Timely reading: "Cloud Atlas," "Parable of the Sower"

We're not talking exact book birthdays, but two recent pieces celebrate the year 2024 and two particular novels.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell turns twenty in August, and in honor of the occasion, author Gabrielle Zevin celebrates its appeal — in particular, as the headline comments, what makes it tattoo-worthy.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, meanwhile, draws attention not because of its age, but because of its timeframe.

Specifically, we've reached the year in which the book begins, leading Logan Dreher to reflect on what Butler tells us not just in the Earthseed duology, but also in her other works.