5 Books That Should Be On Your Radar: July 2015

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.

By Daniel Ford and Sean Tuohy

The Sunlit Night By Rebecca Dinerstein

Daniel: We’ve met Frances and Yasha, the two main characters in Rebecca Dinerstein’s charming, quirky debut The Sunlit Night, in literature before. They are two young people who find comfort and passion in each other while avoiding something else—Frances escapes her parents’ separation and a douchey boyfriend in New York City, while Yasha has come to Norway to bury his beloved father at the “top of the world.” With a supporting cast that includes a neglectful mother, an artist who paints only in yellow, and a Norwegian desperate to be lovestruck, The Sunlit Night makes your heart swell one moment and then shatters it the next. Dinerstein is smart though, she sews the pieces back just enough to make your ticker work again, but not so tightly that you feel whole. Most importantly, the novel is littered with beautifully crafted sentences surrounded by exuberant, honest dialogue. Plus, thanks to the Gregoriov Bakery, the novel features plenty of yummy baked goods!   

New Hope for the Dead by Charles Willeford

Sean: The second book in Charles Willeford's unfortunately short-lived Hoke Moseley series is the possibly the best South Florida crime prose ever written. The novel follows a depressed and money-strapped Miami detective who finds himself in the middle of a homicide investigation with a partner going through a life crisis, his estranged daughters entering his life, and no way to pay for anything. Willeford is a true master who blends together pitch-black dark humor, hard-boiled crime, and moody characters to make the perfect crime novel cocktail.

The Knife by Ross Ritchell

Daniel Ford: Ross Ritchell’s The Knife has all of the hallmarks of a military novel: firefights, desert maneuvers, and solider hijinks. What makes it stand apart from many of the recent books about Afghanipakiraqistan is it’s clean, inspired prose and the quiet moments before and after each Special Ops mission (Oh yeah, did I mention that Ritchell is a former soldier in a United States Special Operations Command direct-action team that conducted classified operations in the Middle East? No big deal.).

The opening chapter set in a diner before the main character heads off to war and a chapter midway through the novel featuring a young Muslim by the name of Ahmed blew me away. I knew I’d enjoy all the military scenes and the brotherly banter, but those two scenes are maybe the best I've read all year.

Ritchell also writes about the desert conflict in a way that makes it more haunting and visceral than any newspaper feature or recent novel. An example: "As they flew on, the earth looked like the chalked bones of pale skeletons." That’s good stuff.

I emailed Ritchell back and forth while I was reading the book (he’s become a literary Obi-Wan Kenobi to me) and he said that he “tried to just write stuff that didn't feel like bullshit” to him. He added, “You shouldn't feel awkward or fake with any of your stuff.”

I can assure readers that there is not one ounce of BS in The Knife, and it has an ending that will leave you swearing through your tears. 

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Daniel: I told myself I wasn’t going to read another post-apocalyptic novel. I devoured books like Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, Jose Saramago’s Blindness, and Peter Heller’s The Dog Stars, and felt like I had consumed enough literature of that ilk to last me until the actual end of days. However, I picked up Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven while perusing the stacks at Barnes and Noble on a coffee run one afternoon and fell in love.

The story weaves in and out of the past and present, and mostly follows The Traveling Symphony—a band of survivors who perform Shakespeare and music throughout a landscape violently altered by a flu epidemic. The prose is lyrical, packed with heart, and infused with a passion for the arts. There are harrowing moments for sure, but if humanity follows main character Kirsten Raymonde’s lead after all hell breaks loose, we might be okay. 

Summerlong by Dean Bakopoulos

Daniel: I hate to damn Dean Bakopoulos’ Summerlong by saying it’s the perfect beach read, but damn if it’s not best enjoyed near a body of water—or in my case, the Atlantic Ocean—with copious amounts of ice-cold alcoholic beverages to cool you off. You’re going to need them because everything in this novel is on fire: the Midwestern weather, marriages, potential, sexual urges. The characters are so intertwined that they particularly have to say, “Excuse me,” to each other as the scene shifts perspectives. A couple’s marriage falls apart owing to neglect, lies, and boredom (but not sexual passions, my god), a young woman named ABC longs to join her dead lover while enjoying as much pot as possible, and a disillusioned actor comes home to deal with his sick father (the old guy may have failed at being a writer, but he was hell of a creepy ladies man). This book is eight kinds of hilarious, and I guarantee that you’ll be cackling in public places the whole time you're reading it (and possibly blushing when you get to the really juicy parts).   

Also, Bakopoulos has one of his main characters utter this spectacular line of dialogue: “I’m living in a Bruce Springsteen song.”

Reader for life!  

MORE FROM WRITER'S BONE'S LIBRARY

5 Books That Should Be On Your Radar: June 2015

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.

All This Life by Joshua Mohr

Sean Tuohy: Joshua Mohr is a writer with a unique voice. He stands out against a sea crowded with similar story lines and bland characters. All This Life, due out July 14, is the author's fifth novel and is about the digital age and the effects one event can have on many people.

All This Life opens with a mass suicide off the Golden Gate Bridge and then doesn’t let up. Featuring a cast of interesting and damaged characters, All This Life showcases a writer with a true talent.

What is Found, What is Lost by Anne Leigh Parrish

Daniel Ford: Author Anne Leigh Parrish has contributed to Writer’s Bone (including a short story, an essay, and an interview), so I was certain I’d like her latest novel What is Found, What is Lost despite the fact I’m not exactly the target demographic.

In this novel, Parrish explores the themes of motherhood, identity, and religion through the eyes of main character Freddie, as well her mother, grandmother, and daughter. Freddie is one of the most delightful female characters I’ve read in some time, despite the fact she is surrounded by some pretty terrible people (including her late husband Ken, though he earns major points with his one liners from beyond). You’ll find there is no circle of hell low enough for her mother Lorraine. She reminded me of an uber-religious version of Catherine in East of Eden. And then you have Anna, Freddie’s grandmother, who makes 1920s Chicago come alive in a fresh way with the help of her partner Olaf (who is also a shady character, but one with redeemable characteristics).

All of these characters are what make Parrish’s novel really sing. There’s snappy, heartfelt (and occasionally nasty) dialogue that will make you feel as if you’ve known these people your whole life. There’s a genuine lived in quality that weds seamlessly to the prose and plot. I don’t want to give too much away, but the book ends with certain things revealed and resolved, but leaves so much more simmering beneath the surface. It’s an excellent reflection on how real life is messy with no easy answers or solutions. If you’re looking for something meatier than a beach read, put What is Found, What is Lost on your reading docket. 

The Redeemers by Ace Aktins

DF: Michael Connelly calls Ace Atkins “one of the best crime writers at work today,” and after reading his most recent novel The Redeemers, I can see why. Atkins’ hero, Quinn Colson, finds himself out of a job as sheriff of Tibbehah County, Miss., and surrounded by a villainous crime lord, a sister crippled by drugs, and a lover that further stains his reputation. On top of all that, he’s drawn into investigating a crime perpetrated by three idiots armed with a bulldozer. The plot moves along at a brisk pace and the criminals are as entertaining as any you’ll find in an Elmore Leonard novel, but Atkins is at his best exploring characters on both sides of the law. I haven’t read any of the other Quinn Colson novels, but he strides into this novel more fully formed than must of the serial heroes I’ve come across recently. His military past, his volatile love life, and temperamental family are all explored deeply and honestly.

Women by Charles Bukowski

DF: Stephanie Schaefer grabbed this book out of my hands as soon as she saw the cover. The neon woman arching her back didn’t do me any favors. I told her at some point a guy needs to read some Bukowski. And then I did.

Whoa.

Bukowski can write the hell out of a broken character. He shows flashes of how this guy might change, and then another women slithers into the picture. I think my favorite Henry Chinaski reaction throughout the book was, "All right." Summed it all up in two words. 

If you read nothing else, read this paragraph:

“I was sentimental about many things: a woman’s shoes under the bed; one hairpin left behind on the dresser; the way they said, 'I’m going to pee.' hair ribbons; walking down the boulevard with them at 1:30 in the afternoon, just two people walking together; the long nights of drinking and smoking; talking; the arguments; thinking of suicide; eating together and feeling good; the jokes; the laughter out of nowhere; feeling miracles in the air; being in a parked car together; comparing past loves at 3am; being told you snore; hearing her snore; mothers, daughters, sons, cats, dogs; sometimes death and sometimes divorce; but always carrying on, always seeing it through; reading a newspaper alone in a sandwich joint and feeling nausea because she’s now married to a dentist with an I.Q. of 95; racetracks, parks, park picnics; even jails; her dull friends; your dull friends; your drinking, her dancing; your flirting, her flirting; her pills, your fucking on the side and her doing the same; sleeping together.”

Love and Other Wounds by Jordan Harper

DF: This debut short story collection just landed in Writer’s Bone mailbox and it shot to the top of my reading list based on the opening line of the first story:

“John ran through the high desert, away from his grave.”

Yup, that’ll do. Harper has had a variety of writing jobs, including a writer-producer for “Gotham,” but I have a feeling before his career is over he’s going to be best known as a short story artist. This collection comes out July 7 (look for an interview with the author next month!).

MORE FROM WRITER'S BONE'S LIBRARY

6 Books That Should Be On Your Radar: May 2015

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 Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma

Daniel Ford: Chigozie Obioma’s The Fishermen is set in 1990s Nigeria and tells the heart-wrenching and bloody tale of four brothers whose lives are changed on the banks of a haunted river. Benjamin, the story’s 9-year-old narrator, attempts to makes sense of the changing world around him as his family is torn apart by a madman’s prophecy. The Fishermen begins so lightheartedly—the reader is led to believe that this is another coming-of-age story set in a foreign location—that later events crush you even more. It’s a book that should inspire you to craft your own great art. The best authors light a fire under you, and I can assure you, Obioma will be lighting fires for years to come.        

Also, if you don’t stand up and cheer when the boys’ father delivers a rousing speech encouraging them to be “fishermen” that “will dip their hands in rivers, seas, and oceans of this life and become successful: doctors, pilots, professors, lawyers” then I don’t want to know you.

Wetlands by Charlotte Roche

Robert Hilferty: Wetlands has an honesty and humor that reminds me a lot of Charles Bukowski but without the more problematic shit attached to it. It's full of raw emotion and reckless abandon that reminds me of the poor decisions I made growing up.

Done in One by Grant Jerkins and Jan Thomas

DF: Any story that involves a S.W.A.T. sniper is going to have a thrilling plot, however, not all of them are going to have the big ole thumping heart beating on every page of Done in One (the novel was inspired by Jan Thomas’ real-life experiences). We first meet Jake Denton (“Fuckin’Denton”) on the hunt with his father. The lessons he learns are put to the test throughout the book, particularly when it comes to his equally badass wife Jill, a former medic (and aspiring author!) who is her husband’s first-response support team. But Jill isn’t some weepy female caricature. She’s whip smart, tough, demanding, compassionate, and honest. Jill has her tender moments for sure, but she proves over and over again that she’s very much Jake’s equal. Done in One is actually one of those novels that’s a character study wrapped in a thriller, which makes it so much more than a good beach read. Important questions are raised and dealt with and the authors humanize and reveal fresh insights into a world that is currently grossly misunderstood in today’s culture.

The Fateful Lightning by Jeff Shaara

DF: I recently read James Swanson’s excellent Bloody Crimes: The Chase for Jefferson Davis and the Death Pageant for Lincoln's Corpse, so I was primed for another good Civil War read. Author Jeff Shaara  (who I interviewed last June and will be speaking to again next week) didn’t disappoint with The Fateful Lightning, the final book in his series about the Civil War’s western front. The novel begins in November 1864 following William Tecumseh Sherman’s victory in Atlanta and covers the red-headed, cigar-smoking General’s famed “March to the Sea.” Shaara tells the tale from multiple perspectives on both sides of the conflict, humanizing these legendary figures with such skill that I’m convinced the author was close friends with them in another life. The Fateful Lightning is available for sale June 2, 2015 and would make the perfect Father's Day gift.

My War Gone By, I Miss It So by Anthony Loyd

Alex Tzelnic: In February 2015, The New Yorker published an article on the tragic death of Eric Harroun—a U.S. Army veteran turned mercenary and informant. The piece mentioned the 1999 book My War Gone By, I Miss It So by Anthony Loyd. "That is a hell of a title," I thought. I largely forgot about the book until April, when I was perusing the shelves of a friend and came across a weathered and torn copy. "That is one of my favorite books," he told me. "Borrow it. Read it. Pass it around." Sometimes the literary gods drop subtle hints, and sometimes they drop a book in your lap and give you clear instructions. I read it.

My War Gone By, I Miss It So is a visceral and gruesome travelogue. Travelogue might be a confusing categorization—it is technically war journalism, as the book covers the conflicts in Bosnia and Chechnya during the 1990s. But war books are full of reportage, and though they ask why, it is usually a practical why: why did this conflict begin, what happened, and what does it mean? Loyd's why is more existential. As in a travelogue, he considers the question Kerouac wrote in his journals before flinging himself on the journey that became On the Road: "The night before travel is like the night before death. Why must I always travel from here to there, as it mattered where one is?"

Indeed, many of Loyd's nights are the night before death (though not his own), and the answer is complicated; his military heritage, his strained relationship with his father, and his addiction to heroin all play a part in his attraction to war. In taking this more personal tack, Loyd not only provides a compelling narrative about the horrors that unfolded in these wars, but examines why it is that people seek out darkness and brutality, and what can be learned from plumbing the depths.

Lloyd's lessons aren't easy—they are haunting, conveyed with prose that is savage and scintillating. And his book doesn't just stay with you, it tears a hole and climbs in. Borrow it. Read it. Pass it around. But don't say I didn't warn you.

The Right Hand by Derek Haas

Sean Tuohy: The Right Hand is slim, but it packs a punch! It’s a spy thriller that doesn’t slow down until the last page. The novel features Austin Clay, the CIA’s secret weapon, as he tries to locate a missing deep cover agent in Russia. Author and screenwriter Derek Haas shoves in as much action as he can in between twist and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat. My biggest compliment is that in contrast to the current literary world’s overabundance of dark and brooding characters and edgy storylines, this book is fun, enjoyable, and hard to put down.

MORE FROM WRITER'S BONE'S LIBRARY

5 Books That Should Be On Your Radar: April 2015

By Daniel Ford

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 Strangler Vine by M.J. Carter

I haven’t learned so much while reading a fictional novel in quite some time. I, sadly, don’t know much about India in general, and even less about its history, which is one of the reasons M.J. Carter’s The Strangler Vine was such an enjoyable and educational experience. Set in 1837, the novel follows William Avery, a young soldier with the East India Company, and Jeremiah Blake, a disillusioned, bitter former officer, as they track down a missing writer. During their investigation, the pair runs into both historical and fictional characters that showcase the clash of cultures between England and India during this time period. The Thuggee cult also plays a mysterious role that will keep readers guessing until the end. Tiger fights, caravans on dusty roads, ladies of high society, and plenty of swashbuckling make The Strangler Vine the perfect blend of history and fun.  

What I love the most about this novel is that the relationship between Avery and Blake evolves from mutual suspicion and disgust into begrudging respect. However, the change doesn’t feel forced or unnatural. They don’t become two different people at the end, but their worldview has changed just enough to support a potential partnership.  Carter told me during our interview that there was a bit of her in Avery—“keen, clueless, blurting things about before thinking about them”—and that his voice was easier to write than Blake’s. I fully anticipate Carter will have no trouble finding either voice in future novels and I very much look forward to what trouble the pair gets into next in the sequel The Infidel Stain (to be released in Spring 2016).

Fourth of July Creek by Smith Henderson

While I was reading Smith Henderson’s Fourth of July Creek, I took to Twitter in order to decide if I should be drunk or really drunk during the experience. Henderson set me straight.

@danielfford SOBER is the default setting. DRUNK is you time.

— Smith Henderson (@smith_henderson) April 17, 2015

Fourth of July Creek reminded me a lot of certain scenes during “American Hustle.” Whenever Henderson shed a light on social worker Pete Snow’s personal life, the prose swayed a little looser, drunker, and, occasionally, more violent. Here was a guy that makes a living helping families in rural Montana in the 1980s, but can’t maintain his relationship with his ex-wife and daughter (who eventually runs away, adding even more depth to one of the central themes of the novel: freedom). Between trying to gain the trust of a young boy and his disturbed father Jeremiah Pearl, Snow falls for a damaged woman who lies to him about sleeping with multiple men, gets his ass kicked on more than one occasion, and crosses the FBI agent who takes an interest in Pearl’s case because of the old man’s ranting and preparations for the end of times. Henderson employs an innovative structure, shifting perspectives from Snow to his missing daughter by interjecting a social worker-type interview with the young, impressionable teenager. Every character, including secondary characters such as Ten Mile’s judge, Snow’s brother, and assorted Montana town folk, are fully formed and invigorate this mediation on American ideals. Many of the reviews of the novel talk about the confidence in which Henderson writes, and they couldn’t be more right. There’s a controlled bravado that singes each page and keeps you turning pages long after you should have gone to bed.

Oh, in case you’re wondering, the lines that forced me to pour some bourbon into a heavy glass were:

“Think of getting old. Think of being only thirty-one yourself and having gotten so much already dead fucking wrong.”

Damn you, Smith Henderson (just kidding, but, seriously)!  

One More Thing: Stores and Other Stories by B.J. Novak

I shouldn’t have been surprised that B.J. Novak, best known for his work on the U.S. version of “The Office,” would produce such deft, subtle, and hilarious short stories that are found in his One More Thing: Stores and Other Stories. I expected the sharp humor and spot-on observations about everyday life, but what I didn’t anticipate was the amount of heart and outright skill featured in each story. I picked up this collection in Dave Pezza’s writing cave in Rhode Island during our Bob Dylan concert weekend, and read the first story about the hare taking revenge on the slow, addled turtle that famously beat him years before. I resolved to purchase my own copy after reading the line: “slow and steady wins the race, till truth and talent claim their place.” Um, hell yes!

One of my favorite stories, “No One Goes to Heaven to See Dan Fogelberg,” is such a funny and insightful mediation on death that I wasn’t prepared for the absolutely laugh-out-loud final scene. I was lost in my own thoughts about dying, and then the main character’s Nana *spoiler alert* admits she’d rather blow Frank Sinatra than spend time with her beloved grandson. That’s…good stuff. Other stories include the guy who returned a sex doll who falls in love with him, how to land a date through Missed Connections, and the reason why carrot cake has the best frosting. I don’t want to damn this book by saying it’s a great beach read, but I can’t imagine a better place to laugh in public without people thinking you’re crazy (everyone on a public beach is crazier than you are). I’m sure Novak has other projects on his docket, including perhaps another well-reviewed children’s book, but I’d love to see how he’d handle a complete novel.

The Red Chameleon by Erica Wright

Erica Wright’s debut crime novel is making the rounds at Writer’s Bone and earning rave reviews. Wright’s brassy private investigator Kathleen Stone's identities are as hard to keep up with as her multiple boyfriends (complete badasses in their own rights). Stone blends into the background, but not perfectly, which is one of the reasons I enjoyed the novel so much. She may have been a great police officer and even better undercover agent, but Stone is still finding her way in her new profession. She gets made often by her male counterparts, her secretary, and her drag queen friend. The plot moves at a quick pace, like many good crime novels, but Wright takes enough time to flesh out Stone’s personality, habits, and demons. Wright’s prose is also crackling with dark humor and sarcasm that matches its New York City setting. During our interview, Wright mentioned that she was like a “fainting goat” when it came to all the positive reviews the novel has garnered since its publication. I’d advise her to get used to it, because it sounds like Kathleen Stone is a heroine readers are going to demand stick around as long as she can find a decent wig.

Night at the Fiestas by Kirstin Valdez Quade

You may have noticed from this list that I went on a run of crime/historical/brassy/masculine books in April. Reading Kirstin Valdez Quade’s Night at the Fiestas to finish up the month has proved to be the perfect tonic to realign my fiction priorities. Set mainly in New Mexico and the Southwest, Quade’s collection of short stories prove that she is more than worthy of being selected as a 5 under 35 honoree by the National Book Foundation. Without revealing too much of my interview with Quade (which will go live sometime in May), I can tell you that the author sought to write about “family and the little betrayals that can occur between parents and children, brothers and sisters.” That’s what gives the collection its power, themes that readers of all cultures can identify with. Readers will put themselves in a teenage girl’s shoes when she finds a sack of money on a bus driven by her father in “Night at the Fiestas,” feel the internal rage a young man has for his degenerate father in “The Guesthouse,” or the desperation and fear that surround a mother living in a trailer in “Mojave Rats.” The New York Times Book Review threw around words like “legitimate masterpiece,” “haunting,” and “beautiful” in its review, and those adjectives couldn’t be more apt (the reviewer also admitting to weeping several times while reading the novel). Much like Novak’s short stories, Quade’s tales will stick with you long after you finally put the book down on your nightstand deep into the night.  

MORE FROM WRITER'S BONE'S LIBRARY

5 Books That Should Be On Your Radar: March 2015

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 Martian by Andy Weir

Sean Tuohy: Oh. My. Goodness. The Martian is amazing. An astronaut is left behind on Mars after a mission goes wrong. Now, completely alone on an alien planet, he has to figure out how to survive. If that doesn't get you going, then something is wrong with you. The pacing in this book is fantastic; one moment you’re on the edge of your seat and in the next, you are bent over laughing non-stop. Great read.

One of my favorite quotes:

“Actually, I was the very lowest ranked member of the crew. I would only be ‘in command’ if I were the only remaining person. What do you know? I’m in command.”

The Tusk That Did the Damage by Tania James

Daniel Ford: I sat down with Tania James’ The Tusk That Did the Damage expecting only to read a couple of chapters to get a feel for her style. Well, I finally put the book down completed two nights later after devouring every perfectly crafted sentence. James utilizes three narrators—including an elephant named The Gravedigger!—and weaves a tragic story while providing a deep back story for each one. When you’re not rooting for the resilient, emotionally broken elephant, you’ll be ensorcelled by a young man whose loyalty to his poacher brother knows no bounds, or troubled by the passive-aggressive filmmaking shooting a documentary on an elephant rehabilitation clinic. The reviews for The Tusk That Did All the Damage have been overwhelmingly positive, including a glowing review in The New York Times Book Review, so I have no doubt James is an author whose best is yet to come.

Learn more about James and her work by reading my recent interview with her.

If We Lived Here by Lindsey Palmer

Stephanie Schaefer: Do you find yourself inundated with social media posts highlighting your peers’ engagements, promotions, new homes, and pregnancy announcements all while wondering when the pieces of your life will fall into place? Then you’ll certainly relate to Lindsey Palmer’s If We Lived Here. The novel follows a couple in their early 30s as they search for the perfect Brooklyn apartment while dealing with judgmental landlords, gold-digging best friends, and the everyday struggles of young adulthood in today’s world. Take a break from social media and pick up Palmer’s second novel when it debuts on March 31.

You can learn more about the witty book by checking out my recent interview with the author.

The Book of Aron by Jim Shepard

Dave Pezza: Jim Shepard's latest novel, The Book of Aron (due out in May 2015), is told from the first person perspective of a Jewish boy named Aron who lives with his family in Warsaw, Poland during World War II.

The force of this book lies not in the broad strokes of Jewish suffering in the Warsaw ghetto, nor in the survival drama played out in stories like Elie Wiesel's Night. The Book of Aron stands out as a work of powerful fiction because hell is viewed from the perspective of a prepubescent boy.

Let's not be coy; the book's ending is evident from the onset. This boy's fate, and the fate of everyone he knows, is signed, sealed, and delivered within the first few pages. Aron has a dream in the first chapter that sets the book's dark stage, "...I dreamed that a raven was sitting on my shoulder in the wind and a black cloak was streaming out behind me." It is the slow, stark unfolding of Aron's story that makes Shepard's work so crushing and so necessary. From the suburbs, to the city, to the ghetto, and finally an orphanage, Shepard relates the destruction of innocence through a boy's unfathomable suffering. Aron is forced him to live with choices and realities that you wouldn't' wish on your worst enemy.

The Book of Aron is a must read, and I'm certain it will become a new mainstay in the pantheon of Holocaust literature. Be warned, this is a tough, tough book to get through. Tough not only for the reason’s I’ve described, but also because of such soul crushing lines as, "...I hated myself for making me feel the way I did and hated myself even more for not just being dead somewhere." But it's an important story, loosely based on the story of Janusz Korczak and the Warsaw ghetto orphanage he supported and operated, to remember what hate and ignorance can do to one life's most beautiful experiences.

The Painter By Peter Heller

Daniel: I’m an unabashed fan of Peter Heller’s The Dog Stars, so I couldn’t wait to read his most recent novel, The Painter. Boy, it doesn’t get much better than an author who has supreme confidence in his ability. The Painter begins with the main character, Jim Stenger, shooting someone in a bar after a man makes lewd comments about Jim’s daughter. Stenger does his time (the man he shoots survives) and then becomes a well-renowned artist (and avid fly fisherman), but can’t quite shake his dark, angry impulses. The tale Heller orchestrates through Jim’s perspective is brutal, but not devoid of all hope. You’re squarely in Jim’s corner despite the horrible acts he continues to commit. Heller’s supporting cast is equally as colorful and deep. Every sentence and line of dialogue in this novel is a masterful brush stroke of literary talent. In our interview last July, Heller said that his writing process for The Painter was to follow “the music of the language.” We should all be so lucky to hear language such as this. 

MORE FROM WRITER'S BONE'S LIBRARY

5 Books That Should Be On Your Radar: February 2015

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.

Wool by Hugh Howey

Rachel Tyner: Wool started as a standalone short story about a post-apocalyptic Earth and then the author self-published it through Amazon! Howey then added four more short stories and dubbed it the “Silo” series. He followed up Wool with the Shift and Dust series. I’m 89% done with Wool, but I’m loving it!

El Narco: Inside Mexico's Criminal Insurgency by Ioan Grillo

Sean Tuohy: British journalist Ioan Grillo explores the root causes of the Mexican drug wars and the grow of the "Narco" culture in this in-depth book. Filled with interviews from cartel members, cops, government officials, traffickers, and victims of the drug war, Grillo's work sifts though the blood-soaked headlines, trying to discover the cause of the war and how best to end it. 

God Loves Haiti by Dimitry Elias Léger

Daniel Ford: I read Léger’s novel in two nights. Yet another blizzard had dumped a couple of feet of snow on Boston and I was ensconced in my apartment with only the faint hope of spring. However, God Loves Haiti provided some real warmth to go along with the manufactured heat I found inside my bourbon bottle. As I mentioned in my recent email interview with Léger (podcast interview coming soon!), the author utilized an innovative structure that allowed him to illuminate experiences and themes that developed during the earthquake in Haiti in 2010. Léger’s heart and soul is evident on every page, every line of dialogue, and in every character. Don’t just dream about warmer and optimistic times this winter, read this book and experience them in full splendor.

Silver Screen Fiend by Patton Oswalt

Robert Hilferty: Amazing retelling of being a comedian, growing as an artist, and movies. Excellent read.

Telegraph Hill by John Nardizzi

ST: Gangster, private detectives, and dirty lawyers fill the pages of this fast-paced and well thought out mystery from our favorite Boston PI/author John Nardizzi. Echoing with old school toughness, Telegraph Hill never stops twisting and turning. A Boston private detective is hired to locate a missing woman in San Francisco, but what looks like a simple missing person cases explodes in to a journey through the seedy underbelly of a city.

MORE FROM WRITER'S BONE'S LIBRARY

5 Books That Should Be On Your Radar: January 2015

By Daniel Ford

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 Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

I’ve spent a significant amount of time on trains throughout my life. Your mind wanders to some pretty strange places if you don’t have a traveling companion or you run out of reading material. After reading Paula Hawkins’ debut thriller, The Girl on the Train, I kicked myself for not writing down more of those train musings.

The novel, which centers around an alcoholic woman voyeuristically inserting herself into a grim love triangle (more accurately, a pentagon), is much better structured than Gone Girl and provides the reader with an ending infinitely more satisfying than the majority of popular thrillers. It’s the perfect popcorn read that has real depth to it. I was fully invested in all of the characters’ backstories, motives, and suspicions. Don’t wait for the beach weather, read this immediately (and plan on losing a few nights sleep while doing so).   

My Sunshine Away by M.O. Walsh

I had never heard of M.O. Walsh or his novel, My Sunshine Away, before the book showed up at Writer's Bone HQ. After reading the dust cover and public relations material, Stephanie Schaefer said something that made me chuckle, “This sounds like something you would write.” Coming of age story that revolves around a despicable crime? That doesn’t sound like me at all…

Walsh’s crisp style and thought-provoking prose combines both literary fiction and a pulse-quickening thriller. Set in Baton Rouge, La., the novel explores the nature of “violent crime, unraveling families, and consuming adolescent love.” Fair warning, if you pick up this book in the store and read the first chapter, you’re going to end up buying it and throwing out the rest of your reading queue immediately.

While I didn’t know who Walsh was before My Sunshine Away made its way to my desk, I can safely say I’m not going to forget him going forward. My Sunshine Away goes on sale Feb. 10, 2014.   

Brutal Youth by Anthony Breznican

I know you can’t judge a book by its cover, but, holy shit, this cover is all kinds of awesome. Better yet, there’s a well-crafted story inside! Inspired by the author’s adolescence spent in Western Pennsylvania, the novel follows the lives of three freshmen at St. Michael’s, a troubled Catholic school (is there any other kind?) known for “religious zealots fearful of public schools,” “violent delinquents,” a “declining reputation,” and “plunging enrollment.” Sign me up!    

To pull a LeVar Burton, don’t take my word for it. Stephen King called the novel “funny and terrifying” and “a ‘Rebel Without A Cause’ for the 21st Century.”

Paul Revere’s Ride by David Hackett Fischer

If last month’s recommendation of A Midwife’s Tale was too obscure for you history readers out there, perhaps you’d be more interested in David Hackett Fischer’s Paul Revere’s Ride? While Fischer is better known for his excellent account of George Washington’s crossing the Delaware during the Revolutionary War, which is aptly titled Washington’s Crossing, his research into an often overlooked or sensationalized event refreshes one of the most critical times of our country’s existence. Revere, whose house is just a few blocks away from where I’m sitting, wasn’t just a simple silversmith or messenger. He was a complete badass! More importantly, the events leading up to the shots fired at Lexington and Concord were much more complex than they appear in most standard history textbooks. Fischer’s research and style gives both Revere’s midnight ride and the revolutionary movement relevancy at a time when the United States is struggling to adhere to its core democratic values in the face of domestic and international extremism. It should be required reading for members of Congress and every news commentator so that the next time they invoke the words “patriotism” and “forefathers” they know what the fuck they’re talking about.

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

Last month, I read the Hemingway Library Edition of Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises and loved everything about the volume. I received A Farewell to Arms, which the Hemingway Library released last year, as a birthday gift and hung my head after reading Hemingway wrote this when he was 30 years old (Seriously, dude, you’re killing the rest of us). After crying into my bourbon, I discovered I may enjoy this edition even more than The Sun Also Rises. From the gorgeous blue cover to the appendices that include a plethora of alternate endings (again, man, putting us simple writers to shame), this tome proves beyond a reasonable doubt that it deserves a prominent spot in every Hemingway fan’s bookshelf. Note of caution: When you re-read the story, keep in mind you’re reading a superior edition that doesn’t deserve  a fate like that of Bradley Cooper's copy in “Silver Linings Playbook.”  

MORE FROM WRITER'S BONE'S LIBRARY

5 Books That Should Be On Your Radar: December 2014

By Daniel Ford

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.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

This finalist for the National Book Award is landing on just about every top 10 list for 2014 and with good reason. All the Light We Cannot See, which tells the tale of a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France during World War II, contains so many perfect sentences that I constantly question how a lowly human could have produced it. Here are two of my favorites:

Marie-Laurie can hear a can opening, juice slopping into a bowl. Seconds later, she’s eating wedges of sunlight.

As if, at every meal, the cadets fill their tin cups not with the cold mineralized water of Schulpforta but with a spirit that leaves them glazed and dazzled, as if they ward off a vast and inevitable tidal wave of anguish only by staying forever drunk on rigor exercise and gleaming boot leather.

Every chapter is a lyrical surprise that raises your spirit right before it breaks your heart. I have less than 150 pages to read and I don’t want it to end. 

A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Only my older brother can make fun of me for reading Thirteen Days in September: Carter, Begin, and Sadat at Camp David one moment and then recommend this history book the next.

Here’s the overview from Barnes & Noble:

Drawing on the diaries of a midwife and healer in eighteenth-century Maine, this intimate history illuminates the medical practices, household economies, religious rivalries, and sexual mores of the New England frontier.

Yup, that’ll get the history nerd juices flowing.

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

After lusting after this Hemingway Library Edition for months, I now hold it in my hands at this very moment. I must confess I have never read Hemingway’s first novel, but that didn’t stop me from drooling over a $85,000 copy at the 2014 Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair.

This copy features early drafts, deleted passages, and other titles Hemingway drew up before setting on The Sun Also Rises. I haven’t been this excited about an extended edition since Peter Jackson’s "Return of the King," which featured the mouth of Sauron.

Pronto by Elmore Leonard

Simply because it has been far too long since we last included Leonard on a list and for the fact it’s my favorite novel featuring Raylan Givens. This needs to be a film (preferably not one based on the 1997 television movie) ASAP.

Mason & Dixon by Thomas Pynchon

This novel might be incredibly hard to read, but it could be worth it. Writer’s Bone essayist Dave Pezza recommended it to me, and I’m intrigued by the premise. Pynchon tells the story of British surveyors Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon as they cause a ruckus on both sides of the line that bears their name. What makes the book a challenge is that Pynchon writes as if he’s living in the 18th century. Fuck me; writing this must have sucked. My hope is that Pychon stayed in character and lived, spoke, and drank like a man from the 1700s.

Bonus: The Best Book I Read in 2014

The more I wrestled with this decision, the clearer my answer became. I loved Matthew Thomas’ We Are Not Ourselves, Scott Cheshire’s High as the Horses’ Bridle, Charles M. Blow’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones, Steph Post’s A Tree Born Crooked, John Kennedy Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces, Joshua Ferris’ The Unnamed, Peter Sherwood’s The Murdery Delicious Hamwich Gumm Mystery: A Comedy of Terrors, Stephen King’s The Shining, and Jeff Shaara’s Gods and Generals, however, one book floored me more than all the others. And that novel is…

2 A.M. at the Cat’s Pajama’s by Marie-Helene Bertino! If you haven’t read it yet, make it part of your New Year’s resolution!

MORE FROM WRITER'S BONE'S LIBRARY

5 Books That Should Be On Your Radar: November 2014

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.

Yes Please by Amy Poehler

Stephanie Schaefer: Equal parts humor and inspiration with a sprinkle of Boston sass? Yes, please! In Amy Poehler's autobiography, the funny lady touches upon everything from her childhood antics to her Hilary Clinton impersonation. Her memoir goes as deep as her post-divorce trip to Haiti and as light as the pranks she and her former "Saturday Night Live" castmates played on each other. Expect anecdotes about Poehler's famous friends, including Tina Fey and Seth Meyers throughout. All and all it's a quick, fun read that aspiring writers, fellow sassy Bostonians, and fans of Leslie Knope will definitely appreciate. Plus, Writer's Bone contributor Lisa Carroll once acted alongside Poehler in a Boston College production of Brigadoon, which is pretty badass.

The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore

Daniel Ford: I am an unabashed history fan boy for anything Harvard’s Jill Lepore writes. Two of her previous works, The Name of War: King Philip's War and the Origins of American Identity and New York Burning: Liberty, Slavery, and Conspiracy in Eighteenth-Century Manhattan completely changed the way I read and think about historical works. I was intrigued that she chose Wonder Woman as a topic for her latest work, but I can tell from what I’ve read so far she employs her insightful and colorful prose to wonderful effect in telling the story of the greatest female comic book hero of all time. This book contains an extraordinary amount of black and white and color illustrations, which makes the hardcover edition even more of a collector’s item/coffee table book. Just read the words because Lepore makes all of hers count whenever she sets them to the page. I’m secretly hoping she has plans for a Superman biography, or a novel featuring Superman going back in time to prevent the Salem witch trials. All I know is that whatever she writes next, I’ll be the first in line to buy it (or the first to email her agent for a copy to review).

We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas

Daniel: Here’s the first line of Matthew Thomas’ incredible debut novel, We Are Not Ourselves:

“Instead of going to the priest, the men who gathered at Doherty’s Bar after work went to Eileen Tumulty’s father.”

Even if the novel wasn’t set in Queens, N.Y., I would have jumped into this novel as fast as a skateboarder in Astoria Park. The novel follows Eileen, born to Irish immigrants, as she struggles to establish her own life in New York City while taking care of an ailing husband. You’ll be hard pressed to find a novel featuring more honest and compelling characters than the ones that inhabit this work. Joshua Ferris, an author who knows a thing or two about inspired writing, calls We Are Not Ourselves “a masterwork,” and I couldn’t agree more. The novel may seem a little intimidating at first because of its length, but you’ll be 300 pages in before you know it and start fervently hoping it never ends.  

If I Knew You Were Going To Be This Beautiful, I Never Would Have Let You Go by Judy Chicurel

Daniel: I love literary debuts almost as much as I love short stories. Judy Chicurel combines the two in If I Knew…!

The short stories found in If I Knew… contain a coming-of-age story set during the “summer of 1972 in a down-on-its-heels Long Island beach town.” Chicurel said in our interview on Wednesday that it’s an “interesting challenge to make the characters as compelling as possible within the confines of the format,” and you can tell from the first page that the author met that challenge and then some. Her characters act and speak exactly how you imagine they should, which isn’t always the easiest thing to pull off. I’m just getting into the meat of the book, but I can’t wait to finish it and then see how Chicurel develops her obvious talent in the future.

Epilogue by Will Boast

Daniel: Some of us have self-induced angst and drama, and others have actual pain and misery heaped on them by outside forces. Do me a favor. Read this excerpt from Will Boast’s memoir and come back. I’ll wait.

Pain, by Will Boast

Yeah, whatever you’re dealing with as a writer, it might not be as bad as that. And odds are if it is, let’s hope that you became half the person and writer that Boast has.

I’ve been holding off on reading this memoir because I just wrote an intense short story and if I added any more darkness to my world, Stephanie Schaefer would have left me. But I think the winter months are the perfect time to visit works like these because the weather allows you to stare off into the cold distance, or into a raging fire, and contemplate what every word and moment means to the author and to yourself. It’s never easy to read about someone else’s suffering, but the resilience the England-born Boast shows throughout his book makes the tears you’ll shed into your hot chocolate worth it. 

MORE FROM WRITER'S BONE'S LIBRARY

5 Crime Novels That Will Keep You Warm This Winter

By Sean Tuohy

Okay folks, we need to admit that winter is finally upon us. For us Northerners, that means piles of snow and fending off polar bear attacks while trying to get to work. Despite all that, we can sit down and enjoy a good crime novel with devilish men and fatal dames that fill the page with greed and murder.

Below are the top five thrillers to keep you warm during this season:

A Tree Born Crooked by Steph Post

Tired of the snow? Well, Steph Post’s noir A Tree Born Crooked will bring you to the sunny state of Florida. Now, she doesn’t feature the sun-soaked beaches of South Florida where you can get a rum runner. No. This is the intense back roads of Northern Florida, a land were blood and money run thick and both will get you killed. Post’s crooked characters will surely help you ward off the winter freeze.

Third Rail by Rory Flynn

Boston is a tough city where the wrong look or turn can end with you six feet under. Roey Flynn captures Beantown using the city’s love of baseball to set in motion a thrilling crime story that takes you on a wild ride involving cops, criminals, and, gasp, sports fans.

A Killer in the Wind by Andrew Klavan

The pages of this book ooze tough guy. Klavan tells the deadly and dark tale of a former New York City cop turned small town detective being pulled back in to a living nightmare. The author can write tough in his sleep and throws plot twists like a Super Bowl quarterback.

L.A. Rex by William Beall

James Elroy is the ruling king of hardcore Los Angeles crime fiction, but Beall, a former LAPD officer, is slowly taking his place with his no-holds-barred debut novel. Beall dives in to the wild days of the 1990s LAPD, a police department riddled with scandal and going through changes. A rockie cop with a secret is paired with a hot temper old school gunslinger and tries to keep the city safe.

A Walk Among The Tombstones by Lawrence Block

Block is master of his craft.  How does this guy do it? Every book is as thrilling as the last. His most well-known novels feature Matt Scudder, a NYPD detective turned private eye. Block uses his characters and stories as a way to explore the ever-changing New York City. In this twisted tale, Scudder must help a drug lord find the people behind the death of his wife before they strike again.

MORE FROM WRITER'S BONE'S LIBRARY

>

10 Literary Treasures We Found at the 2014 Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair

By Daniel Ford

One minute essayist Dave Pezza and I are enjoying a few Pabst Blue Ribbon pints at a local Boston pub, and the next we’re walking into the erudite, high-class world of the 2014 Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair.

What we found were a group of people that loved books just as much as we did, but with checkbooks attached to bank accounts larger than the state of California. Many of the owners we talked to were amiable, passionate, and eager to share insights into their industry.

Here are the 10 treasures we discovered, several of which made us contemplate taking out a mortgage to pay for them:

10. Lincoln Campaign Songster—Savoy Books

It’s tough to put Lincoln at the bottom of any list, but that just goes to show you how truly special everything else in this compilation is. I love that the condition is “a little dusty, about fine.” It’s from 1864! It’s also worth noting that the President’s campaigners decided to depict a younger, clean-shaved Lincoln for the cover. His reelection was no sure thing, so they really did pull out all the stops to defeat the more popular General George McClellan (who would still be amassing an army to send nowhere had Lincoln not fired his ass).

9. Inscribed Copy of The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen—Between the Covers Rare Books

I’m actually surprised that this copy isn’t currently resting in a bookcase at Writer’s Bone’s headquarters. Dave gave this third printing of Franzen’s The Corrections a long look before deciding that his $150 would be better spent on beer and cigars later in the weekend.

8. All Quiet on the Western Front—Brattle Book Shop

Everyone at this bookshop hates me because I kept referring to the book as All Along the Western Front. Hey, I was confusing it with the Jimi Hendrix cover…wait, that’s not right either…

7. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn—Second Life Books

This is a first edition of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn bound in rare blue cloth (most of the other first editions of this printing were bound in red). It was in slightly rough shape only because the book had been “rescued.”

6. Men Without Women—B & B Rare Books

First edition, first issue in the original gray trial dust jacket…I can’t go on. It’s too magical. It is also $12,500.

5. The Lord of the Rings—Adrian Harrington Rare Books

We knew this was going to be a good stop when we found the store’s owners kicking back with a couple of beers. We sheepishly asked them if we could take a photo of this beautiful set and they pulled it out of the case as if it wasn’t worth more than Dave and I put together. We held our breath the whole time. I have no memory of taking this picture.

4. East of Eden—Adrian Harrington Rare Books

One of the most elegant, simple, and beautiful book covers I’ve ever seen in my life. This book is also in my top five favorite novels of all time, so I’m glad I came across this. I don't have the several thousand dollars it's worth, but I’m glad it exists.

3. The Sun Also Rises—Peter L. Stern & Co.

I had to tell Dave I’d buy him an ice cream cone after the fair so he would walk up to the owner and ask if we could take a picture of this $85,000 edition of Ernest Hemingway’s first novel. To put it in perspective, a copy of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby was also going for $85,000. The Sun Also Rises is not Hemingway’s most popular novel. We’ll let you do the rest of the math.  

2. Declaration of Independence—Seth Kaller, Inc.

This broadside of the Declaration of Independence was read throughout New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts in July 1776. Interestingly enough, this document is not considered the “official” version of the Declaration. This one was only signed by Continental Congress President John Hancock and Secretary Charles Thomson (spelled “Thompson”). The delegates signed the official version on Aug. 2, 1776.

While Dave and I were digesting all this information, one of the seller’s employees leaned over and said, “This is usually our main attraction, but this year, it’s not.” He then pointed to our left, prompting us to weep immediately.

1. George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation—Seth Kaller, Inc.

Only two (two!) copies of Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation exist. One is held by the Library of Congress (because it is technically a law) and the other was two thin panes of glass away from my stupefied expression. Washington signed this as President in 1789 in the then-capital city of New York. Only three other Presidents would sign a document like this: John Adams, James Madison, and Abraham Lincoln (who made Thanksgiving a national holiday during the Civil War). There was a heavy set gentleman in front of us who spent a considerable amount of time staring at the more than 200-year-old piece of paper. He walked away with a tear in his eye. No one could blame him, because we did the same.

Oh, it’s $8.4 million and change if you’re interested in adding it to your collection. 

MORE FROM WRITER'S BONE'S LIBRARY

5 Books To Read On Veteran’s Day

By Daniel Ford

Veteran’s Day is always been important to me because many of the men in my family have worn a military uniform. More than anything else, my grandfather’s World War II stories and my uncles’ service inspired me to become a student of history and truly appreciate the sacrifices made by military personnel and their families. As a humble writer, I could think of no better way of honoring all veterans than by recommending some of my favorite military-related titles from the past several years.

I read a line in a publication recently that said this country is really good at sending its men and women to war, but really crappy at bringing soldiers back home. I couldn’t agree more, which is way I strongly suggest supporting  organizations such as the Wounded Warrior Project or Ron Capp’s Veteran Writing Project.    

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain

During one of my frequent trips to the nearby Barnes & Noble early this year, I picked up this novel and read the first couple of lines.

“The men of Bravo are not cold. It’s a chilly and windwhipped Thanksgiving Day with sleet and freezing rain forecast for late afternoon, but Bravo is nicely blazed on Jack and Cokes thanks to the epic crawl of game-day traffic and the limo’s minibar. Five drinks in forty minutes is probably pushing it, but Billy needs some refreshment after the hotel lobby, where overcaffeinated tag teams of grateful citizens trampolined right down the middle of his hangover.”

Hello!

A finalist for the National Book Award, Fountain’s novel follows an Army squad following its heroic performance against Iraqi insurgents. America has thrown them a party that culminates in a halftime spectacle at the former the Dallas Cowboys' stadium. The main character, Specialist Billy Lynn, tries to make sense of the war and his country’s reaction to his team during the football game while interacting with the wealthy owner of the Dallas Cowboys, a movie producer, and a beautiful cheerleader. It’s visceral, as any book about war is, but it also has just the right amount of hope. I thought about Billy Lynn long after I finished the novel and will likely make this an annual read.

An Army At Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943 by Rick Atkinson

Atkinson’s The Guns at Last Light was featured in last Friday’s Bruce, Bourbon, and Books, but I still think my favorite entry in his Liberation Trilogy is the Pulitzer Prize-winning An Army At Dawn. The book essentially depicts the birth of the modern U.S. military. While the other two books in the series contain plenty of military fuck ups, An Army at Dawn features some that will leave a lasting impression. Our troops were so green and so under-trained during the early stages of the invasion of Africa that Hitler’s Desert Fox, Irwin Rommel, didn’t even break a sweat while routing Allied Forces. Atkinson’s portrayal of the heartbreaking retreat at the Kasserine Pass will make you wonder how we turned things around, won the war, and became one of the world’s only superpowers.

War is never simple, but it is made all the more difficult when shaping an army on the fly in the face of an truly menacing enemy. The men who eventually liberated Africa and Europe and forced the Japanese to surrender earned every mile and this generation’s enduring respect.   

Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes

I’m ashamed to say I’ve started Matterhorn several times, but haven’t finished it. It’s not that it doesn’t immediately grab you, it does, but it’s so powerful you have to read it in small doses. Fiction allows a writer to play with emotions and Marlantes—who served in Vietnam—does a beautiful job of making you ache during the story of Bravo Company. When people are putting you in the same class as Norman Mailer and James Jones, you know you’ve done something right. Not a lot was handled correctly during the Vietnam War, but there are valor and sacrifices during that conflict that need to be acknowledged and celebrated. Marlantes precisely frames that war  and war in general in an accurate light.

The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers

Powers, a veteran of the Iraq War, spins quite the tale about two soldiers attempting to stay safe in the heat of battle.

This is the opening line of the book: "The war tried to kill us in the spring."

As poetic as Powers’ style is, the reading doesn’t get easier after that. You turn the pages unsure if you want to continue, but you do because the soldiers you’re reading about do that same thing while carrying out their objectives. I’ve read numerous war-related non-fiction and fiction tomes, but this one made me tear up. There’s always another front back home that some of us forget, and this book sheds light on that battle while servicing the story of the in-country troops. You may never return to this book ever again, but it’s worth getting through once. You won’t be sorry you did.

WAR by Sebastian Junger

It’s really hard to read things about Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. The fighting was hard and the men who were doing it were living on the extreme edge of their profession. Junger, who also authored The Perfect Storm, captures it all in heart-stopping, on-the-ground detail in this book that will cause you to sweat, swear, and cheer along with the soldiers in the platoon he’s embedded with.  

Here’s what the author had to say about war in an interview with Amazon.com:

“War is hell, as the saying goes--but it isn't only that. It's a lot of other things, too—most of them delivered in forms that are way more pure and intense than what is available back home. The undeniable hellishness of war forces men to bond in ways that aren't necessary—or even possible—in civilian society.”

Indeed.

MORE FROM WRITER'S BONE'S LIBRARY

5 Books That Should Be On Your Radar: October 2014

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.

Never Can Say Goodbye: Writers on Their Unshakable Love for New York by Sari Botton

Lindsey Wojcik: I can't tell you much about this book yet, because it just came out yesterday and I haven't started it. But I finished Sari Botton's first anthology Goodbye to All That, and as much as that was a love letter to New York City, it was mostly about moving on from life in New York City and sometimes coming back—and, after five years living in the city, I totally related to the desire to flee it. From what I've read on Botton's follow up, it's even more of a love letter to the city. The phrase "unshakable love" is on the cover, for goodness sake. Anyone with even a questionable love or appreciation for the city will undoubtedly fall back in love with it in this new set of essays.

Chump Change by David Eddie

Daniel Ford: Speaking of leaving New York City, Sean Tuohy was right when he said David Eddie’s Chump Change had me written all over it. The first line of the book: “I’m a failure.” That effectively sucked me in. There’s a great scene where Eddie’s character—who has been chewed up by New York City—says goodbye to the woman he’d been seeing. He wants to make it a clean break, but he’s so screwed up, he leaves the relationship in a weird state of limbo. The worst part is that he’s so poor, she has to buy his ticket back to Toronto. “A new low,” the character says, “I have to borrow from my girlfriend to leave her.” The adventures that follow are best enjoyed with some low grade alcohol.

2 A.M. at the Cat’s Pajamas by Marie-Helene Bertino

Daniel: This book is quite simply a complete treasure from start to finish. There is music playing in your head from the moment you open the book until you finish it in a white heat two days later without any sleep in between. It is the rare book that combines exquisitely drawn characters, a swift, meaningful plot, and innovative prose. I honestly did not want the book to end, and I’m sure I’ll be revisiting it in the near future. If you need a constant surprise in your life, pick this book up immediately. I can’t recommend it highly enough. I very much look forward to Bertino’s next novel (hurry up!).

A Cold and Broken Hallelujah by Tyler Dilts 

Daniel: Sean Tuohy knows a thing or two about crime stories. When he recommends a novel that has anything to do with detectives, crime, or heart-pounding action, you listen.

A Cold and Broken Hallelujah by @tylerdilts one of the best thrillers out there now. It's crack for a crime reader. Pick it up!

— Writer's Bone (@WritersBone) October 2, 2014

Sean knows a thing or two about crack too, so his metaphor must be legit (just kidding, he was just a drug mule). When I asked him what made this novel in particular so special, his response was surprising: “He spends a lot of time on the victim of the crime.”

Say no more Sean, I’m in.

You Are One of Them by Elliott Holt

Daniel: Writer’s Bone contributor Hailey Reissman recommended Elliott Holt’s novel You Are One of Them a couple of weeks ago and, I have to admit, the premise didn’t immediately grab me. Two friends growing up in Washington D.C. during the Cold War write to Soviet premier Yuri Andropov asking for peace. Only one of the friend’s letters receives a response, leading that friend to head to the USSR for a meeting with Andropov, which pisses the other friend off to no end. The two are still estranged when one of them dies in a plane crash with her parents. However, it turns out said friend might not be dead. Mystery ensues.

Who am I kidding? This book sounds exactly like something I would pick up on one of my daily trips to Barnes & Noble (I have a serious problem). This book is also inspired by the true story of Samantha Smith, which satisfies the non-fiction reader in me as well. If that all wasn’t enough, I made the mistake of reading the prologue while I was invested in another book. It hit all the right notes ensuring that I’ll be devouring this novel in short order. Holt is yet another author to watch closely.

Other books worth checking out: A Tree Born Crooked by Steph Post, Sway by Kat Spears, Ecstatic Cahoots by Stuart Dybek, and A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block

MORE FROM WRITER'S BONE'S LIBRARY

5 Books That Should Be On Your Radar: September 2014

Every month, the Writer’s Bone crew will review or preview books they’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.

By Daniel Ford

High as the Horses’ Bridles by Scott Cheshire

I’m not including Cheshire’s book just because he was a great interview. His book had me jonesing for Queens, N.Y. something awful. He included so many New York City landmarks that meant something special to me while I was living there, including Forest Park and the 59th Street Bridge (which he brilliantly described as a “shipwreck hull”).

Anyone who picks up this novel (unbelievably his first) will notice right away it’s beautifully written in a style that perfectly fits its characters and settings. Relationships and religion are explored in honest and intriguing ways, and your heart will ache throughout the novel without ever completely losing hope (or faith for that matter).

My favorite line comes half way through, when the main character describes meeting his future wife after one of her workouts. “And my God,” Cheshire writes. “is there anything in the world as intoxicating as that pink rise of hip skin all crimped from the elastic band on a pair of running shorts—has to be shorts—and peeking out from where you shouldn’t see, like a rosy and puckered sun; I wanted to press my face against the skin of her hip.”

That is the kind of author I want to follow religiously (bad puns are for free) for years to come.

Fire Shut Up in My Bones by Charles M. Blow

I’ve been a devoted reader of Blow’s column in The New York Times for years now. His voice is distinct in an increasingly angry and divided media because of the care and consideration it gives to those less fortunate in our society. He blends pertinent statistics and illuminating narrative to shine journalistic light in dark places.

Unlike some columnists, one can feel the heart that pumps out each word. Blow believes firmly in everything he writes. Most importantly, he allows himself to debate issues that he’s not entirely sure about (his Twitter handle @CharlesMBlow is a must follow). The world needs much more of the candor and integrity found in Blow’s style.

I’ve been excited to read his memoir, Fire Shut Up in My Bones, for some time now. I was able to obtain an advanced copy (the book comes out September 23, 2014) and it lives up to every expectation I had. I can add “ferocious” to the words to describe Blow’s prose. His harrowing story of poverty, sexual abuse and confusion, and finding his writing voice will leave a lasting impression on every reader that picks up this book. In an interview in Upscale Magazine, Blow says that one of the reasons he wanted to set his story to paper was the need to “write and write well” and that he had to “write it because it demanded to be written, to be exhaled, to be brought into creation.” There’s no greater urge for a writer than to write his or her own story, and Blow accomplishes that feat with heartbreaking beauty.

I also suggest reading Alice Walker’s book jacket quote. That woman writes her own name better than most people write novels.

Hollywood Animal by Joe Eszterhas

I lived vicariously through Sean Tuohy as he was reading screenwriter Joe Eszterhas’ gonzo memoir.

Here are some of the emails I received from my brother in podcast:

“Picked up Hollywood Animal. Holy shit, it is amazing. His story about Mick Jagger is awesome. Pick it up.”

“You need to read this book. It is amazing. He is talking about how Sharon Stone thanked him for writing such a good movie, about writing a movie script in which he bashes Elliot Ness, and how he made fun of Bob Dylan for having a smaller house without a view.”

“There are moments of huge truth in that book that break the soul. Then there are moments were I can't tell if the truth is fully there or if bullshit has started to slip in.”

I’m pretty sure Sean had to towel himself off after reading this book, which means it is well worth your time.

Dear Life by Alice Munro

I have a feeling Alice Munro is going to end up on our Badass Writers of the Week list sooner rather than later. You don’t win the Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 82 (becoming only the 13th woman to do so) without having some serious skills.

I haven’t read Dear Life in its entirety as of yet, but I’ve been sneaking passages in between other novels. The Canadian writer makes keen observations about human relationships in a short story that most authors can’t investigate in a full novel.

One day soon I’m going to have the time to sit down and devour all of Munroe’s short story collections. In the meantime, I’ll be happy visiting her world in bits and pieces, savoring her concise style, and pondering her prose long after the words leave my eyeballs.

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

I saw this book on a table in Barnes & Noble recently, and just seeing the cover reminded me how much I adored this novel. I can’t recommend it highly enough. It featured multiple story lines from different eras, but the book never made your head spin and wish for a more streamlined narrative. Every word, every paragraph, every deep, affecting character moment propels you to keep reading long after your bed time. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Russo, who will find himself on this list sooner or later, called this book “an absolute masterpiece.”

Pasquale is one of those main characters that stays with you long after you’ve foolishly lent your copy to a friend you know isn’t going to return it. I rooted for the Italian innkeeper the way some men root for sports heroes. Never have I wanted to own a small hotel on the Italian shore more than when I was reading this novel.

The pages will fly by and you’ll beg them to stop by the end. Savor every morsel of this indeed “beautiful” story and hope that Walter keeps giving as more in the very near future (He did publish a collection of short stories, We Live in Water, in 2013, which I need to check out before I can officially recommend it).

Other books worth taking a look at: We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas, Thirteen Days in September: Carter, Begin, and Sadat at Camp David by Lawrence Wright, The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson, To Rise Again at a Decent Hour by Joshua Ferris, The Runner by Patrick Lee, Pretty in Ink by Lindsey Palmer.

MORE FROM WRITER'S BONE'S LIBRARY

5 Books That Should Be On Your Radar: August 2014

Every month, the Writer’s Bone crew will review or preview books they’ve read or want to read. This new 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.

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Daniel Ford: I’ll admit I’m a little late to the party on this book. But I’m swiftly making up for lost time. During my recent trip to New York City, multiple people demanded I read this novel. I made my way to Strand Book Store, bought a cheap copy, and have been devouring it ever since.

John Kennedy Toole won a posthumous Pulitzer for the book after his mother found a publisher for it years after he committed suicide. It’s been said on numerous reviews I’ve read that Toole had more great work in him, which I completely agree with. His dialogue and comedic timing are so good that you won’t want to put this book down.

The best part is that Nick Offerman is reportedly going to play the role of Ignatius J. Reilly in a stage production of the book. I don’t know if he has the obesity to pull it off, but I’m pretty sure he will nail Reilly’s bursts of outrage.

Gods and Generals by Jeff Shaara

Sean Tuohy: I like history. I like fiction. However, I didn’t like the two mixed together until now. I heard Daniel’s podcast interview with Jeff Shaara and then I was given the novel. I fell in love after the first three pages. Shaara painted a vivid portrait of the early years of the Civil War and gave me a better understanding of the men who fought it. The novel also reminded me of how young our nation was at the time and how close we came to losing it all. It’s a wonderful tale that you will be reading deep into the night.

The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris

Daniel: I was a huge fan of Joshua Ferris’ debut novel, And Then We Came to the End, because his writing style was a refreshing change of pace and perfectly blended humor and drama. I read it in a few days and recommended it to everyone I knew.

I didn’t know about his second novel, The Unnamed, until I found a used paperback copy at Raven Used Books in Boston. It’s an expertly crafted tale about a man struggling with a rare disease that forces him to keep walking. His relationship with his wife and daughter falls apart and gets put back together several times during the novel and your heart aches the entire time you’re reading it. The book isn’t devoid of hope, which is why you’ll be glad you powered through the book in a couple days. However long it takes you to read, it’ll stay with you for quite some time and for good reason.

I would read this over his recent work,To Rise Again at a Decent Hour. While I enjoyed spending time reading his style, I wasn’t particularly in love with the story or the main character. Ferris will be hard-pressed to top The Unnamed or And Then We Came to the End, but I’m eager to see him try.

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

Dave Pezza: Alrighty, this is a quick review for the aforementioned book because Daniel won’t let me borrow any more seasons of the television series “Community” until this review is in his hands. So here we go.

Stephan King is, in short, awesome. Sean and Daniel spent an entire podcast talking about him. He is the master of the macabre and thane of thrills. Let’s put it this way, King is a machine. And this particular machine manufactures creative masterpieces of suspense and weird like no other! King has published Guns, Joyland, Ghost Brothers of Darkland Country, Doctor Sleep (the long awaited sequel to The Shining), and Mr. Mercedes in the last two years alone. Admittedly, I haven’t read much King. I've previously read the first 200 pages or so of The Stand and The Cycle of the Werewolf (a really cool illustrated collection of short stories following werewolf attacks in a snowy New England town). So I approached Mr. Mercedes from a mostly King-ignorant perspective.

Having said that, I highly recommend this book. King does everything right to convert his down-to-earth, blunt, blue-collar style to the detective novel format. His lead detective, retired detective Bill Hodges, is a quintessential King workaholic with a haunted past. He’s supported by the young and black Jerome, who is Ivy League bound and perpetually explaining technology to Hodges, and the curt, but charming and promiscuous Janey, Hodges love interest and overall doll! The gang teams up to stop Brady—a troubled man with mommy issues who floored a V-12 Mercedes into a crowded parking lot and walked away scot-free—from committing a new act of mass destruction.

I flew through this thriller and now I’m hungry for more King quirks, creepiness, and crudities wrapped up in literary stylings of legend.

Your Fathers, Where Are They? And The Prophets, Do They Live Forever? by David Eggers

Dave: Your Fathers, Where Are They? And the Prophets, Do They Live Forever? is Eggers’ second publication since A Hologram for the King, his 2012 novel named as a finalist for the 2012 National Book Award. I’m a fan of Eggers. I read What is the What, his novelization of the story of one of Lost Boys of Sudan, in college. I wasn’t’ particularly taken, but after reading A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius a few years later, I began to admire Eggers’ frank, but hopeful, style of writing. A Heartbreaking Work…, Eggers’ memoir about the death of both of his parents and his raising of his younger brother, is astonishingly bleak and soul regenerating. Your Fathers…is not nearly as cut and dry. Eggers’ latest work got a scathing review in the New York Times Book Review. I felt unfairly so. However, when you publish a book composed entirely in dialogue through your own publishing company, you really don’t have to give a shit about critics. Eggers managed to complete this new work entirely in dialogue between the main character and several of his captives. Thomas, Eggers’ 30-something main character, kidnaps a series of people and chains them up in an abandoned military base in California to converse with them. Thomas believes that he can find the answers to his qualms about the current American culture by talking to these men and women, who include an astronaut, a congressman, and a police officer. The ensuing conversations compose the bulk of the 212-page novel.

These conversations, unfortunately, vary in relevancy and success. Some I found confusing, vague, and trite. Others were gripping, enlightening, and honest glimpses of social progressive dialogue. Overall, I suggest giving it an honest read. Eggers makes an attempt here, with some success, to remind us of how and how not to discuss social issues. We avoid many of the issues Eggers brings about in Your Fathers…, and short of being chloroformed, chained, and threatened with electrocution, many of us would be unwilling to earnestly discuss the issues Thomas poses to his captives.

Your Fathers…is a cry for help. You can hear him yell through the pages, “Get off Facebook, Twitter, and whatever and have a real, honest conversation with someone about real issues, especially with those that disagree with you.” Is the defunding of the space shuttle really low point in our nation’s grandeur? Is police brutality and hyper-aggressiveness a national concern?

Eggers may not have the right answers here, but at least he is asking, and, thankfully, he is doing it in format where clicking “like” isn’t a legitimate response.

MORE FROM WRITER'S BONE'S LIBRARY

Summer School: 5 Beach Friendly History Books

War of 1812 naval battle

By Daniel Ford

An American history tome might not be anyone’s first choice while parked on a beach chair, restocking Vitamin D after a long winter, and drinking a cold, frothy adult beverage.

However, there isn’t any kind of literary law that says all your beach reads need to be light, popcorn-y yarns that you breeze through in an hour and a half.

Do some learning in between sandy, romantic walks with these five U.S. history books!

1812: The War That Forged a Nation by Walter R. Borneman

This book comes with its own soundtrack!

I’d love to be able to tell you that this post doesn’t get any nerdier than that moment, but…alas.

The War of 1812 was pretty fucking goofy. Without an army or a navy, the U.S. Government at one point was debating whether or not to declare war on England and France. Which ended up looking evens sillier when the British made James Madison hightail it out of Washington right before they burned the White House to the ground.

But you’ll enjoy plenty of naval battles, a country proving it could hold its own despite its suspect war aims, and a battle fought after the conflict had officially ended.

Means of Ascent: The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Volume 2 by Robert Caro

I’m trying really hard to get Sean Tuohy to write the screenplay for Lyndon Johnson’s legendary 1948 Senate campaign.

Caro makes your heart thump describing the details of the race between Johnson and former Texas governor Coke Stevenson(this name alone should be a movie!). Johnson tried to cut into his opponent’s seemingly insurmountable lead by campaigning in a helicopter, but still had to resort to buying votes to win the election and set his course to the White House.

Stevenson at one points heads out to check out the disputed county votes himself with a retired U.S. Marshall who just happened to shot Bonnie of Bonnie and Clyde (!!!!!). The election also involves a shadowy Mexican enforcer nicknamed “Indio” who eventually admitted to helping put the fix in.

Cast Bryan Cranston as LBJ and I'd pay money to see that.

Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick

It’s best not to read this book while on a boat.

Unless of course you’re comfortable reading about a shipwreck caused by an angry sperm whale followed by survivors lost at sea for more than 90 days who had to draw straws to figure out who got eaten first.

It’s chilling and grim, but it’s the perfect read while enjoying low tide and being anchored by beach cocktails.

Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis

The Founders can sometimes come off as a little inaccessible.

Several of them can be found memorialized in marble in Washington D.C., which doesn’t help the cause. But this book breathes life into guys like George Washington, Ben Franklin, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson (one of U.S. history’s biggest douches).

Hamilton and Burr’s duel offers the most suspense for obvious reasons, but the debate on where to place the nation’s capital and Jefferson and Adams’ renewed friendship at the end of their lives are equally as thrilling.

Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition by Daniel Okrent

One could argue that Prohibition was one of the more successful interventions in drinking history.

However, the temperance movement also facilitated the rise of organized crime and the restriction of personal freedom, as well as wasted federal dollars pursuing and prosecuting violators of the Volstead Act.

Okrent writes with a spirit and verve that grabs you from the first chapter (which details how much Americans were drinking before Prohibition set in).

The best part is you can wet your whistle while making fun of the poor schumcks getting in trouble for wetting theirs during the heyday of the Progressive movement.

MORE FROM WRITER'S BONE'S LIBRARY

10 Books You Shouldn’t Be Without at the Beach This Summer

The perfect summer reading view

We’re going to let Frank Sinatra sing us into our roundup of great summertime reads:

If you have any summer reading you’d like to recommend, share them in the comment section or tweet us @WritersBone.

Florida Road Kill by Tim Dorsey

ST: Tim Dorsey is the reigning king of Florida fiction and that is because he understands the kooky landscape of the Sunshine State better than any other human. In his first novel, Dorsey introduces us to a cast of whacked, greedy, and blood-thirsty characters that you can only find in good ol’ Florida. Dorsey’s tour of Florida craziness will make you want to find a lawn chair and park in the shade on some beach.

The Murdery Delicious Hamwich Gumm Mystery: A Comedy of Terrors by Peter Sherwood

Daniel Ford: Yes, I’m biased because Peter is a friend of mine and was kind enough to do a podcast interview with us. However, summer is meant for fun and Sherwood’s book is tremendous fun. I finished it a couple of weeks ago, but I still find myself chuckling thinking about the antics of the main characters. I’ve never highlighted more delightful passages on my Kindle. Give it a read while swaying in a hammock…but watch your head!

The Kid Stays in the Picture: A Notorious Life by Robert Evans

ST: Evans is a legend. He sums up the craziness of Hollywood’s past. He helped bring some of the biggest movies to the screen; “The Godfather,” “Love Story,” and dozens of other movies. Evans is also the man who helped create the modern day blockbuster. His very personal and revealing biography gives us a firsthand look at his rise to Hollywood big wig. From his highest highs to his lowest lows, Evans is upfront and never flinches while telling his story. Enjoy this travel down the back roads of Hollywood pool side.

Johnny Carson by Henry Bushkin

DF: I read most of this book sitting by a pool in Florida in February. It’s the perfect summer biography; it’s light, entertaining, and funny. There was no celebrity that enjoyed being a celebrity less than Carson, which makes his life all the more fascinating. I recommend drinking a lot of booze while reading this. Just don’t try to keep up with the people in it!

A Life in Men by Gina Frangello

Heather Kuka (Life enthusiast and Writer’s Bone contributor): The main character in A Life of Men is dying of cystic fibrosis and the story is about her friendship with her best friend, who dies unexpectedly, leaving the main character alone. She starts living her life for the two of them instead of staying home with her doctors and parents. The book follows her relationships with all of the men in her life—lovers, her adoptive father, her biological father, brother, and, eventually, her husband.

It’s about how life isn't just about experiences, it's also defined by the people you share those experiences with. It also shows the complicated aspects of love and sex.

Kon-Tiki: Across The Pacific by Thor Heyerdahl

ST: Summertime means taking the boat out with your buddies. Unless the boat is a 4,500-year old shop that may have taken man west. Kon Tiki tells the tale of six Dutch adventurers who sailed on a log raft from Peru to the Pacific islands. If this does not get you in the mood to travel then I don't know what is wrong with you. The story is full of adventure –with tender moments as well—but overall it’s what men will go through to reach their goals. It’s an awesome read for the sailors of the world.

In the Woods by Tana French

Catherine Kearns (Daniel’s college cohort, mother of two, and Writer’s Bone contributor): I’ve read all four of Tana French’s books and I can’t wait for the new one to come out in August. All the books are connected in some way and always feature an ending you are not expecting.

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

DF: Even if you’re not a runner, you’ll appreciate this tale that features running Tarahumara Indians, ultra-marathons, and Barefoot Ted. McDougall also makes a strong case that humans survived because we evolved into runners. This book will make you want to grab your running shoes and hit the pavement!

Zombie Spaceship Wasteland by Patton Oswalt

ST: If you want to relax this summer and get a good laugh, pick up this tale of a comic’s life journey. Patton Oswalt lets you view the world through his eyes. Oswalt allows us to take glance at his early years as a stand up and shares his funny coming of age tales.

DF: There is no more original comedy biography out there. His stories involving a movie theater are laugh-out-loud funny.

Read Your Own Damn Book!

ST: This summer, you’re going to be outside enjoying the warm rays and cool air. Your brain is going to be pumping. Ideas will be flowing. Why not create your own story? Sit down and pump out your own story and read it back. Share the story with others. Get feedback. Repeat.

MORE FROM WRITER'S BONE'S LIBRARY

Have Book Will Travel: 10 Reads To Bring On Your Next Trip

Grand Central Terminal, New York City

By Daniel Ford and Sean Tuohy

What’s the best way to combat crying kids, PDA Olympians, and Starkist sweethearts when you’re on the move?

Read something.

Here are 10 books we recommend for your traveling needs.

The Shadow Of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Sean Tuohy: I was given this book just before I started backpacking through Europe after high school. The book details a boy's coming of age in post-civil war Spain while investigating a long-forgotten book with deadly secrets. The characters jump off the page in this well-written and heartfelt story, but the true star is the city of Barcelona. Zafon paints the city so vividly that you feel as if you are walking the stone streets and running a hand along the bullet marked city walls. I started reading this book when I was sitting on the cold marble floor of the Barcelona train station one summer afternoon. By the time we reached Rome two days later I was nearly done. This book will insert a sense of adventure in you while traveling. Side note, I was nose deep in this book when I was involved in an indecent moment in Vatican City.

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

Daniel Ford: As a kid, I used to bring multiple books with me on car trips just in case I finished one. I always needed a backup. Who wants to be in a car headed toward grocery shopping without a book? Not this guy. I used to travel a lot in college with St. Johns’ baseball team and tore through a ton of books on long bus trips. I read several hundred pages of David McCullough’sTruman on the road to Charleston, S.C. and devoured Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code in one shot from New York City to Morgantown, W.V. I enjoy reading magazines, I like the ease of the Kindle, but nothing beats a flesh-and-book in my hands while heading to the next adventure (or more likely to the bookstore to buy more books). Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods not only is a travel memoir, but also a great travel companion. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read this on the road or on the train. You can enjoy walking the Appalachian Trail by sitting on your keister. Doesn’t get much better than that.

The Watchmen by Alan Moore

ST: This is one of the most celebrated comic books of all time and that is for good reason. I had heard about Moore's epic but never picked it up until I went to Canada with a group of friends. My friend Jorge handed me the yellow covered comic and ordered "read this" before walking away. For the next week I had my nose stuck between the pages of a masterpiece. This is a comic book that can even be read by non- comic book fans. The artwork is done in a classic style that will never age, along with fresh, evergreen dialogue. If you need a break from your travels and want to try something new, I recommend this.

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris

DF: I recommend reading this following a tour of Theodore Roosevelt’s birthplace on 28 East 20th Street in New York City. My older brother and I sprinted from a bar several blocks away just to make the final tour of the afternoon. It was also 100 degrees out. We were dripping sweat, but it was totally worth it to see where the nation’s 26th President started out.

This books tracks Roosevelt’s rise to fame and offers more thrills and adventures than you might think for being a biography on a former President. From the moment a sickly “Teedie” is told by his father, “You have the mind, but you do not have the body,” you root for Roosevelt to overcome his shortcomings and take his rightful place in history. His early travels as a youngster should also inspire you to take flight and experience all the world has to offer.

The Book of Longing by Leonard Cohen

ST: I have never been a fan of poetry besides Langston Hughes, but my friend Danny gave me this collection of poems as a birthday gift. It sat on my shelf collecting dust sadly for a year or so before I picked it up randomly as I was in the process of moving to Boston. One overcast morning, I picked the book up and randomly opened to a poem and a few hours later I had eaten the book up and started rereading it. This is a great intro book in to modern poetry for non-poetry fans. Cohan's witty and original views on life give you a different view on the world when you put the book down.

Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson

DF: This is the perfect book for a long train ride. It won’t take you long to finish and it’s a tightly wound thriller where the stakes for the “characters” and nation have never been higher. The story follows the manhunt for John Wilkes Booth following Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. What more do you need in a thriller? Swanson also gives you the impression that Booth was really close to missing and that Lincoln would have kicked his ass because Lincoln would have been between his wife and danger and was still jacked from being a rail-splitter back home. You should read this on a trip to Washington D.C. that ends with a visit to Ford’s Theatre.

Salem's Lot by Stephen King

ST: At 14 years old, I found the world of Stephan King and never truly left. From that moment on, I kept one foot solidly in the land of darkness, magic, and wonder. Reading Salem's Lot— King's second published book is a modern take on a vampire story—you’ll find yourself watching a good author find his footing in the publishing world. It’s not as strong as some of his later work, but still well-crafted and filled with classic King characters we have all come to love. The tale about a small New England town that is invaded by the vampires will also keep you awake while on your travels.

The Boxcar Children: Snowbound Mystery and Houseboat Mysteryby Gertrude Chandler Warner

DF: I couldn’t decide on which one of these The Boxcar Children mysteries to include, so I’m throwing them both in. I used to read both the car religiously. There was hardly a morning spent at the breakfast table without a book from The Boxcar Children collection, in fact. I loved reading about the adventures this cool group of kids had without the help of grown-ups. Both mysteries are far more sophisticated and darker than the teen crap being shoved down society’s throat today.

The Boxcar Children started out living alone in an abandoned boxcar, became self-sufficient, and were eventually taken in by an old man who trusted and respected them enough to experience the world on their own. He would be thrown in jail in 2014. These books made me want to adventure on my own as well, which eventually led me leaving home for New York City where I didn’t know a soul. I knew I’d be okay because my friends Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny were always able to come back home after their adventures and regal their grandfather with tales of their shenanigans.

Rendezvous With Rama by Arthur C. Clarke

ST: Not a fan of sci-fi? You will be after reading this breath taking sci -fi novel about the human condation to discover more by icon Arthur C Clark. The books tells the story of a massive alien space ship as it passes Earth and the crew of humans sent to investigate. Not very long but filled with classic sci-fi and tension building moments this space travel book will take you to new places.

The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters

DF: The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a great read, but let’s face it, not exactly uplifting literature. Ben H. Winters’ vision of apocalypse is different. Not that it’s not bleak, because it is, but it allows you to sort through your thoughts on how people might actually react if an asteroid was about to collide with Earth. The book features a semi-boiled police detective Hank Palace who continues to do his job…because, well, that’s what he does. People disappear, laws become flexible, murder becomes easy, but Palace keeps up the good fight because that’s what he’s always done. The world has six months from when the book starts (this is the first in a trilogy) and while it’s a major plot point, the author doesn’t beat you over the head with it. The world has in large part accepted its fate and gone crazy accordingly. I remember reading this book late at night on the subway and bus headed toward Queens—and many times I was the only one on either. If you’re alone in the world and want to feel what it’s like if you were really the only person in the world, follow Hank Palace around for a little bit. There are worse things you could do. Like talk to people.

MORE FROM WRITER'S BONE'S LIBRARY

6 Literary Recommendations Destined to Become Your Nightstand’s Best Friends

Need something to read while you’re bundled under the covers and trying to forget about the snowplow rumbling futilely down your street? Or are you lucky enough to need a poolside companion while you brown your skin and sip drinks more colorful than Elton John’s wardrobe?

Either way, Daniel and Sean have you covered. They each recommended a short story, comic book, and novel that should become your nightstand’s best friend sooner rather than later.

Have a few things you’d like to add to list? Great! Let us know in the comments section or tweet us @WritersBone.

Short Stories

Sean: “A Matter of Principal” by Max Allan Collins.

This a short story for lovers of tough guy, anti-hero storylines. This was my first meeting with Collins' now famous hit man named Qurrey.

The story starts simple enough, a retired hit man talks about his issues with sleeping. He can't sleep because, well, he's bored as a retiree. While on a late night junk food run he stumbles in to a kidnapping. From this point on, Collins does an incredible job of making you feel as excited as Qurrey as he blows dust off his gun and goes to work.

Collins is like me because he grew up a huge fan of Mickey Spillane and it shows in his work. The story is bare bones and it keeps you rooting for the bad guy.

Daniel: “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway.

As much as I love “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “A Farewell to Arms,” I think my favorite words by Ernest Hemingway come from his 1927 collection of short stories titled “Men Without Women.” The short story “Hills Like White Elephants” is classic Hemingway; straight forward dialogue that speaks volumes about the characters uttering it. Two lovers talking to each other while waiting for a train, but neither one actually listens or understands anything the other person is saying. Their conversation centers on whether the woman should have an abortion or not, but really, it’s about the death of their relationship. You feel every ounce of that death with the woman’s last line, “I feel fine. There’s nothing wrong with me. I feel fine.” That’s damn good writing by one of the best.

Comic Books

Sean: Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters by Mike Grell.

Like most everyone else, I am huge Batman fan, but I hold a special place for Oliver Queen, aka The Green Arrow, in my heart. He's a lot like Batman, but with less brooding and more of an attitude. The mini-series Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters is a stand out in the DC world. Besides the jaw-dropping artwork, the story puts you on the edge of your seat. It pushes the Green Arrow to the breaking point by attacking his personal life and his career as a crime fighter. The story holds up despite being published in the late 1980s.

Daniel: Superman for All Seasons by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale.

I wanted to go against the grain and pick something other than a Superman comic, but, alas, I could not. This Superman comic book is just too good. The artwork is a perfect modern take on old comic book styling and blends perfectly with the stories being told.

It makes Superman relatable without having to rely on the copious amounts of bearded brooding featured in “Man of Steel.” There’s something fundamentally optimistic about Superman that I think this comic captures beautifully. The recent film versions of Superman are much more cynical, which I guess reflects the times we live in. Loeb and Sale accomplish so much more by showcasing the world through Superman’s adolescent eyes rather than through a pessimistic adult’s.

Novels

Sean: Tie. The Shining and Cell by Stephen King.

I love Stephen King. When someone asks me to narrow something down that involves the New England-based writer, I can't do it. So for this, I managed to narrow it down to my two favorite Stephan King stories to read while trapped inside.

A lot of readers and movie lovers are about to be very angry with me. I am not a huge fan of the movie “The Shining.” Okay folks, put the pitchforks down and listen to me. The movie looks great and it's scary. But after reading the book, one can see that movie has no story, it's very empty. The movie is just about an already crazy man going more batshit crazy and attacking his family. In the book, King tells a tale of a family man who struggles with demons fueled by booze and rage and tries his best to be a good father and husband. Add in the fact that you are seeing the horrors through the eyes of a little boy with a power he doesn't fully understand and you are in for one hell of a ride.

Cell was King's homage to George Romeo's “Night of the Living Dead” series and it's fantastic fun. The book starts with a bang and then just keeps going. It's filled with over the top violence that makes you go "eww” in a good way. This book is also chock-full of King’s signature meaty, well-rounded characters. Unlike some of his other work that tends to be long and drawn out, this tale is short and sweet. The best part of this book is you can tell how much fun King had writing it; the joy and fun flies off the page to hit you in the face. Strap in for the ride and dive in to Cell.

Daniel: Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

I already recommended this on my personal blog “Hardball Heart,” but I just can’t help doing it again. This book is just so beautiful not to be enjoyed with a glass of red wine and a lover cuddled up next to you. Every line drips with love, passion, and romance, and you’ll never be able to forget the heartbreak and fiery exuberance of the novel’s final lines. If you don’t fall for all of the characters in this novel, well, then you have no idea what love is. This should be required reading in order to be a human being. In fact, people should have to read this book every year to make sure they remember what love should feel like.

MORE FROM WRITER'S BONE'S LIBRARY