The Club: Where American Women Artists Found Refuge in Belle Époque Paris by Jennifer Dasal (Bloomsbury Publishing). Reviewed by Kitty Kelley. “Dasal writes about the discrimination against American female artists and their ‘pretty little paintings,’ citing the diaries and letters of some of the women who lived in one of the 40 rooms available in the Club. (With its tearoom, library, and exhibition hall, the place was certainly more palace than pensione.) But not all women were welcome — only white ones. In fact, the most gifted artist of those cited in Dasal’s book was Meta Vaux Warrick, an African American from Philadelphia who was denied admission into the Club but found a champion in Auguste Rodin, the greatest sculptor of the age.”

I Gave You Eyes and You Looked Toward Darkness: A Novel by Irene Solà; translated by Mara Faye Lethem (Graywolf Press). Reviewed by Mike Maggio. “Solà has thoroughly researched the material she utilizes in I Gave You Eyes, and her sources are detailed in an author’s note at the end of the book. Into the traditional Spanish folktales she draws from, she injects the brutality of modern war in language that is poetic and opaque, grotesque and surreal, meandering and (at times) humorous. As a result of this strange mosaic, the story seems to get lost within itself. Perhaps this was Solà’s intent: to leave the reader bewildered in a way that illustrates the ambiguities of folklore and the oral tradition while also illuminating the perplexities of war.”

Dinner with King Tut: How Rogue Archaeologists Are Re-Creating the Sights, Sounds, Smells, and Tastes of Lost Civilizations by Sam Kean (Little, Brown and Company). Reviewed by Peggy Kurkowski. “What makes Dinner with King Tut unique (as if DIYing a mummy isn’t enough) are the stories in each chapter that illustrate a typical (or not-so-typical) ‘day in the life’ of various imaginary protagonists. One might be wary of mixing nonfiction with fiction, but in this context, it is both effective and affecting. Through witty prose, colorful characters, and a narrative that links to each chapter’s theme, Kean adds depth and human dimension to the book. (But beware: Just like in real life, not every interlude ends happily.)”

I Want to Burn This Place Down: Essays by Maris Kreizman (Ecco). Reviewed by William Schwartz. “But why does Kreizman want to burn everything down when she seems mostly satisfied as far as we can tell? Because she’s lucky, and she knows it. Despite the nonsense we’re all fed about ours being a bootstrap-pulling meritocracy, a lot of people (including her) get ahead by luck. The title of the essay ‘I Found My Life Partner (and My Health Insurance) Because I Got Lucky’ reveals as much in plain English. Whether she thinks the majority of others’ success can, too, be chalked up to the whims of fate is ambiguous; she just knows she can’t attribute her own good fortune purely to superior ability and virtuous living.”

Love in a F*cked-Up World: How to Build Relationships, Hook Up, and Raise Hell Together by Dean Spade (Algonquin Books). Reviewed by Antoaneta Tileva. “The book begins with Spade, an associate professor at the Seattle University School of Law, contextualizing the source of the vignettes he features: Many of the stories come from activist circles, where ‘it’s not surprising relationships develop between organizers.’ However, some activists ‘find the courage to confront mainstream societal norms yet are unable to treat romantic partners with generosity and care.’ But this isn’t a volume only for people ‘in the life.’ Rather, Love in a F*cked-Up World positions relationships as ‘a site of transformation, expression, and community building.’”

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