Book giveaways, reviews, and staff recs! BSR Book Week 2025 is coming June 1-7
Here's how to join in on this year's BSR Book Week
The BSR team is excited for our third annual Book Week, running June 1-7, 2025. We have reviews, giveaways, recommendations, and a virtual panel event with awesome Philly authors. Here’s everything you need to know.
Previews
3 minute read
You Didn’t Hear This From Me: (Mostly) True Notes on Gossip, by Kelsey McKinney
Toward a unified theory of gossip
Philly journalist and media entrepreneur Kelsey McKinney, founding host of the popular podcast Normal Gossip, has expanded her gossip empire with her first book. Stephen Silver reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
A History of Philadelphia Sandwiches: Steaks, Hoagies, Iconic Eateries & More, by Mike Madaio
A sandwich manifesto stacked with research and local flavor
In A History of Philadelphia Sandwiches, Mike Madaio slices deep into the true origins as well as the legends of one of the region’s most hallowed foods, from Cooper sharp to chicken cutlets. Neil Bardhan reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
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Philadelphia: A Narrative History, by Paul Kahan
Understanding our city’s history is key to grappling with America’s present
From the Delaware Valley’s earliest inhabitants to the “reform” movements and anti-urbanism of today, Philadelphia: A Narrative Historyis a window on the American experiment—especially as centuries-old attitudespersist. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.
Reviews
6 minute read
Ida B. Wells: Journalist, Advocate, and Crusader for Justice, by Erica Armstrong Dunbar and Candace Buford
Courage that inspires us today
Erica Armstrong Dunbar’s latest book (coauthored with Candace Buford) explores the life of another trailblazing Black woman of American history, Ida B. Wells, making her story accessible to young readers. Constance Garcia-Barrio reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Tomorrow Will Bring Sunday’s News: A Philadelphia Story, by Beth Kephart
A real-life Philly family inspires this novel set in the Workshop of the World
Prolific local author Beth Kephart writes her first novel for adults with this heartfelt piece of historical fiction based on Kephart’s own family in WWI-era Philly. Emma Riverso reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits, by Jennifer Weiner
No-one gets you like your sister
Jennifer Weiner’s latest
novel follows two sisters from Philly who achieve pop-music stardom in the
early 2000s that leads to an estrangement in the present day. It’s a relatable
story of sisters, mothers, lovers, and the search for self. Emily Savidge
reviews
Reviews
2 minute read
Kidnapped at Sea: The Civil War Voyage of David Henry White, by Andrew Sillen
Rescuing the story of a Black Civil War-era sailor
In Kidnapped at Sea: The Civil War Voyage of David Henry White, author Andrew Sillen draws a vivid picture of maritime life the 1860s, through the lens of a real-life Black teenager captured by a Confederate pirate ship during the Civil War.
Reviews
4 minute read
Mendell Station, by J. B. Hwang
A touching story about grief, friendship, and working-class life in the pandemic
J.B. Hwang’s debut novel, out this July, follows a woman who upends her career as she grieves for her best friend, exploring female friendship and working-class lives in the early days of Covid. Krista Mar reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Theatres of the Body: Dance and Discourse in Antebellum Philadelphia, by Lynn Matluck Brooks
A charged history through the lens of dance
In Theatres of the Body, professor, editor, author, and dance scholar Lynn Matluck Brooks dives into a history of Philadelphia, and the America it influenced, through the lens of dance in the 19th century. Kimberly Haas reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Thomas Sully’s Philadelphians: Painting the Athens of America, by Peter Conn
The painter who captured Philly at the center of American culture
Notable historian, professor, and author Peter Conn reflects on Philly as the Athens of America in his illuminating and rewarding new book exploring the work of 19th-century portraitist Thomas Sully, and the city he lived in. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Reviews
5 minute read
Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present Day, By Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett
An illustrated history of trans lives, from pharaohs and emperors to the present day
A new graphic novel from Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett tackles the vast, varied, and longstanding history of trans folks around the world, combatting the ongoing erasure of trans lives. Rachel Bellwoar reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
True Hospitality: Lessons Learned from Behind the Concierge Desk, by Jamie Cooperstein
A real-life Rittenhouse Hotel concierge shares her unexpected career journey
Debut
Philly author Jamie Cooperstein started her career as a journalist before
grasping an opportunity in the hospitality field, and she never looked back.
Now she shares the journey to finding her own niche. A. Lewis reviews.
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Also on BSR
minato sketches, by Sharon White
A tsunami of musings
Temple professor and multi-genre writer Sharon White’s latest work of fiction, minato sketches, takes the reader on a rich and poetic interior journey with a woman recovering from stroke. Crystal Sparrow reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Downbeach, by Matt Overs
An anthropology of Atlantic City
In this dark picaresque of pranks and capers set in 1980s Atlantic City, Matt Overs explores a gritty and earnest coming-of-age in a unique culture one short railway from Philadelphia. Rob Laymon reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Milkweed and Honey Cake: A Memoir in Ritual Moments, by Wendy A. Horwitz
A skeptic chasing transcendence
Northwest Philly essayist Wendy A. Horwitz explores empiricism and transcendence, skepticism and ritual, moments and generations in her new collection, Milkweed and Honey Cake. Anndee Hochman reviews.
Reviews
5 minute read
House of Jars: Poems, by Hester L. Furey
A flawed, ambitious collection of 20th and 21st-century maladies
A new book of poetry from Philly’s Frayed Edge Press imagines characters like William Carlos Williams, Robert Oppenheimer, Rachel Carson, and Gertrude Stein in meditations on art, destruction, and unexpected connections. C.M. Crockford reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Rebuilding Your Life After Trauma: A Coping Manual, by Aviva Perlo
Illustrating the different ways back
Aviva Perlo’s book brings real solutions, perspectives, research, and personal experiences to light for those forging new lives after real trauma. Anndee Hochman reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Second Chance Dance presents The Tapestry of Time: Threads of Time Woven in Motion
Second chance at dance inspires
Tapestry of Time, a recital and celebration of courage, celebrates dancers of all ages. Melissa Strong previews.
Previews
3 minute read
BSR Classical Interludes, June 2025
Voices of Spring, Scandinavian folk, and 85 years of PYO
Rare performances, an ambitious youth orchestra concert, and much more bring music to the unofficial start of summer. Gail Obenreder previews.
Previews
3 minute read
The BSR June 2025 repertory movie roundup
Movies for Pride and summer screenings outside
A variety of films celebrating Pride and outdoor screenings hit the Philly area this month. Stephen Silver previews.
Previews
4 minute read
The month in Philly Dance: June 2025
TERRA: Bodies & Territories, dancing with BalletX, and the story of Rachel Harris
TERRA: Bodies & Territories gets in touch with the earth, West Chester Dance Works tells a powerful story about community, and Anne-Marie Mulgrow and company turn to a new year. Camille Bacon-Smith previews dance in Philly in June.
Previews
3 minute read
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, May 29-June 4, 2025
Death & Arts Fest, Glitter in the Glass, and Giovanni’s Room
A new arts festival at Laurel Hill embraces death, a new play from R. Eric Thomas gets otherworldly, and an exclusive play from Quintessence taps into a James Baldwin classic. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Previews
3 minute read