October Staff Picks
Chances are your stack of unread books has never stopped you from buying another one, and at The Writer's Rock we fully support such behavior. In preparation for peak curl-up-with-a-book weather, we've collected a few of our recent favorites. Check them out below, and remember to support your local bookstore when you can!
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
Truth be told I'm still in the middle! I'd been waiting for the paperback version of Atwood's sequel to The Handmaid's Tale and my wait was definitely worth it. This time, Atwood gives a first-person voice to three different girls and women in and around Gilead, further enriching the backstory of how this dystopian version of America came to be while also revealing the persistent courage of women who will eventually bring it to its knees (no spoilers!). —Amy Dupcak
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Focusing on three real people, Wilkerson recreates the journey of America's Great Migration in finely-rendered, exquisitely empathetic detail. Wilkerson describes the pressures and dangers facing Black Americans as they attempted to claim even a margin of the benefits freely afforded to White Americans—and the courage and persistence it took to get us where we are today. This is absolutely required reading—especially for White people, to whom these types of stories may be completely unfamiliar. It's the history lesson America needs right now, and an essential tool for the fight in solidarity with Black lives. —Robert Whitehead
Fever Dream by Samantha Schweblin
This book was enjoyably unsettling in ways I still can't put my finger on. A woman in a remote Argentinian hospital answers the questions of the young child at her bedside while she tries to piece together the events that led her there. Who is this child? Who is this woman? I read it in a single sitting, and when it ended I both wanted to be alone for a week and talk about it with everyone I know. —Josh Krigman
Black Leopard Red Wolf by Marlon James
I've always been a huge fan of sci-fi and fantasy, but this book is unlike any I've ever read, and I can't stop thinking about it. Rather than constructing a fantasy world from a medieval western European landscape (as nearly every fantasy book I've read does!), James' fantasy world builds on African traditions, histories, and folklores to create a breathtaking novel full of magic, power, and truly terrifying monsters. Can't recommend this book highly enough! —Gina Stevensen
Big Magic by Liz Gilbert
Big Magic is one of those life-changing reads. It came to me at a time when I didn't consider myself a true writer or artist. Liz Gilbert has this way of completely rebooting your sense of self. She empathizes with the demands of wanting to pursue a dream and the harsh realities of life. This is required reading for anyone who is struggling with an inner artist who wants to break free! —Mimi Hayes