JOURNAL
Leisurely Pursuits
Summer signals it’s time for the luxury of getting lost in a great book. Enjoy our handpicked list featuring an array of genres—from novels and cookbooks to a fascinating read about feathers.
by Kazuo Ishiguro
Here is the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her. Klara and the Sun is a thrilling book that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator, and one that explores the fundamental question: what does it mean to love? |
The Coinby Yasmin Zaher
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Cassandra at the Weddingby Dorothy Baker
Cassandra Edwards is a graduate student at Berkeley: gay, brilliant, nerve-wracked, miserable. At the beginning of this novel, she drives back to her family ranch in the foothills of the Sierras to attend the wedding of her identical twin, Judith, to a nice young doctor from Connecticut. Cassandra, however, is hell-bent on sabotaging the wedding. |
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Pitch Darkby Renata Adler
Pitch Dark is a book about love. Kate Ennis is poised at a critical moment in an affair with a married man. The complications and contradictions pursue her from a house in rural Connecticut to a brownstone apartment in New York City, to a small island off the coast of Washington, to a pitch black night in backcountry Ireland.
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by Mikki Brammer
What’s the point of giving someone a beautiful death if you can’t give yourself a beautiful life? |
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by Edna Lewis
In this classic Southern cookbook, the “first lady of Southern cooking” (NPR) shares the seasonal recipes from a childhood spent in a small farming community settled by freed slaves. She shows us how to recreate these timeless dishes in our own kitchens—using natural ingredients, embracing the seasons, and cultivating community. With a preface by Judith Jones and foreword by Alice Waters.
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Assembled by Pre-Echo Press and Jordan Stein
The result of several years of research, Miyoko Ito: Heart of Hearts is the first book project dedicated to the life and work of Japanese-American artist Miyoko Ito (1918–1983). While Ito’s paintings have recently been the subject of critically acclaimed exhibitions, her elegant and mysterious artwork was scarcely known beyond Chicago, where she lived and was celebrated during her lifetime.
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by Thor Hansen
Feathers are an evolutionary marvel: aerodynamic, functional, beguiling. Their story begins in the Jurassic and leads through the development of flight, fluff, and high fashion. This is a sweeping natural history of a common object with uncommon abilities to flutter, protect, adorn, attract, insulate, and more.
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by Chloe Horseman
Since 2019, Araks has had the pleasure of collaborating with the extraordinarily talented photographer Chloé Horseman. Chloé's keen eye for detail and her ability to capture the essence of quiet unexpected beauty have made her a part of our creative journey. Her work transcends the ordinary, revealing layers of emotion and artistry that resonate deeply with our philosophy.
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