Summer Reading 2018: Book Culture LIC

 

It's finally here, our favorite time of the year: summer reading season! There's just something about the warm weather that gets us excited to get lost in a good book, whether it's a classic that we're revisiting (or finally getting to!) or that new book we've been hearing so much about. Here, then, are some of the books we're looking forward to reading this summer.

Check out what our colleagues at Book Culture 112, Book Culture on Columbus, and Book Culture on Broadway are reading, too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Calla

1. KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camp by Nikolaus Wachsmann: Is it awful of me to say that I am excited to read  KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps? This book is a detailed  look into the formation of concentration camps and the experiences of a range of individuals.  From everything I've heard about this book, I'm in for an enlightening and undoubtedly horrifying read. 

2. Maurice by E.M. Forester: "Dedicated to a Happier Year", The dedication alone has me intrigued, not to mention that Forester would not let this be published until after his death.  Set in Edwardian England and dealing with sexuality, class and politics it's sure to be a good one.

3. Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters: After hearing Sarah Waters speak about Tipping the Velvet on the BBC, I decided to move this book to the top of my list. I've read most of Waters other books and thoroughly enjoyed her beautiful writing and cannot wait to start this one.  For some reason I'm imagining Dickens's Great Expectations but with lesbians...we'll see how that goes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isabella

1. Lorca: A Dream of Life by Leslie Stainton: Federico García Lorca was an early 20th century Spanish poet.  I picked up a used copy of this biography at a bookstore in Atlanta, Georgia in December. Though, it is huuuuge and so I never actually got a chance to dig into it.  I’m hoping this summer I can. 

2. Seam by Tarfia Faizullah: My best bookseller buddy Gabby lent me this and I trust her with my life.  Faizullah combines poetry and interview to tell the story of Bangladeshi women who despite their government issued war hero status, are still exiled from their families.

3. Now by The Invisible Committee (trans. by Robert Hurley): This is a book of political philosophy written by an anonymous group of French activists who have published a lot of essays and books in the past decade.  I’ve read their book To Our Friends, and it blew my mind!  I know that Now will be even crazier because it will include responses to more current events so I’m real excited to get started. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adam

1. Dear Cyborgs by Eugene Lim:  I've only heard great things about this slender novel from Queens-based author Eugene Lim, so I've finally grabbed a copy to take to the park and devour in one sitting. Seems like just the right mix of absurd, incisive, and fun.

2. Trip: Psychedelics, Alienation, and Change by Tao Lin: Is it even summer if you don't disassociate from reality for a week or two? 

3. Awayland by Ramona Ausubel: After reading the first story in the collection in which a cyclops posts his profile to a dating site, which was wholly as brilliant as it sounds, I have to finish the rest of this collection (and I can't wait).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rachel

1. Cult X by Fuminori Nakamura (trans. by Kalau Almony): Nothing screams "summer" quite like a thriller about religious cults.

2. The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner: Maybe not a beach read, but definitely an intriguing premise. I really enjoyed The Flamethrowers, so I'm interested to see how Kushner's writing has progressed since then. 

3. There There by Tommy Orange: Based on what I've heard, this is a debut not to be missed! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gabby

1. The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner: I recently read an interview with Rachel Kushner about this book and it absolutely blew me away. In The Mars Room, Romy Hall is sentenced two consecutive life sentences in a California prison for killing her stalker. The Mars Room draws on prison abolitionist beliefs and questions not only the prison and criminal justice system, but the easy logic of innocent versus guilty. 

2. Registers of Illuminated Villages by Tarfia Faizullah: I just finished reading (and re-reading) Faizullah's first poetry collection Seam and I'm so looking forward to combing through her newest collection. Faizullah writes with such piercing honesty and creates language where it feels like there could possibly be none. More personal than her previous collection, Registers of Illuminated Villages explores the death of her sister, an eating disorder, her faith, and sexual desire. 

3. If They Come for Us by Fatimah Asghar: I've been eagerly awaiting Fatimah Asghar's first full-length poetry collection and it's almost here! Asghar is not only an incredible poet, she also happens to be the co-creator of the Emmy-nominated web series Brown Girls (check it out!) Her work explores South Asian diaspora, cycles of violence, and grapples with navigating sexuality and race as someone who was orphaned as a child. This poem alone should convince you to be hyped for the book too. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matt

1. The Howling by Gary Brandner: Always forgot it was a book first. Like so many great things...

2. The Road to Jonestown by Jeff Guinn: Been waiting for this to come out in paperback. Time to get nuts.

3. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood: What am I doing working at a bookstore without having read this? My bad! Rectifying the situation this summer.

 

KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps By Nikolaus Wachsmann Cover Image
$36.00
Not Available
ISBN: 9780374535926
Published: Farrar, Straus and Giroux - August 2nd, 2016

Staff Pick Badge
Maurice: A Novel By E. M. Forster Cover Image
$15.95
ISBN: 9780393310320
Availability: On hand at one or more locations, see product page for details
Published: W. W. Norton & Company - December 17th, 2005

Tipping the Velvet: A Novel By Sarah Waters Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9781573227889
Availability: On hand at one or more locations, see product page for details
Published: Riverhead Books - May 1st, 2000

Lorca: A Dream of Life By Leslie Stainton Cover Image
$24.95
Not Available
ISBN: 9780747544456
Published: A&C Black - July 2nd, 2013

Seam (Crab Orchard Series in Poetry) By Tarfia Faizullah Cover Image
$16.95
Not Available
ISBN: 9780809333257
Published: Southern Illinois University Press - March 6th, 2014

Now (Semiotext(e) / Intervention Series #23) By The Invisible Committee, Robert Hurley (Translated by) Cover Image
$14.95
ISBN: 9781635900071
Availability: On hand at one or more locations, see product page for details
Published: Semiotext(e) - October 20th, 2017

Dear Cyborgs: A Novel By Eugene Lim Cover Image
$14.00
ISBN: 9780374537111
Availability: Not In Stock - Usually ships in 3-5 Days
Published: FSG Originals - June 6th, 2017

Trip: Psychedelics, Alienation, and Change By Tao Lin Cover Image
By Tao Lin
$16.95
ISBN: 9781101974513
Availability: On hand at one or more locations, see product page for details
Published: Vintage - May 1st, 2018

Awayland: Stories By Ramona Ausubel Cover Image
$26.00
Not Available
ISBN: 9781594634901
Published: Riverhead Books - March 6th, 2018

Staff Pick Badge
The Mars Room: A Novel By Rachel Kushner Cover Image
$27.00
Not Available
ISBN: 9781476756554
Published: Scribner - May 1st, 2018

Staff Pick Badge
There There: A novel By Tommy Orange Cover Image
$30.00
Not Available
ISBN: 9780525520375
Published: Knopf - June 5th, 2018

Staff Pick Badge
Registers of Illuminated Villages: Poems By Tarfia Faizullah Cover Image
$16.00
Not Available
ISBN: 9781555978006
Published: Graywolf Press - March 6th, 2018

If They Come for Us: Poems By Fatimah Asghar Cover Image
$16.00
ISBN: 9780525509783
Availability: On hand at one or more locations, see product page for details
Published: One World - August 7th, 2018

The Howling By Gary Brandner Cover Image
$12.49
ISBN: 9781927112007
Availability: Not In Stock - Usually ships in 3-5 Days
Published: Books of the Dead - August 4th, 2011

The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple By Jeff Guinn Cover Image
$20.99
ISBN: 9781476763835
Availability: Not In Stock - Usually ships in 3-5 Days
Published: Simon & Schuster - April 10th, 2018

Staff Pick Badge
The Handmaid's Tale: A Novel By Margaret Atwood Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780385490818
Availability: On hand at one or more locations, see product page for details
Published: Anchor - March 16th, 1998