Jane Harper
[isbn]
I so enjoyed Jane Harper's previous novel, The Dry, I immediately wanted to read The Lost Man. Its plot is seemingly simple: two men meet in the remote Australian outback, where their brother has been found dead under odd circumstances. What follows is a convincing family mystery set in a landscape (central Queensland, Australia) so unforgiving that running out of gas while running errands can be fatal. The themes of isolation... (read more)
Recommended by Bart K.
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Ursula K Le Guin
[isbn]
"The King was pregnant." That phrase, spoken early on in this novel, takes place on Gethen, a planet where humanoid aliens with fluid gender biology/identity have their own complex political and personal rivalries. It's up to a human ambassador to make sense of this world, and to try to form an alliance with it even as war brews. Le Guin offers a deeply imagined world replete with history, anthropology, and lore, as well as a wonderful adventure... (read more)
Recommended by Bart K.
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Matt Burgess, Matthew Burgess
[isbn]
Like you perhaps, I'm in the habit of being especially tough on a book in its early going. If it doesn't draw me in or make a valid case for itself, I will set the book aside with only a slight twinge of regret. But with Uncle Janice, I started reading and before I knew it, was on page 100. Matthew Burgess is a born storyteller, and this book is the real deal. It's funny, varied, believable, and thoroughly impressive. Highly recommended,... (read more)
Recommended by Bart K.
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David Simon
[isbn]
Before he created HBO's The Wire, David Simon was a journalist on the murder beat in Baltimore. There, he embedded with a homicide unit for a year. In Homicide, he tells that unit's story through the lives of its officers. It's both a riveting mystery and a brilliant analysis of society, crime, and justice in the United States. The Wire gave viewers a municipal civics lesson in the guise of fiction, but... (read more)
Recommended by Bart K.
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Jasper Fforde
[isbn]
For me, there are different levels of book enjoyment, to wit...
Level 3: Oh, there's that book. Reckon I'll read a few pages.
Level 2: I look forward to reading that book when I have a chance.
Level 1: I am MAKING TIME for this book, and will read it at any opportunity, even carrying it with me to appointments in the hope that I will find myself waiting in a lobby somewhere with nothing to do but a chance... (read more)
Recommended by Bart K.
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Jeff Vandermeer
[isbn]
After finishing the last page of this book (the final volume of the Southern Reach trilogy), I savored the moment... and was then tempted to start reading the series over again from the start. What new discoveries awaited me now that I had a gist of where its eerie, compelling story line goes? Acceptance differs from the preceding books in that, as Area X expands inexorably into the "real world," there are three narratives to follow.... (read more)
Recommended by Bart K.
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Benjamin Dreyer
[isbn]
Want to know something interesting? The word "namesake" works two ways. That is, if you're named for an older relative, they are your namesake... and YOU are theirs. If you find this sort of information remotely interesting, you'll love Dreyer's English. This witty book is also a bit of a mystery, as I'm hard-pressed to explain how Benjamin Dreyer pulled off the trick of making a writer's guide such a joy to read. Over at the New... (read more)
Recommended by Bart K.
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Paul Tremblay
[isbn]
One sign of a successful book is how much you think about it after turning its last page. On that count, Head Full of Ghosts is a resounding success. I've thought of this book many times since finishing it... often on rainy dark nights, when I wonder how in the world the author wove such a believable young narrator in with a story that seems straightforward at first, but becomes increasingly creepy and meta. So yeah, I still think about... (read more)
Recommended by Bart K.
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Shane Bauer
[isbn]
This gripping book grew from journalist Shane Bauer's undercover work as a security guard for a private, for-profit prison. From there, Bauer researched the history of corporate American prisons, an appalling story that began back in the 1800s and continues to the present day. Why does the U.S. have a vastly higher ratio of its citizens behind bars than any other nation? There are a host of factors; one is the legacy of a systemic effort to... (read more)
Recommended by Bart K.
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David Wong
[isbn]
If the idea of a talented, funny, irreverent author throwing all of his best ideas about aliens, drug use, horror, and slapstick into a bag, shaking it, and then throwing that hot mess onto the page sounds appealing, then John Dies at the End is for you. Me? I loved the novel's lack of preciousness, its verve, and its outrageous humor. My theory is that this book makes an auspicious gift for anyone you don't know well. It will either... (read more)
Recommended by Bart K.
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Julie Schumacher
[isbn]
This novel by a Midwestern writing professor about a Midwestern English professor sounds a bit cliched. So is this just another entry in the tired "writers writing about writing" genre? Nope. In reality, Dear Committee Members is brilliant! The life of Prof. Jason Fitger is glimpsed through an endless number of recommendation letters, memos, and emails that he writes for colleagues, students, and absolute strangers, and it's an... (read more)
Recommended by Bart K.
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Brian Lies
[isbn]
What should I tell you about this wonderful, funny, touching picture book? That it's perfect for anyone who loves animals and/or just has a big heart? That it made me cry halfway through, or that I was smiling through my tears by the end? So many questions! I guess the best thing I can do is suggest you take a look at Rough Patch yourself, because it's absolutely lovely.
Recommended by Bart K.
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Sergio De La Pava
[isbn]
First off, I'm not a fan of American football, and that game is one of the many ongoing threads of this novel. But it doesn't matter! Lost Empress is a shaggy, wonderful tale; its rough edges and demented interconnectivity are unlike anything you've read before (unless you've read the author's previous book, A Naked Singularity). Come for the snappy dialogue and incisive social commentary; stay for this extraordinary portrait of... (read more)
Recommended by Bart K.
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Elif Batuman
[isbn]
I first became aware of Elif Batuman from her reportage and analysis in The New Yorker. Her intelligence, canny use of language, and sly humor distinguished her work there, and are on full display in this novel. My colleagues agree that this book is hilarious and compelling. I've given this book as a gift multiple times — highly recommended!
Recommended by Bart K.
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Tom Drury
[isbn]
This comic masterpiece crept up on me; I made it to page 25 before I realized what a thing of beauty Tom Drury's understated dry humor is. But while the irony may be subtle, there is no cynicism here. Instead, enjoy a novel with great heart and genuine empathy for its Midwestern characters. Highly, highly recommended!
Recommended by Bart K.
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George Orwell
[isbn]
This savagely funny Orwell novel has been semi-ignored, which may be due to its unlikely title. (An aspidistra was once a common British houseplant that thrives on bad light and poor air, and it symbolizes the stuffy bourgeois — so this title is a wry "Hooray for the middle class!") As to the story, Gordon Comstock is a talented copywriter who decides to quit his "good job" and become a poet/bookseller. The results are brutal, but this is Orwell.... (read more)
Recommended by Bart K.
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Jason Rekulak
[isbn]
This sweet, funny story about love and game programming is a lovely callback to the 1980s. It's my go-to recommendation for readers who liked Ready Player One.
Recommended by Bart K.
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Jill Leovy
[isbn]
The short recommendation: This was the best nonfiction I read all year.
The long recommendation: Jill Leovy, journalist for the Los Angeles Times, does a masterful job of tracing the history of crime and law enforcement in LA through the murder of a black teenager named Bryant Tennelle. Her lens widens as she lays out the evolution of a criminal justice system that imprisons millions of inmates yet (in LA, at least) solves only a small... (read more)
Recommended by Bart K.
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