KUOW Book Club's January pick: Juan Carlos Reyes' fiction collection exploring grief and healing

The KUOW Book Club is reading "Three Alarm Fire" by Juan Carlos Reyes this month.

The book, published by Marcus Harrison Green's Hinton Publishing, just came out in October. That may have been perfect timing for some readers, as the fiction collection "examines the range of grief and healing we navigate as Americans."

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The characters are as diverse and related as the many themes Reyes brings to his readers: immigration, identity, family legacy, sexuality, trauma, and what belonging means, all swirl together with the force of pervasive cultural tensions. Readers won't be surprised to learn Reyes is an associate professor of creative writing at Seattle University, as we all likely have something to learn from Reyes' storytelling and style.

Here's the reading schedule:

• Read through "All Apologies" by January 13.
• Finish the book by January 27.

I'm happy to share that Reyes has signed on for an interview at the end of our reading. We're working out details, so look out for more on that later this month. As per usual, I’ll send out a newsletter at the halfway point and when we finish the book.

Subscribe to the book club newsletter here, and join the conversation by emailing me directly at kcampbell@kuow.org.

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Spoiler alert: I haven't yet picked our February read. Apologies to everyone who likes to be ahead of the game! But there's a fun reason for this. I'm contemplating a different sort of pick for February since it's a shorter month. I'm torn right now between reading a graphic novel or playing with a cookbook. KUOW's Ruby de Luna suggested a cook-along sort of vibe with a local cookbook, and I do love that idea. I also really want us to discuss a great graphic novel, though.

Do you have strong opinions one way or the other? Let me know!

And while you're here, I have one scheduling note. This year, I'll be announcing my picks on the first of each month. That just helps me ensure we have enough time to read and really enjoy each book.