7 Books That Should Be On Your Radar: July 2016

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.

Seven Sins by Karen Runge

Sean Tuohy: Deeply unsettling but overwhelmingly enjoyable, Karen Runge’s Seven Sins leads readers down a winding dark path where every twig that snaps makes you shutter, and every shadow sends a chill down your spine. In seven stories, Runge masterfully sets the tone as she dives into a world of the unnatural horror. I plowed through this collection of short stories in less than an hour. I was unable to put the book down, or contain my fright, as I read Runge's pitch perfect prose. She designed a true page-turner with stories that ranged from unholy love between mother and son or the secrets a seemingly lovely grandfather hides behind his smile. Seven Sins is truly one of the best short story collections of 2016.

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Daniel Ford: I know, I’m super late on this novel. I’m ashamed that it took me this long to read it. Celeste Ng’s gripping, heartbreaking novel about a family torn apart by a daughter and sister’s death won myriad awards in 2014 and 2015 for good reason. It starts with the opening line: “Lydia is dead.” Other than, “Luke Skywalker has vanished” at the beginning of “The Force Awakens,” it’s one of the best openers I’ve read in a long time. Everything that comes after is exquisitely written and structured. Each member of this mixed race family experiences the mystery of Lydia’s death differently. The anguish and trauma of losing a loved one would be cause enough to unravel the most stable of family cores, but the Lee clan comes close to dissolving thanks to an undercurrent of secrets, lies, and misunderstandings. Ng weaves between past and present, putting the pieces of the puzzle together while twisting your emotions at every turn.  It’s a master class in storytelling; one you should enroll in as soon as humanly possible.  

Why We Came to the City by Kristopher Jansma

Gary Almeter: The first six pages of Kristopher Jansma’s Why We Came to the City are so good that I think it would be wholly appropriate to remove Alexander Hamilton from the $10 bill and replace him with Kristopher Jansma. They are that good.

I am someone who moved to the city—two cities actually; I moved to Boston right out of college and then to New York City with my fiancée—and Jansma captures the feelings associated with the endeavor. It can be invigorating, corrosive, fun, awful; debilitating, riotous, enchanting, and dreadful all at the same time. His book adeptly chronicles a few years in the life of a group of friends who have been close since their college years in Ithaca, and how they navigate their new lives and new dynamics in New York City. The city gives them much and the city takes much from them. 

Jansma does a spectacular job of capturing the many varied relationships each character has—romantic relationships, employer-employee relationships, mere friendships, relationships that come from networking, and relationships that aren’t quite relationships yet but are on the cusp of being so—and rendering each with great authenticity. He makes them a family. Additionally, he examines each character’s relationship with the city authentic and vibrant. Sometimes the city is a muse or mistress, other times it’s an archenemy instigating both the suffering and joy of each protagonist. Jansma has a reverence for the city but it never becomes hagiography. He finds the absurdity in the city as well.   

Jansma also has a joie de vivre for the creative process. It is apparent in the way he writes; the way he effortlessly captures the unique imagery of New York; and the way his sentences simultaneously meander and get exactly to the point. Sentences like, “She’d live with him in a refrigerator box, in a nursery rhyme show, a teepee, an igloo, or a fortress made of couch cushions. Let the doubters doubt. Let the future be unsure. In a city of eight million, they’d always be two.”

The Girls by Emma Cline

Daniel: Emma Cline’s debut novel The Girls has landed on all manner of “Best of” and “Perfect Summer Read” lists since it’s debut in June. The book follows a wayward teenage girl during “the violent end of the 1960s” as she drifts ever closer to an enigmatic recluse on the brink of exploiting his “followers” for his own nefarious means. There’s no question of Cline’s talent; she expertly sets a tone and a mood, and her sharp, observant descriptions allow the reader to feel, taste, and see everything the main character, Evie Boyd, experiences. There’s no romance attached to this coming-of-age tale. Evie is a damaged adult when we first meet her at the beginning of the novel, and that darkness is amplified more and more as we learn more about what hell she walked through in the service of fitting in and being a part of something not connected to her absent/self-involved parents. I did like that this was a deep character study, however, my one criticism is that the story seemed to be building to an end that kind of just petered out. I felt like the end didn’t quite match the slow burn that simmered throughout the novel. Perhaps that was the point. Maybe Cline was trying to illustrate that we think our lives are gearing up for some big moment defined by fireworks and the ashy aftermath when it’s really just a series of events we muddle through to try to figure out who the fuck we are. Regardless, The Girls is a stellar debut and should find its way to your nightstand or beach bag this summer.

The Duration by Dave Fromm

Daniel: Am I biased because Dave Fromm said we had a “cool website?” Yes. Did he also happen to write a funny, tender, and gut-wrenching novel about friendship, growing up, and the tug between home and the wider world? You beat your ass he did. We all have that friend you can’t give up on no matter what he does (I’m pretty sure I’m that guy to a bunch of people) or what problems are infecting your own life. Fromm takes that theme and adds in horrible breakups, drug addiction, and an endearing quest for a mysterious rhino horn. The prose makes you feel like you’re at a bar back home during the holidays while nursing a beer and listening to your friends tell tall tales about past exploits. You’ll laugh out loud at times for sure, but you’ll also experience an overwhelming sense of nostalgia for that time in your life when you didn’t have everything quite figured out and everything seemed to hang on a thread. Those who made it can look back and smile at the fire that touched our skin, while those who didn’t can only dance in the flame and wonder what might have been. That’s how The Duration made me feel, and I’m willing to bet you’ll have a similar reaction when you tear through this novel in one or two sittings.

The Second Life of Nick Mason by Steve Hamilton

Daniel: Edgar Award-winning author Steve Hamilton recently published novel The Second Life of Nick Mason has garnered praise from the likes of Stephen King, Don Winslow, Michael Connolly, and Lee Child.

Here’s the synopsis:

Nick Mason is out of prison. After five years inside, he has just been given the one thing a man facing 25-to-life never gets, a second chance. But it comes at a terrible price.

Whenever his cell phone rings, day or night, he must answer it and follow whatever order he is given. It’s the deal he made with Darius Cole, a criminal kingpin serving a double-life term who still runs an empire from his prison cell.

Forced to commit increasingly more dangerous crimes, hunted by the relentless detective who put him behind bars, and desperate to go straight and rebuild his life with his daughter and ex-wife, Nick will ultimately have to risk everything–his family, his sanity, and even his life–to finally break free.

A good crime novel not only needs a good premise, it needs a main character and an opening line that grabs you right away. Hamilton delivers for sure. Here’s the first line of The Second Life of Nick Mason:

Nick Mason’s freedom lasted less than a minute.

Needless to say, this book was stapled to my hands once I started it. That line perfectly captures the tension of the novel and contradictions Nick Mason faces as he adapts to his new “mobility,” rather than his out right freedom. Read it and then listen to Sean Tuohy's podcast interview with the author.

We Could Be Beautiful by Swan Huntley

Adam Vitcavage: The thing about this book is that it comfortably lays somewhere in between breezy beach read and an in-depth look at a wealthy woman’s psychological makeup. It leans a certain way every chapter. It's about a rich, white, 40-something-year-old woman who might annoy you at times. She wants to be loved, but as the story progresses, she discovers who deserves trust and what it means to be honest with another person. What is most interesting about this novel is that Huntley has a keen insight into this world. She was a nanny for a wealthy family and watched from an incredibly close distance before realizing there was a story to be told. We Could Be Beautiful is the on the cusp of literary fiction that both you and your mother can enjoy this summer.

More From The Writer's Bone Library

8 Books That Should Be On Your Radar: June 2016

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.

Dark Horse by Rory Flynn

Sean Tuohy: Boston super cop Eddy Harkness is back in the second part of Rory Flynn's on-going New England-based crime series. After Beantown is hit by a hurricane, Eddy finds himself trying to discover the source behind a new, powerful street drug, while at the same time trying to keep the city from destroying itself from class warfare. As always, Flynn makes Boston as big of character in the book as he does Harkness. Dark Horse is a beautiful farewell letter to Dirty Old Boston and welcomes, somewhat begrudgingly, a modern city. As the city transforms, so does Harkness. He goes from a lone cop with nothing to live for to becoming a family man (although Eddy still finds himself battling his inner demons along with the heavy hitters on the street). Dark Horse is not only a great continuation of the Eddy Harkness series, but also cements Flynn’s legacy as the Voice of Boston.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Stephanie Schaefer: I wanted to love Jojo Moyes’s much-talked-about novel, Me Before You. It was marketed as a romance, which I thought would be the perfect beach read for my recent trip to Miami. Luckily, I had the Florida sunshine to make up for lack of warm and fuzzy feelings the book left me with. Although I didn’t know the ending of the novel before I dove into it, I knew that it was going to be a tear-jerker (although I assumed that it would be sad in an uplifting way, kind of like The Notebook, and not sad in a “this is the most depressing thing I’ve ever read, I need to watch an episode of ‘Friends’ just so I can smile again” way.) I may be a sucker for happy endings, I can also appreciate drama when done correctly. There were moments of the book—interactions between the protagonist Louisa Clarke and Will Trayner, the disabled man which she cares for—that I did thoroughly enjoy, but ultimately the [spoiler alert] controversial ending was difficult for me to wrap my head around. Nevertheless, the novel was still a page-turner and I’m interested to see how it will come to life (maybe an ironic choice of words) on the big screen.

The Last Days of Magic by Mark Tompkins

Daniel Ford: Imagine if George RR Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice series had a sense of humor and characters (both good and evil) you didn't hate rooting for. What if instead of a bleak travelogue and mind-numbing palace intrigue you had a mystical Middle Kingdom burrowed within Ireland and shadowy Vatican magic hunters.

You don't have to imagine it because Mark Tompkins's novel, The Last Days of Magic, exists! My tolerance for fantasy is pretty low, but this novel never lost my interest. The characters are memorable (even the ones that don't make it to the end), and the story contains charming magical twists on humanity's Dark Ages.

My favorite character was Ty, a hulking, misunderstood creature bond to a man conflicted by emerging magical powers. I won't give away his fate, but his part in the tale made me fully believe in the world Tompkins built. He's an author to watch for sure.

The Fireman by Joe Hill

Sean: The world is burning in Joe Hill's latest terrifying tale. A young, pregnant school nurse watches in horror as a new virus spreads across the world, causing people to burst into flames. She eventually finds herself living with a strange community of survivors, and must find the mystical Fireman to help give birth to her child. Hill presents readers with a out-of-this-world story, but fills it with grounded characters that give the impression you've met them before. The Fireman is a solid read that will make you burn through the pages.

Diary Of An Oxygen Thief by Anonymous

Hassel Velasco: This book is an "autobiographical" recollection by an anonymous source that shares his experiences with alcoholism, low self-esteem, and the pain associated with the pleasure he received by emotionally abusing woman. A tough read at times, it highlights the horrible things we do to others, and the horrible things we allow other people to do to us.

Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan

Adam Vitcavage: This isn't technically a book, but all Writer's Bone readers should read it. Paper Girls is an ongoing comic series that just released its sixth issue; however, the first five are collected in a trade paperback edition. So, I'm going to count it as a book. Written by Brian K. Vaughan (aka, the genius who brought the world “Y: The Last Man,” “Ex Machina,” Runaways, Saga, and so much more), the series is a coming-of-age story about four preteens who work as paper girls in the late 1980s. Since it's a comic you should be aware that there is a wrinkle. It turns out the story is more like “Super 8” than anything else. And that’s a good thing.

Our main character, Erin, is shy, but kick-ass. She worries about fitting in, like most kids that age, but doesn’t let it consume her. Erin meets three other paper girls who are better developed than a lot of characters in traditional literature. There’s Mac, MacKenzie, “the first paper boy around here who wasn’t a…you know.” She smokes, is known to the cops, and has trouble in her family. She’s the leader and seemingly has the most to lose. Filling out the ranks are Tiffany and KJ. They’re a dynamic duo who have interesting characteristics but are clearly being lined up to be developed further down the road.

What is most appealing is Vaughan’s ability to balance the coming-of-age development alongside the sci-fi plot without giving too much to either side. It would be easy to forget that they’re 12-year-old girls when (slight spoiler) some kinds of aliens are in the picture. But in the midst of all of the havoc, the writing still holds a sense of earnest to it.

Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution by Nathanial Philbrick

Daniel: Benedict Arnold was a scumbag. There's no denying it, and Nathanial Philbrick doesn't make any excuses for the nation's most famous turncoat in his new book Valiant Ambition.

As a history nerd, I've always been more interested in the why rather than the how. Philbrick's narrative does an excellent job of explaining the particulars of Arnold's treachery, as well as place the event in its proper context. The Continental Army endures one low point after another after Washington orders the retreat from New York City, and American independence was far more precarious than it was a sure thing. Arnold could have easily been hailed a hero (by some) had the British won the war. He was an undeniable war hero who had given everything short of his life to the glorious cause. However, an inept, backstabbing Continental Congress (sound familiar?) and a deteriorating military situation caused the immensely arrogant Arnold to embrace treason. Even a final meeting with Washington couldn't sway him from his chosen path (you have to admire his cojones, if nothing else).

Like Philbrick's Mayflower and Bunker Hill, Valiant Ambition crafts classic historical events into relevant, readable nonfiction. The pages fly by, and the tale will have you drooling for the final leg of the series.

Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams by Louisa Thomas

Daniel: Being from New England, I think I’m genetically pre-conditioned to love the Adamses. The family, for the most part, is smart, relentlessly educated, and politically engaged. I devoured David McCullough’s John Adams and Joseph J. Ellis’s First Family, and learned to love John Quincy Adams while reading Daniel Walker Howe’s What Hath God Wrought. One would think that would be enough of the Adamses for one man, right?

Wrong. Louisa Thomas’s biography of John Quincy Adams’s wife Louisa Adams not only paints the famous first family in a different light, but also adds a new, earthy chapter that stands triumphantly next to all other entries.

Despite frequently being overcome by illness, Louisa, our only foreign born First Lady, continuously demonstrates she’s flintier than she appears. She suffers humiliation after her father flees England penniless, bounces around Europe and Russia with Quincy Adams, endures miscarriage after miscarriage, has to bury several of her children, and must adapt to the United States while serving as a pristine example of republican virtue. The nascent country was very much an experiment rather than an established fact at this point, and its growing pains have a unique look and feel coming from the prism of Louisa’s worldview.

Thomas’s warm style keeps the pages moving, especially during Louisa’s harrowing journey from Russia to Paris in the midst of Napoleon’s return from Elba. If you don’t fall in love with Mrs. Adams after that tale then there’s really no hope for you. Louisa is a shining example of how popular history should be written. Be sure to throw it in your beach bag this summer! 

More From the Writer’s Bone Library

6 Books That Should Be On Your Radar: May 2016

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 Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Daniel Ford: Nguyen recently won the Pulitzer Prize for his debut novel, and for good reason. Set in the aftermath of the fall of Saigon and South Vietnam in 1975, The Sympathizer follows a double-agent refugee as he suffers through the death of close companions, shady political and military maneuverings, and his troubled family history. Since the novel also acts as a historical narrative of the end of the Vietnam War, one anticipates the violence, horror, and dysfunction; however, one might not expect the deep and dark humor Nguyen injects into his prose. The pages fly by without feeling weighted or overly somber. Horrible things befall our duplicitous hero, some as a direct result of his nefarious actions, but you can’t help rooting for him to walk away from his chosen path in one piece. The Sympathizer is a powerful mediation on brotherhood, the immigrant experience in the U.S., and, of course, war. And because his novel is so good, we won’t hold it against Nguyen that he beat out Writer’s Bone favorite David Joy for the 2016 Edgar Award for Best First Novel.

Dodgers by Bill Beverly

Sean Tuohy: Bill Beverly mixes the dark, urban violence of the inner city with the coming-of-age hopefulness and angst of The Catcher in the Rye. The book follows four teenage gangbangers from Los Angeles on a cross country journey to commit a murder. The novel is sparse and fast-paced, and moves from hardcore street crime to the lightheartedness of teenagers finding themselves in a wild world. One moment you’ll find tears welling in your eyes as you read a scene between a teenage boy and his mother, and, by the next chapter, you are gripping the book with growing tension. Dodgers can be picked up with ease, but can’t be put down lightly.

Everybody’s Fool by Richard Russo

Daniel: It’s hard for me to be objective about Richard Russo. I read Nobody’s Fool at an impressionable age as both a reader and a writer. I fell in love with the cantankerous Sully and his down-on-its-luck hometown. It’s always the first example I use when championing well-written character studies. I also have fond memories of bonding with my mother discussing the book (and the movie adaptation starring Paul Newman). I have obviously enjoyed the rest of Russo’s work—including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Empire Falls, Straight Man, and Bridge of Sighs—but there’s a bit of Nobody’s Fool’s DNA buried in my own that supersedes all the other novels.

As you might expect, I was thrilled when I learned that Russo’s recent novel Everybody’s Fool returns to Sully’s North Bath, New York. Ten years have gone by, and our favorite curmudgeon faces something that he can’t ignore or talk his way out of—a potentially life-threatening diagnosis. The early reviews of Everybody’s Fool have been fabulous, and from what I’ve read I can say that the praise is well deserved. Russo proves that when done right, returning to an age-old friend can be a blessing instead of a curse. The author’s prose and dialogue are as sharp and warm as ever, and his humor remains second to none.

I know I’m not going to be able to resist binge reading the rest of Everybody’s Fool, but I plan on savoring every page the best I can. I learned what kind of reader and writer I was while reading Nobody’s Fool. I think I’ll decide what kind of man I’ve become while reading Everybody’s Fool. 

A Single Happened Thing by Daniel Paisner

Daniel: Daniel Paisner's novel is nostalgically charming for anyone who has loved the game of baseball. I can’t tell you how many times I consulted Baseball-Reference.com during the two days I devoured A Single Happened Thing. I came to love baseball during the 1990s, an admittedly wild time for the sport. You had superficially beefed up sluggers, colorfully awful expansion teams, and plenty of New York Yankees championships. Into this scrum, Paisner drops in “a Manhattan book publicist who believes he's been visited by the ghost of an old-time baseball player.”

Imagine if Ray Kinsella, the main character in Shoeless Joe (the inspiration for my favorite movie “Field of Dreams”), wasn’t just thought crazy by his neighbors, but by his loving wife. Would he have risked financial ruin and built the field if it were going to threaten his marriage? Paisner explores this possibility by making David Felb’s biggest critic and doubter his hardworking, and relentlessly lucid, wife. Felb isn’t entirely alone in his delusions though. His “tomboy-ish” daughter Iona inherited his hardball heart and has a chance encounter with the mysterious Fred “Sure Shot” Dunlap, which ensures she doesn’t drive her old man right to the asylum. Their relationship is the backbone of the novel and every scene with the pair should stir even the most cynical baseball critic.

One of my favorite quotes from the novel is: "It's difficult to hit as well...but we don't give up on the notion." The same can be said for writing, don’t you think?

We're All Damaged by Matthew Norman

Gary Almeter: This book is just great. You get to spend a couple weeks in the life of Andy Carter, a complicated young man who certainly doesn't have everything together, but someone who is funny (both intellectually witty and "fall down the stairs" funny), sensitive, and determined to be the most authentic Andy Carter possible. He's simultaneously iron-willed and compliant; irreverent and sensitive; insecure and self-indulgent.

Norman tells Andy's story with confidence, adding humor to the sad parts and profundity to the funny parts. He peppers every page with intriguing pop culture references. They paint a really vivid picture of Andy and his world and his state of mind. And sometimes they're just fun. And sometimes they serve as launch pads for some real insight (like what will archeologists think of our culture when they dig up an iPod with Wham!'s "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" on it?). The narrative is propelled by Andy's eagerness to connect with his dying grandfather, as well as an imminent SCOTUS decision about gay marriage. Like the conundrum that is Andy, Norman makes death and equality fun topics too.

Through it all, Andy maintains an astounding sense of humor and is quick to make keen observations about the absurdities, and pain, of life in the 2010s. But it's not all absurd. There is a tenderness and genuineness to Andy that makes him, and us, grateful for the community around him.

Bucky F*cking Dent by David Duchovny

Adam Vitcavage: A lot of people might not know the dude who hunted down aliens on “The X-Files” and drank and fornicated his way through writer's block on “Californication” studied literature at both Princeton and Yale. David Duchovny actually has some other writing credits to his name, and his most recent book, Bucky F*cking Dent, is a can't miss. Duchovny says this isn't a baseball book, but a story about fathers and sons, as well as a romance set against the hardball backdrop. The titular Dent is a real-life hero or villain, depending on if you’re a Yankees or Red Sox fan, in a tiebreaker game to get into the playoffs in 1978 (Spoiler alert: Dent crushes a homer, and all the hearts in New England, over the Green Monster.) But again, this is about more than baseball. Duchovny's prose is nothing to scoff at. He brilliantly tells this story in an earnest way. Don't be surprised if you start seeing his name pop up more often in the literary world. There's no doubt that he has more fiction stored away, waiting to be read by the world.

The Writer’s Bone Library

6 Books That Should Be On Your Radar: April 2016

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.

Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson

Daniel Ford: Johnson’s utterly charming debut novel landed in my hands by happenstance. I was perusing the stacks at Porter Square Books, waiting for W.B. Belcher’s reading to start, and Be Frank With Me’s robin’s egg blue cover caught my eye. “I will not buy a book. I will not buy a book,” I muttered as I walked away. After Belcher’s Q and A ended, it took me all of five minutes to snatch a copy from the display shelf and hand the cashier my money.

Structured around a reclusive author, an insecure assistant, and an eccentric and immensely lovable 9-year-old, Be Frank With Me will move anyone who has ever been labeled “different” or “outsider.” It’s heartwarming without being cloying, serious without being dark or overbearing, and laugh-out-loud funny. Frank, whose love of Old Hollywood and debonair style, will be the character that sticks with you weeks after you’ve read this, but Johnson fleshes out his supporting cast in just the right way that you’ll be rooting for all of them by the final chapter.

Run, don’t walk, to your nearest bookstore (fine, online if you must) and buy this book. As Frank might say, “Allons-y!”

DisneyWar by James B. Stewart

Sean Tuohy: There’s quite the story behind the colorful and family friendly multi-billion dollar company that gave us our childhood memories. Stewart’s book depicts how Michael Eisner took the once-fading Disney, put on the glass slipper, achieved wild success, and then lost it all. A deep and heavy read.

The Throwback Special by Chris Bachelder

Gary Almeter: Every year, a couple dozen men converge on a chain hotel located somewhere off I-95 to re-enact the "Monday Night Football" game played on Nov. 18, 1985. That’s the one where New York Giants linebacker Lawrence "LT" Taylor broke Washington Redskins' quarterback Joe Theismann's leg being broken in two places and ended his career. The men have a lottery to determine who gets to be who, and then they don equipment, jerseys, helmets, and engage in a precisely choreographed re-enactment of the play.

The absurdity of this is tethered by the fact that all of these men—about whom we purposely know so very little except that all are entrenched in middle age—are struggling with the most mundane issues the other 51 weekends of the year. Marital issues, financial problems, issues with children, and questions about career choices all coalesce with the drama of the re-enactment.

Ultimately, the men have to ask what it means to be a participant in life, what it means to be an individual, what it means to engage in ritual, and what it means to be a man. The book isn't really about football, although some familiarity with the game, as well as the play in question, might be helpful. It wasn't a bad play. It's not until they ran the play that the Redskins had any regrets. Which is, it turns out, much like life.

High Dive by Jonathan Lee

Adam Vitcavage: Many books use true events to propel fictional characters into breathtaking stories. Jonathan Lee's novel does what Man Booker Prize-winner Marlon James did in A Brief History of Seven Killings, but on a completely different level. In September 1984, a bomb went off in a British hotel trying to kill the Prime Minister. While the book is technically about the event itself, it’s more so about the lives of random and not-so-random people involved with the fateful day. Sounds serious, but what Lee does so well is that he was able to write a moving story while also using sly humor in all of the correct places. The main reason for picking the book up—even if the plot isn’t something that appeals to you—is the mere fact that Lee’s writing style is ace. Something all aspiring writers should study.

Thanks for the Trouble by Tommy Wallach

Daniel: A teenager who can’t talk and rips off guests at hotels. A mysterious woman with silver hair and a healthy bankroll. There may be some added enchantment in the world Wallach creates in Thanks for the Trouble, but lead characters Parker and Zelda generate the real magic. The pair grapples with weighty themes throughout the novel, however, Wallach’s sharp, witty prose and rapid-fire dialogue ensures that the tone never becomes depressing or maudlin. Parker’s new experiences reflect the Young Adult genre (as Wallach explained to me during our podcast), however, those experiences feel fresh and original thanks in large part to Parker’s lack of speech and reliance on a notebook to communicate. Much like Be Frank With Me, Thanks for the Trouble is sensitive without being melodramatic and is devoid of clichés and red herrings. It is a bittersweet story, well told, which makes it a welcome respite from cable news and lesser fiction.

This Side of Providence by Rachel M. Harper

Daniel: Harper's second novel features a Puerto Rican family on the wrong side of the tracks trying to stay together in the face of prison time, drug addiction, and foster care. Told in a multi-narrative style, This Side of Providence contains a plethora of memorable characters.

Cristo, the loyal son, whose young shoulders feel the weight of responsibility for taking care of his sisters when his mother lands in jail. Luz, the brainy conscience who doesn't share her brother's loyalty 100 percent, but who loves and misses her family when they are inevitably separated. The teacher struggling with an eating disorder who attempts to bring order and stability to the kids' life. The drug dealer with a heart of gold. An absent father burning with regret and shame. A mother, whose prison time is briefly a blessing, who can't escape her old life despite her overwhelming love for her children. And Trini, the youngest of the family, whose brief chapter is just as wrenching and devastating as anything Faulkner wrote.

These are characters well worth spending time with, even when they're living through their darkest hour. Harper expertly toggles from one from the other, weaving a tender, provocative story that never lacks for heart.

The Writer's Bone Library

5 Books That Should Be On Your Radar: March 2016

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.

Get in Trouble by Kelly Link

Daniel Ford: Short stories provide authors a narrow window in which to build a world. Themes, characters, and plot need to grab the reader quicker, and exploration into each of those elements has to be as succinct and poignant as humanly possible. Kelly Link makes the art of a short story look easy in her recent collection Get in Trouble. Every tale Link spawns is cheeky, innovative, and downright fun. She brilliantly balances laugh-out-loud moments and genuine human experiences (even if those involved aren’t exactly human). In my opinion, the most chilling story is “Two Houses,” which features a team of astronauts hurtling through deep space. Reality and illusion are blurred during a celebration that takes a dark turn after a slew of haunting ghost stories. Link’s other stories feature everything from demon lovers to superheroes and temperamental magical houses to iBoyfriends, so there’s plenty of trouble to get yourself into.   

Cold In July By Joe R. Lansdale 

Sean Tuohy: It's not easy to define this novel. Is it crime fiction? Is it a revenge story? Is it a story about family bonds? Well...yeah, it’s all of those things and so much more. The book begins as a simple story about a family man who kills an intruder and then must deal with the victim’s revenge-seeking father. Lansdale, however, also explores complex themes and develops a very human story. Characters deliver snappy dialogue and feel so real you'll think you're sitting at the kitchen table with them. This novel is just stellar.

Perfect Days by Raphael Montes

Daniel: Author Raphael Montes wastes no time in entangling readers in his dark, twisted web. In the first chapter, Teo, a medical student, describes the only person he likes in the world. Readers can tell instantly that he’s a loner, however, it’s not until one realizes he’s waxing poetic about a corpse does one understand that he’s a sociopath. Teo, of course, eventually finds a living, breathing female to torture. Once Clarice enters the picture, Montes’ plot makes novels like Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train read like Sunday school lessons. To his credit, Montes never loses sight of the characters on both sides of what he calls “shocking scenes,” which is why each new level of Teo’s depravity hits your gut with a sledgehammer. You don’t come to like or root for Teo, but you can’t help but smirk as he stuffs a drugged Clarice into a pink suitcase or chains her to the hotel bed. His inner voice…okay, voices…convince him he’s great with families, he treats women right, and his new belle should appreciate all he’s given her! You’ll want to read Perfect Days with the lights on, perhaps while holding on to a meat cleaver, but you’ll be glad you dropped into Montes’ malevolent world. 

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon

Daniel: I suppose I don’t have to tell you to put a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel originally published in 2000 on your radar. For whatever reason (gross negligence most likely), Michael Chabon’s masterpiece eluded my nightstand for too many years. During our “Best Books of 2015” discussion, Gary Almeter not only judged me for having not read this book, but he also ordered me to rectify the situation by the end of 2016. Turns out, I delivered well before deadline, and I’m happy to report that the novel lived up to all the hype. Chabon’s language is beautiful and exquisitely chosen, his characters are earthy and tortured, and New York City has never looked so good in print. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay follows two Jewish cousins as they develop a nose for comic books and struggle to make sense of a world torn apart by war, genocide, and uncertainty. Starting in the 1930s and traveling into the 1950s, this tale grabs a hold of you so hard that you won’t be ready for it to let go. When I finished the last page, I felt the same way Kavalier and Clay did after watching “Citizen Kane” for the first time. I didn’t only want to grab my notebook and write; I wanted to make great art with my words. This book is a treasure and should be read by aspiring artists of all kinds.

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

Daniel: Considering I'm typing this on a MacBook, with my iPhone and iPad close by, you'd assume that I was in the tank for Steve Jobs well before reading Walter Isaacson’s engrossing biography. To a certain extent, that's true. I remember buying the first iPod in college and marveling at the fact I didn't have to lug around my Sony Discman and assorted CDs around campus. More Apple products landed in my life, however, my adoration for Jobs was tempered by his bruising personality. Did such an undeniable genius have to be such a prick?

That question is returned to again and again in Isaacson’s narrative. The unveiling of each innovation—the Apple II, the first Macintosh, the NeXT computer, the iPhone—is the culmination of Jobs' unrelenting and bullying management style. Rather than repulsing me, his behavior, told through the eyes of people above and below him, made me smirk in disbelief and, on occasion, awe. Creative types who needed someone to light a fire under them might feel the same. He might not have always been right, but his probing questions and relentless pursuit of perfection ended up revolutionizing the way we read, create, and listen. Plus, Jobs never betrayed his essential Steve Jobsness. You've got to begrudgingly admire someone who’s that consistent throughout one lifetime.

Like all good biographies, this one provided me with not only a deeper understanding of the subject, but also a panorama of our currently "tuned in" world. I also enjoyed Jobs’ Bob Dylan fanaticism (and my jealousy over Dylan playing one of Jobs’ favorite songs in concert with the Apple CEO in attendance knows no bounds).

Finally, anyone with a day job will appreciate Jobs' thoughts about PowerPoint presentations:

“I hate the way people use slide presentations instead of thinking. People would confront a problem by creating a presentation. I wanted them to engage, to hash things out at the table, rather than show a bunch of slides. People who know what they’re talking about don’t need PowerPoint."

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4 Books Every Screenwriter Should Read

By Sean Tuohy

The Smoking Gun: True Tales From Hollywood’s Screenwriting Trenches By Doug Richardson

“Bad Boys” and “Die Hard 2” scribe Doug Richardson yanks readers down into the trenches of Hollywood and uses humor and blunt honesty to lead them through his adventures and misadventures. #TheNicestGuyinHollywood makes you feel like you’re in a bar somewhere as he’s telling you old war stories. Richardson guides readers through every aspect of a script; from creation to dealing with hotheaded studio executives. He leaves no stone unturned and no truth unrevealed. For anyone who wants to know what happens behind the scenes in Tinseltown, this is a must read.

Adventures in the Screen Trade: A Personal View of Hollywood and Screenwriting By William Goldman 

If modern screenwriting were a school, William Goldman would be the headmaster. His screenplays ushered in a new style that breathed fresh air into screenwriting. His screenplays for “The Princess Bride,” “Marathon Man,” and “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” are still considered classics. From dealing with actors and producers to the heart of the craft itself, Goldman comes off as a wise great uncle with an arm around your shoulder, whispering advice in to your ear.  

Writing Movies for Fun and Profit: How We Made A Billion Dollars at the Box Office and You Can, Too! Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant

The minds behind “Reno 911,” and a dozen other films, bring readers this hilarious and useful screenwriting tool. Presented in a “get rich”-style, this book is one of the most honest and helpful for screenwriters. It reveals the ins and outs of the business while making you laugh till your side hurts.

Hollywood Animal by Joe Eszterhas

Raw. Scary. Honest. One of the highest paid writers in Hollywood takes you along a journey starting in war-torn Europe and ending in Shannon Stone’s bedroom. The “Basic Instinct” and “Showgirls” screenwriter pulls back the curtain on his sex-fueled, booze-filled ride though Hollywood.

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8 Books That Should Be On Your Radar: February 2016

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.

Lay Down Your Weary Tune By W. B. Belcher

Daniel Ford: “I wrote this book for you!” W.B. Belcher said to me during my interview with the author. Boy, he wasn’t kidding. A reclusive folk music icon with a shadowy past, a writer/musician yearning for a second chance, a tortured love story, and small town politics are all themes that hit me right where I live.

Belcher’s hero, Jack Wyeth, has exhausted all of his best friend’s good will and is about to be kicked out on his ass when he gets an opportunity to ghostwrite folk hero Eli Page’s life story. The job takes Jack to the small town of Galesville and the banks of the Battenkill River, where he’ll confront not only Eli’s deteriorating mental health, but also his own troubled backstory. Every sentence of this novel is strummed from the heart, and Belcher tees up questions every angsty creative type has considered (without providing anything but ephemeral answers, of course). 

“We’re all here for one thing,” Eli says to Jack, “to find a live connection and hold onto it until it bucks us off.”

Damn, that’s good stuff. I look forward to buying Belcher a beer when he comes to Cambridge in March and toasting the live connection he created with his memorable, earthy characters and heartfelt prose.

Ghettoside by Jill Levoy

Daniel: For lovers of true crime and current events, Jill Levoy’s Ghettoside is a must read. In fact, it should be required reading for all American citizens. Levoy lays out the grim statistics regarding black homicide in Los Angeles, and the U.S. as a whole, toward the beginning of the book, and then, through exceptional reporting, masterfully illuminates the startling numbers through the eyes of police officers and victims’ families in Southern Los Angeles. While Levoy frames the book around the murders of Dovon Harris and Bryant Tennelle, she never fails to put their deaths in broader context—revealing how urban communities actually operate and how the limited resources detectives operate with affect the way authorities police violent crime.

I couldn’t help but think of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me and David Simon’s “The Wire” while reading Levoy’s narrative. All have added to my understanding of an America I don’t know or quite accurately grasp. The issues of race, proper police procedures, and poverty should (and I hope will) be debated throughout the 2016 Presidential election, which makes Ghettoside all the more relevant.   

Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of Your Fist by Sunil Yapa

Gary Almeter: It makes sense that the alluringly bright cover of Sunil Yapa’s debut novel features a blurb from Colum McCann, author of Let the Great World Spin (a book that takes place in the midst of Philippe Petit's Aug. 7, 1974 walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center). Yapa's book also takes place in one, similarly chaotic day, this one on Nov. 30, 1999 amidst the WTO protests of Seattle. I think it must take ambition, creativity, and a little bit of experimentation to be able to create a novel that packs all its action into a single day. Think of James Joyce's Ulysses, Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, Michael Cunningham's "The Hours," Anne Tyler's road trip novel Breathing Lessons, and Ian McEwan's Saturday.

I could give a hoot about the WTO and delegates and international trade. And luckily one does not need to in order to love this book (which I did). Yapa has a great time (like McCann did with 1974) recreating the fear and tumult that was the latter half of 1999. Its opening line, "The match struck and sputtered," jolts us back to a time before vaping was king. The characters confront, avoid, bypass, stumble into, and battle with one another. Their problems are somehow simultaneously huge in the way they affect one another and minute in the face of the geopolitical issues being discussed in the hotel around which they congregate.

It was a far more tumultuous, and interesting, time than we might recall and Yapa renders it beautifully.

The Exploding Detective by John Swartzwelder

Sean Tuohy: John Swartzwelder's writing was the heart and soul of the “The Simpsons.” After leaving the world of television writing behind, he turned to novels. If you like peeing yourself or snapping a bone from laughing so hard then pick up this goofy, off-the- wall novel that features a mix of noir time travel, super heroes, and humor. This short (but really, really funny) book follows Frank Burly, a dim witted private detective, who bumbles through his fight against crime with an exploding jet pack.

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

Daniel: I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t read Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout’s Pulitzer Prize-winning short story collection. I know there is an equally well-regarded HBO mini-series based on the book that I also haven’t consumed. After reading Strout’s recently published novel, My Name is Lucy Barton, I’m going to have to recalibrate my reading/viewing priorities.

Lucy Barton lands in a New York City hospital for nine weeks following what should have been a routine surgery. Her harried husband is taking care of her daughters as she struggles to recover. She awakes one day to find her mother at the edge of her bed. The two have never had the best relationship, and her mother’s visit slowly reveals the depths of Barton’s complex family life.

I’m a sucker for books that play with the idea of memory and family drama, so I clung to all the foggy reminiscences the two characters had in the short time they were together. Despite being incredibly short, the novel packs an emotional punch that will linger on your cheek well after you’ve moved on to your next read.   

A Hard and Heavy Thing by Matthew J. Hefti

Daniel: The last couple of years have seen really quality fiction tackle the wars in the Middle East, including Phil Klay’s Redeployment, Ben Fountain’s Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, Eliot Ackerman’s Green on Blue, and Ross Ritchell’s The Knife. Author Matthew Hefti’s sensational debut novel belongs right alongside those works.

Hefti novel employs an innovative structure that gives the story a deeply personal foundation. Levi, the book’s main character, is writing a letter to his lifelong friend Nick to say goodbye before he kills himself. Inspired by 9/11, Levi and Nick both served in the armed forces overseas, and were wounded both physically and emotionally. The two friends bond, and are drawn into conflict, over military snafus, the same woman (the deliciously broken Eris), and coming home to a world much different (for them) than the one they left.  

Hefti’s narrative (which is interrupted by Levi’s second-person insights) is incredibly well paced. There were times I had to catch my breath because I was living and dying with each sentence. Hefti beautifully captures the struggles our veterans face in coming home from the fog of war. As I said earlier, life is different for them, while it’s been the same for everyone else. It’s clear that Hefti fell in love with all of his characters because he provides them with such depth and emotion, which, of course, will make you fall in love with them just as hard.    

I also have to respect any author who inserts himself into his own novel. During our podcast interview, Hefti said, “Levi is all Levi and Nick is all Nick,” but he couldn’t resist adding himself into a tense scene in the middle of the book. As a fellow writer, I cheered out loud when I read it. The writing process (especially when dealing with a heavy topic like this) can be drudgery, so I applaud any effort to make it as fun as possible.

Massacre on the Merrimack by Jay Atkinson

Daniel: Hannah Duston…what a badass! Jay Atkinson’s nonfiction narrative follows a 39-year-old settlers’ wife who is captured by Indians—who smash her week-old child up against a tree—and ends up dealing out brutal justice to her captors in order to escape back to what’s left of her family. Atkinson, a Massachusetts native, intersperses New England’s rich history between Duston’s harrowing plight, which gives the reader a much deeper understanding of the political and sociological issues facing early North American settlers. Readers are also sure to love Goodwife Bradley, whose story is featured in the chapter named “The Fate of Other Captives.” She’s every bit as badass as Duston, and showcases the same bravery and flintiness exhibited by Atkinson’s main heroine. Danger, sacrifice, and death surrounded colonists during that era, but Duston and the other woman show the type of steely resolve necessary to hack out a living in a wild, ungoverned country. In Atkinson’s own words, “As a storyteller, what’s not to like?”

The Revolution Was Televised by Alan Sepinwall

Daniel: I honestly can’t remember what it was like watching my favorite television shows without reading Alan Sepinwall’s reviews and recaps (which can be found on HitFix.com). I held off on buying earlier editions of The Revolution Was Televised in anticipation of the author’s additional thoughts on the "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad" finales. Stephanie Schaefer smartly chose the book as my birthday present last month, and I finished it in two days. The Revolution Was Televised features interviews with a variety of showrunners—including the three Davids (Chase, Milch, and Simon), Vince Gilligan, and Matthew Weiner—analysis on some of my favorite shows (“Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” “The Sopranos,” and “Friday Night Lights”), and Sepinwall’s breezy, charming writing style. I also gained an appreciation for shows I didn’t necessarily enjoy (“Lost” and “24”), and found new shows to explore once I’m done binge-watching “The Americans” (“The Shield” and “Oz). This book is essential reading for television junkies.

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5 Books That Should Be On Your Radar: January 2016

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.

Fallen Land by Taylor Brown

Daniel Ford: As I said before my interview with Taylor Brown, perhaps I was destined to fall in love with his debut novel Fallen Land. What more could I ask for than a pair of star-crossed lovers during the Civil War (one of my favorite areas of study)?

Holy roller coaster of emotions, General Grant! I had to stop every five pages to catch my breath or fervently hope tragedy didn’t strike the main protagonists (I’m not telling you whether my hopes were answered or not).

Fallen Land is achingly beautiful and its characters will break your heart in all the right ways. Ava and Callum’s banter—much needed levity as they tried to escape a “band of marauders”—was as lyrical as it was romantically sassy. In fact, I read so slowly at the end because I didn't want to put it down and leave their love/adventure story behind.

I received an advanced copy way back in August, and I’ve been impatiently waiting to champion this work from a breakout writer ever since. The book goes on sale on Jan. 12, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a better read, more perfect read in 2016.

Crime Beat: A Decade of Covering Cops and Killers by Michael Connelly

Sean Tuohy: The current master of crime fiction gives us a glimpse into his past with this collection of pieces collected from his time as a reporter in South Florida and Los Angeles. What really makes this book special is the introduction, which describes Connelly's indoctrination into the world of crime and cops. The opening chapter’s brutal honesty is stronger then a heavyweight boxer’s punch.

The Cartel by Don Winslow

Daniel: Author Don Winslow’s sprawling epic about Mexico and the “War on Drugs” landed on plenty of top 10 lists at the end of 2015 with good reason. There was never a point when I felt burdened by reading the 600+ page novel. It’s thrilling from DEA agent Art Keller’s first appearance to the final page.

Spanning four decades, The Cartel explores every angle of a struggle that has claimed far too many lives in both the U.S. and Mexico. Winslow’s style is bare bones, but manages to teach and illuminate the myriad issues facing both nations more effectively and coherently than any news article or historical tome.

I’d heard some compare him to Elmore Leonard, and while I can see where someone might settle on that comparison, I’m not so quick to dub him the heir to Elmore’s throne (For one thing, I can’t imagine the late crime writer sitting down to write a book that’s close to 700 pages long). However, Winslow’s morally ambiguous characters and pitch perfect phrasing puts him awfully close to that level.

News of Kidnapping by Gabriel García Márquez

Sean: Gabriel García Márquez’s fast paced and well-researched book covers the impact that 10 kidnappings had on Columbia during the heated war between the drug lords and the government. Providing an insight into the bloody conflict, the Noble Prize-winning author transports the reader into the world of gunmen, kidnappers, and hostages. Written in a simple, but beautiful style, this book showcases a wonderful storyteller tackling a brutal topic.

Friendship Fog by Peter Halsey Sherwood

Daniel: I mentioned to Peter Sherwood in our recent podcast interview that he had been working on Friendship Fog in some capacity since I first met him way back in 2009ish. After watching Sherwood publish several other novels in the past couple years, I was thrilled that this one finally made it to print!

The novel features all the hallmarks of a Sherwood yarn: theatrical characters with terrific names, snappy dialogue, and a sense of humor that allows lands the right joke at the right time. I know how long Sherwood spent writing, editing, and re-writing this work

There’s one “scene” in particular that made me long for a day of drinking in New York City. Clifford Bowles and his friend Van Dillon meet at a watering hole and spend the rest of the day, and into the early morning hours of the next day, talking, drinking, and interacting with a bartender who doesn’t bat an eye at their increasingly sloppy and slurred behavior. Plenty of weighty issues confound the novel’s protagonists, but this episode added the right amount of comedic relief that perfectly summed up these two men’s friendship. I look forward to the day I can raise a glass with Sherwood in the Big Apple and then choke him for being such a good writer.

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6 Books You Didn’t Know Were Made Into Movies

By Sean Tuohy

Have you ever asked yourself, "Where the hell do screenwriters get ideas for movies?" Most of them come from the minds of deeply troubled writers or the back of Captain Crunch cereal boxes, but some originate from books! 

Here's a collection of some of the best films based on books.

Drive by James Sallis

“Drive,” the indie darling film of 2011 featured Ryan Gosling as a movie stunt driver who moonlit as a getaway driver. The film was filled with stellar acting, a pumping soundtrack, and a solid storyline. American post-noir master James Sallis wrote the novel of the same name. Mixing together a sparse writing style with heavy characters, Sallis created a stunning tale.

Who Censored Roger Rabbit? by Gary K. Wolf

“Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” was the kid’s movie that was really meant for adults. Overflowing with beloved cartoon characters, the film mixed together live action for the first time in history. The plot follows hard-boiled, cartoon-hating detective Eddie Valiant, who must help Roger Rabbit prove that he didn’t commit a murder. Where the movie is rides the line between adult and children, the novel is darker in tone and deals with a stranger world then the one in the film, It’s a fast, but odd, read.

Nothing Last Forever By Roderick Thorp

The strange story of how “Die Hard” went from novel to screen could be it’s own book. Written as a sequel to the “The Detective” (also turned into a film starring Chairman of the Board), Nothing Last Forever follows retired detective Joe Leland as he visits his daughter’s Christmas office party in L.A. when it gets taken over by terrorist. Leland must fight his way though terrorist as he tries to save his daughter. There are major differences between source book and film. The ending the book much darker, the main character is a truly flawed hero with many issues, and the terrorist are not bank robbers. A solid, fast paced read that makes you need to take a shot of whiskey at the end.

58 Minutes by Walter Wager

To learn more about how this story became the basis for “Die Hard 2,” swing by The Nicest Guy In Hollywood Doug Richardson’s website and take a read, totally worth it. But in the novel, a father must save his daughter from a madman who threatens to crash all the planes at JFK during a snowstorm. It’s great little read, but, man, who doesn’t love watching this scene:

Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory by Mickey Rapkin

Before Fat Amy, there was the source book. A reporter spent one season following college-aged wanna be singers as they tried to win an a cappella championship.

The Running Man By Richard Bachman (Stephen King)

Arnold Schwarzenegger on a game show where he must stay alive for 24 hours? 1980s action gold! Before the one-liners and cheesy ‘80s effects there was the novel The Running Man by Stephen King’s alter ego Richard Bachman. A short, but wickedly fast novel follows Ben Richards, an unemployed father living in a broken world, as he completes in a popular game show. He must stay alive for a week while being chased by hunters. King claims that he wrote the book in three days.

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The Top 10 Novels of 2015: Part 2

By Daniel Ford

If you missed Part 1, check it out here. I’ve included some of my original reviews, as well as new insights. Feel free to share your own favorites in the comments section or tweet us @WritersBone.

5. Bull Mountain by Brian Panowich & Where All the Light Tends to Go by David Joy

Brian Panowich and David Joy go together like dark alcohol and a heavy glass. I read their novels fairly close to each other and befriended the authors on Twitter, so I didn’t have the heart to split them up.

As I said in “Bruce, Bourbon, and Books,” Panowich’s debut novel Bull Mountain follows the Burroughs clan throughout several decades in the North Georgia Mountains. At the center of the story stands Clayton Burroughs, the sheriff of Waymore Valley, an honest man standing at the foot of a corrupt mountain. A shadowy Federal agent gives him an opportunity by to finally extricate his family name from drug running and death, however, his hillbilly crime lord brother wants no part of any such redemption.

The narrative spans several generations of Burroughs men, always at odds with themselves, their kin, and the innocent bystanders in their wake. As with many of the other crime novels we’ve featured on Writer’s Bone, this one shines because of its literary dedication to its main characters. They feel as old and familiar as the book’s mountain setting and are hardwired into the plot in a dramatically complex way.

Panowich is also a helluva talker (as you’ll hear in the podcast below).

Joy’s novel is pure Southern noir poetry. As I mentioned in “Bruce, Bourbon, and Books” (are you sensing a pattern?), you’d swear some of the perfectly crafted lines in this work swam out of a high-end bottle of bourbon, picked up the first shotgun they saw, and blasted their way through Appalachia.

He also said one of the most insightful things about the writing process I’ve heard in all the interviews we’ve done this year: “I need one good sentence before I can move forward.” It’s true for a lot of writers and I like how Joy’s method led to Where All the Light Tends to Go's lyrical style.

I’ve been hearing good things about his follow up, so restock your bourbon shelf and finish off his debut so you can devour the next one!

4. The Tusk That Did All the Damage by Tania James

Tania James’ The Tusk That Did the Damage completely charmed me. She utilized three narrators—including an elephant named The Gravedigger!—and weaved 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.

She may have also won her way into the top five with this tweet:

@danielfford Thanks! I do love the Bone. (I don't plan on repeating that sentence ever again but it must be said.)

— Tania James (@taniajam) March 25, 2015

3. My Sunshine Away by M.O. Walsh

One of the hallmarks of a great novel is how badly you want to get it into the hands of everyone you know. I’m pretty sure my copy of M.O. Walsh’s My Sunshine Away has made its way into the hands of just about every member of my family at this point.

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.

I truly loved this novel and couldn’t be happier that Gary Almeter brought it up during our recent Friday Morning Coffee conversation. It made me remember the great experience I had reading the book and interviewing the author (podcast below).

2. God Loves Haiti by Dimitry Elias Legér

In our first interview, Dimitry Elias Legér told me, “I put my heart and soul into God Loves Haiti.” As I said in my February review, Léger’s heart and soul is evident on every page, every line of dialogue, and in every character.

Maybe I’m biased because Legér is a St. John’s alum, like myself, but his exploration of Haiti during the 2010 earthquake made my heart goudou-goudou. There’s also a scene in the middle of the novel that involves a woman locking her naked lover in a closet. The nude escape that ensues struck such a human note in the midst of a tragedy that I was laughing and crying at the same time (you’ll also be weeping at the ending, which still gets to me all these months later). If the resiliency, love, and, yes, humor, of Léger’s characters doesn’t make your heart goudou-goudou, then you should seek medical attention immediately.

He also gets bonus points for recording Writer’s Bone’s first Skype interview!

1. The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma

I read most of Chigozie Obioma’s pitch perfect debut The Fishermen while on a bus headed back home to visit my parents for Easter. Perhaps it was the interaction with my own brothers that made this book stick with me so much. Maybe I saw my mother and father in the two parents trying to hold a family together in the face of suffering. Maybe it was making every local stop known to man between Hartford and Boston that made me savor every sentence, character, and theme.    

The novel 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.

It’s quite simply the best book I read all year. Obioma may not have won the Man Booker Prize, but I hope he can take solace in topping our humble list (and he better be working on his next book!).  

Read Part 1

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The Top 10 Novels of 2015: Part 1

By Daniel Ford

My mother made me a reader.

Family legend has it that I used to carry my board books (likely The Twiddlebugs’ Dream House or The Monster at the End of This Book) to her (or my father) and start blabbering nonsense. It was my signal that I was ready to read. I’m pretty sure if I brought them every book I read this year they would have told me to invest in a better cable television package!  

At the end of 2014, Stephanie Schaefer asked me how many books I thought I read in a year. I had never really considered keeping track before, but with the amount of Advanced Reader Copies Writer’s Bone received this year, in addition to my personal reading list, it was a good time to start!

To date, I’ve read 83 books. There’s a good mix of fiction and nonfiction, but I’m limiting this list to my top 10 favorite novels of 2015 (look for Part 2 tomorrow). I suspect a nonfiction list isn’t far behind! I’ve included some of my original reviews, as well as new insights. Feel free to share your own favorites in the comments section or tweet us @WritersBone.

Read on!

10. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Paula Hawkins sold a few copies after she interviewed with us in January. Oh, what’s that you say? She sold more than three million copies! Not bad for a debut thriller (which will also be hitting the silver screen sometime in the future).

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. Read this immediately (and plan on losing a few nights sleep while doing so).  

9. Green on Blue by Elliot Ackerman

Along with Ross Ritchell’s The Knife and Billy Lynn’s Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain, Elliot Ackerman’s Green on Blue was one of the most original, and haunting, novels written about the War on Terror.

Here’s what Dave Pezza had to say in his review earlier this year:

Green on Blue, Eliot Ackerman’s debut novel, follows a young Afghan by the name of Aziz. Aziz and his older brother are orphaned by Afghan militants. Soon Ali, Aziz’s brother, is maimed by the same men, and Aziz is recruited by a freedom fighting group funded by the CIA, who offer to pay for his brother’s medical expenses in return for his service. Green on Blue offers a rare perspective of the War in Afghanistan: the perspective of the Afghans who found themselves caught between violent, religious extremists and American sentiments of freedom and self-preservation. The result is a captivating narrative of a young teenage boy who wishes only to do right by his family and honor. Ackerman perfectly balances on the line of critiquing American ideals in a Middle Eastern society and the illuminating the struggle of the honest Afghan men and women who try only to survive in this contested land they call home. As America tries to put behind its recent wars in the Middle East, Green on Blue gives us an understanding of the country and its people that we wish we could have had 14 years ago.

8. The Martian by Andy Weir

The Martian debuted in 2014, but I didn’t get around to reading it until this year. In our recent Friday Morning Coffee chat, Gary Almeter named a book to his top five largely based on the experience he had while reading it. I feel the same way about The Martian. Don’t get me wrong, the book is wonderful and made me think about science in a new and exciting way, but interviewing Andy Weir and hearing how thrilled he was that the movie was being made is something that I’ll never forget. He also earned bonus points by telling Sean Tuohy that he had a zero percent chance of surviving on Mars. Revisit our podcast interview before getting to the rest of the list!

7. The Boatmaker by John Benditt

From a "Bruce, Bourbon, and Books" review:

I can’t say enough good things about John Benditt’s The Boatmaker. I’ve been reading at a pretty rapid pace the past few months, but I really sat down and took my time devouring this debut. Benditt does some expert world-building, breathing life into the parable style of storytelling. Most of his characters don’t just live in his world; they weather and survive it. The boatmaker begins as a simple man on Small Island, near death from a fever. He believes he’s given a directive to build a boat and sail to Big Island and the Mainland. His naivety nearly kills him throughout his journey, but his curiosity and determination to make sense of these strange lands don’t allow him to turn back. Readers see the world largely through his eyes so I still don’t have a deeper understanding about the power and cultural dynamics at play in this troubled kingdom. I guess it’s a lesson for all of us that not all countries are completely knowable, even if you’ve inhabited it forever. You might have more questions about the boatmaker’s reality (as well as our own), but, trust me, they will be questions worth asking and debating over a glass of brown liquor.

There's a good chance this book is too low on my list. I really loved it. Benditt is also a good guy and a writer worth following.

6. Brutal Youth by Anthony Breznican  

Not only does Anthony Breznican have the best beat in the galaxy (he’s Entertainment Weekly’s “Star Wars” guru), but he published an incredible book with a distinct style and earthly, tortured characters.

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.”

It’s a good story well told and I look forward to see what Breznican produces in the future (a “Star Wars” novel, perhaps?).

Read Part 2

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5 Books That Should Be On Your Radar: November/December 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 Axeman’s Jazz by Ray Celestin

Daniel Ford: I’ll admit, I picked up The Axeman’s Jazz because of its stellar cover. However, after a slower start than I anticipated, Ray Celestin’s macabre novel proved just as good inside its book jacket. The book is set in 1919 New Orleans and features troubled detectives, plucky Pinkerton investigators, and even jazz great Louis Armstrong. The plot, which revolves around a Crescent City serial killer who loves bludgeoning his victims with an ax and New Orleans’ signature sound in equal measure, moves along at a good clip, but the book’s emotionally heart lies in the relationship between Detective Lieutenant Michael Talbot and his young protégée. Celestin expertly crafts a mood befitting an immigrant story, turn-of-the-century noir, and suspenseful thriller, while also touching on topical subjects like race relations and women’s rights. Based on true events, The Axeman’s Jazz will have you tapping your toes while diving under your bed to avoid the killer’s wrath.

A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James

Daniel: I was reluctant to sing the praises of Marlon James’ meaty Jamaican epic after it won the 2015 Man Booker Prize over Writer’s Bone favorite Chigozie Obioma’s The Fishermen, but it was as good as advertised. James’ haunting characters, crackling dialogue, and Caribbean locale made every page in the weighty tome a true pleasure to read. Also based on the true-life shooting of Bob Marley, A Brief History of Seven Killings follows gang members, American journalists, shadowy government agents, and everyday Jamaicans throughout several turbulent decades in Jamaica. The cast of characters seems unwieldy in some sections, but it’s anchored by love struck Nina Burgess’ story. At the beginning of the novel, she’s pining for “The Singer,” hoping he’ll remember the night they spent together, but by the end she’s a lot like the Jamaica James depicts throughout the book: battle-scarred, weary, untrusting, but still proudly standing.

All lovers of language will appreciate the words and phrases the author employs to tell his tale. “Bombocloth,” “r’ass,” and “fuckery” are all words I quickly came to love and would use daily if I were the right skin color. Much like Dimitry Elias Léger's God Loves Haiti, James’ award-winning novel not only tells a passionate, violent story, but also sheds a light on a country America knows too little about despite our close proximity.

Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

Sean Tuohy: If you need to get yourself into the mindset to write your next novel, short story, or screenplay, pick this book up. Written by two ex-Navy SEALs, Extreme Ownership helps you develop the mental skills necessary for you to meet your goals and complete your tasks. Helpful, well written, and filled with thought-provoking stories, this book is a must for the nightstand.

Thirteen Ways of Looking by Colum McCann

Daniel: I originally read (and fell in love with) Colum McCann’s short story “Sh’khol” in The Best American Short Stories 2015, so I was pleasantly surprised that I had the opportunity to enjoy it all over again in the author’s collection Thirteen Ways of Looking. The short fiction compilation only includes a novella and three short stories, but what it lacks in pages, it makes up for with punch. The title novella, which features the final day in the life of an elderly judge, perfectly captures a wintry New York City and seamlessly mixes past and present. “Treaty” throws faith, violence, forgiveness, and ambiguity into a tale about a broken nun with fantastic results.

However, “What Time Is It Now, Where Are You?” might be the story must useful for aspiring writers. A writer struggles to develop a fiction piece for The New Yorker, but ends up brainstorming a story that is just as captivating as the author’s writing process. I felt I learned more about writing and reading in 10 pages than in the thousands of pages I’ve read throughout 2015. I’m a neophyte when it comes to McCann’s work, but I’m eager to pick up the rest of his oeuvre in the new year. You should do the same.     

Cold Hit by Stephen J. Cannell

Daniel: Sean Tuohy has this uncanny ability to put the right book in my hands at the right time. Coming off of A Brief History of Seven Killings, I needed something light and adventurous. Dr. Tuohy proscribed television guru Stephen J. Cannell’s Cold Hit, which I breezed through during my Thanksgiving break. It had everything I could possibly want from a thriller: wise-crackin’ detectives, a zippy plot, a calculating serial killer (that’s two in one post…maybe I have a problem), and shady authority figures. Was it a little hammy in parts? Of course! I really could have done without the subplot featuring Detective Shane Scully’s son getting recruited by college football coaches, but it didn’t take away from the tender moments the surly gumshoe had with his wife (who is also his superior) throughout the novel. Scully also has to deal with a drunk, broken partner who threatens to ruin Scully’s case and career multiple times during the narrative.

Cannell also makes some really insightful comments on our national security/criminal justice system following 9/11 that most thrillers don’t take the time to dive into. How many personal liberties are we willing to give up to assure our security? Does stooping to the terrorists’ level in hunting them down strip away our moral imperative? Cannell doesn’t necessarily provide concrete answers to these questions, obviously, but the fact he was raising them made me feel a lot better about where this genre is headed.   

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Thanksgiving Reading List: 6 Books We’re Thankful For

Editor’s Note: With Thanksgiving two days away, I asked the Writer’s Bone crew what books they were thankful for. Here’s what they came up with. Feel free to add the books you’re the most thankful for in the comments section or tweets us @WritersBone.—Daniel Ford

Oh, The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss

Stephanie Schaefer: Who didn’t love Dr. Seuss as a kid? I remember always reaching for his poetic books with colorful covers when it came time for my mom to read me and my brother a bedtime story. Little did I know that I would appreciate Oh, The Places You’ll Go even more as an adult. My mother gifted me with a shiny new copy of the book after high school graduation. There have been numerous instances in my life when I’ve gone back to read some of the lyrical lines as a pick me up through ups and downs in both my personal and professional lives. After all, when you’re at a crossroads or feeling lonely in a big city, sometimes you just need to hear the words, “Kid, You’ll Move Mountains.”

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Alex Tzelnic: I am immensely thankful for Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five. I read it while living in Saigon as an English teacher. Every afternoon before teaching I'd walk over to my favorite coffee stand, sit in the tropical heat under a green umbrella, suck down Vietnamese iced coffees, and read a book that re-calibrated what I thought literature could be. I am also immensely thankful for George Saunders' essay on Slaughterhouse Five that says everything I could possibly want to say about it way better than I could possibly say it: “Mr. Vonnegut in Sumatra.”

Jim the Boy by Tony Earley

Gary Almeter: I had just finished another year teaching English at a high school in New York City and wanted to give myself an end-of-the-year treat. So on the last day of school I stopped at the Barnes and Noble on East 86th Street and, seduced by the simple watercolor cover evocative of the era in which the story is set, bought this book from the New Releases shelf. The story is a simple coming-of-age story set in rural post-Depression era North Carolina about a boy named Jim. Ironically, the story is so simple that it was jarring to realize how rare such simplicity had become. It's simple and spectacular. The writing and the tone are both so pure and heartfelt without being sappy. I loved every word. Then, eager to explore more of Earley's work, I later bought a book of short stories wherein we meet Jim again. Those short stories came first and in an interview I read someplace, Mr. Earley suggested that he just wasn't finished with this character named Jim so felt compelled to write a novel about him. And subsequently write another one called The Blue Star.

I am thankful for this book for a host of reasons. First, a reminder that books—hardcover, expensive, shiny, new smell books—make the best treats and that it's okay to treat yourself. Next, simple stories with contented characters, if they are told well, can still be compelling. Lastly, Mr. Earley's commitment to Jim is a reminder that, as a writer, it’s acceptable to capitulate to compulsion.

The AP Stylebook

Lindsey Wojcik: I am thankful for The AP Stylebook. It was the best investment I made during journalism school—although my copy is nearly a decade old (hint: holiday gift idea). It has been my saving grace during many production cycles, including during my tenure as my college newspaper's editor in chief through my post-collegiate career as a magazine editor. It has been my ace during disagreements about hyphens and capitalizations with colleagues. I'm often referred to as the AP Style nerd in the office.

I am thankful that a former colleague gave me his old copy of the guide, which was published the year I was born. It's a treasured reminder that I grew up wanting so badly to be a journalist, and for better or worse, today I am one. Thank you, AP Stylebook.

I, The Jury by Mickey Spillane

Sean Tuohy: The book that launched me into the world of hard-boiled detectives and murder mystery. I, The Jury, the first novel in the long running Mike Hammer detective series, is made up of everything that makes pulp novels great; tough guy dialogue, bullets flying, sexy femme fatales, and bloodthirsty bad guys. I am thankful that I stumbled upon this book in the eighth grade. It set me on a journey through pulp fiction that has taken over my life.

Nobody’s Fool by Richard Russo

Daniel Ford: This was a harder exercise than I thought it was going to be. Part of me wanted to choose Mark Childress’ Crazy in Alabama because it was the first book my senior English teacher dropped in my hands when she forced me into the AP class. Another wanted to pick Chad Harbach’s The Art of Fielding because of its elegant depiction of the national pastime and its earthy, earnest characters.

However, I kept coming back to Sully in Richard Russo’s Nobody’s Fool. What a perfect curmudgeon. While Sully taught me the proper way to cuss and eek through a bad luck-plagued existence, Russo proved to me that plot wasn’t necessarily important when you have the right mix of characters. Sure, the events in Sully’s life make for fine literature, but it’s Russo’s study of the characters inhabiting the world in Nobody’s Fool that makes it art.  

Thanks to a personal blog post from a million years ago, I can even remember my favorite line: “Clive Jr.’s fear of Sully was always rewarding. But Sully wanted to be fully awake and not hungover to appreciate it.”

There’s a Writer’s Bone mission statement in there somewhere.

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Winter (Reading) Is Coming: 4 Book Collections to Hibernate With

By Sean Tuohy

No, that chill in your bones doesn’t mean a White Walker attack is nigh. Sadly, fall is rapidly fading and soon we’ll be confronted with mounting snow piles and shabby mall Santas.

You may find yourself trapped inside struggling to remember what the sun looks like this winter, so why not dig into a book series?

The following four series will take you away from the ice cold winter and bring you to a new world filled with characters that leap off the pages.

The Last Policeman Trilogy by Ben Winters

The world is going to end in a few months so why carry on? Why do your job? In Ben Winters’ game-changing detective series features a small town police officer who performs his duties as the world around him falls apart. A solid mystery mixed with vivid characters and twists and turns bring Winters’ doomed world to life.

The Harry Bosch Series by Michael Connelly

The long-running series features one of the best literary detectives, Harry Bosch. Bosch is a man who is obsessed with solving murders and filled with a deep darkness. He spends his nights quietly watching the city from his house up in the Hollywood Hills or driving the city streets while listening to jazz. Zigzag plots roller coaster readers through the underbelly of Los Angeles.  

The Sigma Series by James Rollins

Real world science and edgy science fiction mix together perfectly in these action-packed novels. Following a special team that deals with weird, the Sigma Series features slam-bam action and a group of characters you’d follow to the ends of the earth. Each time you open the next book it feels like you’re welcoming an old friend—one that will have you gasping for air by the end of the first page.

The Frontlines Series by Marko Kloos

An over-populated and war torn Earth is uninhabitable, so Marko Kloos’ main character Andrew Greyson decides to join the military and set off on a wild adventure into an ever expanding universe. The series features grounded and human stories that just happen to take place in the far reaches of the galaxy. 

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Everybody Counts or Nobody Counts: The Top 5 Harry Bosch Novels

By Sean Tuohy

Crime fiction master Michael Connelly brings back hardboiled, jazz-loving detective Harry Bosch in his newest novel The Crossing. This time around we find Bosch is no longer with the LAPD and is now working for defense attorney half-brother Mickey Haller.

With the newest book in the long running detective series published yesterday and the second season of the highly rated Amazon television show in the works, we decided to sit down and comb through the Bosch world and picked the top five Bosch stories. Get ready for some smooth jazz and murder in the City of Angels.

5. The Burning Room (#21)

Sensing his time with the LAPD maybe coming to an end, Harry races against the clock trying to solve two famous cold cases while trying to mentor his young new partner. 

What makes it great?

Harry has mentored younger detectives before but never with the same urgency that is found in this novel. Harry tries to imprint his code on his partner, teaching her that homicide is a mission. We also catch moments of trendiness with Bosch, most dealing with his own daughter. A great moment is when Bosch gets a lump in his throat thinking about his daughter and his own failing as a father. The ending is bittersweet and reminds us that not everything can be tied up neatly at the end.

What to listen to? 

“Black Coffee” by Duke Pearson Trio

4. The Black Ice (#2)

When a cop kills himself on Christmas Eve the department is ready to call it an open and shut case but Harry Bosch sees something else. Quickly, Bosch himself chases down clues through seedy back alleys that lead into Mexico.

What makes it great?

Fast-paced with more action then the first novel, The Black Ice hits the ground running and never lets up. While in Mexico, Bosch takes in bull fighting and along the way falls in love with the widow of the dead police officer. The ending to the novel is a sudden twist that no one saw coming.

What to listen to?

“Mr. Syms” by John Coltrane 

3. The Drop (#17)

Bosch investigates a 20-year-old murder while also trying to determine if his enemy’s son killed himself or was killed.

What makes it great?

Many of Connelly’s best characters are the people who live at the bottom of society, the ones who scrape by and do what they can to live. In The Drop, Connelly presents us with a character completely broken by life. We watch as Bosch goes from hating the man to understanding who he is.

What to listen to?

“Green Haze” by Miles Davis

2. Nine Dragons (#15)

A chance account on the one of the worse nights of his life Bosch meets a shopkeeper who helped him out. Years later, Bosch must solve the man’s murder and also deal with the personal issues of having a daughter who lives in China.

What makes it great?

A bittersweet ending Bosch’s life changes completely. We get to see two sides of Bosch, the cop and the father, intersect.

What to listen to?

“Night Hawk” by Coleman Hawkins

1. The Last Coyote (#4)

Bosch’s life is a mess. He’s suspended from his job, he’s about to lose his house, and he’s lost his girlfriend. During this crisis, Bosch decides to look into the murder of his mother, killed when he was a child. He is determined to solve it.

What makes it great?

Normally in series the hero is always put together and able to handle the task at hand. Connelly stacked everything against Bosch and at one point we see Bosch fall apart. The pressure of everything mixed with opening deep emotion wounds comes pouring out of Bosch.

What to listen to?

“Silk ‘n’ Satin” by Sonny Rollins

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5 Books That Should Be On Your Radar: October 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

A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

I’ve read Richard Russo, Joyce Carol Oates (okay, at least I tried), Jonathan Franzen, and Wally Lamb throughout my life, so I know a thing or two about dysfunctional literary families. However, the family in Jane Smiley’s A Thousand Acres might be the most screwed up one I’ve ever encountered in fiction. The book starts innocently enough: A father nearing the end of his working days decides to split up his Midwestern farm among his three daughters. What a nice guy! Well, in true Shakespearean fashion, things go horribly wrong. The father loses his grip on reality, his daughters reveal all manner of dark family secrets, and there’s not a man in the book that isn’t a complete asshole or grossly incompetent. There were moments I put the book down and couldn’t believe what I had just read. And Smiley doesn’t hit you over the head with each revelation. No, her style borders on nonchalant, so you constantly feel like your caught in the middle of the storm without any advanced warning. Smiley also gives the reader somewhat of an unreliable narrator, which makes the book’s plot all the more harrowing and surprising. I guarantee you’ll be done with this tale in a matter of days because the sick individual inside you will want to find out what happens next.

Academy Gothic by James Tate Hill

Tate Cowlishaw may be legally blind, incredibly snarky, and unlucky in love, but hot damn he’s a pretty good investigator. So what if he’s an incompetent, indifferent academic employed at a school in such dire straits that it has to house its teacher’s offices in a drained swimming pool? When the dean of Parshall College dies suspiciously, Cowlishaw follows a dangerous (and often hilarious) trail of clues to find out the truth. As I said in the introduction to my recent interview with the author, fans of noir and dark comedy will find something to devour within every page of this debut. Hill told me that future Cowlishaw adventures would depend on readers’ reactions to his witty hero. Well, don’t just suggest he write more, demand it by buying the book and spreading the word.

The Granite Moth by Erica Wright

The Granite Moth, Erica Wright’s sequel to her debut novel The Red Chameleon, has an explosive beginning. A bomb goes off at a Halloween parade in New York City, upending the lives of the The Pink Parrot’s performers. Good thing the nightclub has a guardian private investor in Kathleen Stone. The emotionally damaged PI, along with her drag queen friends Dolly and Big Momma, tracks down the perpetrators of the crime while trying to stay on the good sides of her two police officer love interests. The Red Chameleon set the tone of Stone’s world, but The Granite Moth digs deeper into her character and why she’s hell bent on bringing mob boss Salvatore Magrelli to justice. As with all good noir, the plot matters much less than what’s going on in Stone’s head and how her job interferes with every relationship she has in her life. There’s plenty of Wright’s trademark wit and sharp dialogue in this sequel, but the book is at its best when exploring Stone’s dark inner demons. The book comes out Nov. 16, so plan your late fall reading accordingly.   

Oh, and if you’re thinking that Tate Cowlishaw and Kathleen Stone would make the perfect crime-fighting duo, you’re not alone. I’ve already told Wright and Hill that if there isn’t a crossover at some point in the future, I will no longer speak to either of them.

Swag by Elmore Leonard

Every time I finish an Elmore Leonard tale I think, “That’s my favorite Elmore Leonard novel.” It happened with Pronto, Rum Punch, and Riding the Rap. I read Out of Sight at the end of September and thought no other Leonard could possibly surpass it. Well, shit, Swag did and it just might be the best crime fiction novel ever written. Car thief Ernest “Stick” Stickley Jr. and oily car salesman Frank Ryan start a lucrative armed robbery trade and hilarity ensues. The sweet spot of the novel comes in the middle when the guys are enjoying a massive party at their hotel that eventually comes back to haunt them. Their characters are revealed in stark black and white and both begin to accept the fate they are headed for. There are twists and turns as the novel reaches its climax, but you feel like you already know how these two idiot criminals end up. The dialogue is pitch perfect (including the novel’s brilliant final line), and the 1970s Detroit setting casts a gray urban pale to the thievery and debauchery. This novel is screaming out to be made into a three-act play and I’d pay top dollar to see it. I’m sure I’ll love the next Elmore Leonard yarn just as much, but for now Swag is at the top of my list.

The Captive Condition by Kevin Keating

During a recent podcast with Sean Tuohy, I stupidly said Kevin Keating’s The Captive Condition wasn’t capturing my attention like I thought it would. Like a dopey, over-critical writer, I whined that the novel showcased some of the grating traits inherent to novels written by an academic. Well, throw all that criticism out the window because he expertly ties everything together in the second half. Every character receives a fate that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemies. The haunted town of Normandy Falls, where Edmund Campion chooses to earn his degree, is right below the Hellmouth in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” on the list of places I’d never want to visit. At least other horror tales feature a monster or zombie the main character can slaughter. The Captive Condition contains a deeper, primordial evil that isn’t easy to shake, even after you finish the novel. I recommend finding out for certain that noise you hear outside isn’t someone pounding the final nail into your doorframe, trapping you inside with Keating’s demons forever.

Listen to our podcast interview with Kevin Keating after he scares the bejesus out of you:

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The Top 5 Horror Novels of All Time

By Sean Tuohy

It is that time of year again when costumed children pound on your door and demand candy. While waiting for the next chubby pre-teen wearing a homemade Batman costume to arrive at your door, why don’t you crack open a horror novel?

We’ve put together a list of the top five modern horror novels to help you question that creaking sound coming from upstairs. Throw on a pair of Depends and get ready to be scared shitless.

The Troop by Nick Cutter

Want to go camping? Do not read this novel. Want to have blood-soaked nightmares caused by a crafty written novel? Then pick up The Troop. During Cutter’s camping trip all hell breaks lose…and quickly. The characters create a strong connection with the reader, which makes the gore in the novel that much more painful.

Legion by William Peter Blaty

How do comedy writers let out their stress? Some write horror novels like William Peter Blaty. The former “Pink Panther” writer decided that making people wet themselves from fear was better then making them wet themselves from laughing too hard. His most chilling work is Legion. The story features a demon that takes hold of elderly people in a coma and uses them to commit murder around the city. and the detective trying to stop him. The book was turned into “Exorcist III” despite the fact that there isn’t an exorcist in the novel. The film and the book are both spine-tingling good and should not be enjoyed in the dark.

Red Dragon by Thomas Harris

This book introduced us to Dr. Hannibal Lecter, the only human being who can make Chianti terrifying, and reminded us that we should invest in new locks. Harris designs a horrifyingly real serial killer. The Red Dragon—a deformed man who is mentally unstable but tries to deal with his emotions—kills families in their sleep. The novel dives into the killer’s twisted mind and examines his trauma, while at the same time following the burnt out FBI profiler trying to capture him. Thrilling and dark, Red Dragon reminds you that anyone can be a killer.

The Ruins by Scott Smith

Adventure and good times quickly dissolve into a fight to stay alive in Scott Smith’s novel. The horror story features a group of young Americans vacationing in Central America who stumble upon ruins. Not surprisingly, things go horribly wrong. Smith masterly mixes spine-chilling tension and blood-curdling horror in this short novel.

The Shining by Stephen King

Really, you didn’t see this coming? Daniel Ford and I devoted an entire podcast episode last year (you can listen to it below)! This man is a king (see what I did there?). The Shining perfectly showcases King’s talent as a master storyteller. The true horror of the novel is not the ghost or the evil hotel, but watching a loving family being slowly ripped apart. Jack’s fall from good husband and father struggling with demons to blood-thirty murderer is gut wrenching. Oh, and the lady in the bathtub is freaky!

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5 Books That Should Be On Your Radar: September 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.

Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

Daniel Ford: Lauren Groff’s novel Fates and Furies was published on Sept. 15 and promptly longlisted for the National Book Award. Considering the novel’s beautifully crafted sentences, its dual narrative structure, and its multi-faceted look at a marriage between two young creative spirits, it’s not hard to figure out why critics and readers alike have made Fates and Furies a hit. The marriage of Lotto and Mathilde begins innocently enough—we’re told from Lotto’s point of view—but like all marriages, it falls prey to doubt, confusion, lies, and tragedy. Because of its narrative structure—the first half focuses on Lotto, an aspiring, out-of-work actor, the second half on Mathilde, a wife dedicated to making their lives a success—Fates and Furies has drawn comparisons to Gone Girl with some justification. However, what separates this novel from Gillian Flynn’s megahit is the presence of actual love and hope. I was much more invested and intrigued by the characters in Fates and Furies than I ever was reading Gone Girl. Without giving too much away, there’s a twist when the perspectives change, however, it fits with the character in such a way that I didn’t completely question everything I had read before. There’s a true love story in Fates and Furies that is as messy, complicated, and passionate as any in real life. The novel compels you to keep reading, so you’ll have this one done in just a couple days, but Lotto and Mathilde will stick with you long after you finish.

Make Me by Lee Child

Sean Tuohy: In Make Me, Lee Child takes readers on a thrill ride that goes from the cornfields of the Midwest to the sun-soaked shores of Los Angeles and everywhere in between. Child's itinerant hero Jack Reacher steps off a speeding train in an oddly named sleepy town in the middle of nowhere and right onto the playing field with a bang, like always. Reacher wants to explore the town’s origins, but he’s suddenly finds himself racing down a dark path searching for a missing investigator and trying to out run hitmen. Child always delivers with solid action, well-paced plots, and hardboiled dialogue that pops out of Reacher’s mouth and socks you in the face.

Daniel: I haven’t read a Jack Reacher yarn in quite some time. I cracked open Make Me after being inspired by Sean’s recommendation and our field trip to Harvard to see Child interviewed by Stephen King. After reading some heavier literature and non-fiction earlier this month, the book was the perfect brain candy. Make Me is wildly entertaining and featured snappy dialogue and Reacher doing Reacher things (like expertly planning out a shootout with a trio of thugs well before the action happens). Reacher also gets a lot more beat up in this book than in some of the others I’ve read. He’s not 100 percent during the novel’s climatic events, which made me think about how the “Justified” writers portrayed Raylan Givens after they realized it wouldn’t be realistic if he shot and killed everyone every episode. Twenty books into the series, Child wisely reminded readers that Reacher isn’t a superhero. He’s just a guy trying to stay off the grid, which is getting increasing more difficult in an increasingly connected world (Reacher even has a debit card now!). Make Me made me (see what I did there?) even more excited for the next 20 Reacher adventures.  

For more insights into Make Me, watch the Stephen King and Lee Child event Writer’s Bone attended at Harvard:

Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg

Gary Almeter: Say the title of this book aloud. Just do it. The six words put together are so discordant, so cacophonous that you almost don’t know how to feel when you say them. The rest of the book, on the heels of its title, is no less jarring for all the best reasons. Clegg’s debut novel is a story of profound loss and a meditation on grief, forgiveness, and self-forgiveness. Then it adds a layer of suspense as those affected search for the truth behind the accident at the center of the novel. All of this takes place in a small town where the visiting haves comingle with the native have-nots. The resultant anger and resentment from each are beautifully and authentically realized.

This narrative is told from many different points of view. Clegg navigates through a number of characters’ consciousnesses in an elegant and commanding way. He jumps back and forth between first and third person, back and forth in time, from coast to coast, and from the protagonist to an ancillary character who also sheds insight on the loss.   

Clegg’s story is all about what happens in those serendipitous settings where people who wouldn’t ordinarily meet actually do. And how that meeting propels them forward. It is often beautiful; often adversarial; always interesting. One of the ancillary voices in this novel says, “It’s a relief to finally find where you’re meant to be.” It’s equally rewarding seeing Clegg get them there.

For more insights on Bill Clegg, listen to Gary’s recent podcast with the author:

Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari

Daniel: There are two statistics that struck me in Aziz Ansari’s excellent sociological study, Modern Romance. First, in a 2013 study about Japanese dating habit, “a whopping 45 percent of women aged sixteen to twenty-four ‘were not interested in or despised sexual contact,’ and more than a quarter of the men felt the same way.” Wow, that’s a lot of people who are not only not getting any, but don’t want any at all! And this from a country that has a serious population problem! Come on, Japan, get on that. Literally.

Secondly, “in nonmarried but ‘committed’ couples there is a 70 percent chance of cheating.” Damn. That’s a high percentage. And, as Ansari point outs throughout the book, it’s easier than ever to connect and communicate with people, so that number might even get higher in the future.

Some of the findings in the book might lead some to despair over the changing nature of relationships, marriages, and friendships. However, Ansari’s wit and charm ooze from every page and sort of make you optimistic about where we’re headed as a civilization. I’m just thankful that I found the headline to my article in Stephanie Schaefer, and that we got to discuss the book while enjoying a healthy, committed relationship.     

Black Mass: Whitey Bulger, the FBI, and a Devil's Deal by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill

Sean: There is a disappointing film out right now based on this stellar true-life crime tale. Spanning 30 years, the book, written by two award-winning Boston reporters, covers the unholy marriage between the FBI and Boston crime lord James "Whitey" Burgler. The prose has an odd, almost playful, tone. It’s much better than the film and has the added bonus of being a quick read. 

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The Top 5 Jack Reacher Novels

By Sean Tuohy

Stephen King has called Jack Reacher “the coolest character” and the public agrees. For nearly 20 books, the former military cop turned drifter has woven himself into the American literary fabric. Hardboiled and witty, Lee Child’s character is one of the funniest good guys to follow. Tom Cruise also  brought the character to the big screen in the recent action film “Jack Reacher.”

Child’s new book, Make Me, hits stands on Sept. 8, so we decided to help those unfamiliar with the Reacher legend by counting down the top five Reacher novels.

As an added bonus, listen to my interview with Lee Child!

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5. Die Trying (Jack Reacher #2)

Not surprisingly, this novel starts with Reacher finding himself as the right guy at the wrong time and place. Kidnapped off a city street, he must figure out the identity of his captors and why they took a young FBI agent along with him. One crazed, but smart, villain, some hand guns, and Reacher’s brawn all adds up to a fun read.

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4. Without Fail (Jack Reacher # 6)

Someone is trying to kill the second most powerful man in the United States and Reacher must stop him. Again, filled with twist and turns, this book keeps readers on the edge of their seat. Reacher teams up with the Secret Service to track down a group of well-trained assassins before they can strike again.

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3. Bad Luck and Trouble (Jack Reacher #11)

When Reacher receives a distress call from his former army unit he goes west to solve a mystery and stop an attack on the country. Reacher teams up with his former unit and explores what could have been had he not left the army.

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2. Tripwire (Jack Reacher #3)

Jack Reacher travels from Key West, Fla., to New York City when the past reaches out to him. Reacher finds himself in front of a lot of bad guys and too many bullets in this taut thriller. Child brings to life one of his best villains; a hook-handed, high-end bookie with a taste for blood.

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1. Killing Floor (Jack Reacher #1)

The first Jack Reacher novel has one of the best first chapters in all of modern history. Tight and thrilling, the opening lines smack the reader in the face hard and the rest of the novel keeps on punching. 

5 Books That Should Be On Your Radar: August 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.

Death With Interruptions by José Saramago

Daniel Ford: Dimitry Elias Léger mentioned José Saramago’s Death With Interruptions during our podcast interview this past March and I finally rediscovered it in my hidden pile of books. Saramago begins his novel simply, much like he did with his masterpiece Blindness, stating, "The following day, no one died." Great news, right? Once the phenomenon is confirmed, Saramago's characters do rejoice, but only for so long. Important questions are raised that don't find easy answers. What is the government’s role in helping care for people who remain between life and death? What becomes of the undertaker, whose business depends on people expiring? How would family dynamics change in an event as peculiar as this? Saramago explores all of these themes poignantly and, at times, humorously, but it's his portrayal of death that makes this novel a true marvel. She—yes, she—is locked away in a stuffy office doing her job well until she decides to conduct an experiment halting human death. Her reappearance on the scene and subsequent actions turn the last third of the novel into a thrilling character study. The last three chapters are exquisite literature and will force your mind to ponder this question: What if death fell in love?

99 Percent Kill by Doug Richardson

Sean Tuohy: Look, we all know that I am a Doug Richardson fan. He’s a solid writer that always delivers. The first page of the “True Believers” script has more tension than most 90-minute movies. Blood Money is a slam-bang book that hits the ground running and does not let up. But 99 Percent Kill brings Richardson to a new level. Sometimes Sheriff Deputy Lucky Day, brought over from Blood Money, is hired to track down the missing daughter of a wealthy Midwesterner. Easy and straight forward. Suddenly, readers find themselves traveling head long down an always twisting and turning maze where nothing is what it seems. The characters pop off the page in this tight and well thought out thriller. But Richardson is able to bring Los Angeles to life in the same rich style as Michael Connelly or James Ellroy, but in his own very distinct voice. Like always, Richardson crafts a solid story that readers will not be able to put down, but he brings so much more to the table this time. 

Leave Your Mark: Land Your Dream Job. Kill It in Your Career. Rock Social Media. by Aliza Licht

Stephanie Schaefer: Aliza Licht (aka the former Twitter celeb DKNY PR Girl) has the wit of Carrie Bradshaw and the drive of Samantha Jones. Her debut book, Leave Your Mark, is a must read for young professionals who dream of climbing the corporate ladder in designer heels—even if all they can afford right now is knockoffs. Licht touches upon everything from building your own brand to switching careers and turning happy hour into a networking opportunity. Even though the book is geared to those in the media industry, everyone can profit from its lessons. Check out my recent interview with Licht to learn more about the secrets of success.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

DF: I don’t know the America in Ta-Nehisi Coates’ stirring and honest letter/essay to his teenage son. I know it exists and I’ve always been aware of the duality that exists in the American experience. All of the progress and good that’s come out of the United States has been matched by intolerance, oppression, and hatred. I don’t know about the fear Coates felt growing up with armed kids his age or from white police officers with the power to “break” his black body. My struggle in America has been economic, but I know that my skin color and suburban upbringing has softened the weight of “the boot” on my neck. However, there were moments when I identified strongly with Coates’ experience such as:

• “I wish I had known more, and I wished I had known it sooner.”

• “It was like falling in love—the things that get you are so small, the things that keep you up at night are so particular to you that when you try to explain, the only reward anyone can give you is a dumb polite nod.”

• “In New York, everyone wanted to know your occupation. I told people that I was ‘trying to be a writer.’”

• “But this girl with the long dreads revealed something else—that love could be soft and understanding; that, soft or hard, love was an act of heroism.”

Between the World and Me is visceral and poetic in its brutality. It raises necessary, hard questions that I wish this Presidential election would try to wrestle with. Author Toni Morrison called this work “required reading” and I couldn’t agree more. Also, President Obama included it in his summer reading list and I suggest you do the same regardless of your political, racial, or economic place in this country.

The Suicide of Claire Bishop by Carmiel Banasky

Steph Post: Carmiel Banasky's psychological whirlwind of a novel The Suicide of Claire Bishop hits shelves on Sept. 15 and I have a sneaking suspicion that it's going to be one of those novels everyone is talking about this fall. The premise is a little complicated: Claire, a 1950s Greenwich Village housewife, convinced for most of her life that she will die of hereditary madness, is drowning in the knowledge that insanity actually doesn't run in her family and so she is doomed to continue in her oppressive and stagnate marriage and life, without the heralding of an early death on the horizon. As the novel opens, Claire is sitting for a portrait that ultimately depicts her fragmented suicide and will drive her to freeing, if irrational, actions. Flash forward to 2004 and West Butler takes the stage. Truly schizophrenic, and the very definition of an unreliable narrator, West becomes obsessed with Claire's portrait and the past and present become intertwined in a twisted tale of art and perception.

Complicated? Yes. Mesmerizing? Yes. Gorgeous, powerful, unsettling and replete with all of the hallmarks of modern risk-taking fiction? Absolutely. Banasky's characters are reckless, but her language is crafted with diamond-edged precision and her style immerses the reader fully into a New York state of mind. Even if that mind might be rife with madness...

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