Hey everyone! I’m back with another set of book recommendations for you, joined by the amazing Lauren! Look, it’s the middle of February. It’s cold. We’re almost halfway through the semester. It can be a little rough. So, to warm your poor academic-ed out hearts, here are five fiction book recs from Lauren and I to keep you cozy even in the coldest of these winter days.
As Far As You’ll Take Me By Phil Stamper
I devoured this book in three days, and while that happened plenty back in middle school, it’s a true rarity now. Marty, the main character, draws you in from the very first page and doesn’t let you go. He’s caught in a swirl of his own anxiety, and that gives a sense of urgency to the writing. Even though Marty hates change, he’s using his dual citizenship to run away to London to live with his cousin, Shane, and try to land a gig playing oboe in an orchestra. In London, Marty feels like he can finally breathe and is relieved he can be out now that he’s escaped his homophobic, deeply religious town. Even though he’s living his dream with his first boyfriend and a slew of new friends, Marty can’t escape his unresolved relationships. The book is relatable and realistic; Phil doesn’t shy away from the messiness of life, while also celebrating the new moments of joy that come with growing up and moving out. His first book, The Gravity of Us, was wonderful, but As Far As You’ll Take Me shows his writing has truly leveled up. – LB
Florida by Lauren Groff
Whenever I’m in a reading rut, I turn to short stories. Florida was one of the first short story collections I truly fell in love with, and read straight through in one day. Florida is a series of unconnected short stories, all drawn together with the through-line of the natural elements and the location (can you guess where?) Groff’s prose is haunting and languid, truly placing you in the swaps and suburbs of Groff’s Florida. The stories can be upsetting, one section tracking two young girls stuck on a small island or eerily meditative, in the case of a middle-aged mother walking around her neighborhood. They’re disjointed and gorgeous, enticing the reader by burying you deep in the environment along with the people of the stories. It’s a beautiful portrait of humanity and nature, and our intertwining existences. – JG
The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon
I’m not a big romance reader outside of YA (If we’re being honest, I don’t read much fiction that’s not YA even though I’m in college). But one of my favorite YA writers released her first book for adults, so of course, I had to read it. Turns out romance isn’t so scary after all. The Ex Talk chronicles the happenings at a public radio station in Seattle. When the station needs a fresh show, Shay pitches a relationship advice show hosted by two exes. While they don’t have a set of radio-qualified exes on hand, they do have Shay and Dominic. Dominic is just out of grad school and Shay has been a producer at the station for ten years, and they’ve spent the four months Domonic’s worked there sparring around the office. Their little white lie leads to a hit show, but it starts to get messy when Dominic and Shay start having real feelings for each other. The romance is perfect and the drama of launching the show keeps the pages turning. Shay is intelligent but insecure about not being adult enough for almost thirty. Dominic breaks toxic romance tropes to be sweet, adorable, and attentive, even when he and Shay hit rough patches. I couldn’t put this one down. – LB
The Friend by Sigrid Nunez
We all love a good dog story, right? The Friend details an unraveling woman as she grapples with the death of a beloved (and very complicated) friend and the giant Great Dane she has inherited from him. We’re given no names of the characters in the book, save for the dog: Apollo. Because of this and the unique memoir/letter/interior monologue format, it can be a bit puzzling to follow at times, but the overall feel of the story sinks deep into your (dog) bones (applause track, please). The book itself is short, around 200 pages, but the tale (tail!) of a massive dog and his new owner is meandering in a way that makes it feel much longer. Plus, it’s set in New York in case you’re missing the city. A fascinating story of grief, loss, and bizarre friendship, The Friend is a lovely read. – JG
Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi
I actually read Emergency Contact a few years ago when it first came out, but I decided to read it again now that I’m in my freshman year of college, just like the main character, Penny. At UT, Penny is excited to get to study creative writing even if she’s less than overjoyed about having to share a room with her overly-sunny new dorm mate. At the trendy new coffee shop on the first day, she meets Sam, a twenty-one-year-old aspiring filmmaker, and baking master. After running into each other a couple of times, they trade phone numbers and become “emergency contacts”. Really, that means they just text each other constantly about all of their problems. This book serves up a perfect slow burn romance, tons of college realism, and a healthy amount of respect for relationships that mostly take shape through cell phones. – LB
As always, the links above take you to McNally Jackson, a great NYC-based bookstore.
Happy reading!
<3 Jess and Lauren