2015 is off to a good start with some impressive reads that will publish within the year. We love to read and hope you do too. Here are some of the top reads our staff picked this week.
Title: Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She’s “Learned”
Author: Lena Dunham
Published: 2014
Why you picked it up: Dunham’s made a career out of her “too much information,” celebrate-the-awkward style, and some may find that grating in a book dedicated entirely on Dunham’s musings about her own life. I personally find it refreshing that someone else read “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes,” and became convinced they had leukemia and took a random vow of celibacy when they were nine.
Synopsis in three sentences or less: The lead writer and creator of HBO’s Girls sounds off on feminism, bad sex, good sex, love, drugs and alcohol, her family, STDs, body image….
Why people should read it: Because where else are you going to read chapters titled “Platonic Bed Sharing, a Great Idea (For People Who Hate Themselves,” “Who Moved my Uterus?” and “I Didn’t Fuck Them But They Yelled at Me?”
— Katy Bergen
Author: Marina Keegan
Published: 2014
Why you picked it up: Keegan’s essay “The Opposite of Loneliness” went viral after the Yale graduate died in a tragic car accident. She had been hailed as a talented, up and coming writer and had landed a job at The New Yorker.
Synopsis in three sentences or less: A collection of fiction stories and personal essays about a variety of subjects, from the dangers of leaving things unsaid in relationships to “Even Artichokes Have Doubts,” Keegan’s essay on why nearly a quarter of her classmates would put money over passion in their careers and end up working for Wall Street.
Why people should read it: Keegan truly captures the voice and the perspective of the millennial generation. You can’t help but imagine what she would have gone on to write.
— Katy Bergen
Author: Amy Poehler
Published: October, 2014
Why you picked it up: Amy Poehler is amazing. I knew she’d name drop like crazy (which she did) and she’s one of the funniest female comedians around. Also, she’s my spirit animal.
Synopsis in three sentences or less: Amy tells you everything you’ve ever wanted to know about having a career as a female comedian. She tells you about SNL, Parks and Rec and the start of her career with Comedy Central’s Upright Citizens Brigade. She even let’s Seth Meyers and her parents write their own chapters within the book.
Why people should read it: This isn’t only a name dropping book of hilarity it’s a life guide about how to be a 40-year-old woman in today’s world. Amy Poehler is brilliant and open and honest. I love her even more than I did before. I feel more prepared for growing up and somehow more okay and less alone.
— Kylee Cress
Author: Nicholas Carson
Published: January 2015
Why you picked it up: I heard Nicholas Carson on NPR’s Fresh Air right before the book came out. The interview was really interesting. I have an interest in the ongoing sexism battle in tech fields, so I picked it up.
Synopsis in three sentences or less: The book is a detailed account of Marissa Mayer’s climb to be chief executive at Yahoo! She was plucked from Google to lead lead Yahoo! in 2012, but within a year, she went from a revered leader to seen as untrustworthy among her peers.
Why people should read it: It’s dramatic and interesting. But most of all its telling about what actually goes on in the Silicon Valley companies who create the products we use every day.
— Justine Griffin
Author: Dave Eggers
Published: April 2014
Why you picked it up: I’m a huge fan of Dave Eggers. If you haven’t read “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius”, you haven’t lived.
Synopsis in three sentences or less: The Circle is fictional tale about a young woman who graduates for college and lands a job at one of the largest Internet companies in the world. The Circle’s sprawling California campus is breathtaking, but their practices — such as streamlining one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency — is alarming.
Why people should read it: Dave Eggers is a brilliant writer. The Circle is a quick and fun read, but poses some serious big brother questions about our privacy and the rapid growth of the Internet companies we so blindly trust just to stay hip and relevant.
— Justine Griffin
Author: Sue Monk Kidd
Published: January 7, 2014
Why you picked it up: My mother gave it to me.
Synopsis in three sentences or less: A fascinating look at two women during the early nineteenth century in the South – one an urban slave named Hetty “Handful” who dreams of a life beyond. The other a privileged girl named Sarah who knows from an early age that she is meant for bigger things in the world. The women are connected when Hetty is given to Sarah on her 11th birthday as a “human present”. The story follows their complicated lives over the next 35 years.
Why people should read it: If you read “Secret Life of Bees” and loved it then you will love this. Also, Sarah is based on an actual woman by the name of Sarah Grimke who was infamous during the early 1830s for rebelling against society. Historical fiction fans and those who enjoy stories about powerful women will enjoy this book.
— Rachel O’Hara
Author: Carl Hiaasen
Published: September 23, 2014
Why you picked it up: I have an obsession with all of Carl’s books and the character, “Skink” has always been a favorite of mine.
Synopsis in three sentences or less: A young boy named Richard becomes concerned when his cousin and best friend Malley goes missing. When he starts to go looking for her he meets one of Hiaasen’s most beloved characters – Skink. Richard and Skink work together and go on a wild chase around Florida to figure out what exactly has happened to Malley and hopefully find her before something too terrible has happened.Why people should read it: While technically a YA novel, if you love Carl Hiaasen’s work and are a fan of Skink (and who isn’t?) you will enjoy this book. It’s only 288 pages and like many of Hiaasen’s novels it is a quick read. Take it with you on a vacation or enjoy it over a weekend pool side or on the beach.
— Rachel O’Hara