Friday Book Debrief Vol 38

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. - ❤️

Mindf*ck by Christopher Wylie - Jessica

Just a few years late to this party, but I suddenly found myself questioning what Cambridge Analytica actually did, how, and to who. Written by the whistleblower who set it all up and then knocked it down again, this is a surprisingly gripping tale considering I've read endless headlines about what happened, and I'm glad I suddenly thought to go deeper.

Buy it here.

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Branwell by Douglas A. Martin - Maggie

Going in knowing very little about the Brontë family, I’m excited for a queer imagining.

Buy it here.

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The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore - Mel

This middle grade novel surprised me from the start by how emotive and observationally astute the 12-year-old narrator is right from the start. The unfortunate reason might be because he’s still grappling with the grief of losing his brother just a few months earlier.

Buy it here.

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The Mothers by Brit Bennett - Victoria

I read the first hundred pages of this a couple months ago and just couldn't get into it, even though I'd read so many good reviews. I set it aside and when I finally picked it up again two days ago, I flew through the rest of the book. Obviously it was a me problem the first time around. This is a lovely summer read, quick but with memorable characters and just the right amount of intrigue.

Buy it here.

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Joe College by Tom Perrotta - Melissa

I’m on a big Tom Perrotta kick! I just love his narrative voice and his characters always come to life right off the page.

Buy it here.

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The Patternist Series (Wild Seed, Mind of My Mind, Clay's Ark, The Patternmaster), Octavia E Butler - Aleks

I finished up my whirlwind through the Patternist series this week. All of Butler's work, with its themes of collectivism and mutuality, resonates deeply with me, but the breadth of imagination in this series, taking us from a dystopia we need hardly even work to imagine all the way to alternate species, psychic abilities, and a completely unrecognizable California coastline... Every moment is pure brilliance.

Buy it here.

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Space Invaders by Nona Fernández (Translated from the Spanish by Natasha Wimmer) - Jessica Maria

This Chilean novel is only 70 pages long but each brief page of the small book seems to contain more than I could ever hope to decipher. It’s enigmatic and I love it. It’s also for Women in Translation month which is about to end!

Buy it here.