Today in Bookish and Literary History, January 31

 1901 Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov - RUS

The play focuses on the lives of three sisters, Olga, Masha, and Irina, young women of the Russian gentry who try to fill their days in order to construct a life that feels meaningful while surrounded by an array of military men, servants, husbands, suitors, and lovers, all of whom constitute a distraction from the passage of time and from the sisters’ desire to return to their beloved Moscow.

1948 A Perfect Day for Banana Fish by J. D. Salinger - US

Nine exceptional stories from one of the great literary voices of the twentieth century. Witty, urbane, and frequently affecting, Nine Stories sits alongside Salinger's very best work--a treasure that will passed down for many generations to come. 

1963 The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin - US

The book that galvanized the nation, gave voice to the emerging civil rights movementin the 1960s—and still lights the way to understanding race in America today. • "The finest essay I’ve ever read.” —Ta-Nehisi Coates.

2012 Home Front by Kristin Hannah - US

In her bestselling novels Kristin Hannah has plumbed the depths of friendship, the loyalty of sisters, and the secrets mothers keep. Now, in her most emotionally powerful story yet, she explores the intimate landscape of a troubled marriage with this provocative and timely portrait of a husband and wife, in love and at war.

2018 The Discomfort of Evening by Lucas Rijneveld - Netherlands

A stark and gripping tale of childhood grief from one of the most exciting new voices in Dutch literature

• WINNER OF THE 2020 INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE

2023 Night Wherever We Go by Tracey Rose Peyton - US

A gripping, radically intimate debut novel about a group of enslaved women staging a covert rebellion against their owners

2023 The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz - US

From science fiction visionary Annalee Newitz comes The Terraformers, a sweeping, uplifting, and illuminating exploration of the future.

2023 Central Places by Delia Cai - US

A young woman’s past and present collide when she brings her white fiancé home to meet her Chinese immigrant parents in this vibrant debut from an exciting new voice in fiction.