mini book hauls: pt 1

backlist favorites headed into summer

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I’m (very briefly) back in the states for Rebecca’s wedding, and wow, it feels amazing to be home! After seven months away, I’m extremely tempted to splurge at Barnes and Noble. But first, I want to work through some of the books in my parent’s house. Going through back catalogue books is such a fun exercise, and recommending those that you may have missed is one of my favorite pastimes.

I've curated three mini collections for y’all to explore — with part two dropping next week. I hope you can see my thought process when sharing book recommendations with friends, tailored to different interests and themes. I’d love to hear which of these you’ve read! Be sure to drop a comment and let me know 💌

Parnassus books in Nashville

PS — My friends and I checked out Ann Patchett’s bookstore in Nashville and it was everything I dreamed of and more! It’s

Aliza Sir

’s favorite, as mentioned in The Slice.¹

Spooky international thrillers

My Sister the Serial Killer (2018)

It’s hard to believe this is Nigerian writer Oyinkan Braithwaite’s first novel. Set in Lagos, this twisty book follows Korede, a nurse who is overshadowed by her beguiling younger sister, Ayoola. Gorgeous and outgoing, Ayoola is the clear favorite of her family. She is also very likely a sociopath. This would also be a great listen for audiobook fans.

The Reader (1995)

I recently learned that many students in Germany are assigned this book in high school — which I found pretty crazy given its extremely racy content! But maybe that’s my American prudishness shining through.

I don’t want to give too much away, but in very basic terms, The Reader is about Michael Berg, a German teenager who has an an affair with a much older woman. Years later when he is working as a lawyer, their paths again cross in a shocking circumstance.

Living in Berlin, I adored this book — and the movie is great too! It won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Kate Winslet. This would be perfect for a book/movie club collab.

The Vegetarian (2007)

The Vegetarian may have been published over a decade ago, but it’s experiencing a massive resurgence after its author won the Nobel Prize last year. It also made history as the first Korean novel to win the International Man Booker Prize in 2016.

This haunting, Kafkaesque tale follows Yeong-hye, a “normal” woman whose decision to stop eating meat—in response to bloody, surreal dreams—spirals into a complete unraveling. A must-read for fans of body horror.

The Perfect Nanny (2016)

French-Moroccan novelist Leïla Slimani is a master at building suspense. While the premise of the book (obsessive nanny, creepy family) sounds garden variety, it’s anything but pedestrian.

I’d recommend this for a weekend beach read or a Lucy Foley upgrade. If you enjoy this type of French thriller, wash it down by reading Maude Ventura’s My Husband.

Slim books that pack a punch

I Who Have Never Known Men (1995)

I Who Have Never Known Men is told from the perspective of a nameless young girl who is raised with 39 other women trapped in an underground bunker. No one knows why they are in this cage, and when they escape, they still have no understanding why they are there or even if they are still on Earth.

I know this sounds super weird, but please, please, please give this phenomenal book a read. It’s only 160 pages, and I was absolutely hooked from the jump — despite usually hating science fiction. I wrote more about it here.

Night (1960)

I have written a lot about Holocaust memory culture, and Night remains the essential text for understanding.

Barely 100 pages, Night starts with Wiesel’s life in Nazi-occupied Romania and follows him through ghettos and multiple concentration camps, eventually culminating in the 1945 liberation of Buchenwald. What’s most haunting about this book — beyond the beatings, disease, and death — is the inverted relationship between Wiesel and his father.

By the end of the book, Wiesel’s father had dwindled to almost nothing, and Wiesel, a teenager, is effectively the decision maker. The passages about their relationship are excruciating — Wiesel resents that his father's existence threatens his own, and he is subsequently tortured by guilt. Like many Holocaust survivors, by the time he is liberated, he has completely lost his faith in God. This book is tough, but well worth it.

The Giver (1993)

While technically a young adult novel, The Giver really stands the test of time. The setting of the book is a strange, muted utopia of ‘Sameness’ — a world without color, texture, or weather. Our protagonist is Jonas, a precocious 12-year-old boy who has been chosen to become the community’s ‘Receiver of Memory.’ As such, he is tasked with storing all of the collective memories of society. It sounds odd (and it is!) but this book is heartfelt and will make you reevaluate your relationship with technology and community. If you didn’t read this in fifth grade, now is your chance!

The Wife (2003)

This is one of my very favorite Meg Wolitzer books (for my #1, stay tuned for next week!). The book opens on a plane ride to Helsinki, where we meet Joan — an older woman accompanying her husband, a famous writer, on his way to receive an award. Through flashbacks and clever bits of dialogue, we learn that for more than four decades, Joan has subjugated her own literary talents to support her husband’s success. As the award looms closer, a huge secret at the heart of their marriage is uncovered.

If this isn’t enough to get you jazzed, the book’s film adaptation stars *the* Dame Judi Dench!

Short stories + connected vignettes

There, There (2018)

Tommy Orange’s debut is technically a novel, not a short story collection. But each chapter is styled like a vignette, with a different character’s individual point of view at the forefront.

There There follows a large cast of Native Americans all traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow in California. It offers a holistic picture of the urban Native experience — something I’ve rarely seen explored in literature. This book is one of my go-to recommendations, and feels like a modern classic.

Interpreter of Maladies (1999)

Since high school, Jhumpa Lahiri has been my go-to answer for the dreaded question of who is your favorite author?² This collection, published more than 20 years ago, won her the Pulitzer Prize — and it’s a master class in writing.

The stories cover many different themes, but mainly address the immigrant experience, the discrepancies between American and Indian cultures, and the bloody legacy of Partition. While the story "When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine" is probably the most famous, my favorite has to be “A Temporary Matter.” It’s gutting.

Florida (2018)

I didn’t love Matrix (sorry, everyone!!), but dang I love this short story collection. Each of the stories takes place in Florida, Groff’s home state. It’s replete with swamp creatures, humidity, and lots and lots of verklempt women. The first line of the first story really sets the tone for the whole book: “I have somehow become a woman who yells.”

If you’re in a slump, I recommend picking up one of these stories ASAP.

Girl, Woman, Other (2019)

This book is perfect for fans of Queenie, Homegoing, or Maame. All three of which I adore!

Girl, Woman, Other is difficult to describe, but Evaristo intended it to be “polyphonic” and I think she nailed it. Over 400+ pages, we meet twelve Black British women over the course of several decades, exploring their relationships to their families, queerness, and motherhood. This is one of the most unique books I’ve read in the past couple years. It’s long and lush — the kind of thick book that needs a proper dog ear and bathtub read. I would caution against listening on audio or even reading on your Kindle. It needs to be held IRL!

📚 On my shelf

• I finished We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler — a weird, wacky book about a girl estranged from her brother and separated from her sister… That’s all I will say, because I firmly think you should go into this book blind. While I really loved the first half, I did think it dragged a bit by the end. I would still recommend, though, especially if you enjoy messy family dramas and/or books about science.

• Just got Swimming Home by Deborah Levy from Libby! Has anyone read?

📚 Links and things

• 🍝 I’ve heard from a lot of friends looking to help out their neighbors right now, and one really easy way Paul and I have done this in DC is through Lasagna Love, a grassroots organization that connects volunteers with those in need of a hearty, free meal. It’s unbelievably easy to sign up, and you can set your radius to just your immediate neighborhood — which is perfect for car-less me.

• A NYTimes look at what happened to a 2-year-old girl when her parents were deported. This is really worth reading and sharing.

• I have been *loving* all of the content from stylist Kenzie Welch on Instagram. Her videos are super high-quality and filled with good tips, but mostly I love how she builds up the confidence of the clients she dresses! 👗

• Okay, this is adorable.

Happy reading! 💛

XOX

Alli

1. I bought Playworld by Adam Ross, which I’ve been dying to read since this glowing review.

2. For the last few years, she has been writing in Italian, and while I wish I loved these books, I just can’t get on board! I respect her creative and experimental approach, but I miss her old stuff :(