Jocelyn's Reviews

The Long Call was everything I wanted to curl up with and lose myself in. A vibrant British seaside town is rocked with the mysterious murder of a formerly homeless man, himself more mysterious yet. The character-driven mystery kept me turning pages for the secrets and complexities of a community of artists, do-gooders, bird watchers, spiritual seekers, and of course police—including haunted detective Matthew Venn, whose husband may be at the center of everything. I am so satisfied, and so ready for the next of this wonderful new series. - Jocelyn

Leigh Bardugo thrusts you behind the ivy-covered walls of Yale, where Alex (Galaxy) Stern knows the occult power wielded by the secret societies’ elite and finds herself at the center of a plot that snakes between mysteries and murders, rituals and secrets, and vivid, recognizable characters. Ninth House’s magic illuminates real truths within our world: privilege, addiction, mental illness, #MeToo, and everything in between. It goes to some of the darkest places but never loses the shine of hope, or the will to fight for what’s right. - Jocelyn

Drawing an emotional map, Aarón Sánchez traces the route from his troublemaker childhood to culinary stardom through El Paso, New York, New Orleans, Mexico, San Francisco, and back. With honesty and humility, he recounts mistakes and mental health issues and pays homage to the friends, family, and chefs (especially women) who shaped his food and him. Sánchez celebrates the Latinx and Mexican food he’s become known for and uses his platform to champion diversity, justice, and equality in the culinary world. I have never eaten Sánchez’s food, but I know the bold and complex flavors I am now craving from reading this vivid new memoir. - Jocelyn

If you are a progressive looking toward 2020, pick this up. Congressional staffers Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin posted the Indivisible Guide in 2016, starting the grassroots Indivisible movement. We Are Indivisible is part memoir, celebrating victories and taking lessons from failures since, and part road map, analyzing how we got to “Trump’s America” and what steps must be taken to save U.S. democracy. Inspiring, educational, and galvanizing, this will give you actionable efforts and hope. - Jocelyn

A book for scholars, but also for seekers of justice and humanity. Karen Armstrong’s writing is accessible and engaging, carrying the reader deep into ancient history and human development via the nigh-universal concept of sacred texts, to a vital premise, showing how the modern extremist occupation of these traditions runs counter to their original creation, intent, and understanding. Armstrong’s new work is packed with knowledge and is oh-so-satisfying for lovers of history, theology, and social justice. - Jocelyn

In signature literary fashion, Jonathan Safran Foer draws on the threads of history, science, and family history to illustrate the power in a single human choice to change the world—and the challenge to make it. His premise is simple: You can stop climate change’s devastation by not eating animal products before dinner. While light on practical suggestions, Foer does offer an intricate exploration of interconnectivity and agency and a passionate plea for our planet’s future. - Jocelyn

Before there was phone-a-friend or Google, librarians fielded questions, from the basic to the we’re-not-doing-your-homework-for-you. The New York Public Library discovered a cache of cards recording the questions asked of their librarians over decades of the 20th century and decided to share them in this book. With 21st-century resources and a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, Peculiar Questions may not have the answers the original askers expected (or wanted), but the book is completely entertaining. As a catalog of the curiosity and needs of humanity, this is a perfect gift for any bibliophile or library lover. - Jocelyn

You know that friend who will endlessly debate Marvel plot points or keep trying to get you to watch that one movie that you’ve hardly heard of? Oh wait—you are that friend? Buddy, do I have a book for you. Shea Serrano is passionate, nerdy, and funny, and with the help of Arturo Torres’s pop culture–perfect illustrations, has rants and debates you have never even thought of. You will devour each point, paragraph, and ridiculously meaningless/ful idea that fills these pages. - Jocelyn

This book is a beautiful tribute to Maestrapeace, the mural that adorns the Women’s Building in San Francisco’s Mission. Angela Y. Davis’s foreword provides not only an introduction but historical and social context, which is followed by sections that explore the art, the meaning of its imagery, introduce the seven female muralists, and detail the artwork’s history from inception to today. To hold this book in your hands is to hold Maestrapeace itself—its art, journey, intent, and spirit. - Jocelyn

As a California white girl mildly obsessed with Japan, I couldn’t be more excited for a book entitled The Gaijin Cookbook. The fact that it comes from Ivan Orkin, renowned New York ramen chef who spent decades in Tokyo, and Chris Ying, whom I’ve followed since the first issue of Lucky Peach, means I’m already heating up my stove and anxiously refreshing Instagram for new peeks of this accessible cookbook for anyone in love with Japanese food. - Jocelyn