8 Favorite Books We Read This Year

iQ84 by Haruki Murakami

This intricate novel takes its time setting up a world of its own, pulling you in more and more every page you turn. iQ84 takes you into a 1984 Tokyo where reality can unnervingly split into parallel universes as seamlessly as changing train tracks. Murakami leaves us suspended with no ground beneath our feet in a world of magic and quantic manifestations, only to be pulled back down to a linear plot line by the powerful connection two resilient characters share.

Murakami unleashes his creativity & writes a powerful timeless story. Its this kind of work that makes him a Nobel Prize contender year after year.

Recommended by Julia de la Torre

I Love Dick by Chris Kraus

I Love Dick is, in part autobiographical, and in part a work of fiction. It is an exploration of female desire that can be read as a manifesto, a revelation. Eileen Myles says: "I Love Dick is one of the most exhilarating books of the last century" and I could not agree more.

Recommended by Paula de la Torre

Salt by Nayyirah Waheed Theres is not much information online about Nayyirah’s life, but look no further than Salt for a rich, honest, gut wrenchingly powerful autobiography of what it is to be a woman of color— a daughter of Africa and the patriarchic world— healing from the geopolitical past of her ancestry and trying to make sense of life. Salt will have you falling in love with poetry again, and will continue to work its way into your heart the more you read through its pages. Recommended by Julia de la Torre

Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski Come As You Are: No other book has taught me more about [female] sexuality, it is straightforward and at the same time eye-opening. Potentially life-changing. Simply put: it has become my bible. Recommended by Paula de la Torre

A Brief History of Everything By Ken Wilber Wilber takes us through a journey of examining human evolution from matter to life to mind to spirit on a cultural, biological, geographical and sociopolitical scale. He manages to take a step back and look at the big picture of our history and place in the universe, and paints it back for us to behold. In analyzing recurring patterns in human evolution and behavior, we can learn much about our current predicaments in the world—and the direction we must take if "global transformation" is to become a reality. This book is a must read for anyone interested in the world and their place within it. Recommended by Julia de la Torre

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcom Gladwell Mr. Gladwell, the masterful storyteller, takes us through a series of stories and phenomenons to find what lies at the heart of success. What was once thought to be an X will become a surprising Y in this spellbinding book from the New York Times’ best selling author. Recommended by Tanner Maroney

Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think by George Lakoff 2016 saw perhaps the most politically divisive election in American history. For those who want to understand how we reached this current state and how best to proceed consider Moral Politics, now in its fourth edition, your new Bible. Recommended by Tanner Maroney

Americanah By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Americanah is told through the gaze of a young Nigerian woman who’s just immigrated to America. The culture shock, financial hardships, and racism she’s endured have left her feeling like she has “cement in her soul.” In her attempt to wash away her heritage, accent, and even her natural hair, she finds her path. A witty, courageous and incredibly empowered story. Recommended by Julia de la Torre

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