Here at Knock Knock, we’re not “regular bookworms”—we’re literature zealots. We’re ravenous book lovers, devouring novels, newspapers, magazines, and RSS feeds on a daily basis, and end up still asking the reading gods for extra helpings. So in our newest feature, “Between the Stacks,” we’re delighted to share our own reading recommendations and reviews.
Get your Bookmark Pads ready! In this Knock Knock summer reading post, Brad, our senior designer, Pilar, our office manager, Will, our production artist, Elyse, our manufacturing director, and Trish, our VP of brand development, share their top choices.
Brad’s picks:
1. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. I’ve gotten kind of interested in cognition and human behavior and this book has gotten wide acclaim. At 512 pages, I might opt for the audiobook, though.
2. The Last Testament: A Memoir by God with David Javerbaum. I also love a little blasphemous satire. Created by one of the principal authors of America (The Book): A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy Inaction by The Daily Show, I’m more than confident this will deliver.
Pilar’s picks:
1. Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers. Reason I’m reading it: because I need my butt kicked!
2. The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño. I want to read this first in Spanish and then in English, because I don’t read enough in Español. Plus, I have not read enough books by Chilean authors, and I’m from Chile . . . So, what kind of a patriot am I?!
Will’s picks:
1. Eye of Cat by Roger Zelazny. It is a super awesome science fiction book about a bounty hunter named Billy Singer, who is one of the last of his Navajo people. After accepting a mission to prevent a political assassination, he realizes that the only way he can succeed is to enlist the assistance of a being he has previously captured and imprisoned. This is no ordinary being, however! It is in fact a telepathic shape-shifter named “Cat,” and it is the most powerful and dangerous being Singer has ever captured. Cat agrees to help Singer on his mission, but only if it can hunt him down after the mission is complete.
One of the best parts about this book is how it floats between the physical and psychological realms to convey the dual realities—that Cat and Billy must not only help each other, but protect themselves from each other. It melts between dream states, trances, songs, legends, and dialogue. It would make an amazeballs movie, by the way.
2. Delta of Venus by Anaïs Nin. It is a collection of Nin’s short stories of erotica from the 1940s, and covers pretty much everything you can think of. It reminds me of Gabriel García Márquez for some reason, and the cover was designed by Milton Glaser! Although I find some of the stories too short, it is a good exploratory book and sooo much fun to let grandmas read a few pages when they ask about the cover. They usually turn red and almost drop it while handing it back to me. I also love this book because Maxim magazine doesn’t know shit about women, while Anaïs Nin does.
Elyse’s picks:
1. No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. I took this book from my friend’s house while visiting him in Boston last month. (Sorry Brett, I’ll return it, I promise!) It is intense and terrifying, and I want to finish it so I no longer have to read an intense and terrifying book. I love Cormac McCarthy’s books—they are gritty and dusty and desolate and sparse, and make me feel miles away from my air conditioned and horse-free office job in Los Angeles.
2. The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis by Lydia Davis. I recently came across Lydia Davis’s “Head, Heart” poem. After reading it, I wondered where this woman has been all my life and immediately bought this book. Aside from loving her insightful, honest, and often-funny writing, I am quite excited about the fact that this is a book of short stories and essays, which means no commitment to a big book of long plots and multiple characters! This is perfect for getting a fix while the baby naps.
Trish’s picks:
1. While the Clock Ticked by Franklin W. Dixon. This one will be a blast from the past, but sadly, it is the only book I’m reading at the moment (to my son, Clyde). It’s from The Hardy Boys series—created way back when. The adventures of Joe and Frank Hardy—young men that love to solve a mystery.
Want more book suggestions from the Knock Knock team? Check out Part One of our summer reading list!