A Sudden Light | Author: Garth Stein | Rating: 8/11 | Though A Sudden Light is clearly a work of fiction, it reads more as equal parts fictionalized biography and campfire ghost story, with an enjoyable – yet ultimately predictable – ending. Set in the 1990’s, A Sudden Light tells the story of the Riddell family throughout the preceding century […]

A History of New York in 101 Objects | Author: Sam Roberts | Rating: 11/11 | Have you ever wondered how the New York Public Library began? What about the historical roots behind some of the street names that are recognizable to so many the world over? Do you ever just marvel at the wonder of such an amazing, vibrant, […]

Who Killed Mister Moonlight? Bauhaus, Black Magick, and Benediction | Author: David J. Haskins  | Rating: 9/11 Known for their tediously abrasive (but strikingly beautiful) take on post-punk which quickly became regarded as the music aesthetic of “goth,” Bauhaus is possibly the most critically underrated band of the 20th century. With an appearance as ineffably chic as it is ineffably deathly (their […]

The Rest of Us | Author: Jessica Lott | Rating: 9/11 | If ever you were to NOT want to judge a book by its (back) cover, this would be that time. Jessica Lott’s debut novel is a heart-wrenching, soaring work of fiction that spans the depth of human emotion while telling a love story that just may surprise you. […]

Lessons in French | Author: Hilary Reyl | Rating: 8/11 | Breakout novelist Hilary Reyl puts a modern spin on the coming-of-age tale with a story of a young American woman in Paris. When Kate is offered a job as an assistant to Lydia, a glamorous and famous photographer, she gets far more than she signed on for, navigating the complexity of […]

The Gravity of Birds | Author: Tracy Guzeman | Rating: 9/11 | A departure from the recent non-fiction reviews, Tracy Guzeman’s breakout novel, The Gravity of Birds, is so captivating you won’t be able to put it down (I couldn’t!). So much of today’s fiction is predictable and formulaic, but Guzeman’s prose wove a story that was as unexpected as […]

Gotham Unbound: An Ecological History of Greater New York | Author: Ted Steinberg | Rating: 8/11 | As a former Manhattanite, having a special interest in the history of the island (that is New York) is normal. Surely there are many who have lived there, aim to one day live there or are fascinated by the city for one reason […]