Ep 228 - Give Tuesday a Reason to Shine - Why Books Come Out on Tuesdays

The Wanderers is a novel by Richard Price, published in 1974. The story is set in the Bronx, New York City, from mid-1962 to mid-1963 and follows the lives of an Italian-American youth gang known as the Wanderers. The novel is structured as a series of loosely connected vignettes, each focusing on different members of the gang as they navigate gang rivalries, racial tensions, and personal struggles. The characters, including Richie Gennaro, Joey Capra, Buddy Borsalino, Eugene Caputo, and Perry LaGuardia, face various challenges as they transition from adolescence to adulthood, dealing with issues such as violence, family problems, and the search for identity and belonging.

Bunny is a darkly comedic novel that follows Samantha Heather Mackey, a scholarship student at a prestigious New England university's MFA program. She feels alienated by her wealthy, cliquey classmates, whom she refers to as 'the Bunnies. ' As Samantha becomes entangled in the Bunnies' bizarre world, she discovers their strange ritual of turning small animals into human-like creations, which they then destroy. The novel explores themes of female friendship, identity, and the pressures of creative writing programs. Awad's sharp prose and surreal imagery create a disturbing and thought-provoking commentary on the art world and the search for belonging. The book's blend of humor and horror has earned it a cult following, with readers drawn to its exploration of the dark side of creativity and the complexities of human relationships.