As part of The Colorado Sun’s literature section — SunLit — we’re featuring staff picks from book stores across the state. >> Click here for more SunLit
This week’s bookstore: BookBar, 4280 Tennyson St., Denver
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From the publisher: Yasmin Ghorami in twenty-six, in training to be a doctor (like her Indian-born father), and engaged to the charismatic, upper-class Joe Sangster, whose formidable mother, Harriet, is a famous feminist. The gulf between families is vast. So, too, is the gulf in sexual experience between Yasmin and Joe.
As the wedding day draws near, misunderstandings, infidelities, and long-held secrets upend both Yasmin’s relationship and that of her parents, a “love marriage,” according to the family lore that Yasmin has believed all her life.
From Bess Maher, event liaison: This book is a page-turner of a family drama. The novel follows junior doctor Yasmin Ghorami and her fiance Joe Sangster and their families as they navigate love and issues of race and class. I loved being a part of the characters’ lives, even as I got frustrated with them. Love Marriage asks important questions, and it’s also a lot of fun to read.
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From the publisher: Not only is high schooler Tasuku Kaname the new kid in town, he is also terrified that he has been outed as gay. Just as he’s contemplating doing the unthinkable, Tasuku meets a mysterious woman who leads him to a group of people dealing with problems not so different from his own. In this realistic, heartfelt depiction of LGBT+ characters from different backgrounds finding their place in the world, a search for inner peace proves to be the most universal experience of all.
From Moira Brownwolfe, backlist bookbuyer: This book is one of the best LGBTQ+ manga series I’ve ever read. With representation ranging from gay, trans, and asexual identities, there’s a little something in here for everybody. Be prepared to tear up. A good read for allies, as well.
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From the publisher: Celine is not your typical private eye. With prep school pedigree and a pair of opera glasses for stakeouts, her methods are unconventional but extremely successful. Working out of her jewel box of an apartment nestled under the Brooklyn Bridge, Celine has made a career out of tracking down missing persons nobody else can find. But when a young woman named Gabriela employs her expertise, what was meant to be Celine’s last case becomes a scavenger hunt through her own memories, the secrets there and the surprising redemptions.
From Ryan Sullivan, staff member: Peter Heller’s novel is part mystery, part drama, part outdoors adventure, and altogether a gripping page turner. It is also a love letter to anyone who grew up in Denver with little details and depictions only someone who has lived here would recognize.
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