What I Read in April, Part 2

Welcome back! As I said on Tuesday, I finished 16 books last month. I shared my thoughts about the first 8 books in that post; today I talk about the rest. I present them here in the order that I finished them.

Note that the following thoughts are also available on Goodreads. Thanks to the publishers and to Libro.fm for the print, digital, and audiobook review copies. "AFM" means you can find my thoughts about the audiobook production over on the AudioFile Magazine website.

Empire of Ants: The Hidden World and Extraordinary Lives of Earth's Tiny Conquerors by Susanne Foitzik (The Exmperiment, April): This is a very accessible and fascinating look at everything ants. Foitzik and Fritsche take us around the world and into the lab to tell us about that pesky bug that invades our homes and gets into our picnic food.

The book is full of interesting and eye-opening facts about ant behavior and biology and ants' interaction with the world around us. The tone is conversational and sometimes funny. If you're interested in the natural world, you should give this book a shot.

As I often do with nonfiction, I both read and listened to the book. The audiobook was really well performed by Cat Gould, who did a super job conveying the authors' tone. If you listen instead of read, you'll miss the fabulous photographs in the digital/print edition.

Summer on the Bluffs by Sunny Hostin (William Morrow, May 4): Bring on the summer reads! I really liked the concept behind this beach book set on Martha's Vineyard. The story revolves around Ama Vaux Tanner, her late husband, and their three god-daughters, who are are now in their twenties.

What makes this book a little different from other beach reads is that uber-wealthy Ama is Black, as are her daughters. The book includes themes of systemic racism and colorism along with the expected plot lines concerning family drama, romance, life on the island, past secrets, and finding one's way in the world. The plot could have been a bit tighter, but overall an enjoyable read. I'll likely look for the next book in the series. (AFM)

Kisses and Croissants by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau (Delacorte, April): Because I danced in my youth, I always like a good ballet story. Mia, an American teen, has had only one dream since she was a very young child: to be a professional dancer. Fortunately, she has the talent and focus to make that dream come true. Her summer internship in Paris is a crucial step in her career. Female friendships and frenemies, lots of ballet, and a complicated summer crush add to the story. Yes, mostly predictable and a few plot tangents, but still a fun rom-com for escape reading.

The audiobook was delightfully read by Imani Jade Powers, who captured the ups and downs of Mia's summer in Paris.

The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon (Gallery, April): I like McMahon's ability to layer on the creep factors, and this Gothic story about a Vermont resort turned private estate doesn't disappoint in that regard. Set in two time periods, 1929 and modern times, the story focuses on a spring that is fabled to cure ailments and grant wishes. Of course, nothing is given for free or without consequences.

In the past, Ethel Monroe and her doctor husband visit the springs during its inaugural year as a luxury resort. While there Ethel caves to the rumors and asks the waters to cure her infertility. After the resort burns to the ground at the start of the Depression, the couple buys the property, builds a home, and turns the springs into a kind of natural swimming pool. In modern times, two sisters who spent their summers at the house with their grandmother have their own interactions with the waters.

I loved the creepy atmosphere of this book and the complex, fragile characters. McMahon did a good job weaving local tales about the spring's miracles with the personal interactions of the characters, whether they swam in or drank the water. The two time periods worked well and most of the surprises hit the mark.

The audiobook was read alternately by Joy Osmanski and Imani Jade Powers, who added to the Gothic elements and brought the characters (and the spring) alive.

Gut Feelings: The Microbiome and Our Health by Alessio Fasano (MIT Press, March): A well-researched and well-presented summary of current research on the human microbiome and its relationship to many aspects of our overall health and well-being.

Fasano's account is non-prescriptive and straightforward. We learn about the microbiome throughout human evolution, in traditional cultures, and in today's world. If you don't have a basic understanding of human (or mammalian) physiology, this could be hard going. For those of us with a solid background in biology, this presents a nice overview and good starting point for further investigation through the medical literature.

Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand (Little, Brown, June 1): I'm a Hiderbrand fan and look forward to her Nantucket novels every summer. Her latest doesn't disappoint.

When 50-something Nantucket novelist Vivian Howe is hit by a car when out for her daily morning run, her death and the search for the hit-and-run driver sets off a far-reaching chain of events. We hear from Vivian in heaven limbo and from those she left behind. There are fun literary references, not only to Hilderbrand's own books but also to other writers and the book world in general. The drama, the food, the relationships, the satisfactory ending -- put this on your summer reading list.

Audiobook fans will be relieved that Erin Bennett was available to narrate. She and Hilderbrand make a perfect audiobook marriage.

Under the Southern Sky by Kristy Woodson Harvey (Gallery, April): I picked this up because of the cover; I've been in beach-reading kind of mood. In her latest, Harvey tackles cancer, love, loss, infertility, infidelity, friendship, families, and second chances. Despite the tougher issues at the core of this book, it was only okay for me, probably because the ultimate outcome was so clear from the start and I wasn't invested in the characters enough to be all caught up in how they got to the last page. Note however, that I'm not much of a romance reader, so your mileage may vary.

The audiobook was alternately read by Cassandra Campbell, Michael Crouch, Rebekkah Ross, and Karissa Vacker. They all put in a good performance, blending well.

Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone (Scribner, April): I have a weakness for stories about twins. When Cat's identical twin, El, is lost at sea in a presumed sailing accident, she leaves her apartment in California to return to her native Scotland to help her brother-in-law deal with the aftermath.

This novel is complex and engrossing, taking us along on several well-developed threads. First is the investigation of El's accident: staged escape? murder? unfortunate accident? Through this, we gain insight into the nature of El's marriage and her husband's personality. El had been living in the girls' childhood home, and being back releases Cat's memories. She remembers her mother reading to them and especially the many hours they spent in "Mirrorland," their make-believe world, in which they pretended to be Caribbean pirates, for example, or characters in a movie, especially Shawshank Redemption.

As the investigation of the accident continues, we learn more and more about the twins, their upbringing, and their lifelong relationship to Ross, El's husband. The tension builds incrementally until we are totally immersed in Cat's world, trying to figure out which of her Mirrorland memories were real and which were those of a child trying to make sense of the really bad things about her childhood.The truth changes as Cat forces herself to brush aside her strong, deep self-defenses.

I was completely captured by Johnstone's debut, with its difficult themes, good plotting, and growing suspense. What is real in Cat's world? Highly recommended.

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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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