Greetings my cherished fellow readers!
Have you come across any new books lately? I have purchased WAY too many books in the past few months but every time I convince myself I will cut back I find more awesome books I want on my shelf ready to be read.
Small Press: Aqueduct Press
This month I want to chat with you about Aqueduct Press. I am slowly purchasing their entire catalog because of all the amazing fiction, poetry, and non-fiction they offer. They have a focus on producing quality books containing mind-bending and thought-provoking prose. From their Mission Statement page:
“Aqueduct Press dedicates itself to publishing challenging, feminist science fiction. We promise to bring our readers work that will stretch the imagination and stimulate thought.”
A mission I intend to fully support by spreading the word and putting my buying dollars in their pocket.
Title I read and loved: Elysium by Jennifer Marie Brissett
Format: Physical book I purchased.
Length: 208 pages
Book description (from the publisher’s website): A computer program etched into the atmosphere has a story to tell, the story of two people, of a city lost to chaos, of survival and love. The program’s data, however, has been corrupted. As the novel’s characters struggle to survive apocalypse, they are sustained and challenged by the demands of love in a shattered world both haunted and dangerous.
I sat down to read this book one afternoon with the intention of just reading a few chapters. Instead I polished it off in one sitting and immediately turned back to page one to start again. This book sticks with you long after you finish as you consider the magnitude of what Brissett has put forth in her novel. The fluidity of gender and relation between two people is handled with incredibly finesse and never once caused a break in the story or world for me.
Title I am looking forward to next: The Stone Boatmen by Sarah Tolmie
Format: Physical book sitting on my shelf (purchased by me)
Length: 312 pages
Book description (from publisher’s website): Tolmie tells a tale of three cities, separated by oceans, lost to one another long ago: the first, the city of rituals, of ceremonies; the second, the city of words, of poetry; and the third, the city of the golden birds, of dreams. In their harbors stand the stone boatmen, pointing outward toward the unknown. Now the birds are fostering a new-found relationship of the three cities of the ancestors, and the voyages of the ship Aphelion and its crew are beginning to rebuild the links.
This book has received wonderful reviews from Ursula K. Le Guin, Nancy Hightower with The Washington Post, and a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly. The premise is incredibly intriguing and I find myself wondering what these cities have in store for me.
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I hope you check out the above titles and more from Aqueduct Press, I know you won’t be disappointed! Until next time happy readers, go forth and remember to keep searching Beyond the Front Tables.