Did you know that the word apocalypse means “revelation” in Greek? The things I learn from Wikipedia. Every time I look on my phone there is some news that would have been unbelievable in the long ago and far away of 2019. But now? Nothing is surprising. So buckle up, hold hands, and we’ll make it out together. Our contributors have some great reading recommendations to see you through whatever crazy apocalypse comes next.
Lisa Mahoney recommends Emergency Skin by N. K. Jemisin
Elevator pitch: You’re trained to fight and sent into what you believe will be a hostile environment, but it turns out what you’re supposed to steal is free, and the people you’ve been taught to hate are downright helpful. Your worldview is turned upside down. Now what?
Where to Read: At home.
Good if: Reminds us that when confronted by inarguable evidence, we should be open to seeing through the politicians’ lies to the truth. Very applicable in 2020.
Not so good if: You’re looking for a multi-book adventure series to sink into to pass the whole summer of COVID lockdown.
You might also like: We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: N. K. Jemisin’s multi-Hugo Award winning trilogy, The Broken Earth.
What to Drink: Fresh, clean water.
What to Eat: Fresh, free food.
Thickness Rating: Novella; 2 hours max. Read it, or listen to it.
Theodore McCombs suggests Jordy Rosenberg’s Confessions of the Fox
Elevator pitch: Jack Sheppard and Edgeworth Bess were eighteenth-century London’s most notorious jailbreakers, the legendary Macheath and Polly of The Beggar’s Opera. So it’s a shock to Dr. Voth, a transmasc scholar of “Sheppardiana,” to discover a manuscript (naturally, a manuscript) of Jack’s “confessions,” showing Sheppard was assigned female at birth. The novel is a dizzy metafictional romp through gender, London subculture, and economies of power.
Where to Read: In a dank cell at Newgate, awaiting execution for property crimes.
Good if: You want to hear less of J. K. Rowling’s thoughts on trans identity, and have a good day for a change.
Not so good if: Footnotes, argot, or unapologetic genitalia squick you out.
You might also like: A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Charlotte Charke, the cheeky autobiography of 18th-century London’s most notorious cross-dressing actress.
What to Drink: Gin that stinks like Thames bilgewater.
What to Eat: There’s a lot of, um, eating in this book; but it ain’t meat pies.
Thickness Rating: Two out of five London mollies in tight corsets.
Corey Dahl is reading Weather by Jenny Offill
Elevator pitch: Lizzie is trying to hold her family, her professional life, and herself together, even as the rest of the world falls apart. But in a funny way.
Where to Read: At home.
Good if: You need a smart, comic take on staying sane in spite of chaos (a.k.a. 2020).
Not so good if: You want a book to take you off this planet for a few hours (and who could blame you).
You might also like: Offill’s Dept. of Speculation, Ben Lerner, Rachel Cusk, the evening news.
What to Drink: The last of the gin you’d been using for quarantinis.
What to Eat: An entire package of Oreos without realizing it, because stress.
Thickness Rating: A bun-less hot dog at your socially distant barbecue.
M. Shaw (guest contributor) recommends: An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England, by Brock Clarke
Elevator pitch: For many reasons, summer 2020 is a time to be thinking about Americans’ often troubled relationship to the concepts of truth and belief, and the interplay thereof. This 2007 dark comedy, which follows the suburban misadventures of Sam Pulsifer, who accidentally burned down the Emily Dickinson House in Amherst, MA at the age of 18, is the perfect vehicle to engage with such heavy concepts. Thirteen years after publication, it’s still a scathing cultural critique, and one that’s punctuated with somewhat more humor than, say, the news. It’s a novel geared toward avid readers who want to have a little batshit fun with their postmodern screeds about the cul-de-sac middle class’s astonishing lack of self-awareness.
Where to Read: At home.
Good if: You saw Ghostbusters (2016) and your favorite character was Kevin, or if you always rooted for Goofus and had a vague sort of contempt for Gallant.
Not so good if: You couldn’t get through The Magicians because Quentin is just too much of an underperforming, navel-gazey emo kid to be able to deal with for 400 pages.
You might also like: George Bush, Dark Prince of Love by Lydia Millet, which is also about half as long as Arsonist’s Guide, for those looking for a shorter read.
What to Drink: Either non-alcoholic beer or Franzia, which is not actually wine but grape juice mixed with grain alcohol.
What to Eat: The exact same thing you’ve been ordering at Chipotle for the past 15 years.
Thickness Rating: Costs approximately one sourdough starter’s worth of your attention.
C. S. Peterson is reading Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora, edited by Sheree R. Thomas
Elevator pitch: My attention span for leisure reading has shortened considerably in the last four months, so I’ve been dropping down into short stories for small moments of relief and insight. This anthology is perfect for both, and, ultimately, hopeful.
Where to Read: At home.
Good if: You’ve got the attention span of a flea at the moment.
Not so good if: You’re looking to escape into fairy land.
You might also like: A People’s Future of the United States, and Dark Matter: Reading the Bones, the second volume in Thomas’s anthology series.
What to Drink: Depends on the day and the story. Something bracing. Iced coffee? A Campari cocktail? A shot of whatever’s closest to hand?
What to Eat: Hopefulberry pie.
Thickness Rating: The anthology is substantial, clocking in at 450 pages. But the stories themselves range from single-sitting to novella length.
Danyelle C. Overbo recommends some nonfiction: On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, by Timothy Snyder
Elevator pitch: I can’t think of a more fitting book for the summer of 2020. Snyder is a celebrated historian who has painstakingly examined the conditions and events leading to the rise of authoritarians to power in the twentieth century. He’s condensed the lessons learned in one small, easy read for us to, hopefully (god-willing), learn from. If only this was speculative fiction.
“Americans are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism and communism. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience.”
Where to Read: At home.
Good if: You’re ready to fight.
Not so good if: You’re looking for an escape from reality.
You might also like: A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership, by James Comey.
What to Drink: Bourbon, neat.
What to Eat: Your own false hopes.
Thickness Rating: Skinny read. Done in an hour or two, depending on how many tears you shed.
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Yes, it’s hot. We say, embrace it! Our editors recommend four stories, out this summer, that sizzle with neurotech and mindships, gunslingers and tornadoes. As an added bonus you’ll have indisputable reason to participate in National Coffee Milkshake Day.