June 25, 2019
Summer picks: Feminists, super heroes, mythical seals and FBI investigations
by Christina Cerio
Trainwreck: Sady Doyle offers an essential, timely, feminist anatomy of the female trainwreck. (Think Britney Spears shaving her head, Whitney Houston saying, “crack is whack.” Where did these women come from? What are their crimes? And what does it mean for the rest of us? This book is smart, snarky, funny and compassionate. You can also have a whole summer of Sady and order Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers: Monstrosity, Patriarchy and the Fear of Female Power, which comes out this August.
The Talented Ribkins: Inspired by W. E. B. Du Bois’ famous essay “The Talented Tenth” and fueled by debut novelist Ladee Hubbard’s marvelously original imagination, this big-hearted debut novel is about race, class, politics, and the unique (and super) gifts that, while they may cause some problems from time to time, bind a family together. Nobel Prize-winner Toni Morrison writes, “For sheer reading pleasure Ladee Hubbard’s original and wildly inventive novel is in a class by itself.”

The Mueller Report: Former FBI director Robert Mueller provides a thrilling investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The inclusion of FBI agents, Russian spies, forensic accountants, and government secrets makes this sound like a juicy fictional mystery novel, but this is a real life government document and in our opinion, a spectacular beach read.
Christina Cerio is the Manager of Direct Sales & Special Projects at Melville House.