A Summer of Small Press
It’s time to stock up on books for summer reading, and the wonderful weirdness of Avid’s favorite small press titles could be the perfect fit for your road trip/hammock time/lazy pool day. Thinking of grabbing a breezy beach read? Instead, let one of these books transport you to a desolate beach strewn with putrid trash, regret, and/or loneliness. Trust me, it’s better that way.
IRL by Tommy Pico (Birds, LLC)
IRL is the book of poetry for summer 2017. Bookseller Will Walton says: “Structured like a 98-page text message, IRL asks WHAT IS SACRED?”
WASP QUEEN by Claudia Cortese (Black Lawrence Press)
Fleshy and frightening, these poems give voice to Lucy, who represents an endlessly complex portrait of girlhood.
“Not October’s burnt romantics…Midsummer sewer,/ trash, rat dung/ is the wind/ through Lucy’s hair.”
He Mele A Hilo (A Hilo Song) by Ryka Aoki (Topside Press)
If summer 2017 won’t actually take you to Hawaii, travel via the written word! Aoki’s novel is filled with love and food and dancing and family drama.
This book is perfect for: anyone who wants to sink into a character-driven read suffused with Hawaiian culture.
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson (NYRB Classics)
Bookseller Hannah D. says: “Jansson’s spare meditations on life, death, loneliness, fear, and love are a treasure to behold, glowing with sunlight and distilled emotion.”
Tropic of Orange by Karen Tei Yamashita (Coffee House Press)
Shimmering in the heat of Southern California, this satirical, fantastical, political novel speeds through a week in the lives of an array of characters and examines the effects of marginalization upon them.
This book is perfect for: all who need to feel the L.A. sun beating down on them, critics of the 24-hour news cycle.
Nine Island by Jane Alison (Catapult)
A bittersweet island read, Alison’s protagonist lives in a glass tower near Miami and reflects upon years of disastrous relationships. Bookseller Will says this one is “a daring read told in sharp punches…for anyone who’s ever feared life was passing them by.”
I’ll Tell You in Person by Chloe Caldwell (Coffee House Press)
Bookseller Rachel K. can’t recommend this collection of essays highly enough. Caldwell’s essays delve into her experiences throughout her twenties as a person feeling her way through adulthood, striking the perfectly summer-y balance of wisdom, wittiness, and relatability.
Cabo de Gata by Eugen Ruge (Graywolf Press)
Set in a sleepy town in southern Spain, this story is surprisingly cold and desolate (are we actually surprised?).
This book is perfect for: everyone who is yearning to get away and connect with feral cats in a foreign city.
Agaat by Marlene Van Niekerk (Tin House)
You know you need some Tin House in your life this summer (and that front cover blurb from Toni Morrison should convince you to rush to your nearest indie bookstore and buy this book).
Set in apartheid South Africa, this beautifully crafted novel examines the decades-long relationship between two women: a 67-year-old white woman and Agaat, her black caretaker.
