Emily Picks
Emily’s Picks
Martin Marten
by Brian Doyle
I will wholeheartedly recommend any and all of Brian Doyle's novels, but Martin Marten is the most finely crafted of his odes to the people and land of Oregon. This charming tale winds through the human and animal lives on the sides of Mt. Hood, exploring the pain and beauty they all share. The waters of Doyle's writing run deep and rich, and his books are the kind you should read twice in order to drink in all they have to offer.
Piranesi
by Susanna Clarke
A review for this novel is optimally kept short and vague as it is best to enter the world of this beautiful and mysterious story tabula rasa. It is ambient, atmospheric, and brimming with tender emotion. Just read it.
Wolfish
by Erica Berry
My favorite books are usually the ones that I don't have any idea how to summarize when someone asks "What is it about?" It's a bit of everything, and it's so good. Entre chien et loup is a French expression that describes the moment at twilight when one can't tell the difference between a dog and a wolf. This book exists in that space, exploring the return of wolves to Oregon with a journey through ecology, psychology, and gender. The result is a profound and startling look into the mirror we hold up to wolves, and what we imagine we see in their eyes.
Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry
This collection is a magnificent collaborative love letter to the Cascadia bioregion. A diverse group of scientists, writers, and artists have come together to make a beautifully illustrated tribute to the species that share the land with us here in this corner of the country.
(And yes, I am a bit biased because i do have artwork in this book!(
North Woods
by Daniel Mason
If you’ve ever been in a very old house and speculated on the things it has seen, this is the read for you. This book is the life of a house over hundreds of years as told by its denizens. Between these pages you’ll hear the voices of beetles, spinsters, ghosts, tricksters, and apple trees as they come to life ane intertwine to tell as colorful a story as you could possible hope to read. I took ages to finish it, in the good way: I had to reread so many passages over and over because they were so magnificently crafted and clever.
The Spear Cuts Through Water
by Simon Jiminez
All I can say is wow: this is the best fantasy book I’ve had the privilege to read in a long, long time. Simon Jiminez intertwines the surreal, shifting world of a folktale with the sarp grit of human conflict and emotion- think Tarsem Singh’s movie The Fall. If you’re ready for something that not only pushes, but inverts and shatters the usual boundaries of the genre, go forth with this masterpiece in hand.