Word’s pick: “When the Moon is Low” by Nadia Hashimi
This suspenseful tale of a young widow and her quest to safely leave Afghanistan with her children is told from the perspective of both
the widow and her eldest son, who struggles on the outskirts of adulthood. I found myself clutching at my shirt in terror for the
young family as I read. If you are looking for more from your summer reading than hot romance, I cannot recommend this book enough. I felt
both informed and captivated by this harrowing tale of survival and family.
— Katelyn Phillips, Word [126 Franklin St. at Milton Street in Greenpoint, (718) 383–0096, www.wordbrooklyn.com].
Community Bookstore’s pick: “The Quick and the Dead” by Joy Williams
This is the book I’m hottest on right now, and one that I’m embarrassed to have passed on for so long, is “The Quick and Dead” by Joy Williams. Every sentence is like a bomb going off in your hands — an explosion of comedy, tragedy, pathos, eco-terrorism, drugs, drownings, car crashes, taxidermy, dementia, and a nitpicking ghost — all in the service of some grand thing. A story? Maybe, but Williams has said that goal of her writing is to achieve a strange “somethingness.” This novel feels dangerous, and American fiction needs a little, no, a lot more danger these days.
— Hal Hlavinka, Community Bookstore [43 Seventh Ave. between Carroll Street and Garfield Place in Park Slope, (718) 783–3075, www.communitybookstore.net].
Greenlight Bookstore’s pick: “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury
Return to an old favorite for the end of summer. Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” may be a book you read in school, or maybe you’ve never read it. Either way, pick it up. Pick up this book and devour it.
— Jess Pane, Greenlight Bookstore [686 Fulton St. between S. Elliott Place and S. Portland Avenue in Fort Greene, (718) 246–0200, www.greenlightbookstore.com].
