Charlotte, Editor-in-Chief: “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy
I have been meaning to read “Anna Karenina” for a long time, and started to listen to it on a drive from NYC to Maine last weekend. I love the long Russian names and sudden debates about communism. I see myself in all of the characters: in Levin’s self-doubt, in Anna’s quiet sadness, in Dolly’s dramatics. But it is distasteful to read. I have too great a desire to live myself!
Varun, News Exec: “Trust” by Pete Buttigieg
While Pete Buttigieg is a modern political figure, “Trust” is a historical analysis of why Americans no longer have the confidence in institutions that they once did. It is a thoughtful longitudinal study that walks the reader from Watergate to the 2008 financial crisis, demonstrating how each successive development eroded public trust in a different institution. I have not come across a better analysis of how we arrived at our current political moment, and if — when — you see me in the newsroom, I’ll give you the elevator pitch!
Emma, News Exec: “Jack” by Marilynne Robinson
This is the fourth installment in Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead series. Each book circles the same story from a different angle, through the lens of a different life. This one is a love story, but also it is a meditation on shame, belonging, and whether a person can ever outrun who they’ve been. I can’t stop reading — it’s quiet but gripping.
Kent, Production Exec: “Pew” by Catherine Lacey
A novel inspired by “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” the brilliant short story by one of my favorite authors, Ursula K. Le Guin. Need I say any more? I’m only about a quarter of the way in, but one thing I can say is that this book won’t give up any answers easily. Read it so I have someone to discuss all of the fascinating questions this book raises with!
Eli, Opinion Editor: “A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again” by David Foster Wallace
Wallace’s style is mesmerizing, and probably the most addicting thing in the world to read. This is a collection of essays I picked up off my bookshelf after buying it at a yard sale and never getting to it. His writing inspires me to work on my own fiction. I frequently find comfort in Wallace’s stream of consciousness style and the way that he describes how his mind works.
Ramsey, Opinion Editor: “The Twisting of the Rope” by W.B. Yeats
Today I read “The Twisting of the Rope” by W. B. Yeats. It was wonderfully charming, and I imagined I could see myself in the character of Hanrahan, what with his betrayal of his great love for his petty pride in showing off. “Let him die, let him die, let him die,” indeed.
