I was thinking about doing a gift guide but I don’t really have any opinions about gifting. I tend to think of it as really personal. There’s little things people love and little quirks they have. Last year my coworker who sits three feet from me every day gave me a pair of those Hot Hands handwarmers because I am chronically freezing (low blood pressure, iron deficiency, grew up in California). it was a funny little gesture but it also felt surprisingly intimate. You learn so much about someone else from sheer physical proximity. Anyway if you want a gift guide, Rayne Fisher-Quann did a really good and extensive one with a lot of thoughtful and creative suggestions and ideas.
Instead, I decided to do a books list since about 50% of what I write about here is contemporary fiction.1 This isn’t a “best books” list. It’s a list of books I loved and largely think are criminally underrated. This is my personal National Book Award longlist if you will.
Central Places by Delia Cai (Ballantine)…