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library book suggestion lists~ 2021
----- A Reckless Match
by Kate Bateman
Family feud! The Davies and Montgomery clans have been neighbors and rivals since the middle ages, and Maddie Montgomery and Gryff Davies, the new Earl of Powys, are happy to carry on the tradition.
Why you might like it: Low on angst and high on adventure, this lively enemies-to-lovers Regency romance, the 1st book in the Ruthless Rivals series, contains smugglers, secret tunnels, and subterranean sexytimes.
----- A Lot Like Adiós
by Alexis Daria
The backstory: Growing up next door to each other in the Bronx, Michelle Amato and Gabriel Aguilar were best friends -- and almost more -- before Gabriel left for Los Angeles without a backward glance.
Picking up where they left off: When Gabriel returns to New York to work with graphic designer Michelle on a rebrand of his business, they struggle to keep their relationship strictly professional.
Why you might like it: Bisexual Latinx leads get a second chance at love in this standalone 2nd installment of the Primas of Power series, after You Had Me at Hola.
------ The Love Hypothesis
by Ali Hazelwood
A kiss is just a kiss? To convince her best friend, Ahn, that she has no interest in Ahn's crush, PhD student Olive Smith plants a kiss on the first guy she sees and begs him to play along.
A fine faux-mance: Olive is horrified to realize that she has locked lips with none than the biology department's star professor, Adam Carlsen, who wants to continue the deception for reasons of his own.
Did you know? This novel originated in the Star Wars fandom as Reylo fanfiction.
------ A Holly Jolly Diwali
by Sonya Lalli
Introducing: Niki Randhawa, a risk-averse Canadian data analyst who, despite a lifetime of making responsible decisions, finds herself unemployed.
What happens: At loose ends, Niki travels to Mumbai for her best friend Diya's wedding and meets London-based musician Sameer "Sam" Mukherji. As their holiday romance develops, Niki reconnects with her Punjabi heritage while trying to decide what her future will look like.
For fans of: Annika Sharma's Chai Masala Club series, Uzma Jalaluddin's Hana Khan Carries On.
------ The Matzah Ball
by Jean Meltzer
Meet: Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt, a Jewish woman with myalgic encelphalomyelitis whose prestigious family is unaware of her secret career as a bestselling author of Christmas-themed holiday romances.
What happens: With her editor demanding a Hanukkah romance, Rachel seeks inspiration at the Matzah Ball Max, an event produced by her summer camp crush-turned-nemesis, Jacob Greenberg.
Reviewers say: "A sparkling holiday romance told with both honesty and heart" (Kirkus Reviews).
💚💙💛Focus on: Romantic Suspense 🧡💚💙
----- Thick as Thieves
by Sandra Brown
What happens: Past and present collide when Arden Maxwell returns to her childhood home 20 years after her father's disappearance following a botched robbery. Gruff local contractor Ledge Burnet has some of the answers Arden seeks, but what she doesn't know might kill her.
Read it for: "Good pacing, smooth prose, inventive action scenes, and a touch of hot romance" (Publishers Weekly).
Is it for you? Depiction of pregnancy loss and some violent scenes make Thick as Thieves an intense read.
------ Close Up
by Amanda Quick
What it's about: Freelance crime-scene photographer Vivian Brazier joins forces with psychic private eye Nick Sundridge to catch a killer in 1930s Southern California.
Why you might like it: This intricately plotted 4th entry in the Burning Cove series, after Tightrope, infuses Hitchcockian suspense with old Hollywood glamour.
Crossover alert: Close Up is loosely linked to the author's Arcane Society books, although familiarity with that series is not necessary to enjoy this novel.
------ Hideaway
by Nora Roberts
Big Sur, California, 2001: Abducted and held for ransom, nine-year-old child star Caitlyn "Cate" Sullivan escaped her captors and, with the aid of local teen Dillon Cooper, was reunited with her family.
Two decades later... Cate's past finally catches up to her, first as she reconnects with rancher Dillon, and then when she begins receiving frightening anonymous phone calls.
Read it for: "a plot spiked with chilling suspense and layered with life-affirming love" (Booklist).
------ I Am Justice
by Diana Muñoz Stewart
Starring: Justice Parish, a member of a secret sisterhood of vigilantes, and Sandesh Ross, the ex-Special Forces soldier who helps her bring down a human-trafficking ring.
Is it for you? This gritty, high-octane opening installment of the Band of Sisters series contains mentions of child abuse.
You might also like: Aya De Leon's Justice Hustlers, another action-packed series featuring a family-by-choice of women vigilantes.
------ Driven
by Rebecca Zanetti
What it's about: Angus Force, leader of the unconventional but highly effective Deep Ops unit, works with psychiatrist Nari Zhang to track down a serial killer before he strikes again.
Why you might like it: This steamy and suspenseful 4th installment of the Deep Ops series features a brooding hero, a no-nonsense heroine, and a well-drawn supporting cast of likeable misfits.
You might also like: Juno Rushdan's Final Hour series, April Hunt's Steele Ops novels, or HelenKay Dimon's Bad Boys Undercover books.
---- A Human History of Emotion : How the Way We Feel Built the World We Know
Richard Firth-Godbehere
A Human History of Emotion vividly illustrates how our understanding and experience of emotions has changed over time, and how our beliefs about feelings--and our feelings themselves--profoundly shaped us and the world we inhabit.
----- Filled With Fire and Light : Portraits and Legends From the Bible, Talmud, and Hasidic World
Elie Wiesel
Here are magnificent insights into the lives of biblical prophets and kings, Talmudic sages, and Hasidic rabbis from the internationally acclaimed writer, Nobel laureate, and one of the world's most honored and beloved teachers. From a multitude of sources, Elie Wiesel culls facts, legends, and anecdotes to give us fascinating portraits of notable figures throughout Jewish history.
----- American Comics: A History
Jeremy Dauber
Starting with the Civil War and cartoonist Thomas Nast, creator of the lasting images of Uncle Sam and Santa Claus, author Jeremy Dauber whizzes readers through comics' progress in the twentieth century and beyond. Dauber's story shows not only how comics have changed, but how American politics and history have changed them. Throughout, he describes the origins of beloved comics, champions neglected masterpieces, and argues that we can understand how America sees itself through whose stories comics tell.
----- Super Volcanoes : What They Reveal About Earth and the Worlds Beyond
Robin Andrews
Super Volcanoes revels in the incomparable power of volcanic eruptions past and present, Earth-bound and otherwise, and explores how these eruptions reveal secrets about the worlds to which they belong. Volcanologist Robin George Andrews describes the stunning ways in which volcanoes can sculpt the sea, land, and sky, and even influence the machinery that makes or breaks the existence of life. Traveling from Hawaii, Tanzania, Yellowstone, and the ocean floor to the Moon, Venus, and Mars, Andrews explores cutting-edge discoveries and lingering scientific mysteries surrounding these phenomenal forces of nature.
----Rebel Homemaker : Food, Family, Life
Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore has always done things in her own unique way--including how she cooks, lives, and finds happiness at home. In her first lifestyle and cookbook, Drew shares recipes, stories from her life, and personal photos that show how she lives a healthy, delicious, and joyful life through her own rebellious brand of homemaking.
------ The Dawn of Everything : A New History of Humanity
David Graeber
A dramatically new understanding of human history, challenging our most fundamental assumptions about social evolution--from the development of agriculture and cities to the origins of the state, democracy, and inequality--and revealing new possibilities for human emancipation.
------ Madam : The Biography of Polly Adler, Icon of the Jazz Age
Debby Applegate
The compulsively readable and sometimes jaw-dropping story of the life of a notorious madam who played hostess to every gangster, politician, writer, sports star and Cafe Society swell worth knowing, and who as much as any single figure helped make the twenties roar--from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Most Famous Man in America.
----- Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds
Huma Abedin
In this beautifully written and propulsive memoir, Huma Abedin--Hillary Clinton's famously private top aide and longtime advisor--emerges from the wings of American political history to take command of her own story.
----- Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop
by Colgan, Jenny
In her comfy cottage nestled in the Derbyshire hills, Rosie's holiday is being ushered in with England's first glorious snowfall of the season. But when a devastating tragedy strikes at the heart of the close-knit town, plans for a cozy Christmas are suddenly in danger of melting away. Its going to take Rosie's indomitable spirit, the embrace of family and friends, and the resilient good will of a community to turn it all around and make this a holiday to be thankful for.
----- An Ivy Hill Christmas
A Tales From Ivy Hill Novella
by Klassen, Julie
Richard Brockwell, a self-centered writer who lives alone in 1822 London, dreads going home to Brockwell Court in Ivy Hill for Christmas. Returning means facing a past Richard would rather forget, but what the confirmed bachelor doesn't plan on when he arrives is falling for the lovely Arabella Awdry.
----- The Season of Us
by Chamberlin, Holly
Twenty years after leaving her small hometown of Appleville, New Hampshire, Gincy Gannon Luongo returns with her teenage daughter to visit her recently widowed mother and her brother, and learns to appreciate them in new ways in the weeks leading up to Christmas
---- The Mistletoe Matchmaker
by Hayes-McCoy, Felicity
The days are turning colder, and preparations are underway for the Winter Fest. Everyone is hoping for a little holiday magic on the Finfarran Peninsula, and as Cassie Fitzgerald, fresh from Toronto, is about to discover, there's more to the holidays on the west coast of Ireland than mistletoe and mince pies.
---- Murder for Christmas
by Duncan, Francis
When Mordecai Tremaine arrives at the country retreat of one Benedict Grame on Christmas Eve, he discovers that the revelries are in full swing in the sleepy village of Sherbroome―but so too are tensions amongst the assortment of guests. When midnight strikes, the partygoers discover that presents aren't the only things nestled under the tree...there's a dead body too. With the snow falling and suspicions flying, it's up to Mordecai to sniff out the culprit―and prevent anyone else from getting murder for Christmas.
----- The Christmas Boutique
by Chiaverini, Jennifer
Just weeks before Christmas, severe wintry weather damages the church hall hosting the Christmas Boutique—an annual sale of handcrafted gifts and baked goods that supports the county food pantry. Determined to save the fundraiser, Sylvia Bergstrom Compson offers to hold the event at Elm Creek Manor, her ancestral family estate. Set in the small town of Waterford, Pennsylvania.
------ Christmas Cupcake Murder
by Fluke, Joanne
Set in Lake Eden, Minnesota, "Christmas Cupcake Murder" features over a dozen cookie and dessert recipes from The Cookie Jar—Hannah Swensen’s famous bakery. This festive Christmas mystery from the Queen of Culinary Cozies is just the holiday treat you need this season!
------ Noel Street
by Evans, Richard Paul
Elle Sheen isn't sure what to make of William Smith when his appearance creates a stir in the small town of Mistletoe, Utah. As their lives unexpectedly entwine, Elle learns that William, a recently returned Vietnam POW, is not only fighting demons from his past, but may also have the answer to her own secret pain--a revelation that culminates in a remarkable act of love and forgiveness
------ Marry Me at Christmas
by Mallery, Susan
To Fool's Gold, California's bridal boutique owner Madeline Krug, organizing a Christmas wedding sounds like a joy—until she finds out she'll be working closely with the gorgeous brother of the bride, movie star Jonny Blaze. How will a small-town girl like her keep from falling for the world's sexiest guy? Especially with mistletoe lurking around every corner!
------ The Lopsided Christmas Cake
by Brunstetter, Wanda E.
New to the Shipshewana, Indiana community, the Hochstetter twin sisters volunteer to bake a cake for an Amish charity auction, only to learn they must demonstrate the whole process on stage in front of an audience. Their cooking chaos entertains the audience, attracts the attention of more than one bachelor, and opens the door for romance.
-----Santa Clawed
A Mrs. Murphy Mystery
by Brown, Rita Mae
As Harry well knows, there’s hardly a place on earth cozier than Crozet, Virginia, at Christmastime. The snowflakes drifting lazily down, the soft glow of the winter light, the sound of old carols in the streets…even cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter get into the spirit batting ornaments and climbing the holiday tree. In fact, it’s this year’s tree that Harry and her husband, Fair, have gone to fetch when they find the one they’ve chosen grimly decorated with a dead body.
------ A Christmas Kiss
Three very different couples are surprised by romance and love in this enthralling anthology by some of Dafina's most popular authors. A conflicted young woman reconnects with her former bad-boy crush when he returns with surprising plans in -Norfleet's spirited "Sealed with a Kiss"; the deputy director and fundraising manager of a community center has her hands full getting her new boss to let go of his pervasive bitterness and experience the joy of the season in the Kwanzaa-infused "Mistletoe Lane" by Regina Hart; and an unconventional young woman finds romance with a good friend of her father's when she heads home to the North Carolina mountains in -Deborah Fletcher Mello's intricate and heartfelt "His Christmas Gifts
------ How the Finch Stole Christmas!
A Meg Langslow Mystery
by Andrews, Donna
Visiting Caerphilly, Virginia, especially at Christmas time, doesn't get old. When her husband organizes a full-scale production of A Christmas Carol with a famous veteran actor in the starring role, Meg finds herself navigating unexpected challenges in the star's baggage and enemies.
------ Coming Home for Christmas
by Thayne, RaeAnne
Elizabeth Hamilton had been lost. Trapped in a tangle of postpartum depression and grief, she couldn’t quite see the way back to her husband and their two beautiful kids…then a car accident stole away her memories. When she finally remembered her family, Elizabeth reasoned that they’d moved on without her. But now, seven years later, Luke discovers her in a nearby town and brings Elizabeth back home to Haven Point, Idaho and to the family she loves, just in time for Christmas. Can the hurt of the past seven years be healed over the course of one Christmas season and bring the Hamiltons the gift of a new beginning?
----- A Christmas by the Sea
by Carlson, Melody
When Wendy Harper inherits her family's beachside cottage in Seaside, Maine, she sees it as a way to finally pay off the debts that have mounted since her husband died. But before it can be sold, the neglected property must be renovated. She and her 12-year-old son Jackson move in--temporarily, she reminds him--in order to do the work themselves, even though Christmas is coming. The charming town, along with local craftsman Caleb Colton, pulls on both Wendy and Jackson, who even registers himself for school in a bid to get his mom to move them there permanently. Wendy knows that the most responsible thing to do is to sell the cottage and return to Ohio, but the lure of the sea is hard to resist.
----- Immune
By Dettmer, Philipp
A gorgeously illustrated deep dive into the immune system that will forever change how you think about your body, from the creator of the popular science YouTube channel Kurzgesagt--In a Nutshell
----Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside
By Offerman, Nick
A humorous and rousing set of literal and figurative sojourns as well as a mission statement about comprehending, protecting, and truly experiencing the outdoors, fueled by three journeys undertaken by actor, humorist, and New York Times bestselling author Nick Offerman
---- The Book of Hope
By Goodall, Jane
In a world that seems so troubled, how do we hold on to hope?
Looking at the headlines--the worsening climate crisis, a global pandemic, loss of biodiversity, political upheaval--it can be hard to feel optimistic. And yet hope has never been more desperately needed.
----- On Animals
By Orlean, Susan
Susan Orlean--the beloved New Yorker staff writer hailed as "a national treasure" by The Washington Post and the author of the New York Times bestseller The Library Book--gathers a lifetime of musings, meditations, and in-depth profiles about animals.
---- The Plant Hunter: A Scientist's Quest for Nature's Next Medicines
By Quave, Cassandra Leah
A leading medical ethnobotanist tells us the story of her quest to develop new ways to fight illness and disease through the healing powers of plants in this uplifting and adventure-filled memoir.
----- Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law
By Roach, Mary
What's to be done about a jaywalking moose? A bear caught breaking and entering? A murderous tree? Three hundred years ago, animals that broke the law would be assigned legal representation and put on trial. These days, as New York Times best-selling author Mary Roach discovers, the answers are best found not in jurisprudence but in science
----- The Speckled Beauty: A Dog and His People, Lost and Found
By Bragg, Rick
NSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER - From the best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of All Over but the Shoutin', the warmhearted and hilarious story of how his life was transformed by his love for a poorly behaved, half-blind stray dog.
--- Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters
By Pinker, Steven
"In our uncertain age, which can so often feel so dark and disturbing, Steven Pinker has distinguished himself as a voice of positivity." - New York Times
Can reading a book make you more rational? Can it help us understand why there is so much irrationality in the world? Steven Pinker, author of Enlightenment Now (Bill Gates's new favorite book of all time") answers
----- Water: A Biography
By Boccaletti, Giulio
Spanning millennia and continents, here is a stunningly revealing history of how the distribution of water has shaped human civilization. Boccaletti, of The Nature Conservancy, "tackles the most important story of our time: our relationship with water in a world of looming scarcity" (Kelly McEvers, NPR Host).
----- Pump: A Natural History of the Heart
By Schutt, Bill
"Fascinating . . . Surprising entertainment, combining deep learning with dad jokes . . . [Schutt] is a natural teacher with an easy way with metaphor."--The Wall Street Journal
Zoologist Bill Schutt delivers a look at the science behind hearts from across the animal kingdom-- from insects to whales to humans-- in this lively natural history.
----- System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot
By Reich, Rob
A forward-thinking manifesto from three Stanford professors--experts who have worked at ground zero of the tech revolution for decades--which reveals how big tech's obsession with optimization and efficiency has sacrificed fundamental human values and outlines steps we can take to change course, renew our democracy, and save ourselves.
---- The Year of the Plague: An Oral History of the Covid-19 Pandemic
By Saslow, Eli
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter, a powerful and cathartic portrait of a country grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic--from feeling afraid and overwhelmed to extraordinary resilient--told through voices of people from all across America
---- Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse
By Goulson, Dave
In the tradition of Rachel Carson's groundbreaking environmental classic Silent Spring, an award-winning entomologist and conservationist explains the importance of insects to our survival, and offers a clarion call to avoid a looming ecological disaster of our own making.
----- Guardians of the Trees: A Memoir of Finding Hope Through Healing the Planet
By Webb, Kinari
A magnificent, empowering (Bill McKibben) memoir about a woman spearheading a global initiative to heal the world's rainforests and the communities who depend on them
When Kinari Webb first traveled to Indonesian Borneo at 21 to study orangutans, she was both awestruck by the beauty of her surroundings and heartbroken by the rainforest destruction she witnessed.
----- How to Make an Apple Pie from Scratch: In Search of the Recipe for Our Universe--From the Origins of Atoms to the Big Bang
By Cliff, Harry
A fascinating exploration of how we learned what matter really is, and the journey matter takes from the Big Bang, through exploding stars, ultimately to you and me. --Sean Carroll, New York Times bestselling author of Something Deeply Hidden)
Can i change my mind about adding this thread??? There are so many distracting offers listed, my brain may break.To name just a couple i'm adding to my list, i highlight these--
A Holly Jolly Diwali--Sonya Lalli. What can be better than combining two traditions? Let alone such a rhyming title!
Apparently there are people who read numerous Christmas-themed mysteries and romance novels during December. Certainly there are plenty listed above. A Christmas by the Sea--Melody Carlson sounds pleasant to me. I like reading about single moms & their over 10 year old sons. There's something sweet about that 10-20 decade that brings out the best in such families. If i made a holiday book list, this would be on it.
Nonfiction is my favorite, so i found it interesting that there is a thoughtful presentation of our Covid experience offered in Eli Saslow's work listed, The Year of the Plague but i cannot locate it on GR. Instead i find another of his books about Covid, Voices from the Pandemic: Americans Tell Their Stories of Crisis, Courage and Resilience. Both apparently relate oral experiences of what we all saw and heard.
Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse--Dave Goulson sounds the alarm with respect to using insects as our planet's bellwether. Sounds important.
I posted a lot for two reasons. I happened to have the time. It takes a while to find the lists and also to configure them to GR outdated system. Also I thought I would start with a few posts to begin the thread.
In the future it will be one or two at a time like I did in the other thread.
However, if you prefer these posts there and not here, let me know.
At this point, here seems like a good idea. I hope you didn't think i was criticizing. It's neat to have a place to see them all.
Thanks for the lists.Yeah, they are a bunch, but because of that it´s probably nice to have them at one place. Until now I also only skimmed them, but my eyes altready fell upon the book about comic history.
This is one of the pleasures of these lists--there are so many topics covered, both fiction and non. Joy! Joy!
----- Pinch Your Pottery: The Art & Craft of Making Pinch Pots: 35 Beautiful Projects to...
by Jacqui Atkin
What it is: an "excellent guide" (Library Journal) covering clays, tools, and techniques, and offering step-by-step instructions for 35 projects, as well as decoration options such as glazing and coloring.
Projects include: Cereal Bowl, Large Mug, Teapot, Lidded Sugar Bowl, Pitcher, Salt and Pepper Shakers, Flower Vase, and Piggy Bank.
Who it's for: anyone who'd love to experiment with ceramics but doesn't want to deal with a wheel.
----- Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple
by Dorie Greenspan; photography by Mark Weinberg
What it is: the "superlative" (Publishers Weekly) latest by an award-winning cookbook author famous for her creative, well-tested bakes.
What's inside: clear instructions for 150 recipes; dough and pie crust how-tos; a focus on flexibility; baking and storage tips; yummy photos.
Recipes include: Mochaccino Muffins; Coffee Shortbread; Classic Madeleines; Asparagus-Lemon Quiche; Brioche Sandwich Buns; Clam Chowder Pie; Olive Oil Brownies; Chocolate Éclair; Orange Spice Cake.
----- Garden Allies: The Insects, Birds, and Other Animals That Keep Your Garden Beautiful...
by Frederique Lavoipierre; illustrated by Craig Latker
What's inside: in-depth portraits of the various microorganisms, insects, and animals that create a healthy garden; tips on nurturing these eco-friendly allies; lovely hand-drawn illustrations; recommended resources.
Reviewers say: "impassioned and informative" (Publishers Weekly); "an excellent resource" (Booklist).
----- The Quick Fix Kitchen: Easy Recipes and Time-Saving Tips for a Healthier, Stress-Free Life
by Tia Mowry
What's inside: a fun guide to cooking quick, (mostly) nutritious foods; 65 recipes; meal plans; kitchen and pantry organization tips; substitution suggestions; stories and photos from actress/cooking star Tia Mowry's life.
Recipes include: Breakfast Pizza with Eggs; Sheet Pancakes; Chicken Tortilla Soup; Beef, Broccoli, and Rice; Lazy Mom Lasagna; Old-School Granola Bars; Frozen S'mores Pie; Apple Donut Rings.
For fans of: cookbooks by Ree Drummond or Chrissy Teigen.
----- Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes From Across the African Diaspora
by Bryant Terry (editor)
What it is: a wide-ranging collection of recipes, essays, poems, and art celebrating Black culture and food by a variety of creators, including Edna Lewis, Erika Council, Lazarus Lynch, and Nina Compton.
Recipes include: Buttermilk Biscuits; Vegetarian Gumbo; Jerk Chicken Ramen; Peach Hand Pie; Ghanaian Crepe Cake; Whiskey Sour.
Read this next: Toni Tipton-Martin's Jubilee; Alexander Smalls' Meals, Music, and Muses; or Marcus Samuelsson's The Rise.
------ Flavors of the Sun: The Sahadi's Guide to Understanding, Buying, and Using Middle...
by Christine Sahadi Whelan
What's inside: 120 recipes, organized by flavor profile (Bright, Savory, Spiced, Sweet, and Nutty) plus a Middle Eastern food primer, menu ideas, and dozens of ways to use up leftover specialty ingredients.
Don't miss: the lovely photos; the short history of Sahadi's, the James Beard Award-winning,100-year-old family-run Brooklyn grocery.
Recipes include: Za'atar Bloody Mary; Sahadi's Hot Wings; Fava Dip; Classic Fattoush; Harissa Mac and Cheese; Red Lentil Soup; Sweet-and-Sour Beef Hand Pies; Pistachio Cheesecake with Kataifi Crust.
************** Focus on: Family, Food, and Memories *************
----- The Best Cook in the World: Tales from My Momma's Southern Table
by Rick Bragg
What it is: a funny, charming memoir by Pulitzer Prize-winner Rick Bragg that covers his family and their food, especially his beloved mother, who never owned a cookbook.
Don't miss: family photos; more than 70 rollicking recipes incorporating his momma's instructions for dishes such as Cracklin' Cornbread, Smothered Cube Steak, Fried Green Tomatoes, and Buttermilk Pie.
Want a taste? "Since she was eleven years old, even if all she had to work with was neck bones, peppergrass, or poke salad, she put good food on a plate."
------ Eat a Peach: A Memoir
by David Chang
What it is: the bestselling debut memoir of influential restaurateur David Chang, the chef behind Momofuku and star of Netflix’s Ugly Delicious.
What's inside: With humor and candor, Chang covers his religious Korean American upbringing, his life with bipolar disorder, his friendship with the late Anthony Bourdain, and his professional successes and missteps as well as his "33 Rules for Becoming a Chef."
Read this next: Though no recipes are included here, you can find plenty in Chang's bestselling cookbooks, such as his most recent one, Cooking at Home, or his first, Momofuku.
------- Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
by Barbara Kingsolver with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver
What happened: Acclaimed novelist Barbara Kingsolver and her family moved from Tucson, Arizona to a small town in Virginia's Southern Appalachians where they strove to eat only local or homegrown food (with a few exceptions, such as coffee).
What's inside: details about things like vegetable gardening, turkey breeding, and cooking with what is in season (recipes are included), plus vivid descriptions, humor, and family lore.
Who it's for: You'll relish this tasty memoir if you want to know more about the food you eat or dream of mini-farm life.
------ The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South
by Michael W. Twitty
What happened: Culinary historian Michael W. Twitty traveled the Southern United States, using food as a lens to view his ancestry and the region's history. During his trip, he cooked in historical settings and sifted through old documents, genetic tests, oral stories, and recipes both old and new (like Hoecake, Fried Apples, and Black-Eyed Pea Hummus).
Want a taste? "My entire cooking life has been about memory. It's my most indispensable ingredient, so wherever I find it, I hoard it."
Awards buzz: The Cooking Gene won the 2018 James Beard Foundation Writing Award and Book of the Year Award.
Fascinating titles for seasonal cook book giving, Alias. The one which most calls to me is Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. It's neat to read about families adjusting their food-life in dramatic ways.
madrano wrote: "Fascinating titles for seasonal cook book giving, Alias. The one which most calls to me is Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. It's n..."It's the only book of hers I've read. Seem to recall I found the asides distracting on the audio edition, but found the book interesting.
I've mentioned I'm a fan of the You Tube history channel Townsends, where they were fortunate to have featured Michael Twitty as a special guest for an episode on Food of the Enslaved.
Oh, that does sound interesting, John. I found this site, which lists and links some of his episodes. https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/...
That book reminds me of a documentary/infotainment movie I watched recently on TV that was about how many insecticides, pesticides and other chemicals are in our food. Did you know that the most contaminated fruits are strawberries?It just reminded me of that as the book is about industrial food. Probably it's really healthier to use only food from around your area and if you cook everything by yourself.
Florian wrote: "That book reminds me of a documentary/infotainment movie I watched recently on TV that was about how many insecticides, pesticides and other chemicals are in our food. Did you know that the most co..."Yes. Strawberries usually are right on the top of the Dirty Dozen.
Dirty Dozen™ EWG's 2021 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce™
Strawberries.
Spinach.
Kale, collard and mustard greens.
Nectarines.
Apples.
Grapes.
Cherries.
Peaches.
https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-do...
Interesting list, Alias. Thanks. This has me wondering what the differences are, surely not size. At least you can scrub an apple but not so much strawberries.Ultimately Florian had it write, it probably is ideal to be able to buy local produce but then we wouldn't have strawberries in winter, i suppose. Although, do we need that?
madrano wrote: "Interesting list, Alias. Thanks. This has me wondering what the differences are, surely not size. At least you can scrub an apple but not so much strawberries.Ultimately Florian had it write, it ..."
Of the 46 items included in the EWG analysis, the fruits and vegetables on the "Dirty Dozen" list were found to have more pesticide residue than other crops. ... More than 90% of the samples of strawberries, apples, cherries, spinach, nectarines, and leafy greens were positive for residues of two or more pesticides.Mar 17, 2021
Strawberries have topped the list as the most pesticide-laden fruit for the past six years. EWG testing revealed that 90% of strawberries contained at least one pesticide, and 30% of the crop had traces of 10 or more different toxins.Mar 19, 2021
----Another POV on eating non organic.
https://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20180...
Personally, I can't afford non organic foods. I am hoping that benefits of eating a plant heavy diet outweighs the pesticide risk.
Your final statement says it all, Alias. Now that chain stores have organic products, i expected the prices to be tempered but that has not happened. *sigh*The very best strawberries we've ever had were grown by my husband just 3 feet from our back door in South Dakota. They were small but sweet and delicious. He used no pesticide at all. Of course the growing season was short, frost often came in early September, if not August, if that makes a difference.
madrano wrote: The very best strawberries we've ever had were grown by my husband just 3 feet from our back door in South Dakota.."I bet they were. Home grown fruit/veggies are the best. Nothing beats a home grown tomato.
------ White on Black / Ruben Gallego
A grandson of the secretary general of the Spanish Communist Party, Rubén David González Gallego was born with severe cerebral palsy. He spend his childhood in Russian orphanages, reserved for physically and mentally disabled children. Pitied for the color of his skin and his lack of physical abilities, his earlier life was marked by neglect and deprivation. Ironically, just as every other child in Soviet Russia, he was expected to show his gratitude to the nation that cherished its younger generation. After graduating to an old age home, a place where all of his former classmates quickly succumbed to malnourishment, David Gallego beat extraordinary odds by surviving. The story of his childhood brought international attention to the plight of all disabled people in Russia.
------ Piece of Cake
A Piece of Cake: A Memoir / Cupcake Brown
Astonishing in its candor and the amount of harrowing details, this memoir is an indictment of the foster care system. Abandoned by her biological father and repeatedly placed into the households of abusive foster parents, Cupcake Brown learned to survive by her own wits. Despite her pugnacious struggle for independence, she succumbs to addiction. Determined to transform her life, the author takes to the task with remarkable persistence and determination.
------- Give Me Everything You Have: On Being Stalked / James Lasdun
If you have been the object of unwanted obsession, you will commiserate with the author of this highly disturbing book. Narcissists don't take rejection lightly and will attempt to do everything and anything to destroy your life. Such is the size of their fragile ego and the force of their fury, that they can make your downfall the sole mission of their empty life. They will live to denigrate and blacken your reputation, destroy your family and ruin your career. They will stalk you in life and on social networks, combing through your most innocent posts for "evidence" that can be used against you. They will continuously attempt to invade your privacy. They feed on malice and venom flows through their veins, because you managed to leave them behind, daring to live a happy and fulfilled life. Naively seeking justice in protection though our legal system, this author finally got his day in the court of public opinion by writing this book.
------ Glass Castle
The Glass Castle: A Memoir / Jeannette Walls
Translated into thirty seven languages, this international bestseller clearly resonated with a global audience. Stuck between a self-absorbed mother with artistic pretensions and an alcoholic father, a young protagonist is forced to fend for herself and her siblings. Determined to escape a life of neglect and poverty, she moved to New York City, only to be followed by her parents. In an interview with the New York Times, Jeanette Walls said, "We all have our baggage, and I think the trick is not resisting it but accepting it, understanding that the worst experience has a valuable gift wrapped inside if you’re willing to receive it.”
------ Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly / Jean-Dominique Bauby
A stylish and witty bon vivant in the prime of his life, Jean-Dominique Bauby suffered a massive stroke. While his useless body keeps him hostage, his mind continued to soar above all, recording the beauty and absurdity of life. Bauby is eventually able to express himself by dictating a word at a time. This laborious process involved blinking to select each letter, as the alphabet was recited to him slowly, over and over again. This extraordinary book is written as act of defiance against all those that pitied him for being a "vegetable."
----- Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice / Bill Browder
A son of a generational communist, Bill Browder was raised to revere intelligentsia and despise crass ideas that support capitalism. After graduating from Stanford Business School, he settled in Moscow, eventually making millions. In 2006 he was indicted on charges of tax evasion and expelled from Russia. Determined to fight back, Browder hired a talented and principled tax attorney, whose name was destined to become far more familiar than his own. According to Browder, Sergei Magnitsky uncovered a massive ring of corruption within the Russian tax agency and prepared to testify against the government officials involved in it. Magnitsky's death in jail galvanized Browder into fighting for the Law that would bear his name.
------ All Who Go Do Not Return: A Memoir / Shulem Deen
Insatiable and exacting intellectual curiosity led Shulem Dean to question and reject the beliefs of his isolated community. Why did he remain living among the insular and restrictive group, obsessed with minutia and dismissive of all progress? Pressure to conform, lack of monetary resources, lack of skills necessary to support oneself, fear of being ostracized, emotional blackmail, absence of psychological support, fear of reprisal, knowledge that the legal system will be manipulated and used against him as a punitive tool, lack of confidence in his abilities, gnawing self-doubt and overwhelming guilt over breaking up a family were his reasons for staying. Read about his reasons for leaving in this courageous memoir.
----- A Brief Education in Politics
The Speechwriter: A Brief Education in Politics / Barton Swaim
Have you ever had a boss that loved to hear the sound of his own voice and could not be pleased, no matter hard you tried? Barton Swain did. A graduate of elite educational institutions, Swain was employed as a speechwriter for a certain unnamed governor. Full of energy and idealism, he believed that his job was to write well. Eventually he understood that he simply must write just like the governor. Because he no longer works for the governor, this book is exceptionally well written. Swaim concludes with his astute and thoughtful analysis of what drives modern politicians in this country.
------ Infidel / Ayaan Hirsi Ali
A refugee from war-torn Somalia and an arranged marriage, Ayaan Hisri Ali achieved the ultimate dream of any successful immigrant. As a remember of Dutch Parliament, she had the courage to speak her mind and advocate for those who could not do so on their own. Despite being condemned to death by fanatics, she never abandoned her beliefs and ideals.
------- Little Failure: A Memoir / Gary Shteyngart
A small furry boy with asthma, Gary Shteyngart was first lovingly referred to as snotty and weakling. When he dared to betray parental expectations, he became known as Little Failure. When his successful novel exposes old world parenting practices, his parents are enraged by an ungrateful son. In one cathartic moment the author decidedly informs them that their opinion will no longer matter to him.
------- Crazy Love: A Memoir / Leslie Morgan Steiner
This biography attempts to answers very important questions of why domestic violence victims remain in abusive relationships for years. Love-bombed into a relationship, this author gradually gave up her beloved pet, her friends, as well as her dream job in New York City. After moving into a rural area, she was completely isolated and financially dependent on her abuser. Despite such hardship, she was unwilling to see herself as victim. Leslie Morgan Steiner thought that she was in a unique position of helping a suffering soul mate. Existing in the state of permanent cognitive dissonance, she sincerely hoped to be the agent of change for her abusive husband. She often excused her husband's egregious actions as the traumas of childhood, stress and temporary emotional instability. After gaining financial freedom and doing research on the likelihood of the abuse stopping, she was able to leave him and build a new life for herself.
------- The Battle for Room 314: My Year of Hope and Despair in a New York City High School / Ed Boland
A successful non-profit manager, Ed Boland was not content with providing a few bright students with opportunities of a lifetime. This candid account of his attempt to try to save as many as he could, describes a traumatic crash of idealism against complex and painful reality. It is always difficult to come to terms with the fact that you can only do so much for so many. Mr. Boland deserves credit for trying. After finishing this book, I was convinced that he did make a difference in his student's lives.
------ When Breath Becomes Air / Paul Kalanithi
While browsing the reviews of this book, I saw one recommending it specifically to terminally ill patients, families and caregivers. Dr. Kalanithi chose to engage with death on a daily basis in order to understand what makes life valuable. This posthumously published biography invites all of us to reflect on the meaning of life, in view of the fact that time might run out sooner than we plan.
10 Books To Make You Think About the Way You Think
Reflecting on our beliefs and motives, decisions and reactions, helps us grow.
-----Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges by Amy Cuddy
Learn how to be your best self in the moments that terrify you the most.
----The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
An exploration of how habits work and how we can use this information to our advantage.
-----The Road to Character by David Brooks
Brooks challenges us to reexamine the balance between the American emphasis on external success measures, such as wealth, and internal success measures, such as kindness and relationships.
-----Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination by J.K. Rowling
A commencemet speech Rowling delivered at Harvard University in 2008.
-----Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
McKeown offers the reader strict criteria to determine what is essential and reclaim control over how we spend our precious time.
-----The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli
99 of the most common errors of judgment and how to avoid them.
-----Drunk Tank Pink by Adam Alter
How our environment shapes our thoughts and actions without us even being aware of it.
------Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Kahneman contends that there are two systems that drive our thoughts: one fast and intuitive, and another slow and deliberate.
------Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink
Pink asserts that to be happy and satisfied humans need to direct their own lives and to learn and create new things.
------Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
A fascinating collection of profiles of decision makers, some brilliant and others inept, and what makes the difference.
That's a healthy list of books. I've read both Infidel--Ayaan Hirsi Ali and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, an interesting book by Jean-Dominique Bauby. Both offered insights to different lives in Europe.Mention of Ed Boland's The Battle for Room 314: My Year of Hope and Despair in a New York City High School reminds me of Up the Down Stair Case, written in the '60s about an NYC high school teacher. Bel Kaufman's book was on target and the movie, which starred Sandy Dennis, was good. Seeing what education (and the attending complaints from teachers) were then, compared to today would be an education, i am sure.
Btw, last week i caught Up the Down Stair Case last week & was surprised how mild the classroom was compared to what can be seen sometimes today. Who knew?
A nice book list. Sometimes it´s important to think about what you think. A book I read is Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed. It´s not especially a book about different ways of thinking, but it´s about a psychotherapist who tells about some of her customers and how she herself needed psychological help. There she also sometimes wrote about how healthy thinking (and behaviour) works.
madrano wrote: "That's a healthy list of books. I've read both Infidel--Ayaan Hirsi Ali and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, an interesting book by [author:Jean-Dominiqu..."Deb, I also read and enjoyed Infidel
Madrano wrote:
Btw, last week i caught Up the Down Stair Case last week & was surprised how mild the classroom was compared to what can be seen sometimes today. Who knew?
Yes. I saw that it was on TV recently but I didn't watch it. I saw it many years ago.
Florian wrote: "A nice book list. Sometimes it´s important to think about what you think. A book I read is Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed. It´s..."Glad you enjoyed the list, Florian.
Alias Reader wrote: "Madrano wrote:Btw, last week i caught Up the Down Stair Case last week & was surprised how mild the classroom was compared to what can be seen sometimes today. Who knew?
Yes. I saw that it was on TV recently but I didn't watch it. I saw it many years ago...."
Alias, i recall seeing the film years ago, too. This is why i liked revisiting it. My memory was that the students in class misbehaved quite a bit but, in fact, they really didn't, at least compared to later tv classrooms. And it's always neat to watch Sandy Dennis.
I was in my 20s when i read the Bel Kaufman book. As i recall it, any idea of being a teacher left my head soon after! LOL
------ Going There
by Katie Couric
What it's about: former Today co-host and CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric's 40-year journalism career.
Read it for: a vivid and fast-paced behind-the-scenes account of Couric's personal and professional lives, full of candid insights on the challenges she's faced.
Topics include: navigating sexism in the media industry; losing her first husband to colon cancer; battling bulimia; adjusting to fame.
------ The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family
by Ron Howard & Clint Howard; foreword by Bryce Dallas Howard
What it is: a nostalgic and banter-filled coming-of-age memoir by brothers and Hollywood luminaries Ron and Clint Howard, both of whom got their start as child actors in the 1960s.
Who it's for: Fans of the pair will enjoy this charming look back at their storied careers, featuring anecdotes about their work on The Andy Griffith Show, Gentle Ben, Happy Days, and more.
Try this next: For another engaging showbiz memoir by an iconic 1960s child star, read Hayley Mills' Forever Young.
------ The Redemption of Bobby Love: A Story of Faith, Family, and Justice
by Bobby Love and Cheryl Love with Lori L. Tharps
How it began: In 2015, the FBI raided the Brooklyn home of Bobby and Cheryl Love and arrested Bobby for an armed robbery committed 40 years earlier in North Carolina.
What happened next: Cheryl learned that her husband of more than 30 years was an escaped convict who'd been living under an assumed identity for decades. While grappling with the truth of Bobby's past and whether to forgive him, she fought tirelessly for his release.
------ Smile: The Story of a Face
by Sarah Ruhl
What it's about: playwright Sarah Ruhl's battles with long-term Bell's palsy, a condition that causes facial muscle paralysis.
What sets it apart: Ruhl's probing meditations, structured like one-act plays or monologues, explore the intersection of illness and gendered beauty expectations ("Is the self the face?") and include historical examples of women navigating long-term illness.
About the author: MacArthur fellow Ruhl is a two-time Pulitzer finalist and a Tony nominee.
------- Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography
by Laurie Woolever
What it is: a wide-ranging oral history chronicling the life and career of beloved celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, who died by suicide in 2018.
Featuring: interviews with dozens of colleagues, friends, and loved ones offering candid recollections of a complicated man.
Who it's for: Fans of Bourdain will appreciate this engaging and bittersweet tribute to his legacy, written by his longtime assistant and World Travel co-author Laurie Woolever.
********** Indigenous Voices *********
------ When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology...
by Joy Harjo, editor, with Leanne Howe, Jennifer Elise Foerster, and contributing editors
What it is: a sweeping and comprehensive anthology of Native Nations poetry, edited by U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo.
What's inside: poems from 160 authors representing nearly 100 nations, grouped chronologically by region.
Reviewers say: "If there's one poetry anthology that belongs on every bookshelf in this country called America, it's this one" (Booklist).
------ Carry: A Memoir of Survival on Stolen Land
by Toni Jensen
What it is: the debut essay collection from Métis writer and University of Arkansas English professor Toni Jensen that explores violence against Indigenous people and their lands.
Topics include: the Dakota Access Pipeline protests; the author's brushes with gun violence; her discomfort at being white passing.
Don't miss: "Dog Days," in which Jensen attempts reconciliation with her abusive and neglectful father.
------ Heart Berries
by Terese Marie Mailhot
What it is: Terese Marie Mailhot's raw and powerfully crafted coming-of-age memoir of life on the Seabird Island Indian Reservation, evocatively told in a series of concise and cogent essays.
Want a taste? "The thing about women from the river is that our currents are endless. We sometimes outrun ourselves."
About the author: First Nation writer Mailhot is a graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts and currently teaches creative writing at Purdue University.
------- Earth Keeper: Reflections on the American Land
by N. Scott Momaday
What it is: Pulitzer Prize-winning Kiowa novelist and poet N. Scott Momaday's celebration of his relationship to the natural world.
Why you might like it: Though only 65 pages long, Momaday's sincere reflections encourage deeper contemplation of humankind's impact on the earth.
Art alert: Momaday's spare illustrations complement his lyrical prose.
------ From the Ashes: My Story of Being Métis, Homeless, and Finding My Way
by Jesse Thistle
What it's about: Métis Cree author Jesse Thistle's fraught coming-of-age in 1980s and '90s Saskatchewan, marked by addiction, abandonment, and hard-fought resilience.
Book buzz: Thistle's bestselling debut was a CBC Canada Reads 2020 finalist and the recipient of multiple awards.
Try this next: Mamaskatch: A Cree Coming of Age by Darrel J. McLeod.
In 1980 i experienced a bout with Bell's Palsy. The right side of my face was "paralysed". Unfortunately i was on the road, so couldn't go to a doctor, where i might have gotten some treatment, such as electric massage, i think it was. To this day my right eye doesn't close fully, so i often must use an eye mask to sleep well. Worse, that eye waters regularly, sometimes giving me the appearance of crying.Therefore, i'll be interested in reading Sarah Ruhl's book about her experience with the dysfunction in Smile: The Story of a Face. For an actor, this paralysis, if it remains, which is sometimes the case, it must be awfully limiting when seeking roles.
The poetry anthology, When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry, sounds very good. I'm going to suggest it as a gift for me this upcoming holiday season. My familiarity with Indigenous poets is limited, so i welcome the exposure to more. Additionally, i like what i've read at the GR site about how the book's editor, Joy Harjo opened each section with a traditional oral literary piece, and moves toward contemporary poems. Yes!
madrano wrote: "In 1980 i experienced a bout with Bell's Palsy. The right side of my face was "paralysed". Unfortunately i was on the road, so couldn't go to a doctor, where i might have gotten some treatment, suc..."My niece had a brief bout with Bells Palsy when she had Lyme disease. Though she had no lasting issues as far as I know.
Deb, I knew you would love the Norton Anthology. :)
You know me too well, Alias. :-)To be honest with you, i wasn't fully aware that my eye wasn't closing fully until we moved to a state where we needed to use air-conditioning. At that point my eye was drying out because of the blowing. That was almost 7 years after the full Palsy. I suppose it illustrates how oblivious i can be sometimes.
Here are some book recommendations from www.usatoday.com
I have a lot of these on my TBR list ! Do you have any of these on your To Read list? I know some of you have already read a few of these and enjoyed them.
📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
----“The Book of Form and Emptiness,” by Ruth Ozeki • Release date: Tuesday • A year after the death of his father, 13-year-old Benny Oh hears voices, often troubled, from inanimate objects – but then he finds peace in the voices of books.
The Book of Form and Emptiness
---- “Bewilderment,” by Richard Powers • Release date: Tuesday • From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Overstory” comes a heartrending story about astrobiologist Theo Byrne, who searches for life in the cosmos while raising his unusual, brilliant, kind but also troubled 9-year-old son, Robin, after the death of his wife.
Bewilderment
---- “Cloud Cuckoo Land,” by Anthony Doerr • Release date: Next Tuesday • From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “All the Light We Cannot See” comes a kaleidoscopic story that takes place across three different places and times: 15th-century Constantinople, a small town in present-day Idaho and a spaceship in the future.
Cloud Cuckoo Land
------ “Believing: Our Thirty-Year Journey to End Gender Violence,” by Anita Hill • Release date: Next Tuesday • A new manifesto on gender violence – what it is and how to confront it – from the lawyer who gave landmark testimony against Clarence Thomas alleging sexual harassment during his Supreme Court nomination.
Believing: Our Thirty-Year Journey to End Gender Violence
------ “Crossroads,” by Jonathan Franzen • Release date: Oct. 5 • Franzen tells the story of a Midwestern family in the 1970s at a pivotal moment, the action largely unfolding across a single day. Russ and Marion Hildebrandt each seek to free themselves of their marriage; oldest child Clem comes home from college; popular sister Becky is veering into counterculture; and youngest brother Perry has been selling drugs to middle schoolers.
Crossroads
----- “The Night the Lights Went Out: A Memoir of Life After Brain Damage,” by Drew Magary • Release date: Oct. 5 • Several years ago, the popular Defector and former Deadspin columnist suffered a sudden catastrophic brain hemorrhage that left him in a coma for two weeks and permanently changed. He shares the story of his near-death experience, journey to recovery and life after touching the void.
The Night the Lights Went Out: A Memoir of Life After Brain Damage
----- “The Lincoln Highway,” by Amor Towles • Release date: Oct. 5 • Emmett Watson, 18 years old and newly released from a juvenile work farm where he was serving time for involuntary manslaughter, hits the road on a tour through 1950s America in an absorbing novel from the bestselling author of “A Gentleman in Moscow.”
The Lincoln Highway
----- “I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness,” by Claire Vaye Watkins • Release date: Oct. 5 • A writer leaves behind her husband and baby daughter for a reading in Reno, Nevada, that’s supposed to be brief but turns into a monthlong postpartum depression spiral as she confronts the ghosts that haunt her. A dark, and darkly funny, work of autofiction from the gifted writer of “Gold Fame Citrus.”
I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness
----- “The Perishing,” by Natashia Deón • Release date: Nov. 2 • Lou, a young Black woman in 1930s Los Angeles, wakes up naked in an alley with no memory of how she got there. After a series of remarkable visions and coincidences, Lou begins to believe she may be an immortal. Can she recover the memory of her past in order to save the world?
The Perishing
----- “Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American in Search of the Real Dirt,” by Nick Offerman • Release date: Oct. 12 • Actor, writer and humorist Offerman (“Parks and Recreation”) takes a trip across the Land of the Free for some deep meditations on our relationship to the land, from our backyards to our majestic national parks.
Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside
----- “Our Country Friends,” by Gary Shteyngart • Release date: Nov. 2 • In March 2020, a group of friends gathers at a country estate to ride out the pandemic together. The next six months are filled with romance, betrayal and conflict. Could this be our first Great American Pandemic novel
Our Country Friends
----- “On Animals,” by Susan Orlean • Release date: Oct. 12 • A collection of stories from the author of “The Orchid Thief” and “The Library Book” about how humanity lives alongside animals, including the chickens in Orlean’s own backyard, the 23 tigers one New Jersey woman keeps as pets and the world’s most famous whale.
On Animals
------ “Unprotected,” by Billy Porter • Release date: Oct. 19 • The Emmy-winning actor of “Pose” shares his story of growing up Black and gay in a country that wasn’t kind to either identity and how the constant struggle to simply be himself shaped the singular artist and proud icon.
Unprotected: A Memoir
----- "Going There," by Katie Couric • Release date: Oct. 26 • The beloved journalist and former co-anchor of the “TODAY” show takes readers behind the scenes of her professional life and shares the obstacles she overcame – sexism, insecurity, an eating disorder, the death of her first husband – in this intimate portrait of an undeniably modern woman.
Going There
----- “Baggage,” by Alan Cumming • Release date: Oct. 26 • The acclaimed queer Scottish actor follows up his 2014 memoir, “Not My Father’s Son.” Cumming continues the story of his self, chronicling his life in Hollywood and personal transcendence from a traumatic past.
Baggage: Tales from a Fully Packed Life
---- "The Sentence," by Louise Erdrich • Release date: Nov. 9 • The Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning author of “The Night Watchman” returns with a ghost story. A bookstore in Minneapolis is haunted by its most annoying customer, Flora, who refuses to leave even in death, and bookseller Tookie struggles to get rid of her.
The Sentence
----- “My Body,” by Emily Ratajkowski • Release date: Nov. 9 • Model, actor and social media influencer Ratajkowski goes deep on the subject of the commodification of women in this collection of essays which explores feminism, sexuality and the cultural treatment of women. If anyone would know, it’s her.
My Body
----- “Will,” by Will Smith with Mark Manson • Release date: Nov. 9 • The global superstar opens up about his life, tracing his transformation from a fearful child in West Philadelphia to Hollywood box-office titan, and the inspirational journey of self-knowledge needed to master his emotions and keep his family together.
Will
------ “Call Us What We Carry,” by Amanda Gorman • Release date: Dec. 7 • Gorman proved herself an energizing new voice in American poetry with her stirring poem, “The Hill We Climb,” memorably delivered at this year’s presidential inauguration. Her breakout collection includes that poem and more that carry a message of hope and healing.
Call Us What We Carry
------ “Beasts of a Little Land,” by Juhea Kim • Release date: Dec. 7 • A young girl named Jade is sold by her family to Miss Silver’s courtesan school and befriends an orphaned boy, JungHo. As the friends come of age, they become swept up in Korea’s revolutionary fight for independence in this epic historical tale.
Beasts of a Little Land
Good list. Having read and really liked A Tale for the Time Being, i'm excited to read this latest from Ruth Ozeki--The Book of Form and Emptiness. The other novel i read by her was My Year of Meats, which was different but led me to Tale.I've been on the waiting list for the yet-to-be-released Call Us What We Carry since i first heard of it a couple of months ago. Poet Amanda Gorman electrified Biden's inauguration and i expect this book will continue to impress.
I keep thinking i do not like Nick Offerman but every time i see his work, i'm pleased. Not entertaining my own attitude at this point, just looking forward to reading his Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside.
On my list to read from the USA list is:Crossroads,” by Jonathan Franzen
Our Country Friends,” by Gary Shteyngart
On Animals,” by Susan Orlean
Baggage,” by Alan Cumming - I read his other book Not My Father's Son and enjoyed it. I've also seen him perform on Broadway.
----- Holy Hot Mess: Finding God in the Details of this Weird and Wonderful Life
by Mary Katherine Backstrom
What it's about: learning to embrace imperfection in faith and in life, and how being a "hot mess" is no obstacle to developing a relationship with God.
Read it for: the funny and engaging writing style; the inclusion of many candid and relatable "messes" in the author's own life and the lessons she's learned along the way.
You might also like: Mended by Angie Smith; Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist.
----- No Cure for Being Human: (And Other Truths I Need to Hear)
by Kate Bowler
What it is: an incisive collection of essays about grief, hope, family ties, and what it means to think about the future in the face of a devastating cancer diagnosis.
About the author: Kate Bowler is a professor of the history of Christianity at Duke Divinity School whose previous works include Blessed, Everything Happens for a Reason, and The Preacher's Wife.
Why you might like it: Bowler tells her heartwrenching story with unexpected but welcome humor, reflecting on the absurdities of life in even the darkest times.
------ Exodus, Revisited: My Unorthodox Journey to Berlin
by Deborah Feldman
What it's about: the moving story of author Deborah Feldman, who left her Hasidic upbringing behind in 2009 to forge a new life for herself and her young son.
Topics include: finding a Jewish identity outside of her insular Hasidic community; learning to be a single mother; and traveling across Europe to explore her family's experiences with the Holocaust.
Media buzz: Feldman's first memoir Unorthodox was adapted into the Netflix series of the same name.
------ The Artist and the Eternal City: Bernini, Pope Alexander VII, and the Making of Rome
by Loyd Grossman
What's inside: a richly detailed portrait of the political, cultural, and spiritual role that the Papacy played in 17th-century Rome and Pope Alexander VII's efforts to restore the prestige of both the city and the Church as an art and architecture patron.
You might also like: Painted Glories by Nicholas A. Eckstein; Basilica by R.A. Scott.
Reviewers say: The Artist and the Eternal City is an "engaging, sumptuously illustrated" journey to Baroque Rome (Kirkus Reviews).
----- Even If:Trusting God When Life Disappoints, Overwhelms, or Just Doesn't Make Sense
by Mitchel Lee
What it is: an inspiring exploration of how to learn to trust God even during times of uncertainty and fear.
Why you might like it: Author Mitchel Lee interweaves examples from his own life experience with scriptural analysis and presents his reflections in an encouraging voice.
Chapters include: "Goodness in the Deep End of the Pool"; "Control Freaks of the World Unite"; and "Take a Step (but Not by Yourself)".
----- I Take My Coffee Black: Reflections on Tupac, Musical Theater, Faith, and Being Black in...
by Tyler Merritt
What it's about: the life, faith, and work of actor, comedian, and musician Tyler Merritt and the way his identity as a Black man has affected all three.
Read it for: Merritt's amusing and engaging style of storytelling and the balance he strikes with humor while discussing difficult topics like racist violence.
Reviewers say: "Readers will be awed by Merritt’s brutal honesty" in this "powerful testament" (Publishers Weekly).
------ The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life
by Lisa Miller, PhD
What it is: an accessible and thought-provoking look at the intersection between spirituality and science, steeped in years of clinical research.
Topics include: the correlation between spiritual practice and reduced rates of depression and addiction; genetic variables that may predispose someone toward spirituality.
Why you might like it: the author's definition of spirituality (or "heightened awareness") is refreshingly open and allows her to include a broad spectrum of faith traditions, from Lakota healing ceremonies to monastic cloisters.
----- God, Human, Animal, Machine: Technology, Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning
by Meghan O'Gieblyn
What it's about: the potential spiritual and existential issues humanity may soon need to wrestle with as artificial intelligence grows increasingly sophisticated.
Is it for you? Although it raises a number of thought-provoking questions and relates them in an accessible, engaging way, the book's melancholy tone might not resonate with all readers.
Reviewers say: "Razor-sharp, this timely investigation piques" (Publishers Weekly).
------ Where the Light Fell: A Memoir
by Philip Yancey
What it is: a compelling and thought-provoking story of rebuilding a relationship with faith after surviving a traumatic childhood suffused with Christian fundamentalism.
Read it for: the candid portrayal of racism in Southern churches before the Civil Rights Movement; the exploration of fear as a basis for faith and how to create a healthier relationship with spirituality.
About the author: Former Christianity Today editor-at-large Philip Yancey has published numerous books on spiritual topics, including The Jesus I Never Knew, Soul Survivor, and What's So Amazing about Grace?
----- What Storm, What Thunder
by Myriam J.A. Chancy
The setting: Haiti, in the aftermath of 2010's devastating earthquake. This vividly rendered novel of place explores survivors' lives (and those no longer among them). Unified by the story of Port-au-Prince market woman Ma Lou, the novel is also a bold critique of societal rifts created by post-colonialism, which the quake only further exposes.
Why you might like it: After years spent interviewing and speaking with Haitian survivors, the author has crafted a narrative by turns bright, nuanced, and brutally tragic.
Want a taste? "The earth had buckled [falling] upon the earth’s children, upon the blameless as well as the guilty, without discrimination."
----- The Christmas Bookshop
by Jenny Colgan
The setup: Sisters Carmen (suddenly unemployed) and Sofia (ever-perfect, now with another baby on the way) aren't crazy about moving in together, but Sofia could use an extra pair of hands.
The hook: Sofia also knows a friend who is trying to revive his ancient bookstore before the Christmas rush. Carmen tackles the task while juggling a romantic dilemma and (hopefully) healing long-standing family tensions.
Read it for: Heartwarming relationship fiction in an atmospheric Edinburgh setting.
------ My Monticello
by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson
What it is: An own voices collection of short stories that explore race, identity, and the shadow of slavery that haunts characters' lives. The titular novella centers on a descendant of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings, who aids neighbors driven from their home by white supremacists even as she questions her own relationship with a white man.
Why you'll like it: This debut ranges memorably from heart-wrenching and thought-provoking to lyrical and witty.
Try this next: The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans.
------ Tales from the Cafe
by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Read it for: A refreshing take on time-travel.
What happens: Four customers at a special café can revisit their pasts so long as they return before their coffee gets cold -- and knowing that whatever they do won't change the present. So, why bother? Because sometimes it's the journey, not the destination that matters -- and their journeys will include heart-breaking loss, meaningful self-discovery, and unexpected joy.
For fans of: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.
----- An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed
by Helene Tursten
Starring: Eight-eight-year-old Maude, whose life unfolds in six interconnected stories that lead up to the present -- where police detectives have made the grisly discovery of a dead body in her apartment. Maude is also capable of great magnanimity, which may just get her off the hook for that corpse.
Series alert: This book is a follow-up to the author's An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good, and both are perfect for fans of Arsenic and Old Lace.
******* Meaningful First Lines ********
------ Infinite Country
by Patricia Engel
The first line: “It was her idea to tie up the nun.”
What it is: Timely commentary of the U.S. border-crisis, told in multiple perspectives of a divided Colombian family -- with members trapped in various places, but all desperate to be reunited.
Why you might like it: This intricately plotted, issue-oriented novel centers primarily on the willful, determined 15-year-old Talia and will hold special appeal to readers who enjoyed Julia Alvarez's Afterlife.
---------- The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls
by Anissa Gray
The first line: "You do a lot of thinking in jail."
What it's about: Three sisters lean on one another to survive their dysfunctional childhoods. Younger siblings Lillian and Viola come to the aid of the eldest, Althea, who now faces prison charges that cast the family from respect to disgrace.
Who it's for: This moving novel of family relationships will suit fans of Tayari Jones, Brit Bennett, Jessmyn Ward, and Caroline Leavitt.
------ Let's Get Back to the Party
by Zak Salih
The first line: "That my first encounter with Mitko B. ended in a betrayal, even a minor one, should have given me greater warning at the time, which should in turn have made my desire for him less, if not done away with it completely."
The setup: Childhood friends reunite as thirty-something gay men who find themselves with differing perspectives on what it means to be queer -- from the (often) closeted days of their youth, to the present in which a younger generation can more freely define their sexuality.
------- The History of Living Forever
by Jake Wolff
The first line: “I can’t say precisely when the Emperor developed the cough.”
What it's about: As a depressed gay teen, Conrad begins an affair with his chemistry teacher, Sammy. After Sammy's death, Conrad becomes obsessed with continuing his lover/mentor's quest for alchemical immortality.
Why you might like it: Spanning decades and alternating between past and present, this sweeping debut novel delves into the mysteries of love, scientific inquiry, and mental illness.
------ White Ivy
by Susie Yang
The first line: “Ivy Lin was a thief but you would never know it to look at her.”
What happens: Ivy Lin, raised through age five by her grandmother in China, has been well-schooled in the fine arts of deception and theft. Ivy's aloof parents bring her back to Boston, where she grows up and eventually falls in love with an upper-crust politician's son. Will Ivy's past catch up and ruin her chances at happily-ever-after?
Reviewers say: "A sophisticated and darkly glittering gem of a debut." (Kirkus Reviews)
I have long appreciated books which share about the Catholic Church and art, particularly in the 15th-17th centuries. Therefore, The Artist and the Eternal City: Bernini, Pope Alexander VII, and The Making of Rome will be on my TBR. I'm not familiar with Loyd Grossman's work but see the 17th is a favorite with him. So, it's worth investigating.Having read and really liking Before the Coffee Gets Cold, reading the follow-up, Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Café, sounds like a no brainer. Most of the fun of the original was trying to figure out how events could occur, so the challenge for author
Toshikazu Kawaguchi will be to continue to make readers interested in the series. I'm giving it a try.
I;ve read and liked the writing from Helene Tursten, so am going to try her "elderly lady" series. I'll start with the first, An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good and if i like it, will give the one listed, An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed a try.
It's a nice mixed list, Alias, thank you. What a neat idea for a category--based on the novel's first line.
One of my friends also enjoyed, When the coffee gets cold. I will tell her about the follow-up.
Yes. I don't think i realized a series was planned but i can see the potential. This is particularly true if folks liked the "where" of the folks who "went" back.
----- The Ballerinas: A Novel
by Rachel Kapelke-Dale
“Delphine is returning to Paris to choreograph her own ballet. Here she meets up with her lifelong friends and fellow dancers Margaux and Lindsay. This absorbing and thrilling character-driven novel explores the world of ballet and its mysteries and secrets. Give to fans of Luster, Trust Exercise, and My Dark Vanessa.”
Terri Smith, Cornelia Library, Mt. Airy, GA
NoveList read-alike: The Turnout by Megan Abbott
----- Beasts of a Little Land: A Novel
by Juhea Kim
“Hauntingly tragic and beautifully tender, the story of Jade Ahn is interwoven with the fate of Korea in the early 20th century. Jade is apprenticed to a courtesan at a young age, and her friendships there form an unbreakable bond that leads them through multiple tragedies and loves. Recommended for fans of Min Jin Lee and Amy Tan.”
Joy Matteson, Downers Grove Public Library, Downers Grove, IL
NoveList read-alike: If You Leave Me by Crystal Hanna Kim
------ Bright Burning Things: A Novel
by Lisa Harding
“A searing portrait of addiction and recovery, told in the voice of Sonya, a former actress, raging alcoholic, and mother to four-year-old Tommy. When she almost sets the house on fire, her father forces her to rehab, if not for her sake, then for Tommy's. Sonya travels the difficult road to reintegrate into society and reclaim her beloved son. For fans of Shuggie Bain and All Fall Down.”
Lisa Burris, Bear Public Library, Bear, DE
NoveList read-alike: Catch Us When We Fall by Juliette Fay
----- The Cat Who Saved Books: A Novel
by Sōsuke Natsukawa
“A used bookstore, a grieving teen with an appreciation of reading, and a talking cat! What more could you ask of a fantasy? Throw in a mission to free lost and damaged books and a bit of readers' advisory, and you have a thoughtful exploration of the truths behind the pleasures of reading. For fans of author Roselle Lim and The Little Paris Bookshop.”
Lucy Lockley, St. Charles City-County Library, St. Peters, MO
NoveList read-alike: Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
------ A History of Wild Places: A Novel
by Shea Ernshaw
“Travis has a gift: when he touches something, he experiences the memories associated with it. His path to find a missing author leads him to a remote commune. Then he too disappears. When one of the residents of that commune finds his truck years later, he realizes that the darkness they fled may already be in Pastoral. For fans of Saint X and The Girls.”
Deborah Smith, Weber County Library, Roy, UT
NoveList read-alike: Mr. Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt
------ The Love Con
by Seressia Glass
“Engineer Kenya is a finalist on the reality show Cosplay or No Way, but to win she needs pal Cam to pretend he’s her boyfriend. This is a fun friends-to-lovers, fake dating romance that will best suit folks into cosplay, cons, or geeky pursuits. For fans of Jen Deluca and Sara Desai.”
Alezandra Troiani, Sno-Isle Libraries, Marysville, WA
NoveList read-alike: Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert
------ Murder Under Her Skin: A Pentecost and Parker Mystery
by Stephen Spotswood
“These fun throwback hard-boiled mysteries feature two female sleuths in the post-war 1940s -- Lillian Pentecost, an unorthodox Brooklyn detective, and her unlikely partner, circus runaway Will Parker. Their second case involves a murder at Will’s former circus, and is perfect for readers of Rex Stout and Agatha Christie.”
Patti Cheney, Pima County Public Library, Tucson, AZ
NoveList read-alike: Blood and Circuses by Kerry Greenwood
------ My Darling Husband: A Novel
by Kimberly Belle
“Atlanta restaurateur Cam Lasky seemingly has it all, until a fire at his eatery and a terrifying home invasion threaten to destroy all he holds dear. With multiple perspectives adding to the mystery, this is another clever, fast-paced thriller from Belle. For readers of Lisa Gardner and Chevy Stevens.”
Jayme Oldham, Highland Park Public Library, Highland Park, IL
NoveList read-alike: The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
------ The Replacement Wife
by Darby Kane
“Elisa's best friend, fiancée to her brother-in-law Josh, has disappeared and no one else seems worried. Elisa is suspicious of Josh, especially since he already has one dead wife. Will anyone believe her before it’s too late? For readers of The Girl on the Train and other unreliable-narrator thrillers.”
Chris Markley, Kingsport Public Library, Kingsport, TN
NoveList read-alike: The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
------ True Crime Story: A Novel
by Joseph Knox
“What happened to Zoe Nolan? She walked out of her dorm room and hasn’t been seen since. Knox weaves together interviews, emails, and police reports into an immersive missing persons case that will leave readers gasping for breath up until the last page. For fans of The Word Is Murder and the Six Stories series.”
Carol Ann Tack, Merrick Library, Merrick, NY
NoveList read-alike: Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar
------ Entertaining Race: Performing Blackness in America
by Michael Eric Dyson
What it is: a thought-provoking collection of essays, interviews, and speeches exploring the intersection between Black self-presentation and entertainment in America.
Read it for: revered scholar and public intellectual Michael Eric Dyson's searing insights on the joys and limitations of Black representation.
Further reading: Hanif Abdurraqib's A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance.
------ Liberty Is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution
by Woody Holton
What it's about: how Black and Indigenous Americans, enslaved people, and women helped shape the outcome of the American Revolution, despite their conflicts with the colonists.
Why you might like it: Award-winning historian Woody Holton's revisionist account reveals the little-known (and often suppressed) moments that spurred rebellion.
For fans of: richly detailed histories that place the American Revolution in a fresh context, like Joseph J. Ellis' The Cause: The American Revolution and Its Discontents, 1773-1783.
------ Powers and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages
by Dan Jones
What it is: a sweeping and accessible 1,000-year history of Europe's Middle Ages that chronicles how both the ruling classes and everyday folk defined the era.
Don't miss: an appraisal of Islam's influence that prioritizes the religion's own history rather than the West's response to it.
Reviewers say: "will satisfy readers of popular history, particularly of the epic variety" (Library Journal).
----- Under Jerusalem: The Buried History of the World's Most Contested City
by Andrew Lawler
What it's about: the 19th-century race to find biblical treasures buried beneath Jerusalem's streets.
Why it matters: Archaeological history continues to play a role in territorial claims made by contemporary Israelis and Palestinians.
Author alert: Andrew Lawler is the author of The Secret Token: Myth, Obsession, and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke.
------ 100 Things We've Lost to the Internet
by Pamela Paul
What it is: a whimsical and nostalgic survey of 100 things that have been lost or made irrelevant in the internet age, written by New York Times Book Review editor Pamela Paul.
What we've lost: handwritten letters, photo albums, maps, mixtapes, kitchen phones, meet-cutes, privacy, civility, social cues, and more.
Food for thought: "Every time the Internet swings the door wide open, the consequences are at once liberating and dire."
2021 Debuts
----- Midnight in Cairo: The Divas of Egypt's Roaring '20s
by Raphael Cormack
Welcome to... early 20th-century Ezbekiyya, the thriving nightlife district in Cairo, Egypt.
Starring: seven women -- including singers, actresses, and dancers -- who defied the era's mores to make their mark in a city experiencing unprecedented social and political upheaval.
Why you might like it: This evocative and well-researched chronicle captures all the glitz and glamor of a little-known era in Egypt's history.
------ The Eagles of Heart Mountain: A True Story of Football, Incarceration, and Resistance in...
by Bradford Pearson
What it's about: the Eagles, a high school football team of Japanese American boys interned at Wyoming's Heart Mountain Relocation Center.
For fans of: Thoughtful histories that chronicle Japanese Americans' resilience during World War II, but don't shy away from the racism they endured, like Daniel James Brown's Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II.
----- Gold, Oil, and Avocados: A Recent History of Latin America in Sixteen Commodities
by Andy Robinson
What it is: a sobering account that explores the recent history of Latin America through the extraction and exploitation of its natural resources.
What's inside: sixteen chapters, each offering an incisive focus on a specific commodity under threat.
Try this next: Silver, Sword, and Stone: Three Crucibles in the Latin American Story by Marie Arana.
----- Our Work is Everywhere: An Illustrated Oral History of Queer & Trans Resistance
by Syan Rose; foreword by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
What it is: a thought-provoking anthology collecting interviews and firsthand accounts from queer and trans activists.
Art alert: Bold expressionist illustrations complement the volume's candid poetry and prose.
Reviewers say: "A unique, empowering addition to LGBTQ+ literature" (Kirkus Reviews).
----- Awakening: #MeToo and the Global Fight for Women's Rights
by Rachel Vogelstein & Meighan Stone; foreword by Tarana Burke
What it's about: how #MeToo activism has impacted women in Brazil, China, Egypt, Tunisia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Sweden.
Read it for: diverse and eye-opening perspectives on a global movement whose focus has often been on the United States.
Featuring: a foreword by Me Too movement founder Tarana Burke; resources for advocacy work.
---- Before she disappeared : a novel
by Gardner, Lisa
Recovering alcoholic Frankie Elkin has devoted her life to searching for lost and forgotten missing persons. Frankie faces resistance from the police and the victim's family in the case of missing Haitian teen, Angelique Badeau.
----- The push : a novel
by Audrain, Ashley
"Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the warm, comforting, supportive mother to her new baby Violet that she herself never had. But in the thick of motherhood's exhausting early days, Blythe becomes convinced that something is wrong with her daughter--Violet rejects her mother, screams uncontrollably, and becomes a disturbing, disruptive presence at her preschool. Or is it all in Blythe's head? Her husband, Fox, says she's imagining things. Then their son Sam is born--and with him, Blythe has the natural, blissful connection she'd always imagined with her child. Even Violet seems to love her little brother. But when life as they know it is changed in an instant, the devastating fall-out forces Blythe to face the truth"--
----- The wife upstairs
by Hawkins, Rachel,
Call Number: FICTION HAWKINS, R.
Summary:"Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates--a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. Her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates' most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can't help but see an opportunity in Eddie. Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea"-
--- Infinite
by Freeman, Brian,
Surviving the accident that killed his wife, Dylan begins experiencing bizarre hallucinations of himself before encountering an unfamiliar psychiatrist who claims they have been engaging in parallel-universe hypnotherapy treatments.
---- When the stars go dark : a novel
by McLain, Paula
Call Number: FICTION MCLAIN, P.
Summary:"Anna Hart is a seasoned missing persons detective in San Francisco with far too much knowledge of the darkest side of human nature. When unspeakable tragedy strikes her personal life, Anna, desperate and numb, flees to the Northern California village of Mendocino. Yet the day she arrives, she learns a local teenage girl has gone missing. Anna is in no condition to become involved with the search--until a childhood friend, now the village sheriff, pleads for her help. Then, just days later, a twelve-year-old girl is abducted from her home. As past and present collide, Anna realizes that she has been led to this moment... As Anna becomes obsessed with these missing girls, she must learn that true courage means getting out of her own way and learning to let others in
----- The good sister
by Hepworth, Sally,
The good sister
by Hepworth, Sally, author.
Format: Book
Edition:First U.S. edition.
Copies available at Northbrook: 4 (of 9)
Copies available at all member libraries: 41 (of 93)
Call Number: FICTION HEPWORTH, S.
Summary:"From the outside, everyone might think Fern and Rose are as close as twin sisters can be: Rose is the responsible one, with a home and a husband and a fierce desire to become a mother. Fern is the quirky one, the free spirit, the librarian who avoids social interaction and whom the world might just describe as truly odd. But the sisters are devoted to one another and Rose has always been Fern's protector from the time they were small. Years ago, Fern did something very, very bad. And Rose has never told a soul. When Fern decides to help her sister achieve her heart's desire of having a baby, Rose realizes with growing horror that Fern might make choices that can only have a terrible outcome. What Rose doesn't realize is that Fern is growing more and more aware of the secrets Rose, herself, is keeping"-
-----Our woman in Moscow : a novel
by Williams, Beatriz
Autumn, 1948: Iris Digby, her American diplomat husband Sasha, and their two children vanish from London. Were they eliminated by the Soviet intelligence service? Or have the Digbys defected to Moscow with a trove of the West's most vital secrets? Four years later Ruth Macallister receives a postcard from Iris, the twin sister she hasn't seen since their catastrophic parting in Rome in the summer of 1940. Now Ruth is on her way to Moscow, posing as the wife of counterintelligence agent Sumner Fox in a precarious plot to extract the Digbys from behind the Iron Curtain.
----- Girl A : a novel
by Dean, Abigail
"Lex Gracie doesn't want to think about her family. She doesn't want to think about growing up in her parents' House of Horrors. And she doesn't want to think about her identity as Girl A: the girl who escaped, the eldest sister who freed her older brother and younger siblings. It's been easy enough to avoid her parents--her father never made it out of the mess he created, and her mother spent the rest of her life behind bars. But when her mother dies in prison and leaves Lex and her siblings the family home, she can't run from her past any longer. Together with her sister Evie, Lex intends to turn the House of Horrors into a force for good. First she must come to terms with her siblings--and with the childhood they shared"
-----The plot
by Korelitz, Jean Hanff,
"Jacob Finch Bonner was once a promising young novelist. Today, he's teaching in a third-rate MFA program and struggling to maintain what's left of his self-respect. When Evan Parker, his most arrogant student, announces he doesn't need Jake's help because the plot of his book in progress is a sure thing, Jake is prepared to dismiss the boast as typical amateur narcissism. But then... he hears the plot. When he discovers that his former student has died, Jake does what any self-respecting writer would do with a story like that... In a few short years, all of Evan Parker's predictions have come true, but Jake is the author enjoying the wave. But at the height of his glorious new life, an e-mail arrives: You are a thief, it says. As Jake struggles to understand his antagonist and hide the truth from his readers and his publishers, he begins to learn more about his late student, and what he discovers both amazes and terrifies him"-
----A slow fire burning
by Hawkins, Paula, author.
"When a young man is found gruesomely murdered in a London houseboat, it triggers questions about three women who knew him. Laura is the troubled one-night-stand last seen in the victim's home. Carla is his grief-stricken aunt, already mourning the recent death of yet another family member. And Miriam is the nosy neighbor clearly keeping secrets from the police. Three women with separate connections to the victim. Three women who are, for different reasons, simmering with resentment"
---- Who is Maud Dixon?
by Andrews, Alexandra,
"Florence Darrow is a low-level publishing employee who believes that she's destined to be a famous writer. When she stumbles into a job as the assistant to the brilliant, enigmatic novelist known as Maud Dixon--whose true identity is a secret--it appears that the universe is finally providing Florence's big chance. The arrangement seems perfect. Maud Dixon (whose real name, Florence discovers, is Helen Wilcox) can be prickly, but she is full of pointed wisdom. Florence quickly falls under Helen's spell and eagerly accompanies her to Morocco, where Helen's new novel is set. Amid the colorful streets of Marrakesh and the windswept beaches of the coast, Florence's life at last feels interesting enough to inspire a novel of her own. But when Florence wakes up in the hospital after a terrible car accident, with no memory of the previous night--and no sign of Helen--she's tempted to take a shortcut. Instead of hiding in Helen's shadow, why not upgrade into Helen's life? Not to mention her bestselling pseudonym
Woody Holton's Liberty Is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution is just the sort of book i enjoy. We only know the surface of most history, so when researchers can shed further light on contributions to such events as the US Revolution, we all benefit, although i'm certain folks will complain about it. Even if they do, it could mean they are actually thinking about history, which few do nowadays, it seems to me. This is on my list!Powers and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages sounds as though it will benefit from delving into the contributions of Islam to those times. Dan Jones has written a whopper of a book.
There were others of interest for me, but these stood above the rest.
Glad you enjoyed the lists, deb.
---- Those We Throw Away Are Diamonds: A Refugee's Search for Home
by Mondiant Dogon with Jenna Krajeski
What it's about: In the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, three-year-old Bagogwe Tutsi Mondiant Dogon fled with his family from their native Congo, spending the next 20 years in refugee camps.
What happened: Dogon's early attempts to return home resulted in his forced recruitment as a child soldier; he later sought an education at the University of Rwanda and New York University, becoming an activist.
Read it for: a sobering and thought-provoking story of survival.
----- The Correspondents: Six Women Writers on the Front Lines of World War II
by Judith Mackrell
What it is: an engaging collective biography spotlighting six women journalists during World War II who braved the front lines -- and workplace sexism -- to break barriers in their profession.
Why you might like it: This evocative you-are-there account offers a richly detailed portrait of wartime courage, supplemented with diary entries, private correspondence, and other archival materials.
For fans of: Katherine Sharp Landdeck's The Women with Silver Wings.
----- Cokie: A Life Well Lived
by Steven V. Roberts
What it is: an upbeat biography of beloved journalist and writer Cokie Roberts, written by her husband of 53 years, Steven V. Roberts.
What's inside: chapters divided into the roles Roberts played in her public and private life, including wife, mother, journalist, friend, storyteller, and believer; moving remembrances from colleagues and loved ones.
Further reading: Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR by Lisa Napoli.
----- Orwell's Roses
by Rebecca Solnit
What it's about: how Nineteen Eighty-Four author George Orwell's love of nature and gardening informed his life, work, and antifascist politics.
Read it for: a fresh perspective on an influential writer, featuring lyrical and thought-provoking insights from author Rebecca Solnit (Recollections of My Nonexistence), including a visit to the Hertfordshire cottage where Orwell planted roses in 1936.
Reviewers say: "A fine Orwell biography with equally fine diversions into his favorite leisure activity" (Kirkus Reviews).
----- 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows
by Ai Weiwei; translated by Allan H. Barr
What it is: a revealing family history chronicling Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei's early life in exile alongside his father, poet Ai Qing, during Mao Zedong's regime, as well as his commitment to creative freedom in the face of political authoritarianism.
Why you should read it: Ai's moving memoir explores the pair's artistic evolution as they navigated the turbulence of the Cultural Revolution and its aftermath.
Featuring: reproductions of some of Ai's artwork.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 2021 Debuts ⭐⭐⭐⭐
------ Punch Me Up to the Gods
by Brian Broome
What it is: Brian Broome's compelling coming-of-age memoir recounting his experiences growing up Black and gay in 1980s Ohio.
Featuring: chapters framed around the stanzas of Gwendolyn Brooks' classic 1960 poem "We Real Cool."
Book buzz: A New York Times Editors' Pick and winner of the Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction, Broome's candid debut has earned comparisons to Kiese Laymon's Heavy and Saeed Jones' How We Fight for Our Lives.
------ Dog Flowers
by Danielle Geller
What it's about: After the death of her mother, "Tweety," Navajo writer Danielle Geller used her training as an archivist to reconstruct Tweety's life and help her make sense of the loss.
What's inside: diary entries, letters, photographs, calendars, and Geller's own childhood drawings.
Is it for you? Geller's heartwrenching account of grief doesn't shy away from the darker parts of her mother's life, including her neglect of her children and battles with addiction.
------ My Broken Language
by Quiara Alegría Hudes
What it's about: Pulitzer Prize-winning In the Heights playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes' Jewish Boricua upbringing in 1980s West Philadelphia.
Topics include: Hudes' struggles to embrace her mixed-race identity; tensions over her white-passing privilege; finding her creative voice.
Read it for: an evocative portrait of the community that inspired Hudes' art; a lyrical and resonant exploration of family, identity, and memory.
------ Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure
by Menachem Kaiser
What it's about: journalist Menachem Kaiser's quest to reclaim his Polish Jewish grandfather's apartment building, which was seized by Nazis in the early days of World War II.
Who it's for: Fans of family histories that reveal long-buried secrets will appreciate Kaiser's compelling account.
Reviewers say: "Superbly written, this page-turner reads like a gripping adventure novel" (Publishers Weekly).
------ And Now I Spill the Family Secrets: An Illustrated Memoir
by Margaret Kimball
What it is: illustrator Margaret Kimball's candid account of her family's history of mental illness.
Art alert: Realistic black-and-white illustrations, which often depict empty interiors, complement the tension and intimacy of Kimball's prose.
For fans of: Alison Bechdel's Fun Home and Roz Chast's Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?
------ Conquering the Pacific: An Unknown Mariner and the Final Great Voyage of the Age of...
by Andrés Reséndez
What's inside: the vivid story of how in 1564-1565, the Spanish sent four ships from a secret port in Mexico hoping they could cross the Pacific and return, something that had never been achieved.
Why you might like it: Though history had forgotten him, this book centers around Lope Martín, an Afro-Portuguese ship's pilot who battled mutiny, terrible storms, and more, to make history after his ship made it back first.
Reviewers say: "a rip-roaring maritime adventure" (Publishers Weekly); "enlightening and exciting" (Booklist).
------ The Amur River: Between Russia and China
by Colin Thubron
What it is: the lyrical latest by acclaimed British writer Colin Thubron, who, at age 80, took an adventurous trip via horse, boat, train, and car, following the remote Amur River from Siberia to the Pacific Ocean.
What happened: Though he faced injuries and suspicious officials, he followed the nearly 3,000-mile river, which forms the border between Russia and China, and visited with Russian, Chinese, and Mongolian people.
Read this next: For more about Russia, pick up Thubron's compelling In Siberia; for other smart river-centric travelogues, try Wade Davis' Magdalena or Adam Weymouth's Kings of the Yukon.
----- In the Weeds: Around the World and Behind the Scenes with Anthony Bourdain
by Tom Vitale
What it is: a vivid, moving memoir about what it was like working with beloved chef/writer/TV host Anthony Bourdain, by his long-time director and producer, who found himself unmoored by Bourdain's death.
Why you might like it: Debut author Tom Vitale offers a candid, compelling look at Bourdain and their wild experiences shooting his popular TV shows in some of the most volatile regions in the world
Want a taste? "Each two-week shoot contained a lifetime's worth of adventures, and there'd been so many trips, I'd lost count."
------ Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventurer's Guide
by Cecily Wong and Dylan Thuras
What's inside: a friendly, fascinating tour of some the world’s most amazing foods -- from seven continents and 120+ countries -- featuring historical and cultural information plus colorful illustrations, all put together by the ever-curious Atlas Obscura team.
Foods include: Scotland's Irn-Bru drink; Afghanistan's Mended Teapot Soup; North Carolina Whole Hog Barbecue; Chilean beer made from fog; Germany's famous Spaghetti Ice-Cream Sundae.
Locations include: Verdansky Station in Antarctica; Austria's Starkenberger Beer Pools; Libya's 12th-century Granary Fortress; Georgia's Lunch Box Museum.
🌟🌟🌟🌟Focus on: Hotels 🌟🌟🌟🌟
------ The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free
by Paulina Bren
What it is: an engrossing social history of Manhattan's groundbreaking Barbizon, a 700-room residential hotel that was women-only from 1928-1981, as well as a look at some of those who called it home.
Residents included: Rita Hayworth, Joan Crawford, Molly Brown, Sylvia Plath, Joan Didion, Meg Wolitzer, Betsey Johnson, and Liza Minelli.
Read it for: an entertaining, well-researched look at 20th-century New York City and the middle-class young women who went there to find freedom and work.
----- Hotel Scarface: Where Cocaine Cowboys Partied and Plotted to Control Miami
by Roben Farzad
What it is: a detailed look at the Mutiny at Sailboat Bay, a hotel and nightclub that was the epicenter of drug-fueled 1980s Miami, a place where drug kingpins and their ilk partied with the rich and famous.
Reviewers say: "A gripping account of how the Mutiny's role in Miami's cocaine business changed not only the city, but America" (Kirkus Reviews).
For fans of: TV's Miami Vice, the movie Scarface, the documentary Cocaine Cowboys, or T.J. English's book The Corporation.
----- The Castle on Sunset: Life, Death, Love, Art, and Scandal at Hollywood's Chateau Marmont
by Shawn Levy
What it's about: the iconic Los Angeles hotel Chateau Marmont, which for nearly a century has attracted celebrities to its secluded bungalows for all manner of decadence and debauchery.
Want a taste? "Chateau Marmont is the ultimate Hollywood hotel because it is, like Hollywood itself, bigger than life even when it is obviously fake."
Try this next: For another dishy history of a storied hotel, try Julie Satow's The Plaza: The Secret Life of America's Most Famous Hotel.
------ The Hotel on Place Vendôme: Life, Death, and Betrayal at the Hôtel Ritz in Paris
by Tilar J. Mazzeo
What's inside: a richly detailed, behind-the-doors look at the Paris' famous Hotel Ritz, covering its entire history, but primarily focusing on the World War II years, when the hotel was both a headquarters for Nazi occupation leaders and home to people like Coco Chanel.
Is it for you? It's a gossipy chronicle that delves into illicit affairs and famous people's lives as well as deadly intrigue and acts of resistance.
----- Triple Cross
by Tom Bradby
Series alert: Triple Cross is the third entry in Tom Bradby's richly detailed spy series about former MI6 agent Kate Henderson.
Last time: In Double Agent, readers followed Kate as she investigated the suspicious activities of the prime minister, who she suspected of being a Russian agent.
This time: Kate takes up a high-risk high-reward mission that, if successful, could mean the chance to reunite with her Moscow-based children for the first time in years.
----- Femlandia
by Christina Dalcher
What it is: a suspenseful and dystopian tale set in the near future that raises provocative questions about feminism, family estrangement, and the secrets that can fester in small, insular communities.
Starring: Miranda Reynolds, who sets out for the titular woman-only utopian community (founded by her late mother) as a last refuge after financial calamity leaves her destitute; and Emma, Miranda's teenage daughter and traveling companion.
Did you know? Femlandia was inspired by the 1915 novel Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, who is best known for her landmark short story "The Yellow Wallpaper."
----- These Silent Woods
by Kimi Cunningham Grant
The premise: Traumatized combat veteran Cooper and his eight-year-old daughter Finch live in somewhere in Appalachia in complete isolation, save an annual visit by Cooper's friend Jake who brings them winter supplies.
The problems: Jake hasn't arrived with this year's delivery, unwelcome visitors are popping up, Finch is growing increasingly curious about the outside world, all of which threaten to reveal the complex reasons Cooper wants to stay off the grid.
You might also like: Cheryl Grey Bostrom's Sugar Birds; Gabriel Tallent's My Absolute Darling.
----- The Neighbor's Secret
by L. Alison Heller
What it is: dramatic and compelling psychological suspense about suburban malaise and dark secrets in a seemingly idyllic subdivision, where the formation of a book club leads to unanticipated destruction.
Starring: Annie Perley, a middle school counselor whose profession is no help with her own daughter; career-driven Jen Pagano, on sabbatical to deal with her 13-year-old son's violent outbursts; and Lena Meeker, the neighborhood grand dame who has lived in near seclusion since a traumatic accident years ago.
Reviewers say: The Neighbor's Secret is "perfect for Liane Moriarty fans -- as well as potential book club catnip" (Publishers Weekly).
------ Dare to Know
by James Kennedy
The setup: An unnamed narrator works for a company whose algorithm is so advanced that it can predict the exact moment when someone will die.
What goes wrong: Overcome with curiosity the narrator looks himself up, discovering that he was supposed to die in a car crash 23 minutes ago.
Read it for: the intricate plotting, which comes together like a puzzle as the narrator grows increasingly tense over the mystery of his continued existence.
------ Dark Things I Adore
by Katie Lattari
Thirty years ago: a group of aspiring artists gather at a Maine art collective, where one night a combination of ambition and insecurity left one person dead, and dark secrets buried deep in the forest.
The present day: One of those artists, Max Durant, is now a Boston college professor and thesis advisor to painting prodigy Audra Colfax, who invites him to visit her family home in Maine. Max can't help reflecting on his past, but little does he know that Audra's invitation has a devastating connection to that night in the woods three decades ago.
For fans of: unreliable narrators and revenge served cold.
------ The Spires
by Kate Moretti
What it's about: Penelope Cox offers shelter to an old friend, Willa Blaine, who's fleeing her abusive husband. Willa quickly and thoroughly insinuates herself into Penelope's life, raising questions about her real motives and threatening to reveal the truth behind a shared trauma the two women experienced 20 years ago.
Is it for you? The novel's central characters are flawed in ways that might alienate readers who prefer likeable protagonists.
Reviewers say: The Spires is full of "reliable suburban creepiness" that "amps up the betrayals inch by inch until you're wondering if things can possibly get worse" (Kirkus Reviews).
------ No One Will Miss Her
by Kat Rosenfield
What it's about: When town outcast Lizzie Oullette is found and no one can find her husband Dwayne or his shotgun, local police think they know what happened. But state police detective Ian Bird thinks there's more to the story, and soon he discovers unlikely ties to a big-city social media star and her disgraced billionaire husband.
Try this next: Those People by Louise Candish, another intricately plotted work of psychological suspense that examines class conflict and features a witty writing style.
------ The Survivors
by Alex Schulman
What it is: a compelling and character-driven coming-of age story about childhood trauma and a terrible accident that permanently altered the lives of three Swedish brothers.
What happens: Estranged for years, Nils, Benjamin, and Pierre have gathered at their family's summer cabin, the site of the accident, to scatter their mother's ashes. The tension is unspoken but undeniable, forcing the three men to reckon with the truth about what really happened all those summers ago.
Reviewers say: The Survivors is a "novel of family dysfunction that veers into startling and original territory." (Kirkus Reviews).
There are some compelling stories listed from the Life Bios list, Alias. I'll be adding the following two to my own TBR:Dog Flowers: A Memoir--Danielle Geller
Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure--Menachem Kaiser
The first sounds stark, i still cannot imagine looking honestly at my own mother's alcolholism and she's been dead 30 years. It sounds like a brave story, set on the Navajo reservation.
As for the second one, the story of recovery must offer all sorts of insights to the family. Another intriguing story.
And then the history stories which call to me--
Conquering the Pacific: An Unknown Mariner and the Final Great Voyage of the Age of Discovery--Andrés Reséndez, about a Spanish mission i've never heard mentioned anywhere! Neat.
The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free--Paulina Bren. I've read mention of the Barbizon over the years of my reading about female writers, actors and others who moved to NYC from after WWI onward. I'm looking forward to this one.
While there are a couple of interesting thrillers listed, i'm passing on those, since you've filled my plate already. Although, i must admit Femlandia--Christina Dalcher may end up on my list. The fact that it was inspired by the creative novel, Herland, written at the beginning of the 20th century by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is what is intriguing.
Far too many temptations, Alias!
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Books mentioned in this topic
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------ The Missing Hours
by Julia Dahl
What it is: a haunting and thought-provoking psychological thriller that follows NYU student Claudia Castro as she survives and recovers from a sexual assault, and later begins to plot her revenge.
Read it for: the exploration of topics like trauma, recovery, inequality, and social media misinformation.
About the author: Journalist Julia Dahl's work has appeared in the New York Post and Marie Claire. Her previous novels include Invisible City, Run You Down, and Conviction.
------ Nice Girls
by Catherine Dang
What it's about: After being kicked out of Cornell, college senior Mary is forced to return to the small Minnesota town where she never fit in. While rebuilding her life, she becomes obsessed with the disappearance of her former best friend and her possible connection to another missing person case that's being ignored by the police.
Reviewers say: Nice Girls is "a page-turning, multifaceted mystery with emotional depth and a thrilling conclusion" (School Library Journal).
------ The Chaos Kind
by Barry Eisler
What it is: the fast-paced, action-packed latest entry in Barry Eisler's series of spy thrillers featuring an all-star team of covert operatives and assassins who work outside the system to accomplish their assignments.
Starring: former U.S. Marine sniper Dox; Mossad agent and honey-trap expert Delilah; Seattle sex-crimes investigator Livia; ex-CIA agent John Rain.
For fans of: Mark Greaney’s Gray Man novels or Andrew Vachss’s Burke series.
------ Did I Say You Could Go
by Melanie Gideon
The premise: Shortly after the failure of her tutoring business, single mom Gemma Howard unexpectedly reconnects with her old friend Ruth Thorne, who she met when their daughters became friends in kindergarten.
The problem: The much wealthier Ruth's attempts to help Gemma with money cause a dangerous power imbalance in their relationship, and the spread of wild rumors about the two women and their teen daughters begin to bring out the worst in everyone.
Read it for: the authentically written characters, brisk pace, and intricately plotted storyline.
------ My Sweet Girl
by Amanda Jayatissa
What it is: a gritty, fast-paced, and occasionally creepy story of immigrant life, hypocrisy, and the secrets we try to leave behind.
Why you might like it: Readers are given a panoramic view of narrator Paloma's story, which she tells in chapters that alternate between her life as a Sri Lankan orphan and her messy, complex life as a Bay Area 30-something and burgeoning alcoholic.
For fans of: unreliable narrators and suspense that comes with a side of social commentary.
------ Never Saw Me Coming
by Vera Kurian
What it's about: Student and psychopath Chloe Sevre gets a free ride to college in exchange for taking part in a clinical study of people who share her diagnosis, but after the murder of another participant Chloe begins to wonder if the presumed predators are about to become prey.
Is it for you? Chloe is a disarming mix of the charm often associated with her personality disorder and impulsive, antisocial behavior that might not appeal to all readers.
Try this next: Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone.
----- Left for Dead
by Sean Parnell
What it is: an action-packed techno-thriller and the 4th entry in Sean Parnell's series of novels starring black ops agent Eric Steele.
This time: Steele must race against the clock to find and destroy a stolen bioweapon after it falls into the hands of a radical paramilitary group.
Reviewers say: Left for Dead "expertly balances tense, believable action with poignant quiet moments" (Publishers Weekly).
----- Her Perfect Life
by Hank Phillippi Ryan
The setup: Award-winning television reporter Lily Atwood's new anonymous source has recently connected her with some career-making stories, but lately their "tips" have all been about Lily's personal life.
What now? Lily must navigate the tangled web of her high public profile, her ambitious producer's career aspirations, the complicated past she would prefer to keep buried, and the increasingly invasive (and threatening) calls from the anonymous source who could bring her life crashing down.
----- The Last Mona Lisa
by Jonathan Santlofer
What it is: a compelling and descriptive portrayal of the real-life 1911 art heist where the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre.
You might like it if: you enjoy high-stakes heists and/or richly evoked historical settings.
Reviewers say: "A must for fans of Dan Brown and Arturo Pérez-Reverte" (Kirkus Reviews).