Book Recommendations

February Recommendations courtesy Sara Putman, Bookish

The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff

Greeta’s husband disappeared. He walked out on her five years ago, but there is a rumor in her village that she killed him. However, it seems being a “selfmade” widow has its perks: she has money, freedom, and no one messes with her, which starts to look good to other women in the village. This is a great antivalentine read full of wry, witty women, and heart.

Dickens and Prince by Nick Hornby

Dickens and Prince is the pop culture love story you didn’t know you needed. Most readers wouldn’t lump the Victorian author and 20th century pop icon in the same category, but author Nick Hornby does what he does best, and illustrates the ways in which our culture was shaped by their art, their tragedies, and their ridiculous ability to outwork everyone around them. Enjoy these four must-read books from our friends at Bookish, Fort Smith, Arkansas’s only independently owned bookstore.

The Sun Walks Down by Fiona McFarlane

Set in a small colonial Australian town, six-year-old Denny goes missing and the entire community is caught up in the search. Through McFarlane’s words, we hear their opinions, arguments, longings, and terrors. The beauty is in McFarlane’s narration, showing us the lives of schoolteachers, maids, farmers, mothers, and many more vivid characters set against the background of the landscape they inhabit.

Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey

Maggie is a twenty-nine-year-old divorcee. She’s broke and her graduate thesis has hit a wall, but she’s totally fine. As she steamrolls through single life: dating, taking up new hobbies, and “getting back out there,” she quickly uncovers the perils of modern love. Wickedly funny and full of witty observations about love and friendship, Heisey’s work is a really fun debut novel for February.