Enjoy these January recommendations from our friends at Bookish, Fort Smith, Arkansas’ only independently owned bookstore.
Rosarita
Anita Desai
Rosarita is a masterful exploration of family, tradition, and the tension between duty and autonomy. At its heart is Bonita, who seeks to unravel the mystery of her mother’s departure to Mexico years earlier. After attending a life-changing lecture on the parallels between the Partition of India and the Mexican Revolution—Bonita speculates on her mother’s ancestral trauma, ultimately learning the reasons her mother chose to defy familial expectations and journey to Mexico to study art.
Years later, Bonita encounters a mysterious woman, nicknamed “the Trickster,” who claims knowledge of her mother’s life. Despite doubts, Bonita embarks on an emotional journey, visiting places her mother supposedly lived and studied. As the Trickster grows increasingly unreliable, the narrative weaves mystery with elements of fable and folklore, creating suspense.
Desai’s lyricism and incisive detail shine in this philosophical inquiry into identity, imagination, and the limits of understanding another’s life. At eighty-seven, Desai reaffirms literature’s power to illuminate the complexities of human experience.
Unravel the mysteries of memory, identity, and the fragile threads that connect us across generations.
Wintering
Katherine May
This reflective work reimagines life’s hardships as opportunities for growth, blending personal narrative with lessons from nature, literature, and mythology. Inspired by winter’s quiet beauty, it explores resilience, acceptance, and cyclical change, offering a guiding philosophy to find joy, strength, and meaning in life’s challenging times.
What the Chicken Knows
Sy Montgomery
Welcome to the fascinating world of chickens. Blending personal anecdotes and science, Montgomery reveals their intelligence, individuality, and complex social lives. From recognizing over one hundred peers to anticipating the future, chickens astonish and inspire, making this a charming celebration of our feathered companions.
Pony Confidential
Christina Lynch
A grumpy yet clever pony embarks on a daring quest to clear his former owner, Penny, of a murder he knows she didn’t commit. Through wit and determination, he uncovers human flaws and cruelty while proving the enduring bond between him and Penny in this heartwarming, humorous, and one-of-a-kind mystery.
words SARA PUTMAN, BOOKISH
