Books

389 results
Page 15
Xandria Phillips’s debut collection won the Lambda Literary Award for Trans Poetry. (Image courtesy of Nightboat books.)

‘Hull’ by Xandria Phillips

The American version of me

Xandria Phillips’s debut poetry collection, ‘Hull,’ explores longing, history, emancipation and resistance, and the stakes of precarious living. Matthew John Phillips reviews.
Matthew John Phillips

Matthew John Phillips

Articles 5 minute read
Robin Wasserman's new Philadelphia-set novel traverses the slippery territory of memory and female identity. (Image courtesy of Scribner.)

‘Mother Daughter Widow Wife’ by Robin Wasserman

The mysteries inside

In Robin Wasserman’s new novel, a woman arrives in Philadelphia with no memory. Years later, her daughter sets out to find out what happened to her there, and why she has left again. Kirsten Bowen reviews.
Kirsten Bowen

Kirsten Bowen

Articles 3 minute read
Sowing the air with notes of gold: an oriole, a bird immortalized in Gene Stratton-Porter’s writing. (Photo by mdf, via Wikimedia Commons.)

‘A Girl of the Limberlost’ by Gene Stratton-Porter

Revealing nature, redefining women

City dwellers and suburbanites tired of staying home should try ‘A Girl of the Limberlost,’ an early 20th-century treasure ripe for rediscovery by pandemic-weary readers. Pamela Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Articles 5 minute read
What's your score? (Image courtesy of Grand Central Publishing.)

‘QualityLand’ by Marc-Uwe Kling, translated by Jamie Lee Searle

A customized world—for whom?

What if a nationwide rating system governed our lives? Marc-Uwe Kling’s dystopian 'QualityLand' imagines a world that might be right around the corner. Elisa Shoenberger reviews
Elisa Shoenberger

Elisa Shoenberger

Articles 3 minute read
James McAdams's debut collection of short stories features people struggling with addiction, loss, and connection. (Image courtesy of Frayed Edge Press.)

‘Ambushing the Void’ by James McAdams

Salvation in others?

The inhabitants of ‘Ambushing the Void,’ the debut collection by Philly native James McAdams, search for connection and meaning wherever they can find it, but the tables are always turning. Kirsten Bowen reviews.
Kirsten Bowen

Kirsten Bowen

Articles 3 minute read
A perfect breakfast routine. (Photo by Christina Anthony.)

‘Little Weirds’ by Jenny Slate

Permission to wander

Actor, comedian, and writer Jenny Slate’s Little Weirds, a vulnerable and tender collection of offbeat essays, explores friendship, self-love, divorce, freedom, and just being a total weirdo. Christina Anthony reviews.
Christina Anthony

Christina Anthony

Articles 3 minute read
Who was the man behind the powerhouse pitcher? (Image courtesy of Triumph Books.)

‘Doc: The Life of Roy Halladay,’ by Todd Zolecki

What fans didn’t see

In his new biography of late Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay, longtime local baseball writer Todd Zolecki shows how even the best athletes are facing more struggles than you know. Stephen Silver reviews.
Stephen Silver

Stephen Silver

Articles 4 minute read
Refusing to choose a side. (Image courtesy of Temple University Press.)

‘Clowns to the Left of Me, Jokers to the Right’ by Michael Smerconish

Stuck in the middle with us

Doylestown native and national pundit and author Michael Smerconish staked his career on a middle ground in an increasingly polarized world. ‘Clowns to the Left of Me, Jokers to the Right’ collects his columns between 2002 and 2016. Pamela Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Articles 4 minute read
Noticing is more than looking. (Image courtesy of Alfred A. Knopf.)

‘The Art of Noticing’ by Rob Walker

Readers on notice

Turning off or turning on the TV is one way to get through. Rob Walker suggests something else. Gail Obenreder reviews ‘The Art of Noticing.’
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Articles 4 minute read
M. Téllez’s collection features a distinctly Philly feel. (Image courtesy of DHD Heavy Industries.)

‘Transitional Times Transitional Body’ by M. Téllez

The bond of uncertain futures

'Transitional Times Transitional Body,' a Philly-based collection of speculative fiction, lifts traditional boundaries on bodies, relationships, and the choices we make to survive. Corey Qureshi reviews.
Corey Qureshi

Corey Qureshi

Articles 3 minute read