Missed Connections: Books You May Have Overlooked in 2016
You may not have seen the new release back in June that was perfect for you, but it saw you. This book has flown under the radar, quiet and mysterious, full of beautiful pages that are just waiting for you to set eyes on them. Overlooked books are stepping up and reaching out, hoping to spark your memory or even your heart. They are seeking you out from the millions of other readers in this crazy world, eager for you to remember the first time you met. So go on, take a chance. The right book might have been there all along.
⭐️ Saw you with a copy of Saving Francesca. We should chat. — b4r
Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil by Melina Marchetta
“I grew up reading Melina Marchetta’s young adult novels — Saving Francesca is a defining work of the genre that everyone needs to read — so when I discovered she was writing an adult novel, I was overjoyed. This book is very, very different from anything she’s ever written. It’s hard to describe, but essentially, it’s the story of a middle-aged London cop who makes it his mission to discover what happened in the aftermath of a terrorist attack that involved his teenage daughter. But the book is so much more than that: it’s a thriller, it’s a commentary on Islamophobia in the wake of 9/11; it’s a family drama; it’s even a romance, at times. Marchetta shifts seamlessly between dozens of perspectives to show readers how many lives can be destroyed by the actions of one single person in one single moment.”
— Cristina Arreola at Bustle.com
⭐️ Poet searching for something beautiful and haunting. - b4r
Night Sky With Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong
“I feel like Ocean Vuong’s poetry collection Night Sky with Exit Wounds is an open secret in the book world — If you read poems, you’re probably already obsessing, but if you are unfamiliar with the genre, Ocean Vuong is likely still a mystery to you. The poems in Night Sky are beautiful, visceral and haunting looks at love, family, grief and all the other things that make us human.”
⭐️ On the subway, dragging a suitcase — world-weary? Let’s stay in -b4r
White Sands by Geoff Dyer
“The strength of Geoff Dyer’s oeuvre may lie in its being ‘overlooked’, if not in actual fact — he’s won plenty of recognition for his defiantly wide-ranging outlook and the absurd variety of the topics and genres he writes in. More that his perspective is so consistently one of the outsider who knows everything about the inside of whatever it is he’s outside of, be it jazz lore, the art world, military life, literary history. White Sands seemed to come and go with little fanfare, but in collecting the writings of a truly strange and truly grouchy thinker as he ranges across the “Outside World” (that is, everywhere beyond the comforts of home/inside Dyer’s own head, be it French Polynesia, Beijing’s Forbidden City, Walter de Maria’s Lightning Field outside Quemado, New Mexico, or the hospital near his house in LA), it’s a weird, uneven little rough gem.”
— Peter E, Events Team at Strand
⭐️ Ready to thrill. Not afraid to talk politics. -b4r
Ghosts of War (Pike Logan Thriller) by Brad Taylor
“A timely thriller centering around U.S.-Russians relations and the escalating tension between the two super-powers. Throw in a Russian biker gang and the Israeli mafia and you get a fast paced ride by the rising star of thriller fiction. Perfect gift for dads.”
— David H, 2nd Floor Bookseller at Strand
⭐️ Let me lift your spirit and remind you how strong you are. -b4r
The House at the Edge of Night by Catherine Banner
“The House at the Edge of Night was definitely overlooked in 2016. I loved the book so much. It’s as good, if not better, than Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels. Catherine Banner tells a beautiful family saga that takes place on a small island, called Castellamare, off the coast of Sicily. The island is full of myths and its inhabitants are colorful characters who weather wars and other disasters like the financial crisis in 2008 together in their small community. The women are the backbone of the island and the source of strength. I love that Banner’s world uplifts and is one where endurance fueled by love triumphs.”
— Uli Beutter Cohen of Subway Book Review
⭐️ Unique, punk spirit writing away in the stacks — b4r
My Body’s Made of Crushed Little Crushes by Maud Pryor
“This just-released poetry book is gross, sexy, political and, above all else, beautifully written and wholly unique. After countless zines (including the long-running vegan punk zine, Marmalade Umlat) and two very good chapbooks, My Body’s Made of Crushed Little Crushes (dig the Mitski reference) is the first official release from Strand’s own resident Punk Poet.”
— Greg L., Design Team at Strand
⭐️ Great with kids. — b4r
Beautiful by Stacy McAnulty
“I read this book to my daughter all of the time. Not only does she love it, but it provides an uplifting and important message. This would be a great gift for any little girl.”
— Aaron J, Tables at Strand
⭐️ You need to cry it out? I’m here 4 you. -b4r
The Loss of All Things by Amina Gautier
“The Loss of All Lost Things is a mesmerizing collection of short stories. Everyone has lost someone or something. Gautier manages to take this universal concept and guide the reader through each story. Grief, vulnerability, and hope are beautifully explored. The characters are human and heartbreaking. The book reads like a meditation on how to move forward when faced with devastating loss. She was also the winner of the Elixir Press 2014 Fiction Award! Full disclosure this book is very, very sad. But I love crying when I read.”
— Glory Edim of Well Read Black Girl
⭐️ “…going through the unimaginable”; I can relate. — b4r
Dog Run Moon by Callan Wink
“ [Dog Run Moon] got a fair amount of nice stuff written about it, but I thought it was a sleeper hit.”
— Cale H, Main Floor at Strand
⭐️ Saw you in Sci-Fi section, a Galaxy not so far away. — b4r
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
“A fun, funny book about what it’s like to learn to live with people and grow to love them … but in space. There’s bizarre aliens, planets, and intergalactic treaties, it’s great for sci-fi fans. Chamber is creative in a way that fills your imagination and make you want to explore the galaxy while also featuring complex characters that will keep you reading.”
— Andrea K, Communications at Strand
⭐️ Enemies at work — something else at home? Let’s find out — b4r
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
“[It’s] a really really cute book that’s a classic 90’s style rom-com made out of words. A workplace feud between two publishing assistants who couldn’t be more different that escalates into…something else? Something more?”
— Sky F, Books by the Foot at Strand
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