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Trick Mirror:
Reflections on
Self-Delusion
by Jia Tolentino
Yo u r f a v e New Yorker
journo brings her
trademark wit to her first
essay collection. With
a knack for breaking
down big cultural trends,
Tolentino uses her
own experiences—like
barre-class realizations
and a teenage stint on
the realit y show Girls
v. Boys—to highlight
millennial concerns at
the intersection of culture,
identity and politics.
The Nobodies
by Liza Palmer
If you’ve ever felt like a
failure (so, like everyone),
this one’s for you.
Palmer’s latest follows
Joan, a recently-laid-
off thirtysomething
journalist who is single
and still living with her
parents. When Joan
lands a job at a start-up,
she gets everything
she has ever wanted:
a stable job, a solid
friend group and a new
relationship. But she
may have to risk it all
when she comes across
the scoop of a lifetime.
Crow Winter
by Karen McBride
This debut novel from
Algonquin Anishinaabe
writer McBride is an
enchanting page-
turner. When Hazel
returns to Spirit Bear
Point First Nation, she
starts having dreams
about an old crow who
says he’s there to save
her. But what does Hazel
need saving from and
why has it captured the
attention of a demigod?
Postscript
by Cecelia Ahern
Fifteen years after the
publication of PS, I Love
Yo u (and 12 after the tear-
jerker film adaptation
starring Hilary Swank),
bestselling author Ahern
is back with the long-
awaited sequel. Keep the
Kleenex handy as Holly
realizes she might not be
as over the death of
her husband as
she thought she was.
The Water Dancer
by Ta-Nehisi Coates
If you’re already familiar
with the powerful work of
journalist/author Coates,
you probably don’t need
extra encouragement to
check out his debut novel.
(And if you’ve somehow
missed his non-fiction
writing...get on it.) But
with The Water Dancer,
about an enslaved
man in Virginia whose
near-drowning pushes
him on a journey toward
freedom, we’re giving
it to you anyway.
Permanent Record
by Mary H. K. Choi
After her bestselling
debut, Emergency
Contact—about a
relationship unfolding
over text—hit shelves
last year, Choi became
known as a writer who
can seamlessly integrate
our digital world into Jane
Austen-worthy romances.
Her latest follows Pablo,
a college dropout who
works the graveyard shift
at a 24-hour bodega and
falls for the world ’s
biggest pop star.
the many who are complaining or one of
the few who figure it out and still enjoy it,”
says Boodram. The book acts as a how-to
guide for dating. Boodram’s no-nonsense
straight talk covers everything from taking
the lead to learning what your strengths and
weaknesses are. To prove that her tips work,
she coaches a group of women throughout
the book, helping them build confidence
and empowering them to take control of
their dating lives. One lesson? While all of
us single folk may be waiting for meet-cutes
with our own Peter Kavinskys, Boodram
is quick to point out that finding “the one”
means doing something other than sitting
back and waiting for destiny. “[Women’s
health expert] Dr. Donnica Moore said to me
that relationships are BYOH: bring your own
happiness,” she says. “The bulk of the work
is about knowing yourself, making yourself
proud of who you are and putting yourself in
t he d r iver’s seat of you r outcomes. You’re not
waiting for a partner to come in and fix your
life or your loneliness.” It seems we all have
a little homework to do. PATRICIA KAROUNOS
READ ALL ABOUT IT
Your fall plans: You + couch + blanket + books.