A note from the Editor-in-Chief, Paris Close:
It’s always a good time when the team and I come together to share the wealth of good reading with y’all. Like every month, this one is no exception in that — apart from the random buys that have kept us sane — reading brought us so much comfort and joy during these still-hectic times.
Pleasantries aside, take a look at all the books that make our staff picks this month below.
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Paris Close’s Staff Pick
Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir, Akwaeke Emezi
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Akwaeke Emezi is a big, fearless god. I sensed it after The Death of Vivek Oji, but the evolution is utterly apparent in their latest creation, Dear Senthuran, a Black spirit memoir that wreaks beauty, mercy, and terror in its wake. A big god. Above the surface, Dear Senthuran masks as a dispatch of letters: to the tendrils of trauma; to the body’s “unimportant” pieces; to human mothers, dead and alive; to money and its shiny freedoms; and most hauntingly, to the specters of suicide. Or perhaps, to strange friendships after whom one may name a book. At its center, Emezi breaks empty their beating, crimson heart; and my god, what a timid and lonely organ it is. But fear, Emezi so harrowingly informs us, can also be a lifeline to happiness; it compels us to hold firm and claim space until the gravity of our being has its pull on the world. An intimate, disarming diary of transcendence, of wielding magic hidden deep within the marrow of our bones, and the spells we cast when we obey the work of honoring the unpretty truths of one’s beginnings, Dear Senthuran is a swan song of survival written for survivors who refuse to die.
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Melissa Ratcliff’s Staff Pick
Black Water Sister, Zen Cho
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Zen Cho crafts a compelling contemporary fantasy in the compulsively readable, Black Water Sister. Infused with Malaysian superstition and language, Black Water Sister recounts the strange circumstances surrounding Jessamyn, a recent college grad that has returned to Malaysia with her parents only to find the spirit of her dead maternal grandmother, Ah Ma a constant, sassy companion. As the closeted young adult attempts to balance her unwanted spirituality with familial obligation while job-hunting and maintaining a long-distance relationship, ghosts, gods, and gangsters enter the picture, sending her on a bone-chilling path toward revenge. At turns haunting and unpredictable, Cho navigates Jess’ journey with finesse, painting a stunning portrait of Penang while giving the spirits center stage. As Jess navigates Ah Min, and later, the Black Water Sister, a slow start gives way to insurmountable tension and trauma, proving that there is incredible beauty in the unknown. Blurring the lines between past and present, dream and reality, Zen Cho offers up a stunning urban fantasy in Jessamyn’s journey, which tests bonds of family against an eerie, supernatural backdrop teeming with life.
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Maria Chance’s Staff Pick
The Guncle, Steven Rowley
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After the death of his sister-in-law/best friend, Patrick’s brother, Greg, admits to having a prescription drug addiction and is about to check himself into rehab. Patrick is suddenly entrusted with caring for his niece and nephew for the duration of his stay. At first, Patrick, whom his niece and nephews refer to as GUP (Gay Uncle Patrick), is hesitant. He’s an ex-TV star who’s dropped out of the spotlight following the death of his ex-partner, Joe, and now leads a semi-reclusive life in his mansion in Palm Springs. However, when his sister, Clare, suggests she take the kids instead, Patrick sees a challenge he can’t back down from. Rowley really delivers in The Guncle, balancing witty banter with emotional depth in a way that entertains but also reaches the heart as Patrick explores the meaning of family, grief, and finding meaning in life again.
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Samira Chambers’ Staff Pick
Anna K, Jenny Lee
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“Have you read Anna K yet?” is a question I was receiving every other day (or, at least, it felt that way). So, in anticipation of Jenny Lee’s sequel coming out in April, Anna K Away, and to appease the masses, I picked up a digital copy. I’ll admit it, I haven’t read (or seen) Anna Karenina (yet), but I had heard that Anna K was essentially a YA retelling of Tolstoy’s nearly 900-page classic. I actually prefer this reading order (retelling, then the original) since, as was Lee’s intention, reading a young adult version of a hefty masterpiece is a great entry point to make something somewhat far removed a bit more relevant. Unfortunately but not unexpectedly, it’s hard to make social norms from the 1870s translate seamlessly into modern-day comparisons. For example, the type of romantic courting from centuries ago doesn’t quite find similarities within today’s amass of dating apps. Yet, Jenny Lee still finds a way to build connections between the two and captures the heart of the original. A mix between Gossip Girl, Crazy Rich Asians, and Bridgerton, you’ll definitely want to pick up this fun teen drama before its sequel comes out!
Read more by Samira Chambers
Abby Williams’ Staff Pick
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Anita Loos
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In the absence of spring break this semester (thank you, COVID), I felt like I needed a break from my Zoom University courses more than ever. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes served as the perfect escapism. I was assigned Loos’ novel as part of my 1920s literature class, and it provided much-needed comic relief in between more serious and cynical modernist works on the syllabus. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes describes Lorelei’s journey through Europe with her best friend, Dorothy, and the variety of men she meets along the way. Loos’ diary format ensures that her novel is a quick, fun, and slightly-ridiculous read. If her novel couldn’t get any better, it is also the inspiration for Legally Blonde (which, IMO, is an absolutely iconic flick and gave me the courage and motivation to complete my college applications). I laughed out loud throughout the entire novel — and would highly recommend it to those who need an oasis during the last dregs of winter.
Read more by Abby Williams
Which was your favorite read this month? Share them with us below!
