As I write this month’s column, I hear bookselling chatter and bustling holiday shoppers all around me. Before I start talking about next year’s books, I want to take this moment to thank all of you for your support this year — not just at my shop but at literary outlets all over Central Oregon. I am so grateful to live in a community that places such a high value on books and reading.
This summer at our staff retreat, we did a team-building exercise to clarify our values as individuals and find ways to support each other as a team. I led the discussion with the idea of stewardship, a core value in my life since exploring all the U.S. National Parks. But stewardship is also a value with which I approach most everything in life, including this bookstore. I believe independent bookstores belong to the community of people that supports them, and the owner and employees are caretakers, making sure these shops continue to be a place of enjoyment and refuge for everyone for years to come.
As Robin Wall Kimmerer (author of “Braiding Sweetgrass” and her newest book, “The Serviceberry”) said: “Indie bookstores are crucial wellsprings for the health of our democracy. I see them as places that nurture community and our connection to each other, where books aren’t merely commodities but the meeting point for two minds.” I couldn’t agree more.
As we look toward 2025, we intend to read books that bring joy, challenge our growth, explore nature, build community and grow our understanding of the world. We’re starting off the year with “Democracy in Retrograde” by Sami Sage and Emily Amick, and Roundabout Books is hosting a community read and workshop centered on civic engagement. After our booksellers read it this year, we thought it the perfect springboard to a community conversation.
This is the true magic of books. You never know if the next one you pick up is going to change your perspective, teach you something new or alter your approach to life. Already, 2025 is an exciting year for books. Here’s a quick peek at what’s coming:
JANUARY
One of my all-time favorite books, “The Great Gatsby” turns 100 this year. If you’ve already read most of Fitzgerald’s works, consider picking up “Sweet Fury” by Sash Bischoff in January, a thrilling debut heralded as a feminist adaption of “Tender Is the Night.”
Also in January, “All the Water in the World” by Eiren Caffall is a literary thriller that takes place partly on the roof of New York’s Museum of Natural History in a flooded future. Or try “Death of the Author” by Nnedi Okorafor, where a disabled Nigerian-American woman pens a wildly successful sci-fi novel, but as her fame rises, she loses control of the narrative — a surprisingly cutting yet heartfelt drama about art and love, identity and connection and, ultimately, what makes us human.
Later in January, the long-awaited new book from Han Kang, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, arrives. Called “We Do Not Part,” it’s a powerful look at the painful history of South Korea. A debut from Catherine Airey called “Confessions” is a mesmerizing story that examines the irresistible gravity of the past through three generations of women. Another debut, “Penitence,” by Kristin Koval, explores the complexities of family loyalty and the profound experience of forgiveness.
FEBRUARY
If love is on your mind in February, check out “Isola” by Allegra Goodman, the story of a young woman and her lover who are marooned on an island — an exhilarating and breathtaking saga of love, faith and defiance, based on a true story. Also, “This Is a Love Story” by Jessica Soffer is a love letter to New York City told through the lens of a 50-year romance.
February also brings the new TJ Klune, “The Bones Beneath My Skin,” and “Memorial Days,” the memoir by one of our favorite authors, Geraldine Brooks. There is also a debut called “Mutual Interest” by Olivia Wolfgang-Smith, a timeless queer love story about three people united by marriage, love and their budding business empire in turn-of-the-century New York City.
Don’t miss the new book by one of Bend’s favorite authors, Eowyn Ivey. “Black Woods, Blue Sky,” a “Beauty and the Beast” story that takes place in the Alaskan wilderness. Also, keep an eye on “Stone Yard Devotional” by Charlotte Wood, a 2024 Booker Prize shortlist title that makes its U.S. debut this month.
MARCH
The flood of literary gifts continues in March! One of my all-time favorite authors, Charlotte McConaghy, has a new book out called “Wild Dark Shore,” a novel about a family living alone on a remote island when a mysterious woman washes up on the shore.
“Dream State” by Eric Puchner is getting a lot of early reader attention for its exploration of the perennial pitfalls of adulthood and lauded as a wonder of character and craft.
An additional debut to check out in March is “The Persians” by Sanam Mahloudji, which explores a dysfunctional Iranian family and a complicated cultural inheritance.
That’s all I have space for today! I hope your 2025 is filled with intention and possibility and some really, really great reads. Happy New Year!
This article appears in Source Weekly December 26, 2024.
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