14 Nonfiction Books to Read in March

March is a big book month, which means I’ve spotted many, many more great books than I can possibly read in a timely manner. Just because I can’t get to everything, doesn’t mean you can’t.

Here are 14 nonfiction titles that made it to my wish list. So far, I’ve read only one, but I hope to get to most of them—if not this month, then certainly before too long.

Notes: All the following books are coming out this month, according to Edelweiss+. I’ve provided audiobook information when possible. All books were provided to me in one or more formats (print, digital, audio) by the publishers. The descriptions are adapted or taken from the publishers’ summaries.

Celebrate Women’s History Month

• Women in White Coats: How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine by Olivia Campbell (Park Row): The true story of how, in the Victorian Era, Elizabeth Blackwell, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, and Sophia Jex-Blake became the first women to earn medical degrees. Not only did they break the glass ceiling, they transformed the nature of women’s healthcare. Audiobook read by Jean Ann Douglass (~11.5 hr).
• The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson (Simon & Schuster): You don’t have to be a geneticist to get caught up in and understand this well-researched account of how Doudna and colleagues discovered a way to use CRISPR technology to alter genes, eventually leading to the development of the COVID vaccine. For my thoughts on the audiobook, see AudioFile Magazine. Audiobook read by Kathe Mazur (~16 hr).
• The Agitators: Three Friends Who Fought for Abolition and Women’s Rights by Dorothy Wickenden (Scribner): This an account of how Harriet Tubman, Frances Seward, and Martha Wright formed an unlikely alliance in their fight for abolition and women’s rights in the mid-1800s. Relying on firsthand accounts, including the women’s letters, Wickenden reveals the work of these women starting before the Civil War and ending in the 1880s. Audiobook read by Heather Alicia Simms, Anne Twomey, and Gabra Zackman (11 hr).
• Eleanor in the Village: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Search for Freedom and Identity in New York’s Greenwich Village by Jan Jarboe Russell (Scribner): In 1920, Eleanor Roosevelt left her husband and children, relocating to the Village, where she connected with forward-thinking women of all ilks. This book explores why she took the break, how it changed her, and how it influenced the rest of her life. Audiobook read by Samantha Desz (~6.75 hr).
• Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am by Julia Cooke (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt): This is the story of the women who met the surprisingly stringent requirements to become stewardess for Pan Am in the 1960s and 1970s. We learn more than what it was like to manage disgruntled vacationers; these women were intimately caught up in the effects of the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, and feminist causes. Audiobook read by Andi Arndt (~7.5 hr).

Learn about Science and Medicine

• Gut Feelings: The Microbiome and Our Health by Alessio Fasano and Susie Flaherty (MIT Press): Many of us are now aware that our gut and the many and varied microorganisms that live there play key roles in our health. This book was written to help us better understand the connection between our microbiome and our current and future physical well-being. This is not a self-help book; it’s an easy-to-understand explanation of how the bacteria that live within us offer numerous benefits. Audiobook: N/A
• Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older without Getting Old by Andrew Steele (Doubleday): Researchers have long been asking whether it’s possible to grow old without getting frail, without weakening immune systems, and without dementia. In this book, Steele presents the current science, medicine, and research concerned with aging and provides commonsense actions we take right now to up our chances of having a vigorous life right up to the end. Audiobook read by the author (10 hr).
• Mr. Humble and Dr. Butcher: A Monkey’s Head, the Pope’s Neuroscientist, and the Quest to Transplant the Soul by Brandy Schillace (Simon & Schuster): This is the biography of Dr. Robert White, who had two identities. On the one hand, the renowned surgeon was a Nobel Prize nominee, developing advances in neurosurgery. But he also hoped to find a way to conduct brain transplantation, thereby allowing “the soul to live on after the human body had died.” His story will make you thankful for today’s ethics committees. Audiobook read by Jean Ann Douglass (~10.75 hr).

Look at the World around You

• Empire of Ants: The Hidden Worlds and Extraordinary Lives of Earth’s Tiny Conquerors by Susane Foizik and Olf Fritshe (The Experiment): Think about this: “Ants number in the ten quadrillions and they have been here since the Jurassic era.” This book introduces us to the quintessential picnic pest, revealing their complex social structure, childrearing practices, and political actions. Audiobook: N/A
• The Nation of Plants by Stefano Mancuso (trans. Gregory Conti; Other Press): This is an easy-to-read treatise about the importance of plants to our own lives and to the planet. Mancuso outlines the foundational tenets on which plant life depends and reminds us that if we don’t treat plants well, we’ll soon lose their protective and nourishing benefits. Audiobook read by Nigel Patterson (3 hr).
• Under the Sky We Make: How to Be Human in a Warming World by Kimberly Nicholas (Putnam): If you haven’t noticed that the climate is changing, then you haven’t been outside your house in 10 years or more. In this down-to-earth book you’ll learn that climate change is real, but you’ll also learn that you—yes, you—can make a difference. Nicholas, a climate scientist, tells us just how important it is for each of us to change our behavior: every small change makes a huge difference. Audiobook read by the author (~9 hr).

Murder through History

• A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome by Emma Southon (Abrams): On the surface, it appears that Ancient Rome had a different relationship with life and death than we do; after all people came out in droves to watch gladiators fight to the death and they murdered their emperors in public view. Employing her sense of humor and an easygoing style, Southon tells all about Roman murder and culture and notes their relevance to modern times. Audiobook read by Sophie Ward (~11 hr).
• Terror to the Wicked: America’s First Trial by Jury That Ended a War and Helped Form a Nation by Tobey Pearl (Pantheon): In 1638 near Plymouth Colony, a Nipmuc tribesman was robbed and murdered by a white indentured servant. Before he dies, the man reveals the details of the crime and names his killer. This is the story of the ensuing manhunt and the first jury trial by colonizers in the Americas. The case involved famous figures like Myles Standish and everyday citizens who testified before the court and served on the jury. The outcome of this trial had far-reaching consequences for the colonies and the new country to come. Audiobook read by Barrett Leddy (~7 hr).
• The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer by Liza Rodman with Jennifer Jordan (Atria): In the 1960s, when her mother worked during the day and danced in Provincetown bars at night, Liza and her sister were in the care of a babysitter: a good-looking, nice man who worked as a hotel handyman. When Liza learned that Tony Costa was arrested for brutal murders, she couldn’t reconcile the nice guy who took her for ice cream with the Cape Cod killer. This is her story of the man, how the knowledge of the murders affected her, and how she ultimately coped. Audiobook read by Andi Arndt and Alda Reluzco (~9 hr).

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12 True Stories to Read This Month

Although I seem to be lost in a sea of speculative fiction and mysteries/thrillers during these trying times, I haven’t forgotten that I normally love nonfiction. In fact, I’ve already finished one of the books on this list and have another one in my queue.

If you can’t quite face true stories right now, jot down the titles that call to you and save them for brighter days.

Most of the following books are coming out this month, but please double-check because publishing dates are unreliable this year. Summaries are cobbled from the publishers; audiobook information is included.

Life Stories

• Olive the Lionheart by Brad Ricca (St. Martin’s Press): In 1910, Olive MacLeod, a thirty-year-old, redheaded Scottish aristocrat, received word that her fiancée, the famous naturalist Boyd Alexander, was missing in Africa. So she went to find him. This is the thrilling true story of her astonishing journey. Based on firsthand sources (letters and diaries). Audiobook: Read by Billie Fulford-Brown; 11 hr 31 min; Macmillan Audio
• Being Lolita by Alisson Wood (Flatiron): The true story of how the author came under the thrall of her high school English teacher, and it all began when Mr. North gave Allison a copy of Lolita. This is a stunning coming-of-age memoir that shines a bright light on our shifting perceptions of consent, vulnerability, and power. Audiobook: Read by Alisson Wood; 6 hr, 46 min; Macmillan Audio.
• The Book of Atlantis Black by Betsy Bonner (Tin House): A young woman is found dead on the floor of a Tijuana hotel room. An ID in a nearby purse reads “Atlantis Black.” The police report states that the body does not seem to match the identification, yet the body is quickly cremated and the case is considered closed. So begins Betsy Bonner’s search for her sister, Atlantis, and the unraveling of the mysterious final months before Atlantis’s disappearance, alleged overdose, and death. Using her sister’s online history, the author sets out to find out what happened. This is a haunting memoir and piercing true crime account. Audiobook: Read by Laura Jennings; 5 hr, 15 min; Blackstone.
• The Fixed Stars by Molly Wizenberg (Abrams): This is the story of how a straight wife and mother discovered that her self-identified sexuality and images of family changed irrevocably after a chance meeting with a woman lawyer. This memoir explores timely and timeless questions about desire, identity, and the limits and possibilities of family. It’s a frank and moving story about letting go of rigid definitions and ideals that no longer fit and of learning instead who we really are. Audiobook: Read by Erin Mallon; 6 hr, 21 min; Dreamscape.

Science and Nature

• The End of Everything by Katie Mack (Scribner): An accessible and eye-opening look at five ways the universe could end, and the mind-blowing lessons each scenario reveals about the most important concepts in cosmology. Told with lively wit and humor, this is a wildly fun, surprisingly upbeat ride to the farthest reaches of all that we know. Audiobook: Read by Gabra Zackman; 6 hr, 21 min; Simon & Schuster Audio.
• Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald (Grove): A transcendent collection of essays about the human relationship to the natural world “Animals don’t exist in order to teach us things, but that is what they have always done, and most of what they teach us is what we think we know about ourselves.” This is a captivating and foundational book about observation, fascination, time, memory, love and loss and how we make sense of the world around us. Audiobook: Read by Helen Macdonald; 10 hr, 22 min; Recorded Books.
• Gods of the Upper Air by Charles King (Doubleday): A dazzling history of the birth of cultural anthropology and the adventurous scientists who pioneered it—a sweeping chronicle of discovery and the fascinating origin story of our multicultural world. A century ago, everyone knew that people were fated by their race, sex, and nationality to be more or less intelligent, nurturing, or warlike. But Columbia University professor Franz Boas looked at the data and decided everyone was wrong. Racial categories, he insisted, were biological fictions. His students were some of the century’s most colorful figures and unsung visionaries whose revolutionary findings would go on to inspire the fluid conceptions of identity we know today. Audiobook: Read by January LaVoy; 13 hr, 32 min; Random House Audio.
• Leave It as It Is by David Gessner (Simon & Schuster): From Theodore Roosevelt’s rallying cry of “Leave it as it is” (referring to the Grand Canyon) to today’s continued environmental fight to save our wild areas, conservation has never gone out of style. This is an account of a nature writer’s retracing of Roosevelt’s steps through the grandeur of our public lands, telling the story of the president’s life as a pioneering conservationist and offering an arresting history, a powerful call to arms, and a profound meditation on our environmental future. Audiobook: Read by Fred Sanders; 12 hr, 24 min; Simon & Schuster Audio.

History

• Berlin 1936 by Oliver Hilmes (Other Press; paperback): A lively account of the 1936 Olympics told through the voices and stories of those who witnessed it, from an award-winning historian and biographer. The book takes the reader through the sixteen days of the Olympiad, from the activities in the stadium to the lives of ordinary Berliners, offering a last glimpse of Germany’s vibrant and diverse life, before the Nazis tried to destroy it. Audiobook: no information
• The Craft: John Dickie (Hachette): The history of the Freemasons and how it influenced history, society, and government around the globe. Yet the Masons were as feared as they were influential. This is an enthralling exploration of a the world's most famous and misunderstood secret brotherhood, a movement that not only helped forge modern society but has substantial contemporary influence, with around six million members across the world. Audiobook: Read by Simon Slater; 16 hr, 35 min; Hachette Audio.
• Children of Ash and Elm by Neil Price (Basic Books): Written by an archaeologist, this is billed as the definite history of the Vikings told on their own terms: their politics, their cosmology and religion, their material world. Known today for a stereotype of maritime violence, the Vikings exported new ideas, technologies, beliefs, and practices to the lands they discovered and the peoples they encountered and, in the process, were themselves changed. Audiobook: Read by Samuel Roukin; 17 hr, 25 min; Recorded Books.
• Iron Empires by Michael Hiltzik (HMH): After the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, America’s railways soon exploded into a titanic industry helmed by a pageant of speculators, crooks, and visionaries. This is an account of the vicious competition between empire builders and how the iconic figures of the Gilded Age, the robber barons, drove the country into the twentieth century—and almost sent it off the rails. Audiobook: Narrator and publisher not yet available; 15 hr, 57 min

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17 Books to Read This Week

Welcome back to my "new releases in June" series. While more complete lists can be found via a Google search and some buzz books won’t be found here, my lists are curated to my own tastes. Here are the books released this week that interested me most.

Note that release dates have been changing owing to current events. Please double-check availability before ordering or searching your local library.

Contemporary Stories

• They Say Sarah by Pauline Delabroy-Allard (Other Press). Genre: literary fiction; LGBTQ+; translated. Learned from reviews: The writing promises to be as poetic and passionate as the relationship between a teacher and musician. Fast-paced and captivating story of an all-consuming love. First line: “In the half-light of three a.m., I wake.” Audiobook: no information.
• 500 Miles from You by Jenny Colgan (William Morrow) Genre: women’s fiction; rom-com Learned from reviews: Lissie, a London nurse, is asked to temporarily swap places with Cormack, who provides medical care to a small town in the Scottish Highlands. Though they’ve never met, they end up emailing and texting to discuss patients and more. What happens when they meet in person? First line: “It should have started with ominous dark crows, great murmurations and flutterings, bad omens taking to the sky; with thick storm clouds rolling in, clocks striking thirteen.” Audiobook: Read by Eilidh Beaton (11 hr, 3 min)
• Always the Last to Know by Kristan Higgins (Berkley) Genre: general fiction Learned from reviews: A family’s cheery veneer is cracked after John has a stroke; as his wife and daughters take on care-giving responsibilities, their flaws and vulnerabilities are exposed. Humor eases the sharp edges of the more serious issues of family dynamics and living up to others’ expectations. First line: “ ‘You’re engaged? Oh! Uh … huzzah!’ ” Audiobook: Read by Laural Merlington, Amy Rubinate, Xe Sands, & Graham Winton (12 hr, 58 min)
• The Islanders by Meg Mitchell Moore (William Morrow) Genre: general fiction; beach read Learned from reviews: A summer of transformation for three people who meet on Block Island. Two women and one man, all in different seasons of their lives, meet, become friends, and try to hold their secrets close. By August’s end, no one is the same. First line: “ ‘It was disconcerting, to see a man cry like that,’ said Bridget Fletcher.” Audiobook: Read by Courtney Patterson (12 hr, 15 min)

Stories for Food Lovers

• Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier (Doubleday) Genre: literary fiction; quirky. Learned from reviews: A pregnant, conflicted, grieving pizza-delivery girl becomes obsessed with a stay-at-home mother who orders a weekly pizza for her son. Pregnancy hormones raging, pizza girl struggles to find her future. First line: “Her name was Jenny Hauser and every Wednesday I put pickles on her pizza.” Audiobook: Read by Jeena Yi (5 hr, 33 min)
• Miss Cecily’s Recipes for Exceptional Ladies by Vicky Zimmerman (Sourcebooks Landmark) Genre: contemporary woman’s fiction Learned from reviews: Kate’s life seems to fall apart on the eve of her 40th birthday. Reluctantly, she volunteers at an assisted living home, where she meets the feisty 90-something Miss Cecily. Through their friendship and the older woman’s cookbook, Kate finds a brighter future. First line: “Kate Parker is ravenous.” Audiobook: no information

True Stories

• The Language of Butterflies by Wendy Williams (Simon & Schuster) Genre: nonfiction; nature. Learned from reviews: Written by a science journalist, this introduces us to the hidden life of the “world’s favorite insect.” We learn about their behavior, life cycle, preservation, and relationship to the ecosystem and to us. First line: “Long ago, when I was twenty, penniless, and hanging in London, looking for something free to do, I drifted into the city’s Tate Gallery—filled with some of the world’s best-known art—and walked straight into a staggering J. M. W. Turner masterpiece.” Audiobook: Read by Angela Brazil (8 hr, 38 min)
• Honey and Venom by Andrew Coté (Ballantine) Genre: nonfiction; memoir Learned from reviews: Written by a leading urban beekeeper, this memoir takes us through a year of what it’s like to be a honey producer in New York City. With hives on the rooftops of iconic buildings and even on the grounds of the United Nations, Coté shares not only the ins and outs of his family’s business but also a unique look at the city. First line: “I bleed honey.” Audiobook: Read by Andrew Coté (9 hr, 22 min)
• Rebel Chef by Dominique Crenn with Emma Brockes (Penguin Press) Genre: autobiography; culinary Learned from reviews: I first heard of Crenn through the show Chef’s Table; I was interested in knowing more about her. Here Crenn shares her journey from her native France as the adopted daughter of a politician to her earning three Michelin stars for her San Francisco restaurant. Not an easy trip for anyone, especially a woman. First line: “When I was six months old, I was left in the care of an orphanage near Paris and it was from here, a few months later, that my parents adopted me.” Audiobook: Read by Hope Newhouse (5 hr, 14 min)
• Cult of Glory by Doug J. Swanson (Viking) Genre: history Learned from reviews: I’ve always been fascinated with the fabled Texas Rangers, especially as they are portrayed in film and fiction. In this examination, investigative reporter Swanson sets the record straight, revealing the sometimes ugly truth of the 200-year-old law-enforcement agency that learned to put a positive spin on their deeds, even before Texas was officially part of the union. First line: “There is not, nor has there ever been, a group quite like the Texas Rangers.” Audiobook: Read by Kaleo Griffith (17 hr, 56 min)

Stories Set in the Past

• Belladonna by Anbara Salam (Berkley) Genre literary fiction; coming of age. Learned from reviews: After high school, two American friends move to Italy to enroll in an art history program. In the late 1950s, Bridget nurtures a secret love for Isabella, but over the course of their freshman year, she learns Isabella has secrets of her own. First line: “It was Isabella who invented the game Dead Nun.” Audiobook: Read by Jill Winternitz (10 hr, 34 min)
• The Daughters of Erietown by Connie Schultz (Random House) Genre: literary fiction; family Learned from reviews: When Ellie discovers she’s pregnant in the early 1950s, Brick marries her—each giving up dreams of college and leaving their small Ohio town—to raise their daughter together. This novel covers deep themes of family, sacrifice, the women’s movement, secrets, marriage, and lost and found hopes. First line: “Samantha McGinty pressed her cheek against the cold window and exhaled slowly to cloud the glass.” Audiobook: Read by Cassandra Campbell (14 hr, 12 min)
• Red Sky over Hawaii by Sara Ackerman (Mira) Genre: historical fiction; WWII Learned from reviews: I’m reading this one now. Set on the Big Island of Hawaii and starting on the eve of the attack on Pearl Harbor, we meet Lana, who not only must cope with the aftermath of the bombing, but is also grieving her father’s recent death, discovering his secrets, and helping his neighbors. Once I started reading, I was hooked. First line: “When I close my eyes, I still see the fiery glow of lava in Halema‘uma‘u crater.” Audiobook: Read by Jennifer Robideau (10 hr, 1 min)

Stories Set in Other Worlds

• The Shadow Wand by Laurie Forest (Inkyard Press) Genre: epic fantasy; YA Learned from reviews: This third in the well-love Black Witch Chronicles series is told through multiple points of view. Things I like about this series: flawed but likeable characters and a focus on a grass-roots civil rights–like movement. Note that some readers found the first book to be homophobic, but my take was that the characters grew, learned, and changed. First line: “Edwin Gardner sits on the silk-cushioned chair in a haze of grief.” Audiobook: Read by Julia Whelan (19 hr, 50 min)
• Rage and Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Inkyard Press) Genre: contemporary fantasy; YA Learned from reviews: This is the second in the Harbinger series, continuing the story of Trinity (half human, half angel) and her gargoyle protector, Zayne. They fight demons and try to save the world from their home base in Washington, D.C. Super character development and world building. First line: “I blinked open achy, swollen eyes and stared straight at the pale, translucent face of a ghost.” Audiobook: Read by Lauren Fortgang (16 hr, 38 min)

Stories with a Twist

• Stranger in the Lake by Kimberly Belle (Park Row) Genre: domestic thriller Learned from reviews: A young woman marries a rich older man; despite gossip and doubters, her life seems blessed. All that begins to unravel when a woman’s body is found floating in the lake by their house. Her husband asks her to lie, an investigative journalist is reviving cold cases, and Charlotte is beginning to question everything. First line: “I untie the dock cleats and shove the boat into water as gray as the sky.” Audiobook: Read by Xe Sands (9 hr, 39 min)
• Safe by S. K. Barnett (Dutton) Genre: thriller Learned from reviews: Twelve years after her kidnapping, Jenny returns home, welcomed by her grateful family. She knows she is supposed to feel safe now, but is she really? What happened to Jenny during the missing years? Promises to be twisty, captivating (ha!), creepy, and unputdownable. First Line: “The first poster was put up within a day of the disappearance.” Audiobook: Read by Brittany Pressley (9 hr, 4 min)

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Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: 5 Current Book Reviews

Hello, December! Where the heck did this year go? We may be a few weeks away from winter, but the weather here has definitely taken a downward turn. It's been windy, a little icy, and cold.

We haven't had any major snow yet, so that's something to be grateful for. I'm also glad we took the time to get the deck ready for winter. We didn't finish with the yard work -- but there's always next year, right?

Another thing I'm happy about is that it seems as if my workload is finally under control. It's crazy how busy I was. My reading suffered horribly, but I plan to make up for lost time in December.

I'm not going to review everything I read or listened to over the last month (or however long it's been since I did a Monday post). Instead I picked five books to talk about.

I assume everyone has read Erin Morgenstern's The Starless Sea (Doubleday, Nov. 5). The premise of this book hit a ton of my buttons: a fantasy set in modern times involving stories and books and an alternative world with portals to our own. Unfortunately, Starless Sea didn't totally work for me. Here's the good: I loved the stories within stories, the blending (in the book's reality) of truth and fiction, and the nonchronological plot threads. I also liked the alternative world, with its caves and library and kitchen and, yes, starless sea. However, despite so many positive elements, I was left, at the end, with a vague feeling of being unsatisfied and maybe even thinking (just a little), "So what?" On the other hand, the audiobook (Random House Audio; 18 hr, 37 min) is absolutely beautifully narrated by a full cast, and it was the fabulous performances of Dominic Hoffman, Dion Graham, Bahni Turpin, Fiona Hardingham, Allan Corduner, and Jorjeana Marie that kept me going. Bravo to the narrators; I hope they win some awards. (digital and audio copies provided by the publisher)

Here's a novel you may have missed. Heddi Goodrich's Lost in the Spanish Quarter (Harper Via; Sept. 10), takes place mostly in Naples near the end of the twentieth century and is told in retrospect after our protagonist hears from her college lover after a long silence. The book is billed as fiction, though much of the main character's life mirrors the author's including her name. Heddi moves from America to Italy on a high-school exchange program and ends up staying in the country all the way through college. When living in the Spanish Quarter of Napels, finishing university, she meets Pietro, and the two fall for each other hard. The novel is a love story to the ancient city, Mount Vesuvius, and all things Italian as well as the story of a group of young people facing their futures, full of hope and opportunity, yet still very much influenced by their families and their past. Heddi and Peitro's relationship and the pain and trials of their transitioning to full adulthood are universal enough to draw you in and unique enough to keep you interested. Goodrich wrote Lost in the Spanish Quarter in Italian and translated the book to English herself. Recommended to those who like character-driven novels. Warning: you'll be planning a trip to Naples even before you finish the book. (audio copy provided for a freelance assignment)

Do you read the New York Times column "Modern Love"? If you don't, you've been missing out. Fortunately, you can read about 30 of the essays in the collection Modern Love, Revised and Updated, edited (with others) by Daniel Jones (Broadway, Oct. 1). Each of the essays reprinted here really shine. I can honestly say there were no misses for me. The stories cover all kinds of love from romantic relationships to parent-child relationships. Some are funny (as in dating mishaps), some are sad (those that ended in death), and others are almost unbearably moving. One of my favorites involved an Evangelical woman who loved her church and her god but was later surprised to realize that she loved a woman from her Bible study class even more. Another one is about a man who meets some of his many children for the first time: he was sperm donor when he was in college and one of his sons finds him through a DNA/genetics site. There are also stories of adoption, dating when you're disabled, and much more. If you're an audiobook lover (Random House Audio; 8 hr, 9 min), you don't want to miss this all-star cast performance. Each narrator did a credible job, bringing out the many emotions without going over the top. (audio copy provided for a freelance assignment)

A few weeks ago, I included Wild Life by Keena Roberts (Grand Central, Nov. 12) in a nonfiction round-up. I really enjoyed this memoir of a girl growing up divided between a remote research camp in Botswana and a Philadelphia Main Line private school. Keena's parents are well-known field primatologists who studied baboon communication and social behavior in a colony of monkeys who lived on a string of islands a long way from any kind of town. Keena's story is a fascinating look at life in one corner of Africa, with its incredible beauty, haunting sounds, and many dangers. She was curious, level-headed, smart, and self-sufficient at an incredibly young age. Despite her impressive Africa skills, Keena found it difficult and sometimes frustrating when she had to adapt to America. Even sitting in a classroom all day was hard for her. Add on the fact that she had missed out on television and other pop culture, and you can see why it wasn't always easy for her to fit in. Still, because she returned to the same school each trip home, Keena was able to make some lasting friends who helped her survive the mean girls. The audiobook (Hachette Audio; 9 hr, 42 min) is read by Chloe Cannon, who picks up on Keena's personality and her obvious love of the wild places of her childhood. (audio copy provided by the publisher)

Another book I featured in my nonfiction round-up was Gareth Russell's The Ship of Dreams: The Sinking of the Titanic and the End of the Edwardian Era (Atria, Nov. 19). I'm one of those people who have been fascinated with the Titanic story since I was a child. I don't really know why, but I've never gotten tired of learning more about the tragedy. Russell's take is a little different from others. Although he does give details about the actual night of the sinking, the loading of the lifeboats, and the sights and sounds of that horrible night, he places the passengers and the whole phenomenon of the luxury liner in the contemporary global context. He talks about immigration, old versus new money, various prejudices (ethnic and religion), political issues, social conventions, and other concerns of the fading Edwardian Era. He focuses on a handful of passengers to make his points of how various people were treated and/or expected to be treated in the years leading up to World War I. He also paints a much more realistic picture of the evacuation of the Titanic than sensational movie scenes have led us to believe (for example, third-class passengers were not locked below decks). This is as much a history of the mid-1910s as it is a story of the Titanic and its passengers. I tried the audiobook (Simon & Schuster Audio; 12 hr, 35 min), but I didn't click with narrator Jenny Funnell. Her performance was fine, but a few mispronunciations and odd pauses sent me to the book. Your mileage may vary. (audio and digital copies provided by the publisher)

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11 Picks for Speculative Fiction Fans

Here at Beth Fish Reads I try my best to provide book news for a range of reading tastes. Last week I was all about true stories, so this week I’ve taken a 180. The books featured today are not only fiction but have some fantastical elements. Most are set in fully imaginary worlds, but one takes places in the bleak future and a couple are based in contemporary times.

Here are 11 November books that caught my eye. The summaries are from the publisher, and I’ve included the first line and audiobook information as well. Speculative fiction lovers have a lot to be grateful for this month.

Note: All books were provided (digital, print, or audio) by the publisher; some first lines are from advance reader copies.

Life and Limb by Jennifer Roberson (DAW, Nov. 5) The first installment in a new urban fantasy with a western slant on Armageddon.

Gabe Harlan, ex-con biker, and Remi McCue, Texas cowboy, are informed—no, commanded—by a higher power that they must form a partnership, bound by blood and bone, to help save the world. Complete strangers one moment, they have now been thrust together, conscripted into heaven’s army-on-earth. While Remi is willing to believe in such things, to Gabe, newly released from prison, it makes no sense that heaven would count on humans when it has angels in its armory.

First line: “His voice was rich, a much loved, clear baritone, as he handed his seven-year-old grandson a gun.” Audiobook: Read by Kevin Stillwell (Audible Studios; 10 hr, 57 min).

The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White (Delacorte Press, Nov. 5) This first in a trilogy offers a fresh look at Guinevere and her role at Camelot.

Princess Guinevere has come to Camelot to wed a stranger: the charismatic King Arthur. With magic clawing at the kingdom’s borders, the great wizard Merlin conjured a solution—send in Guinevere to be Arthur’s wife . . . and his protector from those who want to see the young king’s idyllic city fail. . . . To keep Arthur safe, Guinevere must navigate a court in which the old—including Arthur’s own family—demand things continue as they have been, and the new—those drawn by the dream of Camelot—fight for a better way to live.

First line: “There was nothing in the world as magical and terrifying as a girl on the cusp of womanhood.” Audiobook: Read by Elizabeth Knowelden (Listening Library; 10 hr, 51 min)

Sisters of Shadow and Light by Sara B. Larson (Tor Teen, Nov. 5) The story of two sisters living in a fairy-tale world.

Zuhra and Inara have grown up in the Citadel of the Paladins, an abandoned fortress where legendary, magical warriors once lived before disappearing from the world—including their Paladin father the night Inara was born. On that same night, a massive, magical hedge grew and imprisoned them within the citadel. . . . For fifteen years they have lived, trapped in the citadel, with little contact from the outside world . . . until the day a stranger passes through the hedge, and everything changes.

First line: “The night my sister was born, the stars died and were reborn in her eyes.” Audiobook: Read by Caitlin Kelly (Macmillan Audio, 14 hr, 42 min)

Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw (Simon Pulse, Nov. 5) A dark fantasy set near a haunted woods lightened by elements of romance.

Rumored to be a witch, only Nora Walker knows the truth. She and the Walker women before her have always shared a special connection with the woods. And it’s this special connection that leads Nora to Oliver Huntsman—the same boy who disappeared from the Camp for Wayward Boys weeks ago—and in the middle of the worst snowstorm in years. He should be dead, but here he is alive, and left in the woods with no memory of the time he’d been missing.

First line: “Never waste a full moon, Nora, even in winter, my grandmother used to say.” Audiobook: Read by Emma Lysy and Mark Turesky (Audible Studios; 10 hr, 16 min)

Fate of the Fallen by Kel Kade (Tor, Nov. 5) An epic fantasy full of adventure and friendship.

Everyone loves Mathias. Naturally, when he discovers it’s his destiny to save the world, he dives in headfirst, pulling his best friend, Aaslo, along for the ride. However, saving the world isn’t as easy, or exciting, as it sounds in the stories. The going gets rough, and folks start to believe their best chance for survival is to surrender to the forces of evil, which isn’t how the prophecy goes. At all. As the list of allies grows thin . . . they must decide how to become the heroes they were destined to be or, failing that, how to survive.

First line: “ ‘Why?’ Mathias said as he stared down at the back of his best friend’s head.” Audiobook: Read by Nick Podehl (Macmillan Audio; 12 hr, 33 min)

Day Zero by Kelly deVos (Inkyard Press, Nov. 12) Set in the near future, a story of survival after organized violence ends life as we know it.

Seventeen-year-old coder Jinx Marshall grew up spending weekends drilling with her paranoid dad for a doomsday she’s sure will never come. . . . Now that her parents are divorced, she’s ready to relax. But all that disaster training comes in handy when . . . a pattern of violence erupt[s] all over the country. . . . In a desperate attempt to evade paramilitary forces and vigilantes, Jinx and her siblings . . . make a break for Mexico. . . . But if they can survive, will there be anything left worth surviving for?

First line: “I will save the world.” Audiobook: no information

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (Doubleday, Nov. 5) Stories come alive in an underground world where time is fluid and people are not what they seem.

Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, . . . he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues—a bee, a key, and a sword—that lead him . . . through a doorway to an ancient library hidden far below the surface of the earth. What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians—it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead.

First line: “There is a pirate in the basement.” Audiobook: Read by Dominic Hoffman and others (Random House Audio, 18 hr, 37 min)

Eight Will Fall by Sarah Harian (Henry Holt BYR, Nov. 26) A dark adventure fantasy with battles, monsters, and forbidden magic

In a world where magic is illegal, eight criminals led by rebellious Larkin are sent on a mission to rid their kingdom of monsters. Descending into an underground world full of unspeakable horrors, Larkin and her crew must use their forbidden magic to survive. As they fight in the shadows, Larkin finds a light in Amias, a fellow outlaw with a notorious past. . . . But as the beasts grow in number and her band is picked off one by one, Larkin is forced to confront a terrible truth: They were never meant to return.

First line: “Beneath Larkin’s glowing lantern, luminite shimmered like fish scales in the darkness of Ethera Mine.” Audiobook: Read by Lauren Fortgang (Macmillan; 10 hr, 15 min)

Unnatural Magic by C. M. Waggoner (Ace, Nov. 5) A standalone historical fantasy with strong female characters who hope to forge peace in their land

Onna Gebowa is determined to become a great wizard. She can write the parameters of a spell faster than any of the young men in her village school. But despite her incredible abilities, she’s denied a place at the nation’s premier arcane academy. . . . Tsira is a troll who never quite fit into her clan, despite being the leader’s daughter. She decides to strike out on her own and look for work in a human city. . . . Trolls have lived alongside—and been revered by—humans for generations, but now it appears they’re being targeted by a sinister sorcery. And Onna and Tsira both begin to devote their considerable abilities into figuring out how to stop the deaths before their homeland is torn apart.

First line: “Onna Gebowa always liked numbers.” Audiobook: Read by Shiromi Arserio (Blackstone; ~14 hr)

Blood Heir by Amélie Wen Zhao (Delacorte Press, Nov. 19) The start of an epic fantasy series with elements of mystery, political intrigue, and corruption

In the Cyrilian Empire, Affinites are reviled. Their varied gifts to control the world around them are unnatural—dangerous. And Anastacya Mikhailov, the crown princess, has a terrifying secret. Her deadly Affinity to blood is her curse and the reason she has lived her life hidden behind palace walls. When Ana’s father, the emperor, is murdered, her world is shattered. Framed as his killer, Ana must flee the palace to save her life. And to clear her name, she must find her father’s murderer on her own. But the Cyrilia beyond the palace walls is far different from the one she thought she knew.

First line: “The prison bore a sharp resemblance to the dungeons of Anastacya’s childhood: dark, wet, and made of unyielding stone that leaked grime and misery.” Audiobook: Read by Emily Woo Zeller (Listening Library; 13 hr, 57 min)

Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean (HMH BYR, Nov. 6) Set in a world where women battle for power and shape-shifters are despised

Each generation, a competition is held to find the next empress of Honoku. The rules are simple. Survive the palace’s enchanted seasonal rooms. Conquer Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Marry the prince. All are eligible to compete—all except yokai, supernatural monsters and spirits whom the human emperor is determined to enslave and destroy. Mari has spent a lifetime training to become empress. Winning should be easy. And it would be, if she weren't hiding a dangerous secret. Mari is a yokai with the ability to transform into a terrifying monster. If discovered, her life will be forfeit.

First line: “Breathing in the dark, and not her own.” Audiobook: Read by Hanako Footman (HMH, 9 hr, 52 min)

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6 Books to Diversify Your September Reading List

I've defined my idea of diverse books many times on this blog. My definition may not meet your standards. That's okay. No matter how you define diversity in your reading (authors of color, LGBTQ+ themes, books in translation, #OwnVoices, women authors), I encourage you to find books that fit that definition. I have a broad and somewhat unique approach.

Here are six books, publishing this month, that fit my idea of diversity in some way.

Slay by Brittney Morris (Simon Pulse, Sept. 24): This is billed as Ready Player One meets The Hate U Give. Teenage Kiera Johnson, one of the very few black students at her high school, is a math whiz and avid gamer, who has developed an extremely popular role-playing game with black activist features. The game is a sort of safe haven for black gamers until a game-related real-life murder brings SLAY to the attention of the world at large. This thriller involves themes of racism, exclusion, and trying to fit in mixed with gaming action and off-line violence and bullying. This timely novel is an #OwnVoices book that explores important contemporary issues. The novel is an Indie Next pick. (Audience: young adult)

Crossed-Out Notebook by Nicolás Giacobone, trans. by Megan McDowell (Scribner, Sept. 24): This is an insider commentary on the world of script writers. Set in Argentina, a screenwriter is being held captive in the basement of a famous Latin American movie director. Although Pablo has already turned out a couple of scripts, the director, who takes all the writing credit, is now demanding a "world-changing screenplay" worthy of the biggest Hollywood stars. Pablo, however, is suffering a bit of writer's block--perhaps as a result of being threatened at gun point? The novel consists of his nightly musings, a kind of diary that he deletes every morning. His inner thoughts are countered by the more immediate questions: Can he escape to freedom? Will he write the script? Is someone going to get hurt. A kind of psychological thriller along the lines of Misery by an Oscar-winning screenplay writer. (#OwnVoices; audience: adult)

Out of Darkness, Shining Light by Petina Gappah (Scribner; Sept. 10): This is story of what happened after the famous Dr. Livingstone died. History tells us that David Livinstone's body and belongings were transported across Africa and returned to England in 1873, but those accounts are told from a white man's point of view. In this moving and important novel, Livingstone's (female) cook and a converted freed (male) slave each contribute to the story of how Africans loyal to the doctor carried his corpse 1500 miles across the continent so he wouldn't be lost and forgotten. As the journey progresses, the members of the party begin question Livingstone's character and intentions and readers get a look at Africa in all its vastness and diversity. The novel has earned starred reviews. (#OwnVoices; audience: adult)

The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste (Norton, Sept. 24). This is a very different World War II story, set in Ethiopia as it prepares for and fights Mussolini's invasion. When the war is just a possibility, Hirut is a maid in the house of one of Haile Selassie's army officers. After Italian soldiers arrive, Hirut, her mistress, and other women do their part to defend their homeland, whether acting as nurses, spies, guards, or advisers. Hirut is more involved than others, helping devise a scheme to boost Ethiopian morale and find a way to survive the occupation. An important story of a little-known aspect of the war told from a non-Western woman's point of view that is universal in its themes of what it means to be a civilian woman in a battle-torn world. The author has garnered much praise. (#OwnVoices; audience: adult)

Night Boat to Tangier by Keven Barry (Doubleday, Sept. 17): Set in the Spanish port city Algeciras, two middle-aged Irish drug smugglers wait for the ferry from Morocco looking for a girl. As Maurice and Charlie settle in at the terminal hoping to cross paths with Maurice's estranged daughter, they talk with others in the waiting room; observe the local dogs; and--above all-reminisce about their pasts. This is a story of crime, marriages, violence, and a sometimes rocky partnership told in the easy, sometimes profane, banter of long-time friends. There is a bit of a mystery as to why Dilly disappeared and why she may be on the ferry to (or perhaps from) Tangier on that very night. A sometimes dark, sometimes funny contemporary story by an award-winning Irish author  (audience: adult)

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite (Inkyard, Sept. 3): This is the story of a first-generation Haitian American who is sent from Miami to her parents' homeland after messing up just months before high school graduation. Alaine's story is told through a mix of media (letters, texts, email, school report) as she completes the assignment that will get her reinstated in school. Under the watchful care of one of her aunts, Alaine learns more about her family's history, her own heritage, and what life is like for people who don't have the privileges or comforts America and her professional parents have given her. A cute guy, family drama, and Haitian culture give this coming-of-age story oomph and the epistolary style makes it fun to read. (#OwnVoices; audience: young adult)

Note: I would add Dominicana and Red at the Bone to this list as well. For more on those novels, see my what to look for at BookExpo 2019 post. I thought I should mention the books again so you can look for them at your local bookstore and library.

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13 Novels for Your Wish List; Or What to Look for at Book Expo (2019)

For the second year in a row I will not be able to attend Book Expo in New York. I'm not all that upset because the real-life trade-offs I made are well worth it. On the downside, I hate missing the chance to visit with friends, see the city, and eat some good food. I'm also sorry to miss out on learning about all the new books coming out in the second half of the year.

I can't do anything about compensating for missed face-to-face conversations with friends, but I can do something about the books. I've been paying attention to the Book Expo buzz and looking through publishers' catalogues to discover the upcoming titles that I would have looked for when at Book Expo.

I found many good books to look forward to, and I want to share some of my discoveries with you. I'm going to save the thrillers, mysteries, and other crime fiction titles for next week, and I think I'll wait until closer to publishing dates to talk about speculative fiction and nonfiction.

Today, I'm featuring 13 novels that caught my eye. These are nowhere near the only books that interest me, but I'm making a start on my fall reading wish list. In the descriptions that follow, I tell you why I want to read each book and then provide the publisher's summary.

Authors I Like

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (Doubleday, Nov. 5) Why: mysterious book, puzzle to be solved, non-reality

Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues—a bee, a key, and a sword—that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to an ancient library hidden far below the surface of the earth.

What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians—it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinquishing their sight and their tongues to preserve this archive, and also of those who are intent on its destruction. Together with Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired protector of the place, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms, and sweetly soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his purpose—in both the mysterious book and in his own life.

The Innocents by Michael Crummey (Doubleday, Nov. 12): Why: setting (Newfoundland), the premise

A brother and sister are orphaned in an isolated cove on Newfoundland’s northern coastline. Their home is a stretch of rocky shore governed by the feral ocean, by a relentless pendulum of abundance and murderous scarcity. Still children with only the barest notion of the outside world, they have nothing but the family’s boat and the little knowledge passed on haphazardly by their mother and father to keep them.

Muddling though the severe round of the seasons, through years of meager catches and storms and ravaging illness, it is their fierce loyalty to each other that motivates and sustains them. But as seasons pass and they wade deeper into the mystery of their own natures, even that loyalty will be tested.

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson (Riverhead, Sept. 17): Why: I'll read anything Woodson writes.

As the book opens in 2001, it is the evening of sixteen-year-old Melody’s coming of age ceremony in her grandparents’ Brooklyn brownstone. Watched lovingly by her relatives and friends, making her entrance to the soundtrack of Prince, she wears a special custom-made dress. But the event is not without poignancy. Sixteen years earlier, that very dress was measured and sewn for a different wearer: Melody’s mother, for her own ceremony—a celebration that ultimately never took place.

Unfurling the history of Melody’s parents and grandparents to show how they all arrived at this moment, Woodson considers not just their ambitions and successes but also the costs, the tolls they’ve paid for striving to overcome expectations and escape the pull of history. As it explores sexual desire and identity, ambition, gentrification, education, class and status, and the life-altering facts of parenthood, Red at the Bone most strikingly looks at the ways in which young people must so often make long-lasting decisions about their lives—even before they have begun to figure out who they are and what they want to be.

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (Ecco, Nov. 5): Why: humor, themes (families, twins)

Lillian and Madison were the unlikeliest of roommates at their elite boarding school: Madison, the daughter of a prominent Atlanta family, being groomed for greatness; Lillian, a scholarship student, plucked out of nowhere based solely on her intellect and athletic prowess. The two were as tight as could be, reveling in their unique weirdnesses, until Lillian had to leave the school unexpectedly.

Years later, the two have lost touch, but Madison writes and begs Lillian for help. Her husband’s twin stepkids are moving in with them and she wants Lillian to be their caretaker. However, there’s a catch: the twins can spontaneously combust when they get agitated, flames igniting from their skin in a disturbing but beautiful way.

Disbelieving at first but ultimately too intrigued by these strange children, Lillian agrees. And as they hunker down in the pool house, Lillian and the twins learn to trust each other—and stay cool—just as Madison’s family is bracing for a major announcement. It all seems impossible to manage, but Lillian soon accepts that she and the children need each other, urgently and fiercely.With a white-hot wit and a big, tender heart, Kevin Wilson has written a most unusual story of deep parental love that proves to be his best book yet.

Diversifying My Reading List

On Swift Horses by Shannon Pufahl (Riverhead, Nov. 5): Why: setting (American West, 1950s), themes (including LGBTQ+).

Muriel is newly married and restless, transplanted from her rural Kansas hometown to life in a dusty bungalow in San Diego. The air is rich with the tang of salt and citrus, but the limits of her new life seem to be closing in: She misses her freethinking mother, dead before Muriel’s nineteenth birthday, and her sly, itinerant brother-in-law, Julius, who made the world feel bigger than she had imagined. And so she begins slipping off to the Del Mar racetrack to bet and eavesdrop, learning the language of horses and risk. Meanwhile, Julius is testing his fate in Las Vegas, working at a local casino where tourists watch atomic tests from the roof, and falling in love with Henry, a young card cheat. When Henry is eventually discovered and run out of town, Julius takes off to search for him in the plazas and dives of Tijuana, trading one city of dangerous illusions and indiscretions for another.

Dominicana by Angie Cruz (Flatiron, Sept. 3): Why: themes (immigration, feminism. POC), setting (1960s New York)

Fifteen-year-old Ana Cancion never dreamed of moving to America, the way the girls she grew up with in the Dominican countryside did. But when Juan Ruiz proposes and promises to take her to New York City, she has to say yes. It doesn’t matter that he is twice her age, that there is no love between them. Their marriage is an opportunity for her entire close-knit family to eventually immigrate. So on New Year’s Day, 1965, Ana leaves behind everything she knows and becomes Ana Ruiz, a wife confined to a cold six-floor walk-up in Washington Heights. Lonely and miserable, Ana hatches a reckless plan to escape. But at the bus terminal, she is stopped by Cesar, Juan’s free-spirited younger brother, who convinces her to stay.

As the Dominican Republic slides into political turmoil, Juan returns to protect his family’s assets, leaving Cesar to take care of Ana. Suddenly, Ana is free to take English lessons at a local church, lie on the beach at Coney Island, see a movie at Radio City Music Hall, go dancing with Cesar, and imagine the possibility of a different kind of life in America. When Juan returns, Ana must decide once again between her heart and her duty to her family.

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid (Putnam, Jan. 7, 2020): Why: themes (race, class, social media), setting (Philadelphia)

Alix Chamberlain is a woman who gets what she wants and has made a living showing other women how to do the same. A mother to two small girls, she started out as a blogger and has quickly built herself into a confidence-driven brand. So she is shocked when her babysitter, Emira Tucker, is confronted while watching the Chamberlains’ toddler one night. Seeing a young black woman out late with a white child, a security guard at their local high-end supermarket accuses Emira of kidnapping two-year-old Briar. A small crowd gathers, a bystander films everything, and Emira is furious and humiliated. Alix resolves to make it right.

But Emira herself is aimless, broke, and wary of Alix’s desire to help. At twenty-five, she is about to lose her health insurance and has no idea what to do with her life. When the video of Emira unearths someone from Alix’s past, both women find themselves on a crash course that will upend everything they think they know about themselves, and each other.

Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha (Ecco, Oct. 15): Why: themes (race, police violence), setting (LA)

In the wake of the police shooting of a black teenager, Los Angeles is as tense as it’s been since the unrest of the early 1990s. Protests and vigils are being staged all over the city. It’s in this dangerous tinderbox that two families must finally confront their pasts.

Grace Park lives a sheltered existence: living at home with her Korean-immigrant parents, working at the family pharmacy, and trying her best to understand why her sister Miriam hasn’t spoken to their mother in years. The chasm in her family is growing wider by the day and Grace is desperate for reconciliation, and frustrated by the feeling that her sister and parents are shielding her from the true cause of the falling out.

Shawn Matthews is dealing with a fractured family of his own. His sister, Ava, was murdered as a teenager back in 1991, and this new shooting is bringing up painful memories. Plus, his cousin Ray is just released from prison and needs to reconnect with their family after so many years away. While Shawn is trying his best to keep his demons at bay, he’s not sure Ray can do the same.

When another shocking crime hits LA, the Parks and the Matthewses collide in ways they never could have expected. After decades of loss, violence, and injustice, tensions come to a head and force a reckoning that could clear the air or lead to more violence.

My Kind of Book

Call Upon the Water by Stella Tillyard (Atria, Sept. 17): Why: time period (1600s), themes (engineering, New World, love/hate, women)

In 1649, Jan Brunt arrives in Great Britain from the Netherlands to work on draining and developing an expanse of marshy wetlands known as the Great Level. It is here in this wild country that he meets Eliza, a local woman whose love overturns his ordered vision. Determined to help her strive beyond her situation, Jan is heedless of her devotion to her home and way of life. When she uses the education Jan has given her to sabotage his work, Eliza is brutally punished, and Jan flees to the New World.

In the American colonies, profiteers on Manatus Eyland are hungry for viable land to develop, and Jan’s skills as an engineer are highly prized. His prosperous new life is rattled, however, on a spring morning when a boy delivers a note that prompts him to remember the Great Level, and confront all that was lost there. Eliza has made it to the New World and is once again using the education Jan gave her to bend the landscape—this time to find her own place of freedom.

The Grammarians by Cathleen Schine (Sarah Crichton, Sept. 3): Why: themes (language, twins), other (copyeditor, dictionaries, language)

An enchanting, comic love letter to sibling rivalry and the English language

The Grammarians are Laurel and Daphne Wolfe, identical, inseparable redheaded twins who share an obsession with words. They speak a secret “twin” tongue of their own as toddlers; as adults making their way in 1980s Manhattan, their verbal infatuation continues, but this love, which has always bound them together, begins instead to push them apart. Daphne, copy editor and grammar columnist, devotes herself to preserving the dignity and elegance of Standard English. Laurel, who gives up teaching kindergarten to write poetry, is drawn, instead, to the polymorphous, chameleon nature of the written and spoken word. Their fraying twinship finally shreds completely when the sisters go to war, absurdly but passionately, over custody of their most prized family heirloom: Merriam Webster’s New International Dictionary, Second Edition.

The Truants by Kate Weinberg (Putnam, Jan 28, 2020): Why: descriptions (obsession, coming of age, deceit, first love)

People disappear when they most want to be seen.

Jess Walker has come to a concrete campus under the flat grey skies of East Anglia for one reason: To be taught by the mesmerizing and rebellious Dr Lorna Clay, whose seminars soon transform Jess’s thinking on life, love, and Agatha Christie. Swept up in Lorna’s thrall, Jess falls in with a tightly-knit group of rule-breakers—Alec, a courageous South African journalist with a nihilistic streak; Georgie, a seductive, pill-popping aristocrat; and Nick, a handsome geologist with layers of his own.

But when tragedy strikes the group, Jess turns to Lorna. Together, the two seek refuge on a remote Italian island, where Jess tastes the life she’s long dreamed of—and uncovers a shocking secret that will challenge everything she’s learned.

Still Loving Dystopian

The Bear by Andrew Krivak (Bellevue Literary Press, Feb. 11, 2020): themes (nature takes over, father/daughter, survival)

A gorgeous fable of Earth’s last two human inhabitants, and a girl’s journey home

In an Edenic future, a girl and her father live close to the land in the shadow of a lone mountain. They possess a few remnants of civilization: some books, a pane of glass, a set of flint and steel, a comb. The father teaches the girl how to fish and hunt, the secrets of the seasons and the stars. He is preparing her for an adulthood in harmony with nature, for they are the last of humankind. But when the girl finds herself alone in an unknown landscape, it is a bear that will lead her back home through a vast wilderness that offers the greatest lessons of all, if she can only learn to listen.

A cautionary tale of human fragility, of love and loss, The Bear is a stunning tribute to the beauty of nature’s dominion.

The Divers' Game by Jesse Ball (Ecco, Sept. 10): Why: themes (class divide, future, power)

The old-fashioned struggle for fairness has finally been abandoned. It was a misguided endeavor. The world is divided into two groups, pats and quads. The pats may kill the quads as they like, and do. The quads have no recourse but to continue with their lives.

The Divers’ Game is a thinly veiled description of our society, an extreme case that demonstrates a truth: we must change or our world will collapse.

What is the effect of constant fear on a life, or on a culture? The Divers’ Game explores the consequences of violence through two festivals, and through the dramatic and excruciating examination of a woman’s final moments.

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