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Karen Thompson Walker: Motherhood as an Intellectual Pursuit (0 comment)

I had always wanted to do these two things: to write books and to have children...

Powell's Books: Portrait of a Bookseller: Bart K. (2 comments)
Jill Owens: Powell's Interview: Tessa Hadley, Author of 'Late in the Day' (0 comment)

Space at the Table Conversations Between an Evangelical Theologian & His Gay Son

Brad Harper, Drew Harper

This unique, conversation-starting book does a great job of spanning the divide between LGBTQ children and their conservative Christian parents who disagree with their sexual orientation/identity/lifestyle for religious reasons. Drew and Brad Harper designed this book so that both groups' points of view would be represented, so that both groups might actually be willing to read it, and as a result, might be able to get along better with each... (read more)
Recommended by Nicholas Y.

They

Timothy Arliss OBrien

A brilliant collection of short, thought-provoking, stand-alone poems, which slowly unfold the mystery of one woman's life, delving into a psychological exploration of her mental health and her questioning of reality. It's a stimulating literary trip, which I’ve read through multiple times, and still find myself captivated by the beauty of the writing.
Recommended by Nicholas Y.

Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You

Peter Cameron

Someday is told in the first person from a gay, male point of view, but it doesn't center on "coming out" and avoids most of the other tropes of this genre, too, which is refreshing. I loved spending time in James Sveck's head; he's an intriguing character, who's sophisticated, cynical, entertaining, and relatable. This novel is basically just a snapshot of his life at the crossroads between high school and college, when he's feeling the... (read more)
Recommended by Nicholas Y.

Free Speech: Ten Principles for a Connected World

Timothy Garton Ash

Garton Ash's work provides us with an excellent conceptual foundation for discussion on this subject, along with illuminations about what free speech really means in a global and technological 21st-century world. His writing is accessible, yet thorough, with numerous fascinating historical and modern-day examples of threats to and conflicts over free speech. The author is clearly passionate about this subject, and his enthusiasm and life... (read more)
Recommended by Nicholas Y.

The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley

Shaun David Hutchinson and Christine Larsen

This is a book you can easily devour within a weekend, but one whose characters and story will stay with you long after. It's about a gay teenager living in a hospital after the deaths of his family and moving through his own "Five Stages of Grief" to find himself once again. Though it's marketed as a young adult novel, it certainly has the potential for a much wider audience with its complex storytelling and universal themes such as overcoming... (read more)
Recommended by Nicholas Y.

Less Than Zero

Bret Easton Ellis

A captivating ride through the darker side of being young and rich in LA in the '80s. Take a couple of days and immerse yourself in this evocative and frightening portrait of a subculture.
Recommended by Nicholas Y.

Autobiography of Red

Anne Carson

Immerse yourself in this daring work of absolute genius. Part poetry, part myth, part coming-of-age love story for a gay teenage boy, it's like nothing else I've ever come across. A slim volume of exquisitely crafted lines, perfectly evoking that sense of wonder that only seems to manifest itself in the poetic language. This is magic!
Recommended by Nicholas Y.

Bright Lights, Big City

Jay McInerney

An immersive literary work and rare example of a novel written in the second-person point of view. McInerney narrates your story as you're gallivanting through New York City in the 1980s, staying up way too late, making questionable decisions with questionable people, sabotaging your work life, running away from your past and yourself, and basically just recklessly careening through your post-college existence. This is a fun yet thought-provoking... (read more)
Recommended by Nicholas Y.

Lunar Park

Bret Easton Ellis

The writing of Bret Easton Ellis disturbs me, but sometimes in a good way, and this is him at his best. Lunar Park is one of the novels that shook me from my chair, frightened me and made me uncomfortable, but kept me completely riveted. This fluid, first-person story seemed so realistic that at first I thought it was entirely biographical, until he started introducing supernatural elements, and even then I'm not convinced there isn't... (read more)
Recommended by Nicholas Y.