If you’ve reached the end of the year feeling like you haven’t read enough, let us know. Here are some of the year’s best books from renowned authors, artists, image makers, and other cultural taste makers.
Emily Ratajkowski, Model: “Ghost Lover”
Bloomsbury Publishing
“This collection of nine short stories tackles many of the same themes as Lisa Taddeo’s beloved Three Women, but in a sharper, nastier way. She is relentlessly jealous, Exploring female relationships, aging, revenge and, of course, lust, Taddeo will never let you stand up for air.
Otessa Moshfeg, Novelist: “The Ballet of Leprosy”
glove press
“Leonard Cohen has always been one of my creative heroes. I discovered his music as a teenager in the 90s. still embodies the wisdom and soulfulness of the artist’s decades of work, so much so that his voice feels like a giant, permanent artifact carved out of stone. Yes. You can get your hands on a collection of novels and short stories he wrote between 1961 and 1961. Grace. but also youthful naivety and playfulness, a rawness that I wasn’t expecting.
Jennette McCurdy, writer and actor: ‘What my bones know’
ballantine books
“‘What My Bones Know’ is a striking memoir. Stephanie Hu’s voice is unique, sometimes poetic, sometimes poignant. A must read for anyone healing from complex trauma.”
Theaster Gates, Artist: “To Realize Total Helplessness”
Knopp
“Robin Coste Ruiz has created an archive of photographs and language drawn from the truths of pre-Diaspora families. is. Her poetry provides me with a way to move into a time of great inequality and gain a deeper understanding of the complex ways to be beautiful and optimistic. We create light and portals that reveal our truth through words and images.
Hans Ulrich Obrist, curator and artistic director of the Serpentine Galleries: “I always knew”
Princeton University Press
“This is a portrait of the artist and writer Barbara Chase Libou, through letters to her mother, Vivian May, between 1957 and 1991. In these memoirs, Chase-Riboud describes her aspirations, ambitions, and creative inspirations in a candid and articulate manner. A pioneer, her multifaceted practice explores timely themes of identity, power, and memory. A novelist and poet, her career has spanned more than 70 years, and during this time she has been a major inspiration to other artists around the world. We are proud to host the first UK exhibition by Chase-Riboud, in line with Serpentine’s goal of winning
Douglas Stewart, Novelist: “Trespass”
river head books
“I loved Louise Kennedy’s Trespasses, the story of Kushra, a young Catholic schoolteacher who falls in love with a charismatic older man set during the conflict in Northern Ireland. Struggling between caring for her sick mother and teaching, she helps run the family pub at the local parochial school. However, not only is Michael married, but he is also a prominent Protestant and barrister known to defend IRA members.
“Trespass” is an unusual book. Making politics so personal gives an intimate perspective on life in between troubles.Cushla’s world is so sharply expressed and her inner life so vivid that she You will really worry about her when she finds her newfound freedom with Michael. can feel She can’t help but get stuck in her story. “
Nadia Lee Cohen, Photographer and Artist: “Best Seller”
Ideabooks Inc.
“Bestsellers” are metafictional novels. It opens with, “If I wrote a book, it would be a bestseller, and I would call it a bestseller.” I was first drawn to this book after being invited to do a portrait of its “author”, June Newton. Plus, it’s bright pink. This book made me feel like June Newton, and I think others should read it so they can feel like her.”
Max Richter, composer: “Sound Within Sound”
Faber
“I loved this alternative history of twentieth-century music. Chronicles, and in the process we discover many gems, discover canonical versions of music, history forgotten or simply ignored. It’s about powerfully communicating the passion that drives them to do what they do, the problems they tackle, the trade-offs they make to get the job. It’s the mind.” Moleson’s book gives us a wonderful opportunity to witness it: curiosity in action, and hearing the world anew. “
Avan Jogia, Actor: “Who Is Wellness For?”
harper wave
“Who Is Wellness For?” is a book that serves as part social observation and memoir. It explores the commodification of healing and rituals and asks questions about the wellness industry. , thoughtful and fearless. Wellness is not for everyone without it.
Simone Rocha, Fashion Designer: “Pachinko Parlor”
Danto
“I enjoyed this book for several reasons and felt like I paused while reading it. It’s a story that captures being an alien in a place that should feel like home. It’s instinctive and , struggling with one’s own identity: lightness and coldness and a touch of sadness, but a beautiful narration when you feel almost lost and out of place.”
Faye Toogood, Furniture Designer: ‘I’m Sparkling’
Damiani
“My library has a lot of books on photography, but it’s always really exciting to discover lesser-known artists through new books. This series of insightful portraits, found in his archives, depicts the ethnically diverse cross-section of the Mombasa bourgeoisie. Mombasa’s bourgeoisie was a largely wealthy urban class that benefited from the city’s post-war prosperity and were interested in documenting their lives.
This book reminded me of a trip to Mali 20 years ago while working for The World of Interiors magazine. I visited Marique Sidibe’s studio and bought prints from a box of prints that his son was selling. I was fascinated by the way the sitters chose to express themselves and express themselves through the backdrops, props, and clothes. It’s like watching the theater of Instagram, which is the version of . “
Elif Batuman, author, journalist: ‘I know what’s best for you’
McSweeneys
“Despite its alarming title and traffic cone color, ‘I Know What’s Best for You’ is one of the most comforting and exhilarating books I’ve picked up all year.” A stylistic approach to the subject of ‘reproductive freedom’. I especially loved the fiction of Tommy Orange and Tiffany Yannique, the plays of Donetta Lavinia Greys, and the poetry of Ama Kojo. You may have adjusted the all-out ludicrous madness of , but this book will bring you back to magic.
Hank Willis Thomas, Artist: “The Trayvon Generation”
grand central publishing
“Alexander’s “Trayvon Generation” blurs the lines between poetry, biography, historical document, essay and manifesto. It is as timeless as it is timeless and urgent as it is eternal. “
Xochitl Gonzalez, author: “When I sing, the mountains dance”
gray wolf press
“When I Sing, Mountains Dance by Eileen Sora was the book that came into my life this year and completely changed my life. Experience a work of art.. But Sora’s words — vibrant, full of life and poetry — are more like LASIK than rose-tinted glasses: you can see beauty, but you can also see pain. The novel tells the tale of the Catalan mountains.A widow, a poet, a roaring cloud, a chanterelle, a dog watching over its owner for the first time in years, and a valley during the Spanish Civil War. It’s captured from a series of rotating perspectives. There’s beauty and heartbreak and attention to things.The things that surround us are so forgettable that we dare even walk around and notice them for ourselves. It’s a beautiful love story and I know I’ll look to it again and again.
Emily Adams Bode Aujula, Fashion Designer: “Threads of Power”
Bard Graduate Center
“The Bard Postgraduate Center has published this very extensive book, the first volume of its kind, examining both historical and contemporary races around the world. I felt honored to do it. Conservation of lace in fashion with book publication and exhibition. “