"Plum" is Andy Anderegg’s wise and touching novel about a woman’s struggle to heal from a childhood of neglect and abuse. J grows up sad and lonely because of her parents’ substance abuse, depression, and rage. To the outside... Read More

Jennifer Heath’s fabulistic short story collection "The Jewel and the Ember" celebrates love as it’s found in ancient texts. Inspired by Golden Age cinema, including Samson and Delilah, and by the idea of love itself, Heath retells... Read More

Joonas Sildre’s graphic biography "Between Two Sounds" is about Estonian composer Arvo Pärt’s lifelong quest to break new ground. In 1939, Pärt discovered an old, broken piano in his family’s new apartment. He developed his... Read More

Literature professor Michael Bérubé’s "The Ex-Human" delves into science fiction works that envision postapocalyptic worlds and the possible extinction of the human race. The book focuses on an intriguing range of authors, including... Read More

A novel about sisterhood, witch hunts, common cruelties, and survival, Anna Noyes’s "The Blue Maiden" pulses with earthy magic. “They attacked me”: it’s a faint admission breathed into the cellar dark, on the night when Bea and... Read More

Two friends share their dreams and troubles in Chiara Lagani and Mara Cerri’s graphic novel adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s "My Brilliant Friend". Elena and Lila have known each other for decades, so Elena is not surprised when Lila... Read More

"Meetings with Remarkable Mushrooms" is a delightful exploration of an often-overlooked aspect of the natural world: the fungi that are essential to the health of the planet. Alison Pouliot contends that fungi are often misunderstood or... Read More

Shilpi Suneja’s novel "House of Caravans" depicts the turbulent end of British-ruled India along with the ensuing violence amid the region’s Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs. Beyond this time of ravaged independence and the 1947... Read More