Books
Millennial pink has been the reigning color of everything from fashion to homewares — and it has even resulted in a long list of pink book covers — for the past few years. But some are seeing a new shade on the horizon, one decidedly more sunny... and it's been dubbed Gen-Z yellow. I won't even try to get into the differences between millennials and Gen-Z or what this new color trend might indicate about the current pop culture influence of either group, but even I, a huge fan of all things pink since childhood, have to admit that it's fun to see this bold new color wheel being fully utilized.
Below are 11 2018 releases that have eschewed the rose-colored vibes of the past few years and fully embraced the shift to bright yellow. Bonus? They're all some of the biggest and most talked-about releases of the year, so you'll feel no hesitation adding them to your end-of-the-year TBR list. You've still got five months to dive into them, and get used to all those Gen-Z vibes — because if this shade is anything like its generational predecessor, we're going to be seeing it everywhere for the foreseeable future.
'The Ensemble' by Aja Gabel
The Ensemble follows the four members of the Van Ness String Quartet from their college years to their time as middle-aged musicians. As they navigate failures and success, triumph and loss, they are always tied together — by career, by the intensity of their art, by the secrets they carry together.
'Gross Anatomy: Dispatches from the Front (and Back)' by Mara Altman
Mara Altman's volatile and apprehensive relationship with her body has led her to wonder about a lot of stuff over the years. These questions have led to the comforting and sometimes smelly revelations that constitute Gross Anatomy, an essay collection about what it's like to live in our bodies.
'Okay Fine Whatever: The Year I Went from Being Afraid of Everything to Only Being Afraid of Most Things' by Courtenay Hameister
For most of her life, Courtenay Hameister lived in a state of near-constant dread and anxiety. Until a couple years ago, when, in her mid-forties, she decided to fight back by spending a year doing little things that scared her. Okay Fine Whatever is the hold-nothing-back account of her adventures on the front lines of Mere Human Woman vs. Fear.
'Everything is Horrible and Wonderful' by Stephanie Wittels Wachs
In Everything is Horrible and Wonderful, Stephanie Wittels Wachs tells two stories: one younger brother Harris Wittel's struggle with addiction, which she learned about three days before her wedding; the other, her first year after his death, in all its emotional devastation. The result is both the compelling portrait of a comedic genius and a profound exploration of the love between siblings.
'Dear Mrs. Bird' by AJ Pierce
When Emmy sees an advertisement for a job at the London Evening Chronicle, her dreams of becoming a Lady War Correspondent seem achievable. But the job turns out to be typist to the advice columnist, Henrietta Bird. Mrs. Bird is very clear: Any letters containing "unpleasantness" must be thrown away. But Emmy secretly begins to write letters back to the women who have spilled out their troubles.
'Many Love: A Memoir Of Polyamory And Finding Love(s)' by Sophie Lucido Johnson
In Many Love, Sophie delivers a fresh look at polyamory: its history, its misconceptions, and its new relevance. With a series of caring partners all the way from her high school sweetheart to her current fiancé, Sophie explores her sexuality and the very nature of love itself, questioning everything we’ve all been taught about relationships.
'Miss Ex-Yugoslavia' by Sofija Stefanovic
Sofija Stefanovic makes the first of many awkward entrances in 1982, when she is born in Yugoslavia. Her family travel back and forth between faraway, peaceful Australia, where they can’t seem to fit in, and their turbulent homeland, which they can’t seem to shake. Here, Stefanovic chronicles her own coming-of-age, both as a woman and as an artist who yearns to take control of her own story.
'The Myth Of The Nice Girl' by Fran Hauser
In The Myth of The Nice Girl, Fran Hauser deconstructs the negative perception of "niceness" that many women struggle with in the business world, proving that women don’t have to sacrifice their values or hide their authentic personalities to be successful.
'Song of a Captive Bird' by Jasmin Darznik
All through her childhood in Tehran, Forugh is told that Iranian daughters should be quiet and modest. But during the summer of 1950 Forugh’s passion for poetry takes flight, leading her to run away from a suffocating marriage. Soon, Forugh is being called both scandalous and brilliant; and the power of her writing grows amid the upheaval of the Iranian revolution.
'The Lonesome Bodybuilder' by Yukiko Motoya (Nov. 6)
A housewife takes up bodybuilding and sees radical changes to her physique, which her workaholic husband fails to notice. A newlywed notices that her husband's features are beginning to slide around his face to match her own. In these 11 stories, Motoya lifts the curtain of our everyday lives to reveal the bizarre and alien underneath.
'Evening in Paradise: More Stories' by Lucia Berlin (Nov. 6)
In 2015, Lucia Berlin's posthumously published A Manual for Cleaning Women became a literary sensation. 2018's Evening in Paradise is a carefully curated selection from the remaining Berlin stories.
