Jay's Picks

A surprisingly varied collection of essays that range from an unexpectedly empathetic account of a christian rock festival to historical explorations of an eccentric 19th century naturalist. Entertaining and insightful. 

In this unique novel, Jan Morris creates a fictional travelogue describing a fascinating city that exists only in her imagination. Hav is a city both secluded and cosmopolitan, one that straddles cultures and religions. Morris carefully invents architecture, ethnic groups and traditions (most notably, a wildly dangerous rooftop foot race across the city), and scatters quotes from the famous and infamous who’ve supposedly visited Hav. The second part of the book charts her return to the city after 20 years, by which time cultural homogenization and political authoritarianism have changed the city she remembered beyond recognition.

A posthumous overview of a great short story writer who never really got his due in his lifetime. Hannah’s stories are off-kilter, packed to the brim with incident, sometimes deranged, continually surprising, and full of piss and vinegar. Great southern storytelling that’s both down and dirty and beautifully lyrical.

This near-future satirical dystopia describes a world where the economy's collapsed, social media has eaten everyone's brains, and reading is obsolete. Did I say it was the future? Heartfelt and hysterical.

Mitchell's classic 20th century essays are a model of carefully observed description and dry understatement. A poet of the marginal and eccentric.