Writer Crush Wednesday

Fresh from the thralls of writing a book, with all its inherent stress of endless edits and inevitable doubts, debut writers have conquered the hardest part of publishing a book; actually doing it! These are the authors and their debut babies that we’re already obsessing over. Pop in every week to catch the latest debut writer we’re seriously crushing on.

Wednesday, March 1
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Brilliant, stunning, powerful, emotional; this is a searing debut from Angie Thomas that is quickly making its way onto YA required reading lists. Starr’s precarious balance between home and school is shattered when she witnesses her best friend Kahlil killed by the police. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, The Hate U Give leads by example in portraying an honest, realistic and diverse voice that reflects the generation of readers it most represents.

Wednesday, February 15
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

National Book Award-nominated short story master George Saunders knocks it out of the park with Lincoln in the Bardo, his first foray into the full-length novel. An impossibly empathetic and generous whirlwind of voices and ideas, Lincoln delves into the 16th president’s personal dark night of the soul as well as the primordial conflict that raged under his administration, plunging his beloved son, Willie, into the afterlife, where he commingles with ghosts and engaging in another monumental war. It’s an unforgettable tale, spectacularly wise and emotionally wide-ranging, and formally risky in the best way. Saunders looks backward in American and global history, asking fundamental questions while pushing his form forward.

Wednesday, February 1
The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker

A vibrant debut about two women, friends, artists, animators, on the verge of breaking through the animation scene with a brave new film. With a starred review in Kirkus and Publisher’s Weekly, Whitaker’s captivating book draws on trailblazing cartoonists and comics artists to explore the creative process, the nuances between creative partners, and the cost of turning one’s private life into public art.

Wednesday, January 25
Idaho by Emily Ruskovich

This debut from Ruskovich, winner of the O. Henry Prize, is beautiful inside and out, rooted in family, sacrifice and the deep understanding of both. Wade’s memory is quickly fading but his wife Ann begins to piece together the mysteries surrounding his past. Hidden in history is Wade’s first wife and daughters and one act that split them all apart. Told from several perspectives, we gradually learn the haunting truth that shattered their family, and how its memory still ripples throughout their lives.

Need more books? Check out our newsletter for the latest and greatest.