Jess's Reviews

How is this possible? How could a book about a woman who chooses to sleep a whole year away be so engrossing, so propulsive, that I could not put it down. Moshfegh’s narrator follows in the footsteps of The Catcher in the Rye’s Holden Caulfield and The Bell Jar’s Esther Greenwood, skewering the phonies of New York and modern consumer culture armed with nothing but her own apathy and acerbic wit. Well, that and an arsenal of prescription sleep aids. - Jess

Believe the hype! This novel is a scorcher. Set around a powwow at the Oakland Coliseum, There There follows a large cast of characters as they navigate their individual experiences as “urban Indians.” With prose that will pound at your heart, Orange brings each character to brutal life and forces readers to confront the darker truths of colonialism’s legacy. Truly a game-changer for American literature.  —Jessica

The third book in her Seasonal Quartet, Spring is full of all the surrealism, gender play, oddball love, and clever puns admirers of Ali Smith have come to expect from her work. Anyone who is desperate for hope in an increasingly hopeless world will find a tonic in Smith’s work; the seeds she planted in Autumn and Winter start to sprout in Spring, as sunlight slowly begins to edge out the night. - Jess

A gritty crime novel set in gritty Glasgow, Laidlaw is the book that brought Tartan Noir into existence. As much about gang presence and gang culture as it is about a murderer and his victim, this is a mystery novel for fans of The Wire and The Departed. A psychological and intense detective thriller! - Jess

For cooks who like to be inventive, who require whimsy in their recipes, The Moosewood Cookbook is a necessary and joy-filled resource. Full of delicious vegetarian recipes that will delight your dinner guests, Moosewood will take you on a magical journey to the past, when cookbooks had character and fonts were handwritten. - Jess

Grammar has never been so fun! This book is both a sensational resource for all your questions about the idiosyncratic laws of the English language, as well as a playful acknowledgement of the fact that these laws are often absurd. You’ll laugh, you’ll learn, and you’ll impress your friends with your new ability to define a comma splice. - Jess

A guest at a dinner party disappears and locks himself - indefinitely - in the guest room, kicking off a media frenzy that brings together a bunch of lovable outcasts. Smith writes from a place of deep empathy, infusing each page with electric energy and witty wordplay. Reading this book rekindled my fondness for humanity. - Jess

Set in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles, Milkman confronts the absurdity of political strife and arbitrary borders, never ignoring the extreme violence and heartbreak that can arise from such divisions. Burns’ voice is dryly humorous, even as her narrator struggles with a stalker, harassment, and a war-torn home. - Jess

Zadie Smith understands people the way Dostoevsky understood people: the ways in which where they come from and who they come from influence where and how they end up. Reading this book is like joining another family, and though every member is flawed - to say the least - each character feels like a real person. A nearly perfect book. - Jess

It takes a certain kind of person - animal-lover, star-gazer, adventure seeker - to thrive while living at 9,000 feet. Pam Houston’s full heart and indomitable spirit are on full display in this memoir, which contains all the meditative and hopeful vignettes fans of Houston have come to expect. A great choice for fans of Cheryl Strayed and Terry Tempest Williams! - Jess