Angela Haupt

THE WASHINGTON POST – Whatever else happened in 2021, there were undeniable bright spots – in the form of cherished books that distracted, entertained and moved us. Expect more like them in 2022. If you want to really replicate the reading experience, here are some titles to consider based on recent favorites.

IF YOU ENJOYED AFTERPARTIES BY ANTHONY VEASNA,
READ FIONA AND JANE BY JEAN CHEN HO
Ho’s buzzy novel is a tender portrait of female friendship. It’s about two Asian American women, Fiona and Jane – longtime best friends whose relationship is strained when life scatters them to opposite coasts. The story spans decades as they grow together and apart, navigating love, death, complicated families and heartbreak.

IF YOU ENJOYED KLARA AND THE SUN BY KAZUO ISHIGURO,
READ THE BOOKS OF JACOB BY OLGA TOKARCZUK
In 2014, Nobel laureate Tokarczuk’s acclaimed novel was published in Poland, where she lives. Now, it’s set to be published in the United States (US). The Books of Jacob is about Jacob Frank, a controversial religious leader in the 18th Century. At nearly 1,000 pages, it’s a hefty, intense read.

IF YOU ENJOYED THE PEOPLE WE KEEP BY ALLISON LARKIN,
READ THE BOY WITH A BIRD IN HIS CHEST BY EMME LUND
In Lund’s debut novel, a chatty bird named Gail lives inside Owen’s chest. After a nurse discovers the bird, Owen’s mom ships him off to live with his uncle and cousin, where he eventually makes a good friend. The two cheer each other on in this coming-of-age story about finding your community and becoming your true self.

IF YOU ENJOYED NO GODS, NO MONSTERS BY CADWELL TURNBULL,
READ MOON WITCH, SPIDER KING BY MARLON JAMES
The highly anticipated second installment of James’s Dark Star trilogy revisits the events that happened in Black Leopard, Red Wolf – but from Sogolon the Moon Witch’s perspective. It also dives into the century-long feud between Sogolon and Aesi, the powerful chancellor to the king. Expect another epic fantasy adventure.

IF YOU ENJOYED IT’S BETTER TO BE FEARED: THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS DYNASTY AND THE PURSUIT OF GREATNESS BY SETH WICKERSHAM,
READ COACH K: THE RISE AND REIGN OF MIKE KRZYZEWSKI BY IAN O’CONNOR
Basketball fans might feel as though they already know Coach K – or Mike Krzyzewski, the decades-long coach of the Duke Blue Devils who’s set to retire after this season. In this insightful biography, sportswriter O’Connor captures the formative experiences and inner drive that catapulted the coach to icon status. Even the most die-hard fans will learn something.

IF YOU ENJOYED THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME BY LAURA DAVE,
READ THE LOVE OF MY LIFE BY ROSIE WALSH
In her follow-up to 2018’s Ghosted, Walsh introduces readers to Emma, a marine biologist, wife and mother. When she becomes sick, her husband, an obituary writer, copes with his anxiety by researching and writing about her – which isn’t as soothing as expected, given that her entire life turns out to be a lie. To regain his trust, Emma has to reveal a past she’d rather have kept hidden.

IF YOU ENJOYED WE ARE WHAT WE EAT BY ALICE WATERS,
READ TO BOLDLY GROW BY TAMAR HASPEL
Haspel, a Washington Post food columnist, considered herself a subpar gardener – until she moved to Cape Cod and decided to take a more active role in cultivating her sustenance. She and her husband started raising chickens, growing tomatoes, foraging mushrooms and hunting their own meat. To Boldly Grow is part memoir, part how-to guide and wholly delightful.

IF YOU ENJOYED THE ROAD TRIP BY BETH O’LEARY,
READ IN A NEW YORK MINUTE’ BY KATE SPENCER
Spencer – co-host of the popular podcast Forever35 – delivers a romantic romp through the Big Apple. When Franny’s dress gets caught in the subway doors, a stranger named Hayes offers her his (Gucci) jacket so she doesn’t flash half the city. The pair doesn’t realise a fellow commuter has posted the incident online until it goes viral. Their Internet fame is surely fleeting, but their attraction to each other just might have staying power.

IF YOU ENJOYED THE PERSEVERANCE BY RAYMOND ANTROBUS,
READ TIME IS A MOTHER BY OCEAN VUONG
The Vietnamese American poet Vuong – who published his debut novel, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, in 2019 – presents us with a stirring collection of poetry. He experiments with language and form while probing the aftermath of his mother’s death and his determination to survive it. Take your time with these poems, and return to them often.

IF YOU ENJOYED BROKEN BY JENNY LAWSON,
READ BOMB SHELTER: LOVE, TIME, AND OTHER EXPLOSIVES BY MARY LAURA PHILPOTT
Early one morning, Philpott – most recently the author of I Miss You When I Blink – woke to the sound of her teenage son having a seizure. The incident rocked her world, dismantling any sense of safety and security. In this collection of essays, she reckons with how we manage to exist when there’s always some unknown threat lurking nearby. It’s the literary equivalent of a therapy session.

IF YOU ENJOYED FAKE ACCOUNTS BY LAUREN OYLER,
READ HAPPY FOR YOU BY CLAIRE STANFORD
Here’s a snappy addition to the office novel canon: In Happy for You, a young woman starts working at a major tech company, where she has to build an app that helps users quantify and augment their happiness. It’s a somewhat ironic task given her less-than-happy feelings about her own life, which the experience will crystallise.

IF YOU ENJOYED EARLY MORNING RISER BY KATHERINE HEINY,
READ MARRYING THE KETCHUPS BY JENNIFER CLOSE
The Sullivans, a restaurant-owning family in Chicago, are in a tailspin: Their grandfather, who they assumed would be flipping burgers until the end of time, has dropped dead. In Marrying the Ketchups, Close zeroes in on the not-so-adult adults left behind. The novel is fun and messy, just like the restaurant’s deep-fried treats.

IF YOU ENJOYED WILL BY WILL SMITH,
READ FINDING ME BY VIOLA DAVIS
The Oscar-winning actress – whose resume includes roles in The Help and The Suicide Squad – opens up about her poverty-stricken childhood in Rhode Island, and how she overcame the odds to make it in Hollywood. Davis also reflects on the risks and struggle that can surround a Black woman following her dreams.

IF YOU ENJOYED MALIBU RISING, BY TAYLOR JENKINS REID,
READ THE SUMMER PLACE BY JENNIFER WEINER
Weiner is the queen of fun, feisty summer reads, and she’s back with a multigenerational story that dishes out the best kind of family drama. When Sarah’s stepdaughter announces she’s marrying her pandemic boyfriend in a mere three months, Sarah is stunned but agrees to help plan the wedding. It’ll be the final hurrah at the family’s beach house – if their secrets and grudges don’t prevent them from getting there.

IF YOU ENJOYED WELCOME TO DUNDER MIFFLIN BY BRIAN BAUMGARTNER AND BEN SILVERMAN,
READ THE OFFICE BFFS BY JENNA FISCHER AND ANGELA KINSEY
Nearly a decade after The Office ended, its stars help us fill the void by dishing out their own memories of the show. Fischer and Kinsey – who portrayed Pam and Angela, respectively – are real-life best friends whose Office Ladies podcast is revealing and entertaining. Now they’re collaborating on a behind-the-scenes book about their days starring on the beloved show and how it changed their lives.

IF YOU ENJOYED ONE LAST STOP BY CASEY MCQUISTON,
READ YERBA BUENA BY NINA LACOUR
Young adult (YA) author Nina LaCour’s adult debut focusses on two women who find each other while searching for themselves. Emilie and Sara experience an instant connection, but they’re both haunted by demons that threaten to upend their happiness. It’s a poignant, beautiful novel.

IF YOU ENJOYED SOMEBODY’S DAUGHTER BY ASHLEY C FORD,
READ MY LIFE IN THE SUNSHINE BY NABIL AYERS
In 1971, a White onetime ballerina had a child with the Black jazz musician Roy Ayers. In this memoir, their son, who also became a musician, recounts a lifetime spent grappling with his father’s absence and whether DNA defines a family. It’s a thoughtful – and thought-provoking – read.

Michele Lerner

THE WASHINGTON POST – Extra storage and extra seating are two elements that often top the wish lists for home buyers and homeowners. A banquette (or built-in bench) offers a solution to both issues, but not every home has the right space or location for one.

For advice about how and where to install banquettes, we turned to Melissa Sanabria, an interior designer and founder of Washington design firm Sanabria & Co; Kelley Proxmire, owner of Kelley Proxmire Inc, an interior design firm in Bethesda, Md; and Alison Giese, owner of Alison Giese Interiors in San Antonio. All three designers responded by email, and their responses were edited for clarity and length.

Q: Where do you recommend adding banquettes?
Sanabria: We like to add them in rooms that are tight on space and where you might benefit from some extra storage or where you just want to increase the cozy factor. They could also be added below some windows that are begging for a window seat.

Proxmire: While many people think banquettes are only for the kitchen or breakfast room, they can be great additions to other spaces, too. A banquette bench can be used to create a cozy reading or napping nook when surrounded by built-ins in a library or dining room.

They’re even great for bedrooms. We’ve even been seeing an increase in banquettes in formal living rooms, essentially creating a separate, more intimate conversation area off in a corner of the room.

Giese: The most common place to add banquettes is in kitchens. Corners lend themselves to creating a cozy nook for quiet cups of tea or corralling small children, but banquettes can be used in unexpected places as well. We designed a custom banquette in the corner of a client’s sunroom that worked well to offer an alternative to kitchen dining.

Q: What are the pros and cons of installing banquettes?
Proxmire: (Pros): Banquettes are amazing, hard-working space-savers, because they’re designed to fit into a corner or a small nook. And, when combined with a bench, you can really minimise the footprint of a dining area. For instance, you can place a banquette seat along a wall with a table in front of it, then tuck a bench under the opposite side of the table.

(Cons): Because they tend to be built in, there’s less flexibility and less mobility. You can grab a chair and reposition it easily, whereas a banquette seat, less so. Plus, getting in and out of bench-style seating involves a bit more effort – especially if you’re in the middle seat.

Sanabria: They are not inexpensive (con), but if you so opt for a custom solution, then you can really maximise the space and get the added storage you seek (pro). We also love that they provide an opportunity for a fun custom cushion. Note: Remember to deduct the cushion height when determining the overall height of your banquette seat.

Q: How much do banquettes cost to install?
Giese: The cost depends on the level of customisation. I’ve seen people DIY Ikea “hacks” for less than USD1,000, while full custom options would run significantly more than that depending on the size, materials, details and customisation.

Sanabria: This will range depending on the size, level of customisation and the storage solution. Keep in mind that drawers can really add to the cost, so opting for a seat that lifts via a piano hinge can deliver savings while offering storage.

Q: Who should you hire to install banquettes?
Sanabria: You can hire a general contractor or handyperson. We like to use a carpenter unless it’s part of a larger project where a general contractor is involved. Then we may have the banquette made by a cabinetmaker or even by the lead carpenter on the general contractor’s team; it’s usually not built by a handyperson.

Proxmire: The benefit of going the custom route is that you can get the size perfect, so the result looks like it was always part of your home. But off-the-shelf varieties have really expanded their options in terms of offering more modular pieces that can fit together in many different configurations. Some companies will even work with a customer’s own fabric, which is another way to get a custom look.

Q: What fabrics do you recommend for banquettes?
Proxmire: If you’re using one in a kitchen or dining room where you’ll be eating, you’ll want a performance fabric that can handle crumbs and spills. Crypton, indoor/outdoor fabrics like Perennials or Sunbrella, or any stain-resistant upholstery weight fabric will be ideal. Another great trick is to vinyl-ise your fabric. The technology has come a long way, and it really does provide a wipeable, protective barrier to your fabric.

Giese: The best fabrics for cushions are performance textiles that repel stains and clean up easily. If the banquette is in a sunny spot, I’d also look for fabric that’s fade-resistant.