Friday Book Debrief Vol 42

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. - ❤️

Guillotine by Eduardo C. Corral - Karen

You can chew, and chew, and chew on something until it becomes masticated enough for you to swallow. The process of this swallowing allows the substance to go down somewhat easily but the experience and the exquisiteness of the meal isn't diluted by the chewing. If anything it has made the meal more savory. This has been my experience while reading Guillotine by Eduardo C. Corral, a book of poems that ranges from themes of love, abuse, scars that remain after experiences, border crossing, betrayals, violence in the name of love, and the greatest thing about this collection is how much you are present in the poems. Corral does an amazing job at making you feel the atmosphere around you and the feelings that are on the page jump out and tattoo themselves against your skin. Branding themselves in a way that makes this collection unforgettable.

Buy it here.

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Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo - Mel

As I gobbled up 100 pages in a single sitting, I’m truly in awe of how Acevedo continues to outdo herself. I enjoyed her previous two books, but I’m blown away by the writing here, so full of emotion it is not-so-slowly dismantling my heart.

Buy it here.

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The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls - Melissa

I loved The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, so when I saw this at Goodwill, I had to pick it up. So far, it definitely has Glass Castle vibes... but with a different sort of fictional spin.

Buy it here.

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Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert - Cecilia

All I can say is Zaf > Redford. No contest.

Buy it here.

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Girl A by Abigail Dean - Courtney

While this novel isn’t out until Jan 2021 it is one to set your calendars for. Lex is Girl A. She escaped from the notorious house of horrors, freeing her and her siblings from the terrifying mistreatment of their parents. Now their Mother is dead and they must all sign off to agree what is done with the house. This book is quite spectacular, setting itself apart from normal psychological thrillers as it delves into life AFTER the horrors. A really thrilling & emotionally charged read that I think will take the world by storm!

Pre-order it here.

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Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again by Katherine Angel - Maggie

I love books that center women’s pleasure and I am PLOWING through my advanced copy of Angel’s latest on Netgalley. Her emphasis on the illusions we have on perfect self-knowledge in the realm of consent is so thought provoking and I know I will back to it frequently.

Pre-order it here.

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The Sea Needs No Ornament/ El Mar No Necesita Ornamento edited and translated by Loretta Collins Klobah and Maria Grau Perejoan - Akilah

Till now I'd never read an introduction to a translation that got me as excited as this one: the insight into their translation process and methodology; insight into circumstances of the book's production in Puerto Rico after two hurricanes; the resistance to imposing any identification on the contributors in their bios, recognising the writers' power to name themselves within and amongst localities, genders, sexualities, beings. Then Gloriann Sacha Antonetty Lebrón's first poem draws me to "that little box / full of hair and secrets".

I expect this bilingual anthology of Caribbean Woman poets to be one of my best reads for the year.

Buy it here.

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Strange Hotel by Eimear McBride - Nikki

I've only just started this slim little novel, but Eimear McBride is one of my favorite authors at work today. Excited to see how I like this one.

Buy it here.

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Middlegame by Seanan McGuire - Aleks

If you're like me, you're still nursing your book hangover from The Night Circus in 2011. You might've felt it abate slightly in 2019 with the release of The Ten Thousand Doors of January, and I offer up another 2019 release to bring you back to the world of magic, the power of imagination, the bond of friendship and siblings, and all things magical realist adventure. It's a good time, folks. Enjoy!

Buy it here.

Running by Natalia Sylvester - Jessica Maria

Halfway through, and I already know this is a YA gem. 15-year-old Mari is facing a lot of pressure from a dad who is running for president, and from her whole family. I have no idea where the book will go, and I love that feeling, and this character!

Buy it here.