I
love a good adventure, especially stories that take place in far-off countries.
What Strange Paradise fits the bill on both counts, but there’s so much more. It’s the story of a young boy named Amir who is washed ashore on a Greek
island. He’s the sole survivor of a disastrous migrant crossing.
What’s
remarkable about this story is that the other main character, Vanna, a slightly
older Greek girl, helps him evade the authorities (running from problems of her
own), and together, they tell you everything that’s good about humanity.
It’s a
beautifully written tale that will both break your heart and give you hope for a
better world.
What
a premise in this book. Girlfriend on Mars is about a reality game show where
the two winners will go along on a one-way trip to Mars, essentially setting up
the first human settlement there.
This is not a science book. It’s really about
the main characters: Amber, who’s been accepted as a contestant on the show
(she’s quite brilliant in horticulture), and her loser boyfriend Kevin (a pot
dealer who lives in terror that she will actually be chosen for the trip to
Mars).
The winners will be a man and a woman (for obvious reasons), which leads
to all sorts of misplaced jealousy and, I should emphasize, a whole lot of
hilarity.
Babel is epic. Spanning 500 pages, it’s the story of
a young translator at Oxford University in the 1830s.
What makes it special is
the thread of magic realism that weaves through it (silver bars infused with
that which cannot be translated). It’s a little bit Harry Potter but so much
more.
The great British Empire is extending its power over the world. There are
sailing ships and opium wars with China, and deep moral questions discussed by
a young group of scholars studying and walking amongst the ancient towers and lamplit
streets of old Oxford.
It's 1974, and the debut album from the band
Downtown Exit is rocketing up the charts. Their lead guitarist has a debilitating
drug problem, though, and young Levi Jaxon, a talented but unknown musician, is
hired to fill in.
Inevitably, Levi takes over the position, but he quickly learns
that fame comes with a price. He must navigate egos and a fraught love triangle
between himself, a young photographer named Ariadne, and the band's scandalous frontman,
Frankie. As the band tours Europe, under the gun from their label to finish
their next album, Levi faces questions about his past and doubts about his
future.
Bootleg Stardust shines a light on the power of music and the courage
it takes to find your own voice.
