By Fernanda Tr\u00edas (translated by Heather Cleary)<\/strong> From the publisher<\/strong><\/strong>: In a city ravaged by a mysterious plague, a woman tries to understand why her world is falling apart. An algae bloom has poisoned the previously pristine air that blows in from the sea. Inland, a secretive corporation churns out the only food anyone can afford\u2014a revolting pink paste, made of an unknown substance. In the short, desperate breaks between deadly windstorms, our narrator stubbornly tends to her few remaining relationships: with her difficult but vulnerable mother; with the ex-husband for whom she still harbors feelings; with the boy she nannies, whose parents sent him away even as terrible threats loomed. Yet as conditions outside deteriorate further, her commitment to remaining in place only grows\u2014even if staying means being left behind.<\/p>\n An evocative elegy for a safe, clean world, \u201cPink Slime\u201d is buoyed by humor and its narrator\u2019s resilience. This vivid and unforgettable novel explores the place where love, responsibility, and self-preservation converge.<\/p>\n From Mo Kirk, staff:<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong> The protagonist and her entire city are being engulfed by ecological catastrophe, but she is also being engulfed by her inner ghosts. Will she summon what it takes to leave this doomed place? \u201cPink Slime\u201d will appeal to fans of dystopian fiction, but is not an action-adventure story at all. Although the absurdity of this reality and the author\u2019s dark sense of humor do come through, this novel\u2019s vibe is grim. Think \u201cChildren of Men.\u201d<\/p>\n Contempt<\/strong><\/p>\n By Alberto Moravia<\/strong> From the publisher<\/strong><\/strong>: \u201cContempt\u201d is a brilliant and unsettling work by one of the revolutionary masters of modern European literature. All the qualities for which Alberto Moravia is justly famous\u2014his cool clarity of expression, his exacting attention to psychological complexity and social pretension, his still-striking openness about sex\u2014are evident in this story of a failing marriage. \u201cContempt\u201d (which was to inspire Jean-Luc Godard\u2019s no-less-celebrated film) is an unflinching examination of desperation and self-deception in the emotional vacuum of modern consumer society.<\/p>\n From Clare Pearson, book buyer:<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong> This is exactly what I look for in a summer read: a rich narrative driven by mounting psychological tension set in a glittering Mediterranean landscape. Moravia\u2019s prose cuts to the heart of human nature while also protecting the mysteries and distances that endure in human relationships.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Portrait of a Lady<\/strong><\/p>\n By Henry James<\/strong> From the publisher<\/strong><\/strong>: Regarded by many as Henry James\u2019 finest work, and a lucid tragedy exploring the distance between money and happiness, \u201cThe Portrait of a Lady\u201d contains an introduction by Philip Horne in Penguin Classics. When Isabel Archer, a beautiful, spirited American, is brought to Europe by her wealthy aunt Touchett, it is expected that she will soon marry. But Isabel, resolved to enjoy the freedom that her fortune has opened up and to determine her own fate, does not hesitate to turn down two eligible suitors. Then she finds herself irresistibly drawn to Gilbert Osmond. Charming and cultivated, Osmond sees Isabel as a rich prize waiting to be taken. Beneath his veneer of civilized behaviour, Isabel discovers cruelty and a stifling darkness. In this portrait of a \u201cyoung woman affronting her destiny,\u201d Henry James created one of his most magnificent heroines, and a story of intense poignancy.<\/p>\n This edition, based on the earliest published copy of the novel, is the version read first and loved by most readers in James\u2019 lifetime. It also contains a chronology, further reading, notes and the Horne introduction.<\/p>\n From Clare Pearson, book buyer:<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong> I love James\u2019 rich descriptions and brilliant dialogue. This classic has everything: rich luxurious sentences, sharp insights into the full range of human psychology, and humor to carry it along. Even if you\u2019ve read it before, there is always more to be gleaned in James!<\/p>\n THIS WEEK\u2019S BOOK RECS COME FROM:<\/strong><\/p>\n Explore Booksellers<\/strong><\/p>\n 221 E. Main St., Aspen<\/p>\n (970) 925-5336<\/p>\n
Scribner
$19
July 2025
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NYRB Classics
$17.95
July 2004
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Penguin Classics
$12.09
September 2011
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