Here’s another quick list from my recent reading pile.

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh : If you are a fan of the inimitable Shirley Jackson, run, don’t walk, to your nearest bookstore for a copy of this mesmerizing, disturbing, and hilarious novel.

The Underground Railroad  by Colson Whitehead : Well earned winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, this painful meditation on America’s original sin will break your heart. I’m not kidding; it will bring you to tears over and over again.

Underground Airlines by Ben H. Winters : It’s a shame that Winters’ frighteningly realistic alternative history of  the U.S. was totally overshadowed by Whitehead’s masterpiece.  In any other year, it would have found a wider audience. If this book is not quite beach reading for you, check out Winters’ fantastic The Last Policeman trilogy, a pre-apocalyptic detective story.

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz : This novel-within-a-novel is a clever mash-up of an Agatha Christie-style whodunit and a modern amateur detective novel.

A Horse Walks into a Bar by David Grossman : I have to admit that I was disappointed in this award-winning short novel. In fact, I found it to be grating and tedious. Just saying.

The Hollow Man ; The House of Fame & Deep Shelter by Oliver Harris : Although I was late to the party on British writer Oliver Harris, I’ve caught up by reading everything available in the States. His main character is brilliant, despicable and completely hilarious. Each novel is an over-the-top roller-coaster ride around contemporary London.