Books: Akwaeke Emezi’s dazzling debut, Koreatown bookstores, noir and more

I’m books editor Carolyn Kellogg; welcome to this week’s newsletter.

THE BIG STORY

Akwaeke Emezi’s dazzling debut novel, “Freshwater,” is about a shattered self, a college-age human whose turmoils are driven by spirits and gods. Emezi, a Nigerian American who has written about having gender-transition surgery, is a millennial creative force. Critic at large Susan Straight has our review.

MORE IN BOOKS

Laura Lippman’s excellent new novel, “Sunburn,” turns classic noir inside-out, writes Paula L. Woods in our review.

We’ve got a rundown of five fantastic new audiobooks, thanks to reviewer Rochelle O’Gorman.

Patrick Nathan’s debut novel, “Some Hell,” features a coming-out teen dealing with a family suicide. Pete Tosiello reviews.

The coffee table book “Signs of Resistance” chronicles the history of American protest art, writes Agatha French.

French also visited six bookstores for this special guide celebrating Koreatown — for those who can’t get to Pyeongchang.

At Western Comics in Koreatown, patrons can rent a comic book to read in-store.

(Agatha French / Los Angeles Times )

BESTSELLERS

Continuing its domination of the nonfiction list is Michael Wolff’s book “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,” the No. 1 L.A. Times bestseller for the fifth week in a row.

After four weeks, “The Immortalists” by Chloe Benjamin has reached the top of our fiction list; it’s the No. 1 L.A. Times bestseller this week.

See all the books on our bestseller lists here.

FUN WITH T.S. ELIOT

This week I was walking to lunch in downtown L.A. and took a photo of Prufrock Pizzeria (not itself open for lunch), which I posted on Twitter. So many people had T.S. Eliot riffs to add. Maybe you too?

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