Book Reviews
2/3/2021
by Allie Bosch
9/22/20
Gallery Books
528 pages
$30
‘Solutions and Other Problems’
“It’s OK to not be OK” may as well be the anthem of the last 11 months or so. With her signature poignant, hilarious and painfully pointed storytelling, Allie Bosch gifts us this lesson and so much more in her highly anticipated sequel to the best-selling “Hyperbole and a Half.” I have no qualms saying that Bosch is my absolute favorite cartoonist of all time. There is no one with her ability to hit me where it counts with both word and illustration. Her sketches and stories never fail to resonate — depression, anxiety, the absurdity of childhood. It’s amazing how she can hit just the right note to make me wince and nod and laugh with reckless abandon. For anyone struggling, for those of us who are anti-self-help books, or anyone with a desperate need to feel connected, this book is both a balm and a delight. I don’t know how she knew we’d need it, but Bosh has delivered the perfect book at the perfect moment. Don’t miss it. ♦
— Reviewed by Julie Goodrich
by Arkady Martine
2/25/20
Tor Books
480 pages
$18.99
‘A Memory Called Empire’
Out in paperback just in time for the sequel, this rousing, intense space opera is just what the winter ordered: diplomacy, betrayal, murder, an utterly unique and compelling alien culture. This debut novel has everything I love in a good story.
The brand-new ambassador to the powerful and sprawling Teixcalaanli Empire, Mahit soon realizes very little is as it seems. She works to keep her own secrets and ambitions in check as she delves into frightening and many-layered intrigues. What appears to be a straight-forward murder mystery ends up being a powerful treatise on politics, obligations and tragedy on an epic scale.
The writing is so intricate, lush and polished; it’s stunning that this is her first book. I devoured it in one sitting and am now desperate for the sequel; luckily, it will be published in March of this year. Anyone looking for a sweeping book to get lost in will love this one. ♦
— Reviewed by Julie Goodrich
