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| "Transcription" follows a character named Juliet Armstrong, who was recruited to the British Secret Intelligence as a teenager | ||
| The Thread's Must-Read | ||
| "Severance" by Ling Ma Buy this book Remember when zombies were a Halloween-only topic of conversation? Before they infiltrated every piece of pop culture? I’m here to recommend a zombie novel that’s refreshingly nontraditional. “Severance” is a quiet, often darkly funny spin on the much-discussed zombie apocalypse. But these zombies don’t rise from the dead; they don’t eat brains; they don’t moan and growl and hunt you down. They do what they did in life: their normal routine. (There are shades of Colson Whitehead’s “Zone One” in that respect.) “Severance” imagines a reality where a fever sweeps across the world, causing those infected to obsess over a single habit, whether it’s setting the table or turning the pages of a book or trying on dresses. They repeat the behavior over and over and over until their bodies give out. Candace Chen, a twenty-something with no family left when the pandemic hits, watches as New York City empties out. Uninfected, she roams the streets and keeps the lights on at her job, where she oversees manufacturing specs for Bible publishing: paper weight, cover design, all the minute details. When she finally leaves the decaying city, she runs into a tightly controlled group of fellow survivors making their way toward The Facility — a Promised Land of safety. Candace’s life in the empty city, and then on the road with the micromanaged group, is juxtaposed against her memories of growing up in Salt Lake City, and of the parents she lost. It’s a stunning character piece and a sly new entry in the apocalyptic genre. -Tracy Mumford | ||
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| This Week on The Thread | ||
| Secrets of a teenage WWII spy "Transcription" by Kate Atkinson Buy this book The young protagonist of Kate Atkinson's latest historical novel finds herself working for British intelligence during the war — and suddenly confronting that experience years later. More | ||
| How a rising star of white nationalism broke free from the movement "Rising Out of Hatred" by Eli Saslow Buy this book Derek Black once promoted a racist agenda by making speeches, hosting a radio show and starting a website. His change of heart is the subject of a new book written by journalist Eli Saslow. More | ||
| Searching for Trump's America, via Greyhound bus "Lake Success" by Gary Shteyngart Buy this book In Gary Shteyngart's "Lake Success," hedge fund managers are unhappy and white supremacists have found their voice. More | ||
| The quintessential Southern novel for teens "Unclaimed Baggage" by Jen Doll Buy this book Jen Doll's new novel follows a group of misfit kids working at Alabama's legendary Unclaimed Baggage store, a place where all kinds of lost things (and people, and one purple leopard suitcase) end up. More | ||
| Sarah Stonich's new novel revisits her North Country Minnesota roots "Laurentian Divide" by Sarah Stonich Buy this book "Laurentian Divide" explores the everyday events and extraordinary turns of life in the northern woods. More | ||
| How the Myers-Briggs personality test began in a living-room laboratory "The Personality Brokers: The Strange History of Myers-Briggs and the Birth of Personality Testing" by Merve Emre Buy this book "The language of type can be immensely clarifying," says author Merve Emre. In "The Personality Brokers" she describes how a mother-daughter duo started a multi-million dollar "people sorting" industry. More | ||
| A "fresh, unpredictable" Western with a strong female lead "Whiskey When We're Dry" by John Larison Buy this book A powerful female character can be hard to find in Western fiction, but bookseller Aaron Cance recommends a novel that delivers. More | ||
| Grief with no guarantee of closure "Waiting for Eden" by Elliot Ackerman Buy this book Author Elliot Ackerman is a veteran, and his latest novel is about an injured soldier just regaining consciousness. But it's really about something else. "This book really isn't about war," he says. More | ||
| South African's memoir details a life of not belonging "Always Another Country" by Sisonke Msimang Buy this book In "Always Another Country," Sisonke Msimang retraces the steps that led her to St. Paul and beyond. More | ||
| "Night Moves" captures fleeting moments in Chicago — and life Jessica Hopper's memoir oscillates from charting a story of gentrification; a young woman's love affair with Chicago; and the types of friendships that represent the texture of a city. More | ||
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