These invigorating page-turners recommended by the Kepler’s Books & Magazines (Menlo Park) staff will have you crossing off this year’s reading goal in no time.
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life
This nonfiction narrative by George Saunders about how fiction stories are developed analyzes seven Russian classic short stories for understanding the art of creating captivating tales. The author draws from his past 20 years of teaching at Syracuse University on the topic for this New York Times bestseller. Penguin Random House
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
This New York Times bestseller by Isabel Wilkerson studies how race relations in America got to their current state through a concealed caste system of human hierarchy. The book draws conclusions from historic events to explain how it has guided and continues to guide societies and an attempt at fixing it. Penguin Random House
Home Body
A bestselling author by age 21, Rupi Kaur has transformed the world of poetry. With her new collection of poetry and prose, Home Body, she touches upon themes of dark and light, nature and nurture and the never-ending evolution of the self. Rupi Kaur
Homeland Elegies
This book based on true events by Ayad Akhtar tells the story of the frightening and surreal post-9/11 society that resulted in a greatly divided nation with issues involving immigration, capitalism and race at the forefront. How can one explore one’s identity in a country struggling to understand its own? Little, Brown and Company
Leave the World Behind
This crisis-ridden thriller closely mirroring the country’s current state of affairs brings two families together in an attempt to find normalcy in a seemingly dystopian set of events. Rumaan Alam’s third novel explores the reality of a world where unprecedented disasters through the imminent threats of climate change, racial injustice and class differences become unfixable regardless of economic status. HarperCollins
Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir
Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natasha Trethewey writes a heart-wrenching, infuriating and at times unexpectedly humorous recollection of her mother’s unfortunate fate on Atlanta’s Memorial Drive. This book delves into the experience and effect of sudden loss that is shared among all people. HarperCollins
The Midnight Library
A new take on a pick-your-own-adventure is introduced in The Midnight Library when Nora is allowed the opportunity to live her life all over again. Matt Haig poses questions such as, “What does it take to make the ultimate well-lived life?” and “Would you choose to omit certain things if you knew what the outcome is?” Penguin Random House
The Vanishing Half
When twin sisters run away from their small, Southern Black community at the age of 16 and are subsequently separated, the juxtaposition of identity is looming in the shadows as they are both forced to deal with themes of family, race and identity. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett has received rave reviews from critics across the country. Brit Bennett
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