Local and small-press books from the shelves at Greenlight Bookstore (686 Fulton St), picked by the staffers who know them best.
LIKE SON
By FELICIA LUNA LEMUS
AKASHIC
Natalie says: I stumbled across this while browsing the library shelves in Dallas, and ended up loving it. I then went to my local bookstore (yes, in Dallas) and bought a copy because I liked it so much. I then spent quite some time trying to put this book into words for my recommendation here. Everything I wrote read like a commercial for women’s hygiene products (flowery and silly). So, if you’re into love stories, identity, East Coast, West Coast, a dead bohemian artist that haunts, and really good writing by a young author… then this book is for you.
TALES OF BELKIN
By ALEXANDER PUSHKIN
MELVILLE HOUSE
Daryl says: I’ve got crazy cravings for this Melville House Art of the Novella series. So simple and cute, they’re practically edible. Am I the only one who’s trying to line them up on my shelf in color order? I picked Tales of Belkin because I am a cheesy, sentimental sap and the brief stories here are SO ROMANTIC I COULD DIE. They talk about love the way no one can talk about love anymore (at least not with a straight face), and since it’s Pushkin, it’s not cheap in the least. Just treat yourself, it’s a NOVELLA.
THE LIBRARY BOOK
By ANOORADHA IYER SIDDIQI
PRINCETON ARCHITECTURAL PRESS
Rebecca says: A pictorial exploration of New York City public school libraries via the Robin Hood Foundation, this book is a celebration of how we must never forget to invest in our children, their education, and how we must always encourage children to read. It has the best dang dedication I’ve seen in ages: “For New York City, whose subways are mobile reading rooms.”