The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
a bookclique pick by Tanya Boteju The most striking element of Cherie Dimaline’s young adult book, The Marrow Thieves, is perhaps its premise: the earth has been ravaged by global warming. While most humans have lost the ability to dream, the indigenous people of North America have not. As a result, they are hunted and harvested for their bone marrow, their ability to dream laced … Continue reading The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
Educated by Tara Westover
a bookclique pick by Jessica Flaxman Since well before the publication of Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s 1762 treatise on education, Emile, people have wondered whether formally schooling children is more helpful or harmful to the development of free and critical thinkers. In Educated, a powerful memoir of growing up without any formal education until the age of seventeen, historian Tara Westover offers a nuanced picture of a … Continue reading Educated by Tara Westover
Hymn to the Reckless by Erin Fornoff
a bookclique pick by Mela Frye One of life’s greater hazards is befriending writers. One dreads the disappointment of art not equalling life, of having to lie — OR, to tell the truth. In some writerly friendships, however, one discovers a union of pleasure and relief. Such is the happy case with Erin Fornoff and her beautiful debut collection of poems, Hymn to the Reckless. … Continue reading Hymn to the Reckless by Erin Fornoff
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
a bookclique pick by Jessica Flaxman A young girl is seduced by an older man in fine clothing. A kind but sickly visitor to the girl’s mother’s boarding house marries the girl and raises her illegitimate son as his own. The spurned biological father haunts and protects the girl, now woman, and her family throughout their long lives. Set against the backdrop of the Japanese … Continue reading Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay
a bookclique pick by Ari Pinkus You don’t have to be a Jane Austen fan to become enraptured in The Austen Escape. Katherine Reay’s latest women’s fiction novel is very much a classic coming-of-age story with historic and modern twists. Even the two settings are emblematic of old and new eras. The novel opens in Austin, Texas, a tech hub, where the main character, Mary … Continue reading The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay
I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O’Farrell
a bookclique pick by Katrina Smith I am, I am, I am… determined? Adventurous? Courageous? Or at least I intend to be more so after reading Maggie O’Farrell’s memoir I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death. The acclaimed Northern Irish author of novels such as This Must Be the Place and After You’d Gone has spun together a series of autobiographical tales … Continue reading I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O’Farrell
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
a bookclique pick by Ann Klotz I bought Turtles All the Way Down in an airport last fall, expecting to donate it to my school library. I read it in one gulp on the plane. Since then, I’ve shared the book with three high school students and acquired a second copy that I keep lending to girls who say, “Oooh, can I borrow that?” Green’s depiction of … Continue reading Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
Bookclique’s Best: First Quarter Roundup
bookclique presents… the most popular reviews from January to March 2018. People are definitely craving good fiction so far this year! #1) The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas — a bookclique pick from Karen Marquis Derby #2) Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan — a bookclique pick from Jessica Flaxman #3) Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng — a bookclique pick from Lindsey Mead #4) … Continue reading Bookclique’s Best: First Quarter Roundup
Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood
a bookclique pick from Laura Dickerman Patricia Lockwood, author of the fascinating memoir, Priestdaddy, is often referred to as the “poet laureate of Twitter,” who first burst into the public sphere when her powerful piece, “Rape Joke” went viral. Lockwood is a poet first and foremost, and her sentences hum with precision, originality, and beauty. Although the vividness and specificity of her language is compelling in … Continue reading Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood
Glass Houses by Louise Penny
a bookclique pick by Cricket Mikheev Glass Houses is the latest installment of Louise Penny’s mystery series featuring Quebecois detective, Armand Gamache. With a wide-ranging and culturally astute plot, this sweeping novel takes on the opioid crisis, the tradition of cobrador del frac, and college friendships as well as themes of shame, conscience, and, of course, murder. This sounds heavy. This sounds dark. And it … Continue reading Glass Houses by Louise Penny
