Book cover of Consecration Pond: A Novel in Stories

Book description

On the shores of Consecration Pond, a widow seeks forgiveness from her husband’s ghost, a war veteran struggles to make sense of his neighbor’s death, and a boy’s self-imposed rite of passage nearly costs him his life. The eleven linked stories in Consecration Pond explore pivotal moments in the lives…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Consecration Pond as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I must rate this novel in stories as a tie with Walking with Ghosts. Bonazzoli’s gift of language shines through in this collection of eleven stories linked by place—the characters’ homes surround the eponymous Maine pond of the title. 

Most extraordinary is her ability to distinguish each character’s voice—including one written from the pond’s point of view! I love the way Bonazzoli elevates the ordinary lives of those confronting loss, trauma, and everyday struggles to a sacred meditation on what it means to live.

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Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

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