3 Upcoming Books by Portland Authors
To say the local literary scene is thriving would be a gross understatement. Across genres, we’re up to our ears in advance review copies of books by Portland authors. As we dutifully work our way through the stacks, we wanted to put you on to three standouts set to publish in the coming months.
You’re Safe Here by Leslie Stephens (Simon & Schuster)
out june 25
Famous last words. In this debut novel from the author of the popular “Morning Person” Substack, characters are best described as “users.” It’s 2060, and newly pregnant Maggie is adrift in the Pacific Ocean, holed up alone in a “WellPod,” the latest tech in wellness retreats from her bride-to-be’s employer: six weeks of me time a la Black Mirror.
Group Living and Other Recipes by Lola Milholland (Spiegel & Grau)
Out August 6
In the tradition of genre-bending food writing that includes Ruth Reichl and James Beard, this debut memoir from the founder of Umi Organic noodle company pushes past the presumed confines of what a food-centered book can do, morphing into a cultural critique championing a community-centered approach to living, peppered with recipes.
A Little Less Broken by Marian Schembari (Macmillan)
Out September 24
After decades of misdiagnosis—Tourette’s, OCD, anxiety, depression—at age 34 Schembari learned that she’s autistic. Her memoir of the experience is scaffolded by tireless research and reporting interrogating the lingering stigma around neurodivergence and gendered medical research.
