LLA Reads: Strange Terrains
At Louisville Literary Arts, we all love to read. But our interests in literature are as varied as hats on Derby Day. Some of us gravitate toward poetry, while others prefer an epic novel. A few of us love reading creative nonfiction. In this space, we recommend recent books we've read, and hope that you'll find something just right for your reading list.
Alice Recommends: LANDLINE by Rainbow Rowell (St. Martins, 2014)
Genre: Fiction
"In this smart modern love story, Georgie McCool has a high-powered writing job in LA entertainment, working long nights and weekends while her husband Neil takes care of the kids, and then the kicker, she decides to work over Christmas while they fly to Grandma’s in Nebraska. When Neil doesn’t pick up his cell, she calls him from the landline, and inconceivably, reaches 22-year-old Neil, the one who was about to propose to her on Christmas Day 15 years ago. Georgie's "magic phone" feels like the wardrobe to Narnia, the impossible path that could set everything right again. This is a story about the choices we make, between self-success and self-fulfillment, ambition and love, and what happens when those choices slowly lead us in the wrong direction."
Lynnell recommends: DUPLEX by Kathryn Davis (Graywolf, 2013)
Genre: Fiction
"Is this a post-apocalyptic dystopia? A teenage romance? A parable of suburban angst? A creation myth? Yes. Like no novel I've read in a very, very long time (perhaps ever), Davis' most recent novel compelled me forward in a delicious state of awed disorientation. Fans of speculative fiction will be rewarded, though I recommend it to any thinking reader looking to widen her literary horizons."
Amy recommends: GET IN TROUBLE by Kelly Link (Random House, 2015)
Genre: Short Story Collection
"In this slyly subversive collection of short stories, Link seamlessly incorporates pocket universes, robot boyfriends, superheroes in search of sidekicks, demon lovers, and mysterious summer people into her narratives without missing a beat. The fantastic and the weird simply are a part of the world we inhabit in Link’s stories. And yet her protagonists struggle with concerns and conflicts that are universal, whether they are in a spaceship or a pyramid. Link will hook you with just how far her imagination can roam. But it’s in how her characters navigate their strange terrain that Link demonstrates her strength as a storyteller."
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If you would like us to consider recommending your book, please contact LLA Reads editor Alice, who will let you know how to get your book to our readers.
