In an early piece in this book of short, connected stories, Caroline Bock establishes a daughter’s reverence for her father: “let me recall the days when I picked tomatoes beside my Pop, and ate one or two directly from the vine at... Read More

Drawing inspiration from the most existentially bored quarters of the sweater-set crowd, the short stories of Virginia Pye’s "Shelf Life of Happiness" are unsettling, sighing laments. They organize church fundraisers and clean their... Read More

Mardi McConnochie’s middle grade, cli-fi dystopia is a wild adventure across a wildly different Earth. In the world before the flood, human beings tried to correct their own folly by adding to it, hoping to counteract a climate... Read More

"Feeling Better" shows how positive relationships transform lives. The book begins with a revelatory assertion that seems almost commonsense: relationships are the key to happiness. But the wisdom in the book is anything but commonplace.... Read More

One thing is for sure, Mickey Hess has done his homework for "A Guest in the House of Hip-Hop", in which he records trying to be a good ambassador as he amplifies black voices and scholarship. The title draws upon the work of rapper Lord... Read More

Stevan Allred’s "The Alehouse at the End of the World" is a raucous romp through the afterlife, replete with Shakespearean echoes, antiquated wordplay, and sexual liaisons. A nameless fisherman receives a letter from his lover bidding... Read More

For all those who have come to think of hope as an impotent wish, a vague, flimsy idea that things will be better in the future, this book brings good news: Hope is real. It’s measurable. It has life-saving power. And it can be... Read More

Dana Frank’s intensely personal "The Long Honduran Night" chronicles efforts to redirect America’s foreign policy toward Honduras following its 2009 military coup. After witnessing increasingly violent repression, Frank became an... Read More