Westover's Educated was a real page-turner, made all the more head-shaking because it's all true. Westover's revelations about her family are leavened by her clear-eyed self-awareness. It's the best kind of memoir.
Get Educated here: https://a.co/d/00KF04ZK
I have had the novel, Fives and Twenty-Fives, on my nightstand for a re-read for a good while now, and it really stands up. Pitre's narrative moves across a swath of characters and viewpoints, all of whom feel very authentic.
Get Fives and Twenty-Fives here: https://a.co/d/0bXi5xCj
Charles Bock's Beautiful Children made a big splash both nationally and here locally when it came out in 2008, and I wondered if it would hold up. I'm happy to report that it really does. It's a sublime work of fiction, the kind of story that rings scarily & heartbreakingly true. Though much of its subject matter & setting seems prurient, Bock wonderfully humanizes even the most traumatic incidents. This is a novel that haunts me, not least because it really nails my hometown.
Get Beautiful Children here: https://a.co/d/07PtKlD3
Mark Manson's The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is a brilliant, contemporary reworking of the stoic viewpoint. Manson does more than just make a standup routine out of ancient Greek wisdom; he merely uses the punchline of this title to draw readers into a more considered discussion, complete with modern examples. I know far too many people who could take a few lessons from this book, myself included.
Get The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck here: https://a.co/d/00xo9c6A
Harry Fagel's Bellowing At The Volcano is his latest poetry collection, and it's a truly monumental book. Fagel's work is a lyrical autobiography, a kind of secular Pilgrim's Progress, rendered in a unique & passionate voice.
Get Bellowing At The Volcano here: https://www.zeitgeist-press.com/index.php/product/bellowing-at-the-volcano/
