Starred Review Roundup (5/20/2024)

Stars all around! These titles all received multiple starred reviews:

HIP-HOP IS HISTORY by Questlove
9780374614072| 6/11/24

“A memorable, masterful history of the first 50 years of an indelible American art form . . . While the author’s knowledge of hip-hop is as deep as any musicologist, it’s his passion for certain artists and songs that sets him apart. Questlove’s instincts as a superfan and artist take this history beyond the hype to something very special.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“This is a must-read for music lovers, cultural history buffs, and hip-hop fans, a work that provides valuable insights into pivotal artistic and community movements that will continue to shape our world. Questlove’s illuminating and insightful survey is as personal as it is expert.”—Booklist, starred review

IN TONGUES by Thomas Grattan
9780374608187| 5/21/24

“A young gay man grows from a life of ‘reckless impulses’ into a reflective adult in this affecting novel . . .  Gordon is 24, raised in Minneapolis by working-class parents who don’t like each other. It’s 2001, before the 9/11 attacks, when he lights out for New York City after having been dumped by his boyfriend—with the help of $200 he stole from said boyfriend . . . It was a wise choice to have Gordon narrate the novel, and he has a memorable voice: funny, dark, and eventually chastened . . . This story of a miscreant who grows up will stick with you long after the last page.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“In this fine, affecting novel, Grattan’s subtle, true portrayals and sharp dialogue make a highly enjoyable read even more so.”—Booklist, starred review

PARADE by Rachel Cusk
9780374610043| 6/18/24

“The stories of a half-dozen different artists, each identified solely by the initial G, investigate the nature of art, artists, reality, and family relationships . . .  Simmering underneath all the stories and talk is the desolate sense of how alone people can be even, perhaps particularly, in the most intimate relationships—existential issues by no means limited to those who make art. Cusk’s prose is diamond-sharp, as are her insights. Short and intense, crammed with desperately human characters and much food for thought.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“A writer is the focus of Cusk’s acclaimed Outline trilogy . . . Shifting from first person to second and third in narrations of poetic nuance and forthright assertions, Cusk’s haunted characters grapple with arresting and provocative conundrums pertaining to creativity, self, recognition, gender, motherhood, love, and death.”—Booklist, starred review

THE WEDDING PEOPLE by Alison Espach
9781250899576| 7/30/24

“Espach’s latest (after NOTES ON YOUR SUDDEN DISAPPEARANCE) brings Phoebe Stone to an exclusive small hotel in Newport, RI, where she quickly discovers that everyone else is there for a six-day, million-dollar wedding extravaganza. Phoebe is there to kill herself . . . Phoebe has no qualms about telling the wedding’s bride, Lila, why she is there, and Lila is as incensed—a suicide during her wedding week is not on the agenda . . . Sometimes, it is easier to confide in a relative stranger than a loved one, and both women learn quite a bit about each other during the wedding week. Witty dialogue is just a bonus in this engrossing read centering on complex women making life-changing decisions.”—Library Journal, starred review

“Phoebe Stone has always wanted to stay at the Cornwall Inn in Newport, Rhode Island. She envisioned visiting with her husband, but now he’s left her for a colleague at the college where they both teach, so she goes to the Cornwall alone, intent on killing herself . . . Espach (NOTES ON YOUR SUDDEN DISSAPEARANCE) has penned a keenly observed novel about depression, love, the ways women make themselves small, and how one woman got over it. Fully realized and completely memorable.”—Booklist, starred review

THE SKY ON FIRE by Jenn Lyons
9781250342003| 7/9/24

“A heist threatens to shake an empire in this stand-alone work of epic fantasy . . . This novel grabs a bunch of now-classic fantasy tropes and gives them a good shake; meanwhile, the heist story sticks fairly close to its classic tropes—clever ruses, last-minute setbacks, inevitable betrayals, and so on—but injects enjoyable suspense. Finally, there’s a really sweet throuple romance and some lovely familial reconciliation. A soaringly good read.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Lyons’s addictive and intricately plotted quest story (after THE RUIN OF KINGS) intertwines all the elements of a suspenseful heist—danger, high stakes, clever characters, secrets, and betrayal—in a sprawling fantasy world replete with pompous dragons . . . Fast-paced action, a smart and diverse cast, and fascinating dragon lore sustain this rip-roaring caper. Fantasy fans are sure to be sucked in.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review