msjamgochian'sinfinitebooklist

Craving a little sci-fi with your we all die alone ennui? I.N.J Culbard's intense depiction of the human condition post-event (although we're not certain that said event actually happened, or what said event may have been) is just the thing. Culbard tells his tale in three parallel narratives, featuring three lonely people: a young girl living with albinism in London, a Japanese comic artist on the brink of taking his own life, and an uptight man stuck in LA gridlock who has just received a mysterious interrupted phone call concerning his wife. The story itself is interesting enough, but what sets Celeste apart is Culbard's phenomenal, one might even say stellar, artwork: a mix of masterful single, multiple, and otherwise mixed-up panels that provide depth for his characters in a way that words never do. While some readers might find the open ending frustrating, I was delighted by the ambiguity and appreciated the opportunity for imaginative interpretation throughout the w...

I'm not a team sports enthusiast. Truly, I'm vehemently anti-athletics of the team variety, since, among more virtuous geopolitical reasons, they remind me of being tortured by jocks as a new wave teen. Still, I relished Bachelder's book, because it isn't really about organized sport. Rather, it's a near-scientific observation of twenty-two men in the throes of middle life who have gathered annually for the last sixteen years to reenact Joe Theismann's 1985 leg-shattering play, known as "The Throwback Special," laced with heavy doses of bittersweet humor - a favorite flavor of mine. Those of you who miss the pleasure of eavesdropping on humans conversing in public spaces* will appreciate the low- and high-brow overheard philosophical gems sprinkled throughout the work as the men, largely begrudgingly, prepare for a ritual many of them are no longer emotionally invested in. Reading it felt like the best kind of being invisible: reader as witness to a c...

Looking for love in unusual places? I've assembled a group of picks that aren't your standard romance fare - although if it is cheesy romance that you need, I'll gladly be your supplier. In the historical fiction category are three unforgettable love stories, all of which happened to win the Booker prize: Richard Flanagan's heartwrenching The Narrow Road to the Deep North, A.S. Byatt's sumptuous and suspenseful Possession; and Peter Carey's unforgettable tale of misfit love, Oscar and Lucinda. In the YA lit arena, three sad love stand-outs all evolve around mixed race romance; Ashley Hope Perez's Out of Darkness, Jodi Lynn Anderson's Tigerlily, and Martha Brockenbrough's The Game of Love and Death will make your heart hurt just the right way. Only have time for a little love? Check out David Levithan's love lexicon, The Lover's Dictionary, Junot Diaz's smart and funny This is How You Lose Her, or Carlos Fuentes' thinly-veiled trib...

Need a little something-something to melt away the madness? If you unwittingly made it through the 90s without reading Griffin & Sabine, as I did, you'll find it's just the thing: a delightful anachronistic correspondence via painted carte-postale tucked into actual envelopes, a slow getting-to-know-you, a return to the possibility and pleasure of mystery between two near-strangers. It's a puzzle, it's a love story, it's an artful multi-media mezcla. Griffin, a painter living in London, receives a postcard from Sabine, an artist who designs stamps for a living on a small island in the South Pacific. They have never met, but Sabine can see Griffin's brushstrokes in her mind as he works. Unable to resist the allure of the unknown, Griffin replies with a postcard of his own, and the two of them embark upon their nonnormative relationship with intrigue and aplomb. My only frustration is not having access to the rest of the collection until June! Merci, magnifi...

Girlfriends Bridge, Tab, and Em are a self-determined set; they have Twinkie-sworn* to remain fight-free through their seventh grade year. Their pledge is put to the test as they navigate through conflicts both candid and contemporary - Tab joins a feminist club, Em finds herself in a selfie shaming fiasco, and Bridge isn't sure if her friend Sherm is just a friend. What I love most about award-winning Ms. Stead's latest is a notable absence of typically clichéd treatment of middle school life. Rather, her cast of characters provide a refreshingly real rendition of what it means to be human, not just a middle schooler. GS is a perfect match for tween or teen book clubs, and would be a welcome addition to reading rec lists for the same audience. Click here for a full review. Grade 6+ * a Twinkie-swear is not a Pinkie- swear

Voila: my 2016 librarian picks - although there was much to be sad about in 2016, it was an exceptionally good year for reading. At the top of the list this year is Paul Beatty's latest, The Sellout, which made me laugh while I cried and made history as the first novel written by an American author to win the Booker prize; Ashley Hope Perez's Out of Darkness and Martha Brockenbrough's The Game of Love and Death were singular stand-outs in the YA Lit poignantly-contemporary-even-though-it's-historical fiction arena; Louise Erdrich's heartwrenching yet surprisingly uplifting LaRose was the sleeper hit of the year; Mat Jonson's ABA winner, Loving Day, tackled love, race and ghosts; Adrian Tomine returned to his special brand of wry observation with Killing and Dying; and finally, two stunning prize-winning poetry collections from American Book Award winner Laura Da' and Whiting Award winner Ocean Vuong rounded out my end-of-the-year recommendations wit...

A brilliant, beguiling and beautiful book set in Depression-era Seattle in the 1930s, TGOLAD tells the at once heartbreaking and hopeful love story of African American chanteuse Flora Saudade and adopted wealthy white boy Henry Bishop. Forever foes Love and Death are playing a game: Flora and Henry are their unknowing pawns. A pitch-perfect Seattle setting, an indelible ensemble cast of characters, and a hefty dose of high-stakes legerdemain all come together in a mesmerizing cacophony that will keep you turning the pages well into the night. I had the distinct pleasure of listening to Ms. Brockenbrough read at the Washington State Book Awards; the notes of her voice floating through the air were every bit as gorgeous as her words on the page. Not to be missed! Click here for a trailer and here for a full review . Grade 8+

Seventh-grader Suzy Swanson is in the unenviable position of losing her childhood best friend Franny twice: once when said best friend becomes popular, leaving Suzy behind, and again, after their friendship has ended, when Franny drowns during summer vacation. When she is told about Franny's death, Suzy sets aside her tears, stops talking, and sets herself to the task of proving that Franny, an excellent swimmer, was in fact killed by a jellyfish. Ali Benjamin's debut bestselling National Book Award nominee perfectly captures the agony of being a middle school girl who loses her closest companion to the dark side (in this case, the mean girls crowd). A fair dose of funny bits and a decidedly human supporting cast make TTAJ an exceptional read. A sweet, cozy, thoughtful book perfect for middle school readers who enjoy realistic fiction. Click here for Ali Benjamin's intro to the book . Grade 6+

Living in Delhi is an unforgettable experience. Although I spent only two years of my life there, the memorable mix of scent, sounds, and suffocating yet spellbinding strangeness of the city simmers right under my skin, and delving into The Association of Small Bombs brought me right back. Unsurprisingly, the novel sets off with a bombing at Lajpat Nagar - the explosives themselves tucked into the innards of a Maruti 800 - and the resulting repercussions drive the story, centered around two Delhi families, one who loses a son in the blast and one who does not. TAOSB is a gripping novel, and its contemporary connections between poverty and terrorism make it the perfect read for our times. Give it to fans of The White Tiger, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, and A Case of Exploding Mangoes. Click here for a full review . Grade 11 +

A heart-warming story filled with gorgeous chiaroscuro illustrations that I read in one sitting, Peter Brown's debut middle-grade book is ultimately about making friends and creating family wherever you find yourself. Robot Roz wakes up on a remote island after the cargo ship she was on sinks at sea, and finds that she is anything but alone. A delightful cast of animal inhabitants make themselves known as Roz slowly becomes a contributing part of their community, adopting an orphaned gosling, teaching the creatures how to build lodges, and even protecting them from would-be predators. This is the perfect match for anyone who loves cozy stories with animals that aren't overly saccharine. Buy this one for all of your young reader friends, or relish it yourself! Grade 4+

The playlist concept was the best part of the book. Although I enjoyed Sam as a character, his reaction (and the response of the entire community) to his best friend's suicide was completely unbelievable. Add an ending that is overly complicated, throw in a new character a few chapters from said ending, and you have a book that tries hard but misses its mark. Read Jennifer Niven's spectacular All The Bright Places or Nina LaCoeur's unforgettable Hold Still instead. View all my reviews

Marrow Island by Alexis M. Smith My rating: 3 of 5 stars Twenty years after her father dies in an earthquake related disaster, journalist Lucie Bowen heads back to the island where it all happened. Although she is there to investigate the Marrow Colony, a group of environmentalists trying to remediate the damage done two decades prior, she ends up revisiting the past and rekindling a friendship with her childhood friend and sometimes girlfriend, Kate, who is still living on the island as a member of the colony. Part mystery, part romance, and part eco-thriller, this book is perfect if you are a PNW native or afficionado: it's set in Seattle, the San Juans, and other parts of Washington State. If you loved Station Eleven and are wanting more realistic post-fill-in-the-blank-disaster-pandemic-apocalypse fiction, you will find much to appreciate in MI: a lifelong love-friendship examined, a natural disaster paired with a man-made result, and a quiet calmness juxtaposed with chaos....

Seattle poet, essayist, and activist Emily Johnston's unforgettable book of environmental verse is meant to be read Puget Sound-side, which is exactly how I took it in: one section at a time each morning on the beach at Vashon with eagles flying overhead and ducks paddling a stone's throw away. Her Animals begins with an apology and ends with a plea, and in that way, it's a love letter to the planet, full of adoration, regret, and the quiet resonance of resignation that often comes when you know that it's likely too little too late. The book itself is lovely, all soft edges and chiaroscuro; if you are lucky enough to find one, avail yourself of one of the 99 specially bound and signed editions. The perfect holiday gift for fans of poetry, the quiet reader who has read everything, or the environmentalists in your life, Her Animals would also make a refreshing addition to the reading list for any Environmental Science course.Thank you, Peter and Joy, for bringing Ms. ...

Richard Siken's first collection, Crush, was a transformative read for me: the exact book at the exact time during a rather exacting year. When I read Scheherazade for the first time (I am eternally grateful to Ms. Sara Kelly for putting it in my poetry-addicted hands) I got goosebumps, and they didn't go away until I finished the rest of his gorgeous, unforgettable, razor-sharp work. Maybe that is why I found this new collection a little underwhelming. How does one follow up on exquisite undeniable perfection? Are you catching my drift? READ CRUSH . 

Jon Mosher and Ray Cappicciano are unlikely friends. Jon is the square and silent son of Jewish immigrants who barely survived the Holocaust; Ray is the town delinquent who lives alone with his violent war-veteran father. Together, along with Ray's newly-arrived girlfriend Karen, they struggle to escape the bleak landscape of small town Brewster and survive the quiet desperation that occurs when the people who should love you the most abuse you. A devastating, haunting, meticulously crafted coming-of-age story set in 1968 small-town America from award-winning author Mark Slouka that will stay with you long after the last page is turned. Click here for a full review.

A gorgeous, heart-wrenching, unforgettable read from award-winning Canadian author Miriam Toews, All My Puny Sorrows tells the story of two sisters, Elf and Frieda, living in the aftermath of their Mennonite upbringing and their father's suicide, and the love between them. Ms. Toews' tale masterfully blends dark and funny: just when the heaviness becomes too much, she adds a bit of lightness to keep you turning the pages. A stunningly spot-on portrayal of depression and the aching aftermath of suicide, not to be missed by fans of sad yet funny modern fiction. Click here for a full review.

Inspired by events in the life of Margaret Mead, Euphoria tells the story of three young, gifted, and passionate anthropologists in New Guinea in the 1930s and the love triangle that would be their undoing. At long last, a book that beautifully filled the void left behind by Richard Flanagan's The Narrow Road to the Deep North! Click here for a brief interview with Ms. King and here for a full review.

The Book of Memory Gaps by Cecilia Ruiz My rating: 4 of 5 stars What a lovely, lyrical, little book! I'm fascinated by the multitudinous manifestations of memory; Cecilia Ruiz deftly defines, describes, and depicts its influence on our lives via pages of illustrated vignettes. View all my reviews

Spark picks up right where Glow left off: a diminished Waverly has returned to the Empyrean, after escaping Anne Mather's clutches on enemy spaceship the New Horizon, to nurse her wounds and assess conditions. Wracked with guilt over the acts she was forced to commit on the New Horizon, she is surprised to find her boyfriend, Kieran, in self-imposed charge of the ship, acting as a semi-evangelical spiritual leader with an authoritarian approach. When Waverly discovers that Kieran has incarcerated hunky Seth Ardvale in the brig for treason, she decides he's taken his power too far. After an unxplained and frightening explosion rocks the Empyrean, Kieran points his paranoid finger at Waverly and Seth, who set out to discover the truth behind the terrorist act. Plenty of action will keep readers turning the pages, even though the plot gets a bit convoluted towards the end, and Waverly's new alliance with Seth turns up the heat on the romance angle. A solid follow-up that wil...

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.