Writing a book is a massive undertaking, and actually getting it published is an achievement most writers only dream of. And if that dream comes true, more worries pour in: Will people like it? Will anyone buy it? Will I be ridiculed?
No one ever thinks to ask: Will my book release coincide with a global pandemic?
This is the reality for authors right now — seeing their books available, finally, but not being able to leave their house. That means canceled publicity events and a world that isn’t paying attention to anything other than Covid-19.
But it’s healthy to take a break from the coronavirus reporting. It’s a perfect time, dare we say, to read a new book. So if you’re looking for a new read, check out some new and upcoming releases by Bay Area authors — all who’ve had to cancel public events — and support their work by ordering their book from your local bookstore (through indiebound.org or bookshop.org). Now, more than ever, it’s important to support local artists, writers, and businesses.
1. ‘The Companions’ by Katie M. Flynn
Released this month, the New York Times recently dubbed Katie M. Flynn’s The Companions “your quarantine read.” The maybe-no-so-dystopian novel is set during a period of prolonged quarantine in San Francisco — not kidding — so be prepared for it to hit a little too close to home. The plot: Two years into a pandemic forcing people to stay indoors, a tech company called Metis Corporation has found a way to keep the consciousness of humans alive after the virus takes their bodies. The dying can upload their consciousness into machines called “companions,” which then become the property of Metis Corporation upon death. The wealthy are able to keep custody of their companions, but the poor are sold to strangers in any form, from inanimate objects to manufactured human-like bodies. Told from eight different points of view — some living, some companions — the novel explores love and loneliness in a grim time that feels surreal to read right now. Flynn is based in San Francisco, and The Companions is her first novel.
Order from East Bay Booksellers.
2. ‘Edie on the Green Screen’ by Beth Lisick
The first novel from San Francisco native Beth Lisick, Edie on the Green Screen follows a former 1990s San Francisco “it girl” 20 years later. Edie Wunderlich was once on the cover of the city’s alt-weeklies and an icon of the San Francisco party scene, but 20 years later, the city is almost unrecognizable to her. Still bartending in the Mission, Edie must face the fact that she is the only thing that hasn’t changed in the last two decades as she serves drinks to tech bros instead of punk rockers. When Edie’s mother dies, she’s forced to put her Silicon Valley home on the market, leaving her mourning the loss of the Bay Area that once was.
Though this is her first full-length fiction novel, Lisick has previously published a memoir, a collection of short stories, and a self-help book. She is also the co-founder of San Francisco’s Porchlight storytelling series — monthly live events where people tell 10-minute true stories without notes in front of an audience. Published by independent publisher 7.13, the book was released on March 26 and has been called “glorious and multi-layered” by Booklist and “full of sweet and savory nuggets” by the San Francisco Chronicle.
Order from Green Apple Books.
3. ‘Days of Distraction’ by Alexandra Chang
Alexandra Chang is a Northern California native who attended the University of California, Berkeley, and now lives in Ithaca, New York. Her first novel, Days of Distraction, is a modern coming-of-age story about a 24-year-old Chinese American woman who leaves Silicon Valley, where she works as a staff writer for a prestigious tech publication, to move with her boyfriend to upstate New York. It’s a relatable tale about the burnout in tech and the everyday struggles of being in your early twenties. Days of Distraction has been called “beautifully crafted and deeply thoughtful,” by Kirkus Review and will be released on March 31.
Pre-order from Pegasus Books.
4. ‘Godshot’ by Chelsea Bieker
Set in Central Valley, California, where author Chelsea Bieker grew up, Godshot has been named one of the most anticipated books of 2020 by O, the Oprah Magazine, Vulture, and other outlets. The novel, to be released April 7, follows 14-year-old Lacey after her mother abandons her and leaves her with her grandmother, a religious devotee who strictly subscribes to the teachings of a local cult leader and pastor. Think The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood meets The Girls by Emma Cline.
Pre-order from Dog Eared Books.
5. ‘The Lucky Star’ by William T. Vollmann
The Lucky Star, released in February, takes place in the Tenderloin in San Francisco — a neighborhood that National Book Award-winning author William T. Vollmann has written about before. Hailing from Sacramento, he’s published two previous works of fiction about “pimps, prostitutes, addicts, and homeless dreamers” living in the Tenderloin: The Rainbow Stories and The Royal Family. In The Lucky Star, which falls in the urban fiction category with fantastical elements, he brings us back to the same city blocks, telling the story of a dive-bar bartender named Neva who possesses magical powers “whom everyone loves, and who has to love them all back.”
Order from The Booksmith.
6. ‘Why We Swim’ by Bonnie Tsui
Described as “a fascinating and beautifully written love letter to water” by bestselling author Rebecca Skloot, Why We Swim tells real-life stories of swimmers from around the world, from Olympic champions to a fisherman who survives a shipwreck. As a frequent swimmer, diver, and surfer in the Bay Area, author Bonnie Tsui is no stranger to the sea. In this new release, she investigates just what it is that keeps us coming back to the water — even when we know how dangerous it can be. The book will be released on April 17.
Pre-order from Point Reyes Books.
7. ‘Uncanny Valley’ by Anna Wiener
For anyone familiar with the tech world, you’ve more than likely already heard about this book published in January, and it remains a must-read if you haven’t made time for it yet. In this memoir, San Francisco-based Anna Wiener takes us through her journey as a twentysomething who quits a low-paying job in book publishing in New York to move to San Francisco and join a big-data startup in Silicon Valley. This New York Times bestseller takes us inside the belly of the beast as Anna recalls navigating an often reckless culture of extreme wealth, power, and ambition. Wiener’s first memoir has been called “a definitive document of a world in transition” by bestselling author Jia Tolentino and named a must-read book in 2020 by Vogue, The New York Times, Esquire, Entertainment Weekly, and The Washington Post.
Order from Bookshop.
8. ‘New Life Quarterly: Issue 6’ by Wolfman Books
There is no better time than now to support your local independent publishers and bookstores, so don’t miss a chance to get a copy of New Life Quarterly, the in-house arts magazine at Wolfman Books in Oakland. The magazine features interviews, artist profiles, essays, visual art, and more about the intersection of the arts and the Bay’s diverse community. Issue 6 includes a first-person account of “Into the Woods” — a queer and trans summer campout in Mendocino county striving to deepen connections to the land, the self, and each other through the arts — and debuts short stories by several Bay Area writers. Wolfman Books has closed its doors during the Covid-19 crisis, but you can support them by purchasing New Life Quarterly: Issue 6 and other books on their website.
