Every month, the Writer’s Bone crew reviews or previews books we've read or want to read. This series may or may not also serve as a confessional for guilty pleasures and hipster novels only the brave would attempt. Feel free to share your own suggestions in the comments section or tweet us @WritersBone.
The Girls With No Names by Serena Burdick
Caitlin Malcuit: After downloading a copy of Serena Burdick's The Girls with No Names on my phone, did I sneak in some pages at work? Who can say, but the novel's three narrators—all women coping with heartache, loss, and grief in the backdrop of the 1910s—make for a vivid story that's tough to put down. A piece of historical fiction, The Girls with No Names follows the lives of privileged sisters Effie and Luella and their mother, Jeanne. At the other end of the spectrum is the very underprivileged Mable. All the women's lives eventually intertwine (with heaps of hardship along the way). At the same time, Burdick incorporates the all-too-true history of the House of Mercy workhouse for wayward girls, as well as the fight for women's suffrage and independence. The Girls with No Names is an engrossing story that really sticks with you.
No Bad Deed by Heather Chavez
Daniel: It’s a good sign for a book when I’m yelling “Stay in the car!” repeatedly throughout the first chapter.
Spoiler: The main character didn’t listen to me.
Enjoy reading about what happens to her!
The Captain and the Glory by Dave Eggers
Daniel Ford: NovelClass host Dave Pezza has been a huge Dave Eggers fan for years and I’m fairly certain one of my first interactions with Dave was talking about Eggers’ book Your Fathers, Where Are They? And the Prophets, Do They Live Forever? I didn’t know what the hell Dave was talking about, but it sounded smart and funny, and that’s what we do here at Writer’s Bone. So we not only included that book in an early “Books That Should Be On Your Radar” post, but we also discovered a lifelong friend (and now podcasters) in Mr. Pezza. I got a chance to read a copy of Eggers’ latest book The Captain and the Glory for an upcoming podcast interview and it features a troubled election that leads to a bumbling leader taking command of a once noble ship. Draw your own conclusions on what current events may have guided the author…
The Year Marjorie Moore Learned to Live by Christie Grotheim
Daniel: On Grotheim’s website, Marjorie Moore is described as “dauntless, desperate, and a little bit delusional.” Not only is that fitting, but it also explains why I enjoyed spending so much time with her reading this novel. The fact that Grotheim is also an indie author is an added bonus!
High Five by Joe Ide
Daniel: I’m a big fan of Joe Ide’s IQ series and I always look forward to the next installment. And like any good detective author, Ide ups the ante and expectations every time out. In High Five, Isaiah Quintabe takes a case involving a female eyewitness with multiple personalities (five to be exact). Oh yeah, she’s also the only suspect. Characters as fresh and well crafted like IQ are so appreciated in the crime fiction genre, so get your hands on this book and enjoy the ride.
Little Gods by Meng Jin
Daniel: I finished Little Gods a week ago now and yet I don’t think it’s completely let me go yet. Jin explores themes of grief, family, and friendship beautifully through the eyes of her trio of main characters. One of the strengths of her structure, which jumps from character to character and the past and present, is that the reader is able to learn about characters like Su Lan and her daughter Liya in a different way and often the insights that are revealed are even more heartbreaking and illuminating than it might have been otherwise.
I Know You Know Who I Am by Peter Kispert
Daniel: Peter Kispert’s debut short story collection, I Know You Know Who I Am, is already one of our favorite reads of the year. Kispert explores the tug-of-war between truth and lies with fully formed characters that struggle between their true feelings and the masks they present to the outside world. There are stories in this collection that are only a page or two, but they reveal more about the human condition than some weighty tomes languishing in your TBR pile. Deeply thoughtful, expressively crafted, and, at times, darkly comical, I Know You Know Who I Am is one of those books you’ll return to time and time again to ignite a fire under your own writing. We genuinely can’t wait to read what Kispert comes up with next and have him on the show to pick his brain all over again.
Hide Away by Jason Pinter
Daniel: Hide Away introduces a new character, Rachel Marin, who instantly became one of our favorite characters in 2020. The best thrillers illuminate not only characters but themes we’re all dealing with in the real world. Hide Away (which is out from Thomas & Mercer on March 3) is no exception. The author gives every character depth and feeling, including Rachel’s two children, which is not necessarily the norm for fiction of any kind. Pinter is such a steadfast advocate for writers, as well as the founder of Polis Books, one of the best indie publishers in the business, so it’s an honor to recommend his new book with the highest praise we can muster.
Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Daniel: A Reese Witherspoon Book Club selection, Such A Fun Age is a compulsive read right from the first chapter. It’s a book that propels you to keep turning pages but also to think deeply about the characters and what they’re going through. It also features some of the best dialogue you’ll read this year.
We Are All Good People Here by Susan Rebecca White
Daniel: We Are All Good People Here has all the hallmarks of our favorite fiction. Great characters, a multi-generation story, and terrific prose. After hearing about White’s writing process and her approach to character building, we ended up loving the book even more (that tends to happen a lot around here!).
Author’s Corner
Peter Kispert, author of I Know You Know Who I Am, stopped by the podcast recently and gave us a ton of great recommendations, so you should add them all to your reading list and pick them up at your local bookstore.
Boys of Alabama by Genevieve Hudson
Under the Rainbow by Celia Laskey
Cleanness by Garth Greenwell
Real Life by Brandon Taylor
A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Guapa by Saleem Haddad
You Will Never Be Forgotten by Mary South
NovelClass
NovelClass is back for Season 4!
The first episode of the new season will air on Wednesday, February 26. Host Dave Pezza will be joined by Phoef Sutton, co-host of the Film Freaks Forever! podcast, and they’ll be discussing The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. They'll also chat about the two film adaptations of the novel, the 1999 American film of the same name, as well as a 1960 French adaptation called “Purple Noon.”
Lastly, the show's format is changing slightly. Dave will be releasing one podcast per month, similar to the earlier seasons of the podcast.
As always, keep reading!
