Get Bookish

Get BOOKISH Enjoy these four must-read books from our friends at Bookish, Fort Smith, Arkansas’s only independently-owned bookstore. Shop hours: Monday 11am-4pm, Tuesday - Friday 10am-6pm May Recommendations courtesy Sara Putman, Bookish and Saturday 10am-4pm. Need curbside delivery? Call 479.434.2917 or email orders@bookishfs.com.

Apeirogon by Colum McCann

McCann takes us to the Middle East to tell us the story of two real-life friends, Bassam Aramin, a Palestinian, and Rami Elhanan, an Israeli, two men brought together by the deaths of their daughters: Smadar at the age of thirteen by a suicide bomber, and Abir, assassinated aged ten by a trigger-happy member of the Israeli army. In their grief, they join a parent’s group whose mission was to try to bring a peaceful resolution to the conflict. There is rarely unity in the chaos, but there is always storytelling. The book is often poetic, powerfully executed, and interspersed with photographs of the men and the place.

The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans

Evans’s collection is full of loosely connected short stories and a novella. These tragic and traumatized characters highlight large issues like race, culture, and history. Through the introductions of black and multiracial characters, Evans takes us through universal conflicts like lust, love, grief, and justice. Through each story, we are forced to see ways in which history has shaped us and what our role might be in justice.

The Scientist and the Psychic by Christian Smith

Smith is a molecular biologist, but he was raised by a relatively famous psychic. By the time Smith was eight, he had witnessed a seance, traveled the region to watch his mother give readings, and constantly had been bullied at school because his mother was a “witch.” They moved to LA so Geraldine could work with murder victims and convicted murderer Jeffery MacDonald. This work eventually led to health conditions and addiction, so Smith and his mother were estranged for a while. The two are mending the divide in this one-of-a-kind story of skepticism, science, and the power of familial love.

Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau

This is the perfect summer read – set in Baltimore in the 60s. When Mary Jane gets her first summer job as a nanny for the new family in town, her rigid, overprotective mother couldn’t be happier. It’s for a doctor’s family after all. Mary Jane soon realized that the doctor is a psychologist and Jewish, but they are also so different from her own family, it takes her a moment to adjust. Soon, though, she falls in love with the entire family – including the top-secret patient who comes to town for the summer.