Bookmarked: Gayle Shanks

Co-founder of Changing Hands Bookstore

Recommends: “Playground” by Richard Powers

Her Take:

It’s incredible how Richard Powers, in a work of fiction, intertwines science and art while educating us about both mysteries. I am awed by his vast knowledge of the natural world — from the trees in ‘Overstory’ to astrobiology and autism in ‘Bewilderment’ and microbiology and music in ‘Orfeo.’ Each of his novels acts as a guide into worlds occasionally glimpsed but rarely explored. 

This latest novel is truly a masterpiece. It delves into the ocean’s depths, explores the invention of the internet and AI, and looks into the differences between race and prosperity. Its characters find one another in childhood, grow up together, argue, leave and return with new ideas and altered lives. It’s a beautifully written, creative novel that leaves you contemplating unexplored possibilities of your own friendships, the underwater world, the role of AI, and what you might do to ensure a better future for the planet and its children.