News - Book Reviews

News - Book Reviews

FIGURE IT OUT by Wayne Koestenbaum

Publishers Weekly reviewed FIGURE IT OUT, describing it as an “inventive collection” where “themes of sexuality and gender are pervasive, typically in eye-catching declarations.” Soft Skull will publish the book on May 5, 2020.

In a strong review of THE PRETTIEST STAR, Publishers Weekly calls the book “a heartfelt novel” and writes: “Sickels is at his best in his characters’ most painful moments . . . This tragic story of AIDS and violent homophobia stands out by showing the transcendent power of queer communities to make their voices endure through art." Hub City Press will publish the book on April 14, 2020.

THE PLAIN JANES by Cecil Castelluccii and Jim Rugg

THE PLAIN JANES received a positive review from NPR Books which called it, “one of those great teen books that transcends its category.” Little Brown Books for Young Readers published the book on January 7, 2020.

FIND ME by André Aciman

FIND ME, the sequel to André Aciman’s 2007 bestseller CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, received a positive review from the New York Times Book Review which says, “It is a lyrical meditation on being forced to move to another location after the party’s over, on the Sisyphean task of trying to replicate the magic of young passion.” Farrar, Straus and Giroux published the book on October 29, 2019.

THE ONES WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR by Charlotte Alter

Charlotte Alter’s debut nonfiction book THE ONES WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR, which highlights a new generation of political leaders, received a great review from Publishers Weekly. They call it “well-crafted and informative.” Viking will publish the book on February 18, 2020.

THE UNDYING by Anne Boyer

Anne Boyer’s memoir was reviewed by Jezebel which calls it “a wide-ranging book that is both complicated and complicating in its engagement with the many narratives of cancer and pain.” The author was also interviewed by the Kansas City Pitch. Farrar, Straus & Giroux published the book on September 17, 2019.

THE SHADOW KING by Maaza Mengiste

Namwali Serpell, author of THE OLD DRIFT, gave a rave review of THE SHADOW KING in the New York Times. She says the novel “somehow manages to solve the riddle of how to sing war now. She doesn’t seek a narrow path between the straits of these artistic and ethical questions. Instead, she encompasses them in all their contradiction, laying them out in breathtakingly skillful juxtaposition.” W.W. Norton & Company published the book on September 24, 2019.

QUALIFICATION by David Heatley

Library Journal gave David Heatley’s QUALIFICATION a starred review. They write: "Readers will find themselves moved by this stunning memoir, and perhaps even grateful for the author’s refusal to shy away from depicting the complexity of his ongoing development as an artist and a human being.” Booklist also praised QUALIFICATION, calling it “unflinching” and adding that, “The payoffs and pitfalls of a lifetime spent in 12-step programs are portrayed with brutal candor.” Pantheon published the book on October 1, 2019.

TV NOIR: DARK DRAMA ON THE SMALL SCREEN by Allen Glover

In a starred review, Library Journal praises Allen Glover’s TV NOIR: “Each section could be a stand-alone show at a media museum or, better yet, a series at a dimly lit revival house. Essential for noir lovers, especially those who have exhausted the film canon and are hungry for more.” Abrams will publish the book on September 24, 2019.

EVERY OTHER WEEKEND by Zulema Renee Summerfield

EVERY OTHER WEEKEND is a featured selection in the New York Times Book Review’s paperback row. Summerfield’s debut novel chronicles the aftermath of a divorce through the eyes of precocious eight-year-old Nenny, and the Times calls it “exactly as gut-wrenching as it sounds." Little, Brown published the book on April 17, 2018.