive, but it's worth it.