Brenna

One sentence synopsis... The history of the internet - from forums, to Friendster, and eventually Facebook - from the perspective of the user.

Read it if you like... ‘Halt and Catch Fire'. Both the show and this book look at the early stages of building communities online and how the utopian dreams of the World Wide Web have failed to play out in reality.

Further reading... for another personal story told against the backdrop of Silicon Valley and Big Tech try Anna Wiener's ‘Uncanny Valley'.

One sentence synopsis... Four women who live in the same apartment building in Seoul, Korea run up against the country's repressive beauty standards and deep seated misogyny.

Read it if you like... ‘Her Body and Other Parties', ‘Breasts and Eggs', or ‘Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982'.

Dream casting... really into Blackpink since watching the documentary on Netflix so just cast Jisoo in everything.

One sentence synopsis... An exploration of absurdity through the life of Meursault, a French Algerian whose apathetic responses to society's standards of behaviour lead him to his death.

Read it if you like... nothing. And dislike nothing. And have no feelings for anything at all. Perfect book for you. Far stretch comparison but at times Meursault gives off some very Patrick Bateman, dead-behind-the-eyes vibes.

Dream casting... I don't think a film version of this book makes any sense but somehow I'd trust Joaquin Phoenix to find a way to make it work.

One sentence synopsis... Generational, political, and cultural differences express themselves through the experiences of South Korean women in this collection of short stories.

Read it if you like... clean, precise writing which is probably true of most short stories but feels particularly noteworthy in this case. Most of the characters have trouble expressing their emotions which makes the style impersonal in the extreme.

Further reading... for Korean fiction I preferred ‘Kim Jiyoung, born 1982' and for impersonal characters/writing style obviously Sally Rooney.

One sentence synopsis... ‘The Namesake' is a beautifully written, introspective portrait of one immigrant family's experience - specifically spanning three formative decades in the life of the eldest son, Gogol Ganguli.

Read it if you like... ‘Americanah' or ‘Exit West' for books that highlight the immigrant experience. The tv show ‘Love Life' for the series of women Gogol dates from his teens to late 30's who shape his life.

Dream casting... Disclaimer: Age-wise this doesn't work but since we follow the characters as they grow up they wouldn't necessarily play opposite each other. That being said, Megan Suri as Moushumi and Dev Patel as Gogol. And for the beginning of the book, which focuses on Gogol's parents when they were young - Rahul Kohli as his dad and Richa Moorjani as his mom.