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Wednesday, June 23rd 2021
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Some email providers, including Gmail, may "clip" this newsletter.
To view our complete newsletter, click "view entire message" at the bottom of your screen!
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Chicago is currently in PHASE 5, and Unabridged will now operate at regular full capacity. Remember, you can order online or by phone for pickup at the front door, curbside pickup, or to have your order shipped to you. For our full list of guidelines, click here.
Regular Hours:
Open Everyday: 10am - 7pm
for In-Store Shopping and Pickup!
For orders placed online, you will be notified by email when your order is ready;
please wait for your confirmation email &
read carefully before coming to the store for pickup!
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It has been one year since the murder of George Floyd, and one year since Unabridged Bookstore made a year-long commitment to each month support and contribute to organizations that work towards achieving racial justice in America, as well as promoting social, environmental and economic justice. From June 2020 thru May 2021, Unabridged Bookstore has contributed over $22,000 to 21 different organizations, and we are now re-dedicating our ongoing commitment to support these kinds of organizations each month. Thank you for joining us in this commitment.
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To honor the Black Lives Matter movement, and as part of our commitment to promoting the work of activists & organizations engaged in the fight for environmental justice and against systemic racism, social injustice, hunger, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia, we are contributing to Equal Justice Initiative and Young, Black & Lit this month. Click above to read more about each organization and how they work to achieve meaningful and lasting change in our community, then make your own contribution! For more info about previous months' partnerships, and to read our full statement, click here!
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Winner of the Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing, Rajiv Mohabir's Antiman is an impassioned, genre-blending memoir that navigates the fraught constellations of race, sexuality, and cultural heritage that have shaped his experiences as an Indo-Guyanese queer poet and immigrant to the United States. Click to join!
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Pride is all year long at Unabridged, but we love the month of June when everyone joins the celebration!
Take a look at some of our reading recommendations for new books by and for the LGBTQ+ community and all our allies. Click here to see more!
Happy Pride from the Unabridged Bookstore Staff!
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The characters at the heart of this elegant storm of stories are ablaze with risk and tenderness. Their voices are bright and clear, the contours of their pains and desires sharp and urgent. A profoundly gifted writer.
-Laura Van Den Berg
A group portrait of young adults enmeshed in desire and violence, a hotly charged, deeply satisfying new work of fiction from the author of Booker Prize finalist Real Life
In the series of linked stories at the heart of Filthy Animals, set among young creatives in the American Midwest, a young man treads delicate emotional waters as he navigates a series of sexually fraught encounters with two dancers in an open relationship, forcing him to weigh his vulnerabilities against his loneliness. In other stories, a young woman battles with the cancers draining her body and her family; menacing undercurrents among a group of teenagers explode in violence on a winter night; a little girl tears through a house like a tornado, driving her babysitter to the brink; and couples feel out the jagged edges of connection, comfort, and cruelty.
One of the breakout literary stars of 2020, Brandon Taylor has been hailed by Roxane Gay as “a writer who wields his craft in absolutely unforgettable ways.” With Filthy Animals he renews and expands on the promise made in Real Life, training his precise and unsentimental gaze on the tensions among friends and family, lovers and others. Psychologically taut and quietly devastating, Filthy Animals is a tender portrait of the fierce longing for intimacy, the lingering presence of pain, and the desire for love in a world that seems, more often than not, to withhold it.
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Six critically acclaimed, bestselling, and award-winning authors bring the glowing warmth and electricity of Black teen love to this interlinked novel of charming, hilarious, and heartwarming stories that shine a bright light through the dark.
A summer heatwave blankets New York City in darkness. But as the city is thrown into confusion, a different kind of electricity sparks...
A first meeting. Long-time friends. Bitter exes. And maybe the beginning of something new. When the lights go out, people reveal hidden truths. Love blossoms, friendship transforms, and new possibilities take flight.
Beloved authors--Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon--celebrate the beauty of six couples and the unforgettable magic that can be found on a sweltering starry night in the city.
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Through countless ripped-from-the-headlines examples, ' The Impostors' paints a grim picture of a political party in which the kids have taken over the grown-up table and the responsible adults are nowhere to be seen. - Washington Post
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The Netanyahus is constructed with a brilliant comic grace that moves from the sly to the exuberant. Some scenes are funny beyond belief. But even when moments in the book are sharp or melancholy, they keep an undertone of witty and ironic observation. The vision in this book is deeply original, making clear what a superb writer Joshua Cohen is. -Colm Tóibín
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The New Wilderness left me as stunned as a deer in headlights. Gut-wrenching and heart-wrecking, this is a book that demands to be read, and urgently. With beauty and compassion, Diane Cook writes about the precariousness of life on this planet, about the things that make us human — foremost the love between mothers and daughters, at once complex and elemental. Cook observes humanity as a zoologist might — seeing us exactly as the strange animals we really are. -Rachel Khong, author of Goodbye, Vitamin
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Vitally important and written with intelligence and insight, this book is an essential companion for anyone seeking to understand racism, on the journey towards an anti-racist future.
-Jeffrey Boakye, author of Black, Listed
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Transmutation is an eerie darling of a collection. Alex DiFrancesco has written stories here that are so unearthly they feel as if they have gossamer wings, characters lifting off the page to hold court in startling three-dimensional life. Some playful, some terrifying, all crafted with care—Transmutation is the kind of story collection that will stick with you for days after reading. DiFrancesco is a radiant talent. -Kristen Arnett, author of With Teeth and Mostly Dead Things
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With astonishing reporting and gripping prose, Ronan Farrow tells the powerful story of the gutting of American diplomacy…War on Peace is an indispensable and fascinating revelation of what diplomats actually do for our country and why undermining them is so dangerous. Farrow is a riveting storyteller with a great eye for colorful characters. This is one of the most important books of our time. -Walter Isaacson
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Alka Joshi is a master story-teller. I was completely mesmerized by The Secret Keeper of Jaipur and could not put it down! It is a story of love, family, money and power, told with such poise, beauty and page-turning suspense... It touched my heart and it will stay with me for a long time.
-Christy Lefteri, author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo.
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Cody Lee's screenplay, The Everys, is hilarious and sharp. What Lee understands is that the identity-neutral family television experience production studios sell to us is dangerous. Here, Lee exaggerates neutrality until it reveals all of its sharp edges in this masterful screenplay.
-José Olivarez, author of Citizen Illegal
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What if your most wounded, immature, rude, self-destructive, and antisocial habits were forgotten when a twelve-year-old walked into your life, saying 'Love me'? This page-turner had me laughing out loud at Skye's acid tongue and thoughts, and yet without abandoning the barbs it unearths--and earns--something like grace. Full of vivid women, each complex and funny as hell, Skye Falling reads like a hot summer jam, and it adds up to a lively, full meal. -Quiara Alegría Hudes, author of My Broken Language
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Between Everything and Nothing vividly dramatizes what the world needs to know about the tragic effects of our corrupt and dehumanizing immigration system. Though harrowing, the story of Seidu Mohammed and Razak Iyal is also deeply inspiring, revealing how two powerless but fiercely courageous asylum seekers, battered by years of injustice and cruelty, held fast to their religious faith, their dignity, and their love and hope for humanity.
-Sigrid Nunez, author of The Friend
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With a poet’s rhythms and thrilling attunement to how to bend and play with language, Mohabir tells a rich and layered story of sexuality, family, culture, and what it is to come into your own.
-The Boston Globe
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A subtle portrait of small-town Ireland; an unblinking study of shame & homophobia; a map of cultural shifts between 1980s & now; a kind, wise, perceptive novel by an author rich in these qualities. -David Mitchell
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Mike Rothschild cleverly traces a through-line from the Capitol riot back to QAnon... This is not a book that will bring your Q-crazed relative back from the brink, but it will provide the context to ensure that you understand the movement far more than they could ever hope to. -AV Club
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Beautifully crafted, emotionally resonant, and profoundly moving. Asako Serizawa imbues her characters with so much depth and generosity that I felt as if I were reading about people I already knew and loved. An intensely powerful book by a writer with endless talent.
-Molly Antopol, author of The UnAmericans
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Who can resist a novel about a Buddhist Boot Camp for Bad Girls? This debut is funny, whip-smart and transcendently wise about friendship, family, lust and love. -Jenny Offill, author of Weather and Dept. of Speculation
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It's time to learn your history, darling! David's storytelling and research bring to life the deep connections between masculinity and mascara! The idea of what a man is has changed throughout time, and keeps changing...so smear on some eyeshadow, draw on a lip, and bring out the "Pretty Boy" inside!
-Sasha Velour, Drag Queen Extraordinaire
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Illuminating the political perils we are facing today, Twilight of Democracy explains why democracies around the world are turning to nationalism and authoritarianism. This sobering account of the roots and forms of today’s authoritarianism, by one of its most accomplished observers, is meant as a warning to everyone— “given the right conditions, any society can turn against democracy.” Appelbaum’s persuasive and sobering analysis shows how people come to embrace conspiracy theories, fascist rhetoric, xenophobic scapegoating, and apocalyptic ideologies, and how people’s feelings of nostalgia and cultural despair are manipulated by demagogues like Donald Trump in America and Viktor Orbán in Hungary, and slick, political opportunists like Boris Johnson in England, for their own purposes. This cogent book-length essay, a rational, necessarily dark take on the rise and appeal of the radical right, is perfect for this moment, as we try to understand the events of January 6 and the storming of the Capitol, where we saw first hand democracy under siege. Ed loved and highly recommends!
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I really enjoyed this odd thriller about crotchety once-acclaimed author Gerry Anderson, bedridden after an injury and cared for by his nurse Aileen. In extreme pain, Gerry is given drugs and soon begins being contacted by one of his fictional characters. This unsettling story kept me guessing as the real life mystery and the apparent murders unfold through a painkiller haze. The resolution of the book won't appeal to all mystery fans, but the end sure stuck with me. Once again, Lippman brings us strong characters, a great story, and a Baltimore setting. Owen recommends!
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This wonderfully strange and affecting novel is narrated by a voice from the dead. Kazu, a construction worker from Fukushima, has died and his ghost is doomed to haunt Tokyo’s Ueno Park. Unlike most ghost stories from the traditional horror genre, Miri relies less on fright and more on nuance and tenderness. Through the splintered narrative, Miri explores many themes framed by a narrative of loss; the death of family members, the chasmic divide between the wealthy and the poor, the mistreatment of homeless populations, and the regrets of a life only half-lived. Melancholy and dream-like, this slim but poignant book is a wonder to read. Shane loves!
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A riveting and chilling novel from the author of Eileen and My Year of Rest & Relaxation, Death in Her Hands is narrated by Vesta Gul, a 72-year old widow who lives alone in an old cabin with her dog, Charlie. One morning while on her usual walk in the woods that surround her property, Vesta comes across a cryptic note, suggesting that a woman named Magda has been murdered. The discovery sends Vesta on a terrifying mission to solve the mystery of Magda’s death and bring her killer to justice. As Vesta’s investigation leads her to imagine an entire life for the girl she’s never met, both Vesta and the reader begin to lose track of what’s real and what is the product of Vesta’s increasingly unreliable narration. Suspenseful, thrilling, and infused with what has become Moshfegh’s signature black humor, Death in Her Hands is both engrossing and enjoyable! Chad recommends!
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With Teeth took me to a seedy Florida lesbian bar, handed me a flat beer with lipstick on the rim, and told me a story I couldn't walk away from even if I tried. An exquisitely unsettling, brilliantly layered, darkly funny novel that'll make you question your own perceptions.
-Casey McQuiston, author of Red, White & Royal Blue
From the author of the New York Times-bestselling sensation Mostly Dead Things a surprising and moving story of two mothers, one difficult son, and the limitations of marriage, parenthood, and love.
If she's being honest, Sammie Lucas is scared of her son. Working from home in the close quarters of their Florida house, she lives with one wary eye peeled on Samson, a sullen, unknowable boy who resists her every attempt to bond with him. Uncertain in her own feelings about motherhood, she tries her best--driving, cleaning, cooking, prodding him to finish projects for school--while growing increasingly resentful of Monika, her confident but absent wife. As Samson grows from feral toddler to surly teenager, Sammie's life begins to deteriorate into a mess of unruly behavior, and her struggle to create a picture-perfect queer family unravels. When her son's hostility finally spills over into physical aggression, Sammie must confront her role in the mess--and the possibility that it will never be clean again.
Blending the warmth and wit of Arnett's breakout hit, Mostly Dead Things, with a candid take on queer family dynamics, With Teeth is a thought-provoking portrait of the delicate fabric of family--and the many ways it can be torn apart.
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Take a sarcastic gay uncle, his feisty young niece and nephew, a house in Palm Springs with a pool and fancy toilet, add lots of laughter, a few tears, and you have The Guncle! This new book by Steven Rowley keeps us laughing as we participate in this family's summer while they try to deal with loss, find their inner strength, and learn to keep going. While this book kept me laughing throughout, it also asks "When do we stop being a kid and how do we continue life after a tragic loss?" The Guncle reminds us how important family and friends can be in times of loss and how a child's youthful outlook can remind us that life is worth living, not just enduring. Patrick recommends!
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Acclaimed poet Ocean Vuong's much anticipated novel is a thing of shimmering, stunning beauty. A logical extension of the themes of his poetry, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is at its core a coming-of-age tale, but woven within are the complexities of the immigrant experience and the familial secrets and traumas that both bind and burden family members. The story is a haunted one; memories presented as vignettes flicker in and out and pass through the reader like ghosts, offering a glimpse of a life: a queer sexual awakening, a family secret, an act of violence, the trauma of war, a lie exposed, a love lost. The prose is what you'd expect from someone as accomplished as Vuong; in fact, there are many individual paragraphs that could work as stand alone poems, and Vuong even switches to poetry at one point to tell his story, because poetry is the only way to tell it. Tender and aching, with On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, Vuong tears through the pain to expose the radiant heart of his tale, and what a magnificent heart it is. Shane recommends!
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Remember that there is no membership requirement to attend our meetings - just pick up your copy of the book in the shop, and come ready for friendly discussion. To maintain a safe environment for discussion, book clubs will continue to hold meetings via Zoom.
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*A club for all things speculative – from Science Fiction, to Fantasy, and maybe even a pinch of Horror*
Join us every 1st Monday of the month for a serious discussion of cool speculative works, or to just geek out over the pewpewlaserbeam! From cutting edge to classics, the goal is to have fun and explore as far as exploration will go!
This month's selection: Ubik by Philip K. Dick! Join the Speculative Book Club on Monday, July 5th at 7:30pm!
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Join our Fiction Book Club in a monthly meeting to discuss a wide array of literary fiction. With an eclectic mix of authors, themes, periods, and styles, this group will explore both classic and contemporary literature. Email matt@unabridgedbookstore.com for more info, or click here to sign up.
Join the Fiction Book Club to discuss The Divers' Game by Jesse Ball on Tuesday, July 13th at 7:30pm!
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*A club where no one takes themself too seriously*
Join us in reading fun and exciting YA and New Adult books every 3rd Monday of the month. Grab a glass of your favorite wine and be ready to laugh, chat, and discuss the new new! Email unabridgedbookstore@gmail.com, for more info, or click here to sign up.
Join the Winers Book Club to discuss Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan on Monday, July 19th at 7:30pm!
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A reading group focusing on literature through a queer lens, hosted monthly at Chicago’s premier bookstore for the LGBTQ+ community. Alternating between the “classics” of gay fiction and contemporary, historically underrepresented voices, we read to explore queer experience across literary genres and eras! Email matt@unabridgedbookstore.com for more info, or click here to sign up.
This month's selection: You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat! Join the Queer Book Club on Tuesday, July 27th at 7:30pm!
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To maintain a safe environment we will continue to host author events, readings, and book club meetings via Zoom. Click below to begin an order and to sign up to participate in these upcoming events!
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Freeing yourself was one thing,
claiming ownership of that freed self was another.
This year we are celebrating the life and legacy of Toni Morrison with a monthly reading initiative. Among her many honors, Morrison was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Nobel Prize in Literature. She was also the first black female editor at Random House before gaining acclaim for her own writing. This month's featured title is Beloved, Morrison's magnificent Pulitzer Prize-winning novel:
Staring unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery, this spellbinding novel transforms history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby. Sethe, its protagonist, was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but eighteen years later she is still not free. She has too many memories of Sweet Home, the beautiful farm where so many hideous things happened. And Sethe's new home is haunted by the ghost of her baby, who died nameless and whose tombstone is engraved with a single word: Beloved. Filled with bitter poetry and suspense as taut as a rope, Beloved" is a towering achievement.
Each month for the rest of the year, we will choose one of Morrison’s eleven novels to feature. Each month’s chosen title will be 10% off, so get a copy and read along! Read more or to order Beloved click here!
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Gift Cards are available for purchase on our website, by phone, and in-store, and can be used to shop the same ways! We can mail a gift card to you, to your friends and family, or we can hold it here in the shop where it will be ready on your next visit. Click here to send a Gift Card!
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Another great way to support indie bookstores, sign up at Libro.fm! Check out this list of featured audiobooks, and Libro.fm will give 100% of the sale to support Unabridged!
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And don’t forget to share what you’re reading! Follow us and share your thoughts on:
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