Jul 31, 20202 min read

Friday Book Debrief Vol 34

Every week we’re sharing what our some of our writers are currently reading.

For all of our US readers, we now have our own Bookshop! You can find the full list of the below books here and with every purchase you will be helping local independent bookstores! If you do not live in the US please support your local independent stores, lots are now doing local deliveries and they need your help more then ever in these uncertain times. - ❤️

Abolish Silicon Valley by Wendy Liu - Jessica

After my gushing review of Anna Weiner's Uncanny Valley earlier in the year, this was recommended to me by a friend - a similar novelistic memoir of life at startups that segues into rallying cry to save technology from the clutches of capitalism. Although it's heavier on political theory than Weiner's approach, it's still a page turner, and with the current state of the news agenda, I haven't been able to put it down.

Buy it here.

You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria - Mel

This is the hot romance I’ve been craving all summer! The connection between Jasmine and Ashton, the main characters of a new Latinx-led soap opera, is obvious in front of the camera, as well as behind the scenes, whether or not it becomes more than just good chemistry is up to them.

Buy it here.

The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta - Melissa

Tom Perrotta is one of the very few male authors I will read. I love his style and voice - they're irreplaceable! The main character (so far) is a female sex educator, and what I like most about Perrotta is that he can write from the viewpoint of a woman without turning her into a caricature. I'm only one chapter in, so I'm excited to see what's ahead!

Buy it here.

The Return by Dulce Maria Cardoso - Christina

Racist, misogynist, homophobic and only 15 years old, Rui is part of the 500 thousand white Portuguese who flee the African colonies after their independence. Stuck in a hotel room in grey, unwelcoming Lisbon and wondering if his father is still alive, he navigates through adolescence and a deep, unsettling wound in European history.

Buy it here.