Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/1529602
P H OTO BY A L E X A N D R A M C D O W E L L bookshelf "Intermezzo" by Sally Rooney, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (September 2024) In Rooney's internationally bestselling fourth novel, brothers Peter and Ivan navigate complex romantic relationships in the wake of their father's death. "Playground" by Richard Powers, W. W. Norton & Company (September 2024) Powers's latest novel centers on an island in French Polynesia, and approaches the ocean with the same precision and awe as his Pulitzer Prize–winning "The Overstory" did trees. "Playground" draws together the lives of a tech billionaire, an NGO worker, an author, and a sculptor in a deep exploration of humanity. "The City and Its Uncertain Walls" by Haruki Murakami, Knopf (November 2024) From Murakami's singular imagination comes the story of thwarted first love, a journey into a dream-world of shadow selves, a vast library, and a walled city of mysteries. writers who shaped her—Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni, Audre Lorde, and Toni Morrison among them. Tracing Edim's journey from her childhood in an immigrant family in Virginia to starting a reading community with 500,000 members, it shows how representation in literature can make a lasting difference in young people's lives. "Didion and Babitz" by Lili Anolik, Scribner (November 2024) After discovering correspondence between Joan Didion and Eve Babitz, journalist Lili Anolik follows up her Babitz biography, Hollywood's Eve, with an examination of the two LA writers' symbiotic relationship, which morphed from rivalry to collaboration to friendship—and back again. "Archive" by Sofia Coppola, Mack Books (September 2023) Sofia Coppola's first art book is an annotated account of her career to date, chronicling the makings of her films, including The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, and Marie Antoinette. "Tracey Emin Paintings" by David Dawson, Phaidon Press (October 2024) This book—the first publication dedicated to the storied multimedia artist's paintings—contextualizes 300 of Emin's expressive works, in an essay by Jennifer Higgie and an interview with her close friend David Dawson. "The Best Short Stories, 2024" edited by Amor Towles, Vintage (September 2024) Short-story master and best-selling author Amor Towles was the guest editor of the 2024 O. Henry Prize, and the resulting anthology includes stories from big names like Kate DiCamillo, Jai Chakrabarti, Dave Eggers, and Jess Walter, plus writers to watch. "Patti Smith: Before Easter After" by Patti Smith, Rizzoli (October 2024) Published widely for the first time, this book of renowned photographer Lynn Goldsmith's images of Patti Smith while on tour in the late 1970s offers an unfiltered look at an important moment in music history. "Gather Me: A Memoir in Praise of the Books that Saved Me" by Glory Edim, Ballantine Books (October 2024) Well-Read Black Girl founder Glory Edim's memoir tells her life story through the work of the Getting lost in a good book is our idea of the perfect holiday. Here, nine titles topping the list this season. BY KATE DWYER Though summer reading has become a genre all its own, holiday break is the perfect time to catch up on buzzworthy fiction, newsy nonfiction, and recently announced award winners. We asked Books & Books founder Mitchell Kaplan to share his recommendations. great reads