Editor’s note: If this turns into the summer of quarantine, at least we’ll have all of these #bookradar recommendations to keep us company! You’ll notice all the links we feature below lead to Bookshop.org or IndieBound. We encourage you to do whatever you can to support your local bookstore, including purchasing audiobooks from our sponsor Libro.fm. Feel free to share what’s on your bunker reading list by tweeting us @WritersBone or in the comments section below. Stay safe, stay home, and keep reading!—Daniel Ford
Red Dress in Black and White by Elliot Ackerman
Daniel Ford: I don’t know how Elliot Ackerman does it or what it is exactly, but he’s certainly done it again with Red Dress in Black & White (out May 26 from Knopf). While reading the book, I kept imagining this as a stage play or film, something Hitchcock might have produced, perhaps. There’s a plot simmering, but it’s really the characters that propel you to keep reading and get to know them better as you discover how they’re all wrapped up together. Add in its Istanbul setting and you’ve got one of the best novels you’ll read all year.
Starling Days by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan
Daniel: Starling Days not only has a beautiful cover, but it’s got one hell of an opening chapter. Rowan Hisayo Buchanan crafts some superb characters in Mina and Oscar. We can’t wait to go back and read her debut Harmless Like You.
What You Don't See by Tracy Clark
Daniel: Tracy Clark won an Edgar Award soon after she appeared on a recent Noir at the Bar – New England. We suggest picking up her upcoming novel What You Don’t See as soon as it pubs on May 26.
Book of the Little Axe by Lauren Francis-Sharma
Daniel: Lauren Francis-Sharma pulled us into the immersive world in Book of the Little Axe from the first page and gave us two wonderful characters to interact with and get to know. A beautiful book.
Daniel: Oral histories about television shows are my catnip. Marc Freeman has written a terrific one about “Modern Family,” a sitcom I had lost touch with for a bit during the middle of its run, but one that I rediscovered and loved with Stephanie Ford. I don’t want to give too much away, but there’s not giving up and there’s what Ty Burrell had to endure to land the part of Phil Dunphy.
The Paris Hours by Alex George
Daniel: Stephanie Ford and I visited Paris for our first wedding anniversary and fell in love with the city. Alex George’s new book The Paris Hours (which likely has the best cover of the year) really helped our Parisian withdrawals.
The Memory Eaters by Elizabeth Kadetsky
Daniel: The Memory Eaters, which won the first-ever Juniper Prize for Creative Nonfiction, is such a powerful read and I had to remind myself at times this was a memoir and not a work of fiction. Elizabeth Kadetsky brings plenty of poetry into her exploration of her family’s history, as well as how she dealt with her mother’s Alzheimer’s and her sister’s addiction. Plus, any book that features a couple of withholding French Canadians and “tantes” is a winner.
A Good American Family by David Maraniss
Daniel: You really can’t go wrong with any of David Maraniss’ work, but his recent book, A Good American Family, is an excellent place to start. After you devour this one, check out Clemente and They Marched Into Sunlight.
Sister Dear by Hannah Mary McKinnon
Daniel: I’m here for any and all novels that involve a sibling rivalry. Especially ones as twisted and suspenseful as Hannah Mary McKinnon’s Sister Dear (out May 26).
Blind Search by Paula Munier
Daniel: Paula Munier set the background bar high when she showed up to Noir at the Bar – New England with a glass of red wine and a cat curled up on a comfy couch. Her fiction is pretty damned good too.
Hard Cash Valley by Brian Panowich
Daniel: Brian Panowich was an early supporter of our podcast/website and he wowed us with his debut Bull Mountain. As luck would have it, he kept writing and writing well. He appeared on our show way back in Episode 88 (before we knew what the hell we were doing), so we can’t wait to have him back on and learn all about the inspiration for his new book Hard Cash Valley.
These Women by Ivy Pochoda
Daniel: I was already intrigued by Ivy Pochoda’s These Women, but after I read a Los Angeles Times profile, featuring the author, this book jumped to the top of my reading queue.
Sealed Off by Barbara Ross
Daniel: I’ll pretty much read (or eat) anything that includes the words “Maine” and “clambake.” Barbara Ross charming us with her wonderful prose and Truman Capote stories during a recent Noir at the Bar – New England didn’t hurt either.
Toward the Light by Bonnar Spring
Daniel: The Noir at the Bar – New England chat pretty much melted down after Bonner Spring dropped this opening line:
On a breezy autumn afternoon, Maria Luz Concepcion returned to Guatemala to kill a man.
Writing like that is putting a major dent in our quarantine spending plans.
How to Pronounce Knife: Stories by Souvankham Thammavongsa
Daniel: How to Pronounce Knife instantly became one of my favorite short story collections. A poet by trade, Souvankham wanted to prove to herself, and to others, that she could write fiction, and she supremely accomplished that goal. The collection doesn't quite run to 200 pages, but Souvankham uses the short story form and her spare, moving prose to their fullest, delivering great characters, empathetic human depth, and timely themes sure to resonant around your reading nook, or bunker. Plus, there's a good dose of Randy Travis, and that never hurt nobody.
Dirty Old Town: A Shane Cleary Mystery by Gabriel Valjan
Daniel: We’re obligated to read any book or series that refers to Boston as a “dirty old town.” We think we’ll be in good hands with Gabriel Valjan.
Author's Corner
Chelsea Bieker, author of Godshot, stopped by the podcast recently and gave us a ton of great recommendations, so you should add them all to your reading list and buy them on Bookshop.org or from your local bookstore. Keep reading and writing, everyone!
Boys of Alabama by Genevieve Hudson
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C Pam Zhang
NovelClass
In Episode 4.03, Dave Pezza is joined by none other than Daniel Ford, author and host of the Writer’s Bone podcast. David and Daniel discuss a pair of short story collections titled Men Without Women. This first is Ernest Hemingway’s famous collection, first published in 1927. The second is by Japanese author Haruki Murakami, originally published in the Japanese in 2014.