Look Alive Out There, by Sloane Crosley

Creative nonfiction can be incredibly enthralling and just as entertaining as any novel, but the art of the essay is a complicated one, and few authors have nailed the genre as well as Sloane Crosley. Each essay, no matter the length or subject matter, packs a solid emotional punch and serious one-liners. Crosley has a knack for pointing out things that seem terribly obvious once she's said them, but that never would have occurred to you otherwise. She has a comfort and facility with language that most of us can merely dream about.

Crosley's previous essay collections were all bestsellers, and this latest offering is just as well done. A little bit older, a little bit wiser (but maybe not too much), Sloane invites us in to experience the absurdities of everyday life: freezing her eggs, climbing a mountain with no climbing experience, getting to know her Manhattan neighbors. Throughout, she is relatable and poignant, as well as laugh out loud funny. There is a glut of essay collections these days, but Crosley's stand a head above the rest for sheer enjoyable readability.

Do you live in Napa or Sonoma? Napa Bookmine is hosting Sloane Crosley at Scribe Winery April 14th! Buy your tickets here!