Books
416 results
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BSR Book Week staff recommendations: Reading as resistance
Reading is a form of protest. Join us!
In honor of our third annual BSR Book Week, the BSR team offers book recommendations on a theme: reading as an act of resistance. These books inspire us, help us focus and understand the world, and even help us stay fed and rested.
Previews
7 minute read
Kayala’s Southern Thai Kitchen: A Cookbook, by Nok Suntaranon with Natalie Jesionka
An authentic yet accessible guide for home cooks inspired by Kalaya
In Kayala’s Southern Thai Kitchen: A Cookbook, acclaimed chef Nok Suntaranon shares the flavors of her award-winning Kalaya restaurant with home cooks who want to try their hand at authentic Southern Thai cuisine. An Nichols reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
The romantasy genre subverts women’s agency when we need it the most
Is romantasy regressive?
The new romantasy genre—a mashup of romance and fantasy wildly popular with women—is actually full of regressive themes that deny women’s agency and political stakes. Chhaya Nayyar considers.
Essays
5 minute read
Philadelphia: A Narrative History, by Paul Kahan
Understanding our city’s history is key to grappling with America’s present
From the Delaware Valley’s earliest inhabitants to the “reform” movements and anti-urbanism of today, Philadelphia: A Narrative Historyis a window on the American experiment—especially as centuries-old attitudespersist. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.
Reviews
6 minute read
Mendell Station, by J. B. Hwang
A touching story about grief, friendship, and working-class life in the pandemic
J.B. Hwang’s debut novel, out this July, follows a woman who upends her career as she grieves for her best friend, exploring female friendship and working-class lives in the early days of Covid. Krista Mar reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Theatres of the Body: Dance and Discourse in Antebellum Philadelphia, by Lynn Matluck Brooks
A charged history through the lens of dance
In Theatres of the Body, professor, editor, author, and dance scholar Lynn Matluck Brooks dives into a history of Philadelphia, and the America it influenced, through the lens of dance in the 19th century. Kimberly Haas reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
minato sketches, by Sharon White
A tsunami of musings
Temple professor and multi-genre writer Sharon White’s latest work of fiction, minato sketches, takes the reader on a rich and poetic interior journey with a woman recovering from stroke. Crystal Sparrow reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits, by Jennifer Weiner
No-one gets you like your sister
Jennifer Weiner’s latest
novel follows two sisters from Philly who achieve pop-music stardom in the
early 2000s that leads to an estrangement in the present day. It’s a relatable
story of sisters, mothers, lovers, and the search for self. Emily Savidge
reviews
Reviews
2 minute read
Thomas Sully’s Philadelphians: Painting the Athens of America, by Peter Conn
The painter who captured Philly at the center of American culture
Notable historian, professor, and author Peter Conn reflects on Philly as the Athens of America in his illuminating and rewarding new book exploring the work of 19th-century portraitist Thomas Sully, and the city he lived in. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Reviews
5 minute read
Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present Day, By Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett
An illustrated history of trans lives, from pharaohs and emperors to the present day
A new graphic novel from Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett tackles the vast, varied, and longstanding history of trans folks around the world, combatting the ongoing erasure of trans lives. Rachel Bellwoar reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read