Patricia Lockwood’s Will There Ever Be Another You, takes place during a global pandemic and follows one young woman as she grapples with a devastating family loss and a mystifying disease. In this brain-shredding, illuminating story, Lockwood depicts one woman’s dissolution and her attempt to create a new way of thinking. The novel is a profound investigation into what keeps us alive in times of unprecedented disorientation and grief, from one of our most original writers.
Kiran Desai’s The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny follows two young people as they navigate the many forces that shape their lives: nation, class, race, history, and their intersections. Unsure of their future prospects, Sonia and Sunny search for happiness together while confronting the alienation of modern life. At once a love story, a family saga, and a rich novel of ideas, Desai is truly one of our greatest novelists.
It’s the summer of 1975, and Barbara Van Laar is missing from camp. She’s the daughter of a wealthy family that owns the camp and employs a large chunk of the local population, and her disappearance mirrors that of her older brother, who vanished 14 years prior. Once the search begins, a thrilling drama that weaves together multi-threaded storylines unfolds, offering readers a rich tapestry of characters who belong to a dynasty of secrets and second chances in Liz Moore’s The God of the Woods.
Set in 1932, Shadow Ticket by Thomas Pynchon follows Milwaukee private eye Hick McTaggart. He thinks he’s found job security until he’s sent out on what should be a routine case, locating and bringing back the heiress of a Wisconsin cheese fortune who’s missing with a clarinet player. He’s soon abducted, and finds himself in Hungary. Adventure ensues with entanglements and troubles with everything from Nazi sympathizers, an FBI scheme, swing musicians, and outlaw bikers.
In Giving Up Is Unforgivable, A Manual for Keeping Democracy, author Joyce Vance offers a blueprint for avoiding burnout and despair during turbulent political times. Vance’s message is hopeful at its heart, even as it acknowledges the daunting challenges that lie ahead. In this book, Vance explains our current moment by detailing the legal context and political history that brought us to this moment. Consider this the birth of a countermovement to Project 2025.
What if Americans are thinking about freedom all wrong? Yale historian and New York Times #1 bestseller Timothy Snyder explores this question in On Freedom. In this gripping intellectual journey, Snyder challenges our common understanding of freedom, and highlights the ways in which others attempt to take our freedom through anger and fear mongering, and what we can do to take it back. After all, freedom is the value that makes all other values possible.
For more than 20 years, Symposium Books has been downtown Providence’s go-to for books, vinyl, fun merch, and conversation. Named after the ancient Greek dialogue by Plato, the elegant storefront on Westminster Street has built a solid reputation for its stellar selection of new, used, and bargain books across various genres – including independent presses, academic publishers, and art publishers. Shelves are filled with a diverse range of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, which promote differing voices and perspectives. “Symposium Books is known for fostering a welcoming environment for book lovers in a cozy space,” says Scott McCullough, who co-owns the business with wife Anne Marie Keohane. “Also, check out our highly-curated vinyl section. Plus keep an eye out for our author events, book clubs, silent book clubs, music nights, and other events.”
240 Westminster Street, Providence
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