June 2014 Staff PicksLike this list

12 items

• All the Light We Cannot See

  a Novel

  Doerr, Anthony, 1973-

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  Doerr’s absorbing, lyrical novel is set in France and Germany just before and during World War II. The two protagonists exist apart from one another except for a brief but profound meeting near the end of the book. Marie-Laure is a blind girl living…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Can't and Won't

  Davis, Lydia, 1947-

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  The maven of the very short story is back with her fifth collection. It is not to be missed for fans. For newcomers to Davis’s writing, this is a great place to start. Ranging from a few lines to a few pages in length, these stories beg to be read.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Delancey

  a Man, a Woman, a Restaurant, a Marriage

  Wizenberg, Molly

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  Who knew a memoir about opening a pizza joint could be so engaging? Wizenberg’s second venture in documenting her life (after 2010’s A Homemade Life) is a delight to read. Her writing is seemingly effortless. Plus her retelling of the ups and downs…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Frog Music

  a Novel

  Donoghue, Emma, 1969-

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  Donoghue’s latest is an entertaining work of historical fiction, based on real events, with a bit of a murder mystery thrown in. Set during the summer of 1876 in San Francisco in the midst of a small pox epidemic, Blanche Beunon, a successful dancer…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932

  a Novel

  Prose, Francine, 1947-

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  Prose has built an intriguing narrative inspired by a photograph by Brassaï. The bulk of the story is set in pre-WWII Paris, and the Chameleon Night Club, a venue friendly with homosexuals, cross dressers and sexual outcasts, is featured…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• An Untamed State

  Gay, Roxane,

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  Gay’s novel is a harrowing but impressive and brave debut novel, one that will remain with you long after you have put it down. The story is told mainly from the point-of-view of Mireille, the American daughter of a wealthy Haitian, who’s kidnapped…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Frances Ha

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  Greta Gerwig stars in this latest Noah Baumbach film. Frances (Gerwig) is a young woman in her late twenties who is still footloose and fancy-free, but as her best friend begins to pull her life together, Frances begins to feel untethered as she…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Rush

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  Ron Howard’s Rush is about a rivalry between two Formula One racers in the 1970s. The attractive, womanizing James Hunt and the prim, buck-toothed Niki Lauda contrast each other in nearly every way with the exception of their shared goal of winning…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Sister

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  In this quiet, naturalistic drama, a boy named Simon ekes out an existence near a Swiss ski resort by scavenging and sometimes stealing what he can from the wealthy tourists. He lives alone with Louise, the title character, but she's become…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Food

  Kelis, 1979-

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  Kelis has always been a bit of a critic’s darling but never a hit maker, with the exception of 2003’s “Milkshake”. She’s an artist who has dipped her toes into a number of genres from hip-hop to EDM. She’s also trained at Le Cordon Bleu and hosts a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Lost in the Dream

  War on Drugs (Musical group),

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  Fans of Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon and other classic rock acts will hear echoes of those greats synthesized here in the third album by War on Drugs, one of the strongest albums of the year so far. Tracks like Under the Pressure, Red…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• An Object

  No Age (Musical group)

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  This experimental duo with roots in the hardcore scene strike a balance between full-blown, pulse-pounding noise and a more restrained sound on their third full-length album. “No Ground” kicks off this propulsive disc with a frenetic energy that…Read moreRead more of this annotation