Word’s picks: “Frankly In Love,” by David Yoon
When a book manages to exceed expectations as much as this novel does, it’s mandatory that you try your best to get it into everyone’s hand. “Frankly in Love” is a home run of a debut novel. It manages to be hilarious and heartfelt in the same breath. Yoon perfectly encapsulates what it is like to be the child of immigrants, tackling identity in such a real way.
— Kim Small, Word [126 Franklin St. at Milton Street in Greenpoint, (718) 383–0096, www.wordbookstores.com].
Greenlight Bookstore’s pick: “Inland,” by Téa Obreht
I’ve been on a bit of a cowboy kick — the kind where I am absorbed in tales of the Southwest, but am also critical of laudatory stories about homesteaders and white colonialist horse boys — so this book was a cool drink of water for me. “Inland” is a deftly written and well-plotted novel; it’s a great read for those looking for an escape from New York or a literary equivalent of “Old Town Road.”
— Nora Tjossem, Greenlight Bookstore [686 Fulton St. between S. Elliott Place and S. Portland Avenue in Fort Greene, (718) 246–0200, www.greenlightbookstore.com].
Community Bookstore’s pick: “Mount Analogue,” by Rene Daumal
Daumal’s surrealist masterpiece of “non-Euclidean adventures in mountain climbing” follows our narrator’s expedition towards a fantastical mountain that connects Earth to Heaven. An inspiration to generations of artists from Jodorowsky to John Zorn, this beautiful re-issue is now available from Exact Change, in the original English translation by Roger Shattuck. Get yours now before it goes out of print for another six decades!
— Samuel Partal, Community Bookstore [43 Seventh Ave. between Carroll Street and Garfield Place in Park Slope, (718) 783–3075, www.communitybookstore.net].
