The Bibliophile's Compass

1954 " Lord of the Flies " by William Golding is published by Faber and Faber in London (UK) The plot concerns a group of prepubescent British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island and their disastrous attempts to govern themselves that led to a descent into savagery. 2019 Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes A hilarious, offbeat debut space opera that skewers everything from pop culture to video games and features an irresistible foul-mouthed captain and her motley crew, strange life forms, exciting twists, and a galaxy full of fun and adventure. 2024 Us Fools by Nora Lange A tragicomic, intimate American story of two precocious sisters coming of age during the Midwestern farm crisis of the 1980s. National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction Finalist 2015 Luna: New Moon  by Ian McDonald (UK) The novel explores the dangerous intrigue that surrounds the powerful Corta dynasty, one of the five families who control industry on the ...

Title : Grief Is the Thing with Feathers Author : Max Porter Publication Year : 2015 Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Genre : Literary Fiction, Poetic Prose, Postmodern Source : Book Opening Sentence : There’s a feather on my pillow.  Pillows are made of feathers, go to sleep. Max Porter is a unique author known for his distinctive style and structure, which he showcases in his debut novel, Grief Is the Thing with Feathers. This short novel, written in poetic form and narrated like a drama, explores the process of grief and loss through the eyes of a father—a scholar of Ted Hughes—and his two sons, along with a crow. The narrative is deeply poetic and symbolic, which may initially leave you feeling confused about its meaning. The crow's parts may seem elusive, as if its language is beyond your understanding. However, each mythical monologue, dream, and dialogue resonates profoundly, subtly touching your heart without you even realizing it. While this is not an easy read, it is undeniably beautiful. U...

   Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh ℹ️  Played out against the snowy landscape of coastal New England in the days leading up to Christmas, young Eileen’s story is told from the gimlet-eyed perspective of the now much older narrator. Creepy, mesmerizing, and sublimely funny, in the tradition of Shirley Jackson and early Vladimir Nabokov, this powerful debut novel enthralls and shocks, and introduces one of the most original new voices in contemporary literature. (Goodreads) 🏆 Awards 2015 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize (longlisted) 2015 National Book Critics Circle Awards (finalist) 2015 Shirley Jackson Award (finalist) 2016 Man Booker Prize (shortlisted) 2016 Crime Writers' Association Awards (shortlisted) 2016 Gordon Burn Prize (shortlisted) 2016 PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel (won) 2017 Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize (longlisted) The Green Road by Anne Enright ℹ️ The novel concerns the lives of the Madigan family - four children and their moth...