? UNDER THE LAMPLIGHT-

As the cacophony of New Year’s Eve celebrations reverberate around the city, some might find solace ushering in the new year in calmer settings away from the bustling parties — perhaps through the quiet embrace of a good book? Jumpstart your New Year’s resolution to read more with the crème de la crème of 2023 book lists.

If you want a more extensive list, have a look at The New York Times, The Guardian, Time Magazine, and The New Yorker.

#1-The Bee Sting by Paul Murrayfollows the story of the Barnes, a formerly rich Irish family reeling from the fallout of the 2008 financial crisis. Each member of the Barnes family is forced to grapple with their new economic reality — the father sells parts of his car dealership business, the mother her jewelry online — all while navigating a firestorm of inner turmoil and the bleak multiplier effect of material misfortune.

#2- The Guest by Emma Cline is about maneuvering economic precarity as a young woman in the West with access to the luxuries of the wealthy, but only under certain conditions. The novel follows the story of Alex, an attractive young woman who mistakenly embarrasses her wealthy lover and is kicked out of his Long Island beach house. Alex is resolved to find a way back into his life — and the comforts he provides — and decides to float around the wealthy Long Island suburb until then. In her journey, she finds herself entrenched among the affluent residents of the New York suburb, popping into various social engagements, parties and clubs in search of security but leaves a dark trail of lies and manipulation in her wake. Read our review of the book here.

#3- The Fraud by Zadie Smith brings to life a real-world 19th century trial in which a man was accused of posing as a nobleman in England and making a claim to an inherited fortune. Smith’s first work of historical fiction follows Eliza Touchet, a housekeeper who closely follows the scammer’s quest to lay claim to this inheritance and how he manages to garner a substantial following along the way. His supporters are convinced that any legal measures taken against him is a plot orchestrated by shadowy elites looking to deny him of what he is owed. Stark parallels to the life of a certain former president of a contemporary global superpower and an incisive critique of the relationship between England and Jamaica can be found throughout. Check out our review of the book here.

#4- King: A Life by Jonathan Eig builds a comprehensive biography of late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. King is the first of its kind in three decades and utilizes newly released information and interviews to create a more complete understanding of the legendary civil rights hero. Eig traces King’s journey from his early life in Atlanta, Georgia to his assassination in a Memphis hotel in 1968 and beyond. One of the most compelling parts of this new retelling is the extensive wiretapping and surveillance conducted by the FBI to monitor King’s conversations and fraught personal affairs.

#5- Cobalt Red by Siddharth Kara zeroes in on the sobering reality behind the mining operations that power our devices. Cobalt is essential to the manufacturing of many of the electronic devices we enjoy today. More than half of the world’s cobalt reserves are in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where people work in extremely unsafe conditions for abysmally low wages to extract the mineral. Kara takes a hard look at the harrowing mining industry and explains how the legacies of colonialism and autocratic control of the DRC has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises — all while major tech companies continue to get rich off exploitatively mined resources.

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