Book FortuneS by eliza borné
readable and relevant tale about a female American foreign service officer serving in the Balkh province of Afghanistan. I also enjoyed Nylon Road by Parsua Bashi, a graphic memoir about growing up in Iran. In BookPage, reviewer Becky Ohlsen called it “a blend of Persepolis and A Christmas Carol.”
Our crystal ball predicts your next great read Reader name: Gayle Hometown: Mapleton, IL Favorite genres: historical fiction from the Middle East, memoirs Favorite books: Stolen Innocence (Elissa Wall); fathermothergod (Lucia Greenhouse); The Glass Castle (Jeannette Walls); Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (Lisa See) Based on this information, I’d guess that Gayle enjoys memoirs about people who have overcome difficult childhoods—particularly childhoods influenced by extreme religious beliefs—to find happiness in adulthood. Holy Ghost Girl by Donna M. Johnson would be a great pick in that category. It’s about growing up under the influence (make that under the revival tent) of evangelical preacher David Terrell, a man whom the author considered both stepfather and prophet. The heartbreaking and inspiring Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson is another good choice. In this memoir, the author of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit reflects on a hardscrabble childhood, her sexuality, her fraught relationship with religion and her painful relationship with her adoptive mother. In the historical fiction genre, I think Gayle would like My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk, a story about art, love, religious conflict and conspiracy in Turkey of the late 16th century. Also recommended: The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker, an enchanting love story set in Burma. Finally, there are a couple of books related to the Middle East that I’d put on any reader’s to-be-read list. Far ishta is the debut novel by onetime diplomat Patricia McArdle. It’s a
Name: Carol Hometown: Crystal Lake, IL Favorite genre: dystopian fiction Favorite author: Margaret Atwood I have had Margaret Atwood on the brain, as her novel The Handmaid’s Tale was recently chosen for Nashville’s first-ever “city-wide read.” But what should Carol read next if she’s already devoured this haunting tale? Though sometimes it seems like dystopian fiction is a new phenomenon (thank you, Hunger Games!), the genre is, of course, an evergreen; The Handmaid’s Tale was first published in 1985. If Carol hasn’t read Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (1993), she’ll appreciate this story of a diseaseridden United States circa 2025, in which an 18-year-old woman can feel other people’s pain. I also recommend The Children of Men by P.D. James (1992), a novel about human infertility set in 2021. One of my favorite new dystopian novels is When She Woke by Hillary Jordan, a reimagining of The Scarlet Letter set in a future where criminals are genetically altered so their skin turns different colors. Equally creepy is White Horse by Alex Adams, which was just published in April. It’s a thriller about what happens when a deadly terror is released to end humankind— a terrifying story that belongs in “the pantheon of post-apocalyptic thrillers alongside the likes of Justin Cronin and Stephen King,” according to BookPage reviewer Stephenie Harrison. For a chance at your own book fortune, email bookfortunes@bookpage.com with your name, hometown and your favorite genre(s), author(s) and book(s). Also, visit bookpage.com/newsletters to sign up for Book of the Day, our daily book recommendation e-newsletter.
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