ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
SUMMER READING cont.
THE MARS ROOM BY RACHEL KUSHNER STARFISH BY AKEMI DAWN BOWMAN
The Mars Room begins unusually, with the protagonist, Romy, on a prison bus headed for jail. She is to serve two consecutive life terms at Stanville Women’ s Correctional Facility. She leaves behind the world she once knew and her seven-year-old son and now must adapt to a new life complete with violence( by guards and prisoners) and women struggling to get by. But then Romy receives news from the outside that could give her a lifeline. Can she do it? Or will she wither away inside?
Poor Kiko … this novel by the acclaimed Akemi Dawn Bowman does not start well for her. She is rejected by her dream school and then her uncle – an abuser – moves in with her family. So when Kiko is invited by a family friend to tour the art schools across the West Coast of America, she goes without a second thought. This book is the story of her journey during which she learns more about herself and her art than she ever thought possible.
THE PERFECT STRANGER BY MEGAN MIRANDA
TANGERINE BY CHRISTINE MANGAN
Two friends want a new start and move together to rural Pennsylvania. Leah and Emmy want to begin again somewhere new where they know no one and can settle into their lives once more. But their idyllic ideas are not meant to be. Shortly after arriving, a woman who looks strangely like Leah is assaulted, and then Emmy disappears. Has she gone on purpose? Or was she taken? This mystery story has all the elements needed to keep the pages turning.
Alice and her husband John travel to Tangier, but when they arrive, Alice’ s former friend, Lucy, is there too. Coincidence or something more sinister and deliberate? As the novel goes on, the reasons for the pair falling out become clearer, and everyone must reevaluate how they feel about one another as secrets are revealed and old feelings are remembered.
THE FAVOURITE SISTER BY JESSICAL KNOLL
A reality show that ends in murder … we may have all wondered about it, but in this novel, which is in turn both comedic and tragic, the story really unfolds. Five self-made women who appear on the reality show Goal Diggers are household names. The viewers love the show for the backstabbing and the social media comments that are also so scathing( and which the producers are behind), but when one of the stars is killed and a real murder investigation has to take place, that’ s when things get serious.
FEEL FREE BY ZADIE SMITH
Zadie Smith is well known and well-loved for her fiction, but this book is a little different. It consists of a number of fascinating and cleverly conceived essays on everything from politics to culture and the prevalence of social media. Whether you’ re a fan of Smith’ s other work, or if you enjoy social comment and ideas, this book will satisfy.
THE HOUSE OF IMPOSSIBLE BEAUTIES BY JOSEPH CASSARA
If you have ever seen the documentary Paris is Burning, you’ ll know about the real House of Xtravaganza. The House of Impossible Beauties takes this as its inspiration and goes on to explore the gorgeously fabulous 1980’ s subculture as it follows a group of beautiful young people in New York.
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