How quintessentially inspired that Lonely Planet’s 500-stop global gastronomy tour begins not with flashiness and flair, but by lauding what’s simple: “battered white asparagus, a tuna and anchovy tart or maybe mushrooms braised in... Read More

Mournful and animate, Yenta Mash’s stories ingather Romanian shtetl lives before, during, and after Soviet disruptions. Each story is a microcosm of the Jewish diaspora: “as long as they bother to go after us, we can be sure we still... Read More

In Christian Felt’s eerie and wondrous "The Lightning Jar", an outwardly ordinary Swedish family’s history is plumbed for its most extraordinary dreams and aspirations. Amanda and Karl spend their summer perched on the edge of a... Read More

“Some risks are worth taking, but it’s better not to ask why,” writes David Shulman. “Then there are the risks that you have to take if you want to feel human.” This reflection comes after another long day of resistance in... Read More

Marjorie Agosín’s essays positively ache at moments: when she’s describing what it’s like to make home in a liminal space; as she calls out across time to memorialize family members who were brutally ripped away. And yet... Read More

Illusions and ghosts populate Sara Gallardo’s stories, collected here in "Land of Smoke". These are tales in which a dream come true—a cozy retirement among the flowers; the ability to fly—is apt to quickly become nightmarish, and... Read More

Andromeda Romano-Lax’s near-future novel, "Plum Rains", gracefully explores ethical questions around artificial intelligence with refreshing humanity. Anji already has worries aplenty when her employer, Itou, surprises their household... Read More

On its surface, "Mother of Invention" is a quasi-feminist speculative novel about reinventing the way that women give birth. In her forties and childless only partially by choice, Tessa, a biotech whiz, finds the prospect of shortening... Read More