As February approaches, there is an inevitable sense of tension in the air about what the rest of the year holds. Still, there are things to come that we know will be good, things that will bring us joy and rouse our curiosity, things that will make us ask questions in more pleasant ways than senseless executive orders.
One of those things is the promise of new books, and today I bring news of twenty-five books newly being released in lovely paperback editions this February. And remember that books can help and heal more than we may realize, though not always in any direct way. Instead, how they help and heal may not be apparent in our lives for days, months, or years to come.
But they always matter, always reshape some aspect of us by our encounter with them. Russell Banks, American Banks Vintage. These three utterly compelling stories are so truthful about America as to be almost unbearable.
Chan writes her characters—particularly the conflicted protagonist, Cecily Alcantara, a former espionage asset to the Japanese Imperial Army—with a precision that neither flinches from the brutality of war nor ignores the humanity within.
This is a book with real staying power. Sheila Heti, Alphabetical Diaries Picador. Rather than a cosmetic endeavour, Heti births something far more profound, at times redefining the very idea of writing. Readers will enjoy dipping in and out of thoughtful, heartfelt essays oozing with sentiment and affability. There have been very few Irish poets in the past half-century who could be compared to Seamus Heaney….
