msjamgochian'sinfinitebooklist

A delectable and delightful collection of 40 essays about food around the world, brought to you by the erudite and entertaining Vogue food critic, Jeffrey Steingarten (whose credentials include a host of James Beard awards, a Chevalier of the Order of Merit appointment by the Republic of France, and a stint as a judge on Iron Chef). Both informative and hilarious, TMWAE is the perfect dish for anyone who loves food. Includes recipes! Click here for a full review.

If you only read one ya novel this year, All The Bright Places should be it. Theodore, suffering from bipolar disorder, and Violet, griefstruck after her beloved sister's untimely death, meet on top of a tower: he's about to jump off and she's considering it. He pulls her back from the edge, beginning a friendship that turns into a sweet, sad, intense romance as the two of them pair up on a class project that involves tooling around their home state of Indiana. Is there anything better than two broken misfits finding happiness, albeit temporarily, in each other? Ms. Niven masterfully, authentically, and mindfully depicts teen suicide (she is a survivor herself) without over-dramatizing or alienating her readers. The perfect match for fans of Eleanor & Park and The Fault in Our Stars. View all my reviews

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven made both of our top picks lists this year. A gorgeous, haunting, lyrical novel that made us nostalgic for the future. We were both equally enamored with The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender , by Leslye Walton. Jeff Vandermeer's Southern Reach Trilogy and Ramez Naam's Nexus enchanted us with scintillating and supernatural science. Rounding out this year's list are Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's award-winning novel, Americanah , and Helen Oyeyemi's postmodern riff on post-race ideology, Boy, Snow, Bird .

A compelling, crafty, and often times funny look at Seattle comic artist Ellen Forney's battle with bipolar disorder, from diagnosis to finally finding the correct medication cocktail. Forney doesn't allow personal vanity to get in the way of this raw depiction of mental illness, and her beautiful artwork stands on its own. She deftly confronts the questions that many artists face when weighing 'fixing themselves:' Will it destroy my art? Will I be less creative? Not to be missed for Forney fans, Seattleites, or readers who enjoy Alison Bechdel's work. Grade 11+

"The war tried to kill us in the spring." So begins this unforgettable, unflinching, uncompromising look at the Iraq war and its impact on the life of a soldier from debut novelist, national book award finalist, and former soldier Kevin Powers. 21 year-old Private John Bartle unravels his story in poetic prose that shifts between his preservice days in 2003, his time as a private in Al Tafar in 2004, and his personal aftermath in 2009. The perfect addition to a study of war and not to be missed. Click here for a full review. Grade 10+

Glaciers by Alexis M. Smith from gerard donaghy on Vimeo . This little book was just the thing after a long day of noise and action. Ms. Smith's writing has the soothing effect of a massage: "The cool fabric settles over her skin, and she thinks how this might be the first time in decades that a warm body has filled this space. She reaches behind her for the zipper and feels the fabric tighten around her as she draws it up to her midback, then stretch perfectly across her shoulders as she tugs it the last few inches up her spine. It's never the wedding dresses, you know... Not the death-do-us-part dresses. It's those first lovely dresses: the slow dance dresses, the good-night-kiss dresses. It's those first pangs that we hold on to." Glaciers is the perfect book for thoughtful, reflective readers. Give it to all the quiet, vintage-loving, introverted, lovelies in your life. Thanks, Alegria! Grade 9+

A hilarious yet sad debut novel set in San Francisco, TDDNI, revolves around a series of murders and the life of recent MFA graduate Korean-American Philip Kim. When his baby boomer neighbor is shot, and turns out to be a semi-famous adult film star named "The Grey Beaver," he unwillingly gets caught up in the ensuing investigation, and becomes the target of a complicated, dangerous scheme. Underneath the light is an incredibly dark look at what it means to be Korean-American, especially in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings. If you live or have ever lived in San Francisco, where much of the early action takes place, you'll enjoy Kim's stinging yet delightfully comical portrayal of the city and all of the local references. Click here for a full review . Grade 12+