The 20 Best of 2009 (Part II)
November 30th, 2009 by Editor
57th Street Books is celebrating a year’s worth of great books this year by offering you—all of you—20% off of our 20 favorites for the first 20 days of December. Take your pick.
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Yes, this is THE David Byrne, the genius behind the Talking Heads. Here, using his bicycle rides through contemporary cities as inspiration, he offers interesting and often insightful commentary on modern life, urban spaces, and other random things in that unique David Byrne voice. [Alex] |
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This darkly humorous and often perversely beautiful novel will appeal to fans of the absurdity of Kafka, the existentialism of Dostoyevsky, and the dystopic worlds of Orwell and Huxley. Although it hails from 1920s Soviet Russia, this is the first full translation of the novel into English. [Alex] |
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Science, pseudoscience and sentiment converge in this fascinating account of famous skulls and the men who stole them. [Andrea] |
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Three separate tales, each involving demons, desire, and the trembling anticipation of a first kiss. As dark and sensuous as fine chocolate, but not as sweet. [Andrea] |
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Funny, ironic, & thoughtful…Very Hornby. [Ann J] |
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Ms. Karr does it again…Just read it. [Ann J] |
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A harrowing graphic novel memoir that depicts the childhood of an award-winning illustrator. This powerful sequence of images will haunt the reader long after closing the covers, so don’t share it with little ones. [Angela] |
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Insightful photojournal on race and ethnicity. [Cheryl] |
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The smartest, most moving and most compelling page-turner you will find in
bookstores this year. [Scott] |
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A highly specific immigrant saga with great relevance to anyone who’s ever left home and found themselves having to reconcile their new selves with
their old. [Scott] |
Posted in Book Lists, Uncommon
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