Fools Recommendations: Reading
curated by the Fools Magazine team
Natalie Muglia, Writing Assistant
Woven in Moonlight (2020) by Isabel Ibañez
A lush fantasy debut novel about a young woman who enters a strange place to save her people, based on Bolivian history and politics. ⏤Natalie
Fangirl (2013) by Rainbow Rowell
One of my favorite novels, about a young woman entering her first year of college, grappling with writing assignments, her rogue twin sister, and boys. ⏤Natalie
The Love that Split the World (2016) by Emily Henry
Lastly, another fantasy combined with romance and magical realism where another young woman has to put the world back together. ⏤Natalie
Vivian Le, Creative Director
Sister Outsider (1984) by Audre Lorde
A masterful book of essays by poet Audre Lorde. For those who want to grow their brains in the middle of this corona-craziness, this book is a perfect tapestry of illuminating feminist commentary on issues still relevant today. ⏤Vivian
Melissa Martínez-Raga, Writing Assistant
Her Body And Other Parties (2017) by Carmen Maria Machado
Experimental short stories reflecting on the body infused with archival research, popular culture, and magical aspects. Currently reading for fun. ⏤Melissa
The Inferno (1472) by Dante Alighier
A deep dive into literal hell to seriously complicate medieval culture. Currently reading for school, but also very fun. ⏤Melissa
Skyler Barnes, Writing Editor
Slaughterhouse-Five (1969) by Kurt Vonnegut ⏤Skyler
Nicole Pagliari, Writing Editor
Normal People (2018) by Sally Rooney
Rooney’s second novel length work of art that analyzes the changes one goes through as they grow up and realize that their actions dictate their place in the world. ⏤Nicole
Anna Nelson, Editor-in-Chief Assistant
We Have Always Lived in the Castle (1962) by Shirley Jackson
Fight Club (1996) by Chuck Palahniuk
We Have Always Lived in the Castle has been on my apartment TV stand for ages and I nabbed it to read over quarantine! The combination of the unreliable narrator and her psychotic behavior creates a really crazy and interesting subtext. I still don’t know why she did it, but I have my ideas! ⏤Anna
I’m in the middle of Fight Club (audiobook through Libby) because I refuse to watch the movie without having read the book first but it has been added to a list of Date Night movies and thus I cannot avoid it any longer. ⏤Anna
Grace Oeth, Managing Editor
Sorcery of Thorns (2019) by Margaret Robertson
Need escapism? Try a magical library that an evil sorcerer is trying to destroy! ⏤Grace
Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered (2019) by Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark
Dual memoir from my fave true crime podcast hosts. Would HIGHLY recommend the audiobook since it also features Paul Giamatti. ⏤Grace
Stone Mattress: Nine Wicked Tales (2014) by Margaret Atwood
These short stories screwed with my head, in a very, very good way. “Stone Mattress” by itself is stunning, and you can find it on The New Yorker’s website and fiction podcast. ⏤Grace
Noah Pottebaum, Web Design Assistant
Hyperion (1989) by Dan Simmons
A Wise Man’s Fear (2011) by Patrick Rothfuss
Re-reading old favorites ⏤Noah
Franny Marzuki, Web Writing Assistant
Bunny (2019) by Mona Awad
This novel is a darkly funny look at a New England MFA program, with awkward socials, uninterested professors, and a cult of girls who call each other Bunny. If you’re ever frustrated with your Creative Writing major, this may be the book to turn to, providing a sweet catharsis from seeing the ridiculousness of your workshop class rendered in such striking detail. ⏤Franny
The Possessed (2010) by Elif Batuman
A melancholic look into the world of Comparative Lit. and PhD programs, The Possessed thrives on its love for Russian Literature. Throughout the collection, we see the absurdity and incompleteness of life represented. Threads are left unanswered, actions unexplained, and feeling and interiority placed at the core of each essay. Batuman will make you question what you know about writing and you’ll love every second of it. ⏤Franny
Decreation (2005) by Anne Carson
Carson continuously reminds us of her place as one of the most important contemporary critic, poet, and academic alive today. In this collection she writes about sleep in Virginia Woolf novels, myth, and her own life; she writes about documentary and what it means to represent an object or feeling on page or screen. These essays are all intertwined with her poetry, coming together to (de)create an experience of undoing. ⏤Franny
Ellie Zupancic, Editor-in-Chief
The Argonauts (2015) by Maggie Nelson
NOX (2010) by Anne Carson
Songs from a Mountain (2016) by Amanda Nadelberg
Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion (2019)by Jia Tolentino
A Fools favorite, of course! —Ellie
The Fools Magazine Team encourages our readers to support their local bookstores and libraries (with the Libby app) during this time.