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Dreams of Escape
A grieving young woman in the 1980s Midwest longs to escape her life and complete her dead uncle’s unfinished computer game... -
Crimes of the Heart
There is a bit of tugging at the heartstrings this week. We celebrate the happy return of a prize-winning Scottish novelist with... -
Taking Place
This week, we have two novels featured in upcoming events at The Center: a gorgeous and poignant story about sisters in Brazil... -
Life Lessons
This week features three novelists with well-earned reputations for offering tips on living. We have the return, after a decade... -
Care and Feeding
Three of this week’s books concern London: an investigation into a mysterious death; a novel exploring friendship and the... -
Almost Famous
Three novels this week touch on fame: we have a slim yet potent book concerning a famous, aging writer; a group of midlife female... -
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The five novels this week introduce characters—parents, siblings, friends, and enemies—who span a wide range of circumstances... -
Larger Than Life
Two of The Center’s upcoming programs launch books from this week’s selection: a much-anticipated conversation with a... -
Fierce Attachments
The week’s selection consists of five novels whose characters create powerful bonds that define their lives -
Through It All
The five books this week remind us how, despite life’s obstacles, we carry on. Whether through a memoir composed of staccato... -
Going to Great Lengths
One does not have to write a long book to be worthy of acclaim. But readers increasingly seek out books of a certain length—whether... -
Place Settings
Sometimes I read based on the setting—location and circumstance can be very persuasive. In the four novels below you’ll find... -
(Self) Discovery
This week’s selection provides much for readers to discover. There are two novels marked by comic genius–one set in the Middle... -
Internal Affairs
Five very different novels address the various ways fictional characters tackle the challenges before them—and change both... -
Transitions
We are delighted to launch two of the books below at The Center—one about a freelancing poet questioning his life, the other... -
It’s a Mad, Mad World
The stories in this selection offer a bit of unhinged pleasure as well as discomfort. There is madness in the form of a Scandinavian... -
A Closer Look
Soul-searching runs through the work of this week’s five authors, each seeking answers to profound questions about how to live -
The Human Condition
The characters gathered here are a group of eccentrics: maladjusted, often at a crossroads, skeptical about life, unsure of their... -
The Nightlighters: 2025 Selections
Featuring titles by Halle Butler, Jennifer Belle, Laila Lalami, Katie Kitamura, Joe Westmoreland, Sophie Kemp, Katie Yee, Julia... -
The Literarians: 2025 Selections
Featuring titles by Sally Rooney, Tommy Orange, Rachel Kushner, Ferdia Lennon, Tony Tulathimutte, Karen Russell, Abdulrazak Gurnah...