CITY OF LITERATURE
Vessels: A Love Story by Daniel Raeburn
Iowa City native Daniel Raeburn has since defected to Chicago, but he will be back in town Friday to give a reading at Prairie Lights, 15 S. Dubuque, from his new book, *Vessels: A Love Story*. The novel emerged from an essay of the same title Raeburn the *The New Yorker* published in 2006.
Raeburn bluntly and unabashedly details the crushing loss he and wife Bekah faced over and over before finally welcoming their first child. The loss of one baby can destroy relationships, which Raeburn acknowledges; losing more than one threatens the Raeburns. In enduring, powerful prose, Raeburn lays everything out on the table, how he and Bekah fought each other and fought together on the frustrating, seemingly unachievable journey to parenthood.
NEW RELEASE
What is not Yours is not Yours, by Helen Oyeyemi
Helen Oyeyemi doesn’t seem like she’ll ever let go of fairy tales, but I wouldn’t want her to. In her latest collection, *What is not Yours is not Yours*, released March 8, Oyeyemi focuses all her stories on keys, some literal, some metaphorical or symbolic. In various stories, she touches on house keys, the key to a heart, and the key to solving a mystery.
Her style is light and exuberant, conjuring images of popular, joyful stories, though they seem to be original in design. Oyeyemi uses pointed chapter names to show the power of keys; perhaps my favorite is “If a Book Is Locked, There’s Probably a Good Reason for That Don’t You Think.”
REDISCOVERED
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
This pick may have something to do with the day I spent in Harry Potter World over spring break, but I stand by it. Pick any of the seven books, unless you’ve never read them; then absolutely start with the first, and lose yourself among the hallowed halls of Hogwarts.
I make it a point to challenge myself each time I reread a *Harry Potter* book to slow down and pay closer attention to the richness of Rowling’s language. With such a compelling, fast-paced plot, it’s easy to plow through chapters to reach old favorites. Don’t. There is so much in each sentence to absorb; small nuances of characters, instances of foreshadowing that seem glaring in hindsight, and small connectors among books that force further reading.