Anna's Snapshot of DC Life Books!
"'Ma’am, maybe you should tell me where you goin?’ the cab driver said. ‘Just get me lost in the city,’ she said." --Edward P. Jones, Lost in the City
As a DC bookstore, we are regularly asked for recommendations of booked based in DC. Instead of pointing to all the books full of politics and politician memoirs, here are five books that give a snapshot of the lives of the people living in DC:
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders: This story unfolds over the course of one night in a Georgetown Cemetery during the Civil War where President Lincoln grieves the loss of his son while his son navigates purgatory.
Lost in the City by Edward P. Jones: This collection of short stories is quintessential Washington, DC. Following the lives of ordinary people, Jones gives a clear peak at what it’s like to be a DC local.
The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu: After fleeing Ethiopia during the Revolution, Sepha Sephanos runs a grocery store in Logan Circle where he is faced with a series of racial incidents that may cause him to lose everything all over again.
Creatures of Passage by Morowa Yejide: This story follows a taxi driver in Anacostia who ferries ill-fated passengers in a haunted car while reeling over the death of her brother and trying to help her estranged nephew.
Heartburn by Nora Ephron: Based on her divorce and her husband’s affair, Ephron bases this novel in DC, where cookbook author, Rachel moves to DC to support her husband’s career as a political journalist before his affair causes their marriage to unravel.
ABOUT THE BOOKSELLER:
Anna was born and raised in Boston, MA. Her favorite genre to read is fantasy romance. She spent a summer studying dolphin communication in the Bahamas.