I have found that authors can tell a compelling story, write beautifully, or have you fall in love with their characters. Somehow Erdrich does all three, and does so consistently across all of these short stories.
Often revolving around intimate corners of family life and new relationships, each protagonist feels fully formed within a matter of two pages. Erdrich seems endlessly curious about the ways people live, love, fail one another, survive, and carry on, and each story opens a door into a world I was reluctant to leave. I savored this book, reading one short story a day even though I longed to do more.
This is the kind of book that reminds you how much a great writer can contain - not one world or one kind of story, but dozens of them, each rendered with such care that, for a little while, you feel you’ve actually lived there.
'Amazing. The first three stories are the best things I've ever read.' Ann Patchett, via Reese's Book Club
From Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich, a captivating collection of short stories.
It was as though I was chosen-marked out by the python's kiss for wisdom or maybe sorrow. Or perhaps, I think now, a sense of the ridiculous in extremes of experience. Also, I hoped for a long life.
WRITTEN OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES, Louise Erdrich's magnificent story collection features a range of characters-a tribal newsletter editor whose son tells her a story that nothing in…
I realize graphic novels are not for everyone and yet this is the graphic novel I would recommend for just such a person. Saga is the story of a family. It's an honest look at parenthood against a world on fire, which feels wildly relatable these days.
Imagine Romeo and Juliet but instead of rival families it's rival, warring planets waging that war across the entire galaxy wanting them dead not just for their love but because they have a brand-new baby. Add in a rich and complex world where there are no clear heroes and villains and you have the finest comic series that has yet to be written. (For context, I've likely read 20,000+ comics and I offer that assessment without hesitation)
I recommend picking up Book 1 and predict you will be in love with the realistic portrayal of love and family within a half hour.
1
author picked
Saga
as one of their favorite books, and they share
why you should read it.
This book is for kids age
16, and
17.
What is this book about?
Collecting the first 18 issues of the smash-hit series, this deluxe hardcover edition features a striking new cover, as well as special extras, including never-before-seen sketches, script pages, and a roundtable discussion with the creators about how SAGA is really made.
Written by Eisner Award-winning "Best Writer" BRIAN K. VAUGHAN (Y: The Last Man, The Private Eye) and drawn by Harvey Award-winning "Best Artist" Fiona Staples (Mystery Society, North 40), SAGA is the story of Hazel, a child born to star-crossed parents from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war. Now, Hazel's fugitive family must risk everything to find a…
Full disclosure: the author Rich Volo is a friend. And when a friend says, "Want to check out my first book?" you cross your fingers and hope it's good. Thankfully, this was wonderful.
A secondary disclosure: as a straight man, I am likely not the target audience for The Gay Boat. And yet, I love a found family book and the joyful fun that this book is from start to finish is unmatched by anything I've read in the last few years.
It's the old show The Love Boat but on a gay cruise where a smattering of people from around the world come together to find love, friendship and yes, sex, in the craziest of settings. It's a romp from start to finish and I couldn't put it down. I bought five copies and handed it out to friends in the hopes we could discuss. I hope you also pick up a copy!
The Gay Boat: Italy: Online adult star Buzz Idol is invited to perform on an all-gay cruise around Italy. He brings his middle-aged editor and assistant Alex along. With no shortage of baggage, Buzz, Alex, and a colorful cast of drag queens, twinks, bears, and fans navigate the Mediterranean and each other, healing old wounds along the way. Raunchy, irreverent, and unexpectedly moving.
The Gay Boat: Italy is a story about sex, friendship, and finding your people, even when you’re all out at sea.
The book, all fiction, is inspired by the author's relationship with the book's cover model and…
What if the part of you that feels broken, not-enough, or unworthy has been wrong all along?
In this timely and compassionate book, meditation teacher and bestselling author Lodro Rinzler offers a radical reminder: underneath all the self-doubt, judgment, and noise of modern life, you are already whole. You are basically good.
Drawing from decades of Buddhist practice, teaching, and real-world stories, Rinzler shows how we can reconnect with our innate sense of worthiness and extend that recognition outward—to friends and family, strangers on the street, and even society itself. Through down-to-earth teachings, personal reflections, and simple on-the-go practices, You Are Good, You Are Enough guides readers to:
Recognize and trust their own basic goodness—especially when life feels messy. Build resilience in the face of stress and overwhelm. Overcome the trap of doubt that weighs you down. Reclaim childlike wonder and compassion as powerful tools for living. See goodness not only in themselves but in everyone and everything around them.
Whether you’re new to meditation or a longtime practitioner, this book delivers a message we all need to hear: you aren't basically a mess.
