Word’s pick: “Friendship” by Emily Gould
This book made me laugh and, while I am not much of a crier, made me sad — which are the two things everyone always wants to hear about a book, right? Gould approaches the titular topic with wit and insight; I was snorting over G-chats and snarking with the main characters, and then shaking my head and yelling at them as they made some of the terrible decisions we are so prone to in our 20s. If you’ve ever fallen in love with — and then out of love with — a friend, you have to pick this one up.
— Jenn Northington, Word [126 Franklin St. at Milton Street in Greenpoint, (718) 383–0096, www.wordbrooklyn.com].
The BookMark Shoppe’s pick: “All Fall Down” by Jennifer Weiner
“All Fall Down,” the newest release from queen of contemporary fiction Jennifer Weiner, takes us through the dirty, unspoken world of addiction. Allison Weiss has it all — an adoring husband, a high-paying job, and a beautiful daughter. But her husband is becoming distant, her daughter is acting out, and her father is showing early signs of Alzheimer’s. Pills help her get through the day. But as the habit becomes more expensive and hard to hide, Allison finds it is a struggle to find her way again. With sparkling clarity and tender prose, this tale of redemption is Weiner’s most triumphant story yet.
— Bina Valenzano, co-owner, The BookMark Shoppe [8415 Third Ave. between 84th and 85th streets in Bay Ridge, (718) 833–5115, www.bookmarkshoppe.com].
Greenlight Bookstore’s pick: “Land of Love and Drowning” by Tipanie Yanique
Tiphanie Yanique’s debut novel “Land of Love and Drowning” quickly became a staff favorite when advanced galley copies arrived in the store in spring. It is a sweeping, hazy, sexy, and dreamlike (fictional) history of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Read in the sun, read it in the rain, just read it.
— Emily Russo Murtagh, Greenlight Bookstore [686 Fulton St. between S. Elliott Place and S. Portland Avenue in Fort Greene, (718) 246–0200, www.greenlightbookstore.com].
