#stephen florida

[yaerimkwon]

"Tasks of repetition. Times of perfect fulfillment. You're only who you really are when you're doing what you really want. I am so much of myself, I could never be anyone else. I keep up the task of finding out how the world works, locating its pulley systems, and placing myself in the center."

Stephen Florida by Gabe Habash

[hashtagnyu]

Books by NYU Alumni

Haven’t read a book for fun since high school? Can’t retain articles from your class? Use to love reading but then life got in the way? Here are some new NYU alumni books that may just bring back your love for reading.

The Amateurs by Sara Shepard 

Know Pretty Little Liars? Well, NYU’s very own Sara Shepard created it, and she’s back with another hit! The Amateurs is a mystery thriller series about the disappearance of teenager Helena Kelly, which has left her family with no answers and no leads. If you love Buzzfeed Unsolved or Martinis and Murder, you’re in for a treat.

Marlena by Julie Buntin

Written by NYU alum Julie Buntin, Marlena is named a best book of 2017 by NPR, Publishers Weekly, Buzzfeed, Vogue, Esquire, and more! The novel tells a tale of love, addiction, and loss. Buntin describes it as “the story of two girls and the feral year that will cost one her life, and define the other’s for decades.” Cozy up and get ready for a long ride.

Surrender, New York by Caleb Carr

Another literary thriller, New York Times bestselling author and NYU alum Caleb Carr brings us Surrender, New York. Carr has previously brought us The Alienist in 1994, which has since become an American TV period drama. Surrender, New York is about a criminal psychologist and trade evidence expert become invested in a case of deaths and “throwaway children.” If grisly murder novels and psychological thrillers interest you, this is the book for you.

Spaceman of Bohemia by  Jaroslav Kalfar

NYU alum Jaroslav Kalfar’s Spaceman of Bohemia is a science fiction fantasy novel about Jakub Prochazka, Czech’s first astronaut. In an attempt to atone for his father’s sins as a Communist informer, he abandons his wife and travels to Venus. In space, he encounters the dangerous and the fantastic, such as a giant alien spider who becomes his companion. Interested to find out what happens in the great beyond?

The Half-Drowned King by Linnea Hartsuyker

Neither science fiction or fantasy, The Half-Drowned King is a historical fiction novel written by NYU alum Linnea Hartsuyker. Based on the true story of Ragnvald of Maer, the right-hand man of the first king of Norway, and his sister Svanhild, the story chronicles the birth of a Viking kingdom with some serious Game of Thrones and Outlander vibes. It’s exciting, beautiful, and just plain mystical. Get a blanket and a cup of hot cocoa, because this will be a good one.

Stephen Florida by Gabe Habash

Wrestling is the name of the game. Stephen Florida, the title character of NYU alum Gabe Habash’s debut novel, is “one of the most unforgettable characters in recent American fiction” (NPR). Florida is not just a college wrestler — he’s brash, audacious, charismatic, yet problematic. If you want a sports novel with a kick, this is the book to read.

There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyonce by Morgan Parker

There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyonce by NYU alum Morgan Parker is a collection of poems about identity. Morgan Parker goes into the nitty-gritty of what it means to be a black woman in contemporary American culture. Accolades include Time Magazine Best Paperback of 2017, NPR.org’s Poetry to Pay Attention To, and A Publishers Weekly Pick of the Week. If you’re down for some powerful words, this book will surely feed your appetite.

Are you excited to get reading!?

[nprbooks]

Gabe Habash’s new novel about a troubled, not exactly likeable college wrestler is a solid win, says our critic Michael Schaub. Check out his full review here.

-- Petra

[powells]

‪Unveiling our most recent volume of Indiespensible!

[universitybookstore]

BOOK OF THE MONTH

“Gabe Habash’s stellar debut, Stephen Florida, takes the reader on a road trip through college wrestler Stephen Florida’s senior year of school. We are in Stephen’s head as he navigates love, sex, and his raw desire to win on the wrestling mat. This is a wild, headbanger of a book and easily one of the best books of 2017.” —Caitlin Baker, Fiction Buyer

SAVE 25% ON THIS MONTH’S PICK

[powells]

We have a few spots open in Indiespensible, our book subscription club. Get them while you can!

[seab]

I have good news and bad news! The bad news is that the abyss and the void are all the same thing and it is monumental and everywhere. The good news is you can lie still in your bed while the cursed and the unskinned walk around in it and not feel a thing.

Gabe Habash, Stephen Florida

[seab]

More and more things keep happening to me. Insignificant things and significant things and boring things and sacred things and terrible things and nice things and strange things. They disguise themselves as new events but really I know what they are, they're ancient events that have happened before and they've just run to the back of the line to wait their turn again.

Gabe Habash, Stephen Florida