The Red Balloon (Le ballon rouge) Directed by Albert Lamorisse. Starring Pascal Lamorisse. 34min One of the most beloved short films of all time, T he Red Balloon is as vibrant and joyous now as it must have been in 1956. The bright titular balloon follows a young boy through a grim post war Paris,
An emotional powerhouse of a novel about a modern Odysseus returning to a 1950s America mined with lethal pitfalls for an unwary Black man. Page count: 160
It’s an ordinary Thursday morning for Arthur Dent…until his house gets demolished. The Earth follows shortly after to make way for a new hyperspace express route, and Arthur’s best friend has just announced that he’s an alien. After that, things get much, much worse… Page count: 320
Notes on Grief is an exquisite work of meditation, remembrance, and hope, written in the wake of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s beloved father’s death in the summer of 2020. It is a book for this moment—a work readers will treasure and share now more than ever—and yet will prove durable and timeless, an
The Founding Fathers tried to protect us from the threat they knew, the tyranny that overcame ancient democracy. Today, our political order faces new threats and we are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism, or communism. Our one advantage is that we might learn from
John Kenney is back with a collection that tackles the hilarity of life in the office. From waiting in line for the printer and revising spreadsheet after spreadsheet, to lukewarm coffee, office politics, and the daily patterns of your most annoying—and lovable—coworkers, Kenney masterfully captures
In this blazingly smart and voracious debut, an artist turned stay-at-home mom becomes convinced she’s turning into a dog. An outrageously original novel of ideas about art, power, and womanhood wrapped in a satirical fairy tale, Nightbitch will make you want to howl in laughter and recognition. And
Mariana Enriquez has been critically lauded for her unconventional and sociopolitical stories of the macabre. Written with a resounding tenderness toward those in pain, in fear, and in limbo, The Dangers of Smoking in Bed is Enriquez at her most sophisticated, and most chilling. Page count: 208
The first book in the Nanette Hayes Mystery series introduces us to jazz-loving, street busker Nanette, whose love life leads her into some very hot water. Page count: 192
The sweeping, unforgettable story of an interracial couple in 1990s New York City who are determined to protect their love against all odds—a reimagining of Romeo and Juliet. Page count: 192