I like to read, and usually I prefer to start a book without knowing much about what to expect. The trouble with that approach is that it can be hard to know which books to choose. And so, here are a few books I have read lately, with perhaps enough detail for you to decide if you might be interested.

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Land of Love and Drowning, by Tiphanie Yanique

This unsettling story of heartbreak and hope is beautifully written. As much about St. Thomas and the surrounding Caribbean islands as it is about one family’s secrets and dreams, it offers an historical perspective on the unanticipated consequences of development and opportunity, at both a national and individual level. Most of all, this is a captivating tale of the twisted paths we follow to find (and survive) love.

Eileen, by Ottessa Moshfegh

This is the tale of a sad and lonely young woman who copes with her alcoholic father at home and the depressing atmosphere of a juvenile detention center at work. In her own surprising way, she discovers that she may not be as alone as she thinks, and eventually finds direction. It’s not an uplifting book, by any measure, but it is very well written and I appreciate a protagonist who isn’t always so easy to champion.

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, by Jenny Lawson

If you want to laugh a lot and wince a little, and wonder at the variety of the human perspective, this is the book for you. Jenny Lawson blogged about her strange predicaments and her odd view of them until someone noticed how popular she was getting and published a whole book of her writing. This is my favorite section, but the book offers hundreds of pages of the same.