macsbacks's blog

On the necessity of book clubs in plague time —

Art by Austin Kleon "Overheard on the Titanic"

Fall is the perfect time to curl up with a great work of historical fiction. This month we look at Maggie O'Farrell's rich new novel -

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

    Hamnet Shakespeare’s sliver of a life ended at age eleven, probably due to bubonic plague. While his name appears on the cover of Maggie O’Farrell’s (I Am I Am I Am) latest novel, the book is really about his mother, Agnes.

This month, in celebration of the much-anticipated publication of John "Derf" Backderf's Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio, we turn our focus on graphic novels as a conduit for gaining new perspectives on history - 

This month, we focus on the work of Latinx writers. The rich trove of books by authors and poets from Spanish-speaking countries and the U.S is one well worth diving into. We begin with one of our book club favorites - 

Review -

Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli

One thing that we hear repeatedly from many customers the past couple of months is that they are having a hard time focusing on reading. Maybe it’s the underlying stress of living in uncertain times, maybe it’s the lack of structure and the ennui inherent in having an entire day yawning in front of you with no social commitments. 

It's Pride Month! Celebrate all things LGBTQ+ with some great reads by queer authors. Here are a few of my favorites:

Review - On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

    Whew! What words can possibly be used to describe this book when the author has already used the most beautiful ones?

In these weird days of social distancing, I've been reading a lot of historical fiction. It's a great source of escape, comfort, and perspective to read about how people dealt with and overcame adversity in the past. Here's a great one that came out a couple of months ago - 

Review - The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

When I began, way back at the beginning of March, thinking of a theme for this month’s blog post, coronavirus was just some background noise in newsfeeds. Now that we are in nearly full shutdown mode, the world is a different place. We need to come up with new ways of working, of going about the everyday logistics of life, and of relating to those around us from a safe distance. I hope you are all staying safe and healthy. We miss all of our customers and look forward to the day when we can open our doors again and welcome you all in.

BOOK REVIEW - GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER BY BERNARDINE EVARISTO

This kaleidoscopic novel spins us through the lives of twelve Black British women, each with a clear, fierce voice. Their stories intertwine, spanning centuries. From beleaguered school teacher Shirley, to flamboyant playwright Amma, to nonbinary social media maven Megan/Morgan, the characters leap off the page.