PEAKLIFE

Whether you’re in the mood for unraveling the mysteries of crime, take your life up by a notch, meet fascinating new people and their journeys, or lose yourself for the weekend, these are the ten trending books you should add to your shelf this February.

1. Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki

In this best-seller exploring the Japanese phenomenon of minimalism, “average guy” Fumio Sasaki earnestly shares his personal experience on opting minimalism as a lifestyle, specific tips on your own minimizing process, and how the movement brings one closer to their true potential.

2. War of The Foxes by Richard Siken

Celebrated Yale Series of Younger Poets prize-winner Richard Siken brings his unrelenting passion for poetry in this collection – interrogating the many themes of life including morality, human capacity, purpose, and art.

3. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

When four classmates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they’re broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. Over the decades, their bonds deepen and darken, yet tinge with addiction, success, and pride – especially by Jude who just might be changing the trajectory of all their lives.

4. The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

Teeming with themes of loss, friendship, and family, the book narrates the tale of Vivek suffering disorienting blackouts causing moments of disconnection between self and surroundings. As adolescence gives way to adulthood, the boy finds solace in his friendship with Osita, where the story begins to unfurl amidst a mysterious act of violence.

5. The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart

An impossible crime. A detective on the edge of madness. The future of time travel at stake – The Paradox Hotel is an enticing mystery thriller made of grief, memories, and facing your ghosts. Literally.

6. The Method: How The 20th Century Learned To Act by Isaac Butler

Bringing to light the cultural history of method acting, this book dives deep into the creative discovery and the birth of classic Hollywood. It transports readers from Moscow to New York to Los Angeles as the narrator steps into various films in pop culture and unfurls how method acting came to be and changed the course of the American film industry.

7. Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

In this debut novel, two estranged siblings must set aside their differences to deal with their mother’s death and her hidden past that takes them from the Caribbean to London to California and ends with her famous black cake.

8. In the Shadow of the Mountain: A Memoir of Courage by Silvia Vasquez-Lavado

A memoir of her life-altering journey to Mount Everest, Silvia opens up about dealing with her own slice of life’s misery by finding solace in climbing. Her pulse-raising narration takes the readers through her heroic journey full of grit, faith, and will to take risks.

9. Well, This Is Exhausting by Sophia Benoit

A Twitter sensation, Sophia Benoit in this book of memoir-in-essays casually portrays modern womanhood from finding feminism, the power of pop culture, the epic highs and lows of dating in the digital era, and otherwise embracing herself and the world around her. A light-hearted read brimming with deeper insights.

10. Finding Freedom by Erin French

Owner and chef of the critically acclaimed The Lost Kitchen, one of the finest world dining destination, Erin French brings Finding Freedom as her life-affirming memoir about survival, renewal, and finding a community to lift her up within the world of gastronomy