3 Recommended Books + Travel Reading

I've had a crazy spring. Between travel, my lace workshop, and the holiday, I feel as if I haven't worked a full workweek since mid-April. It's all a lot of fun, but I'm really ready to just say no to squeezing five days' worth of work into only three or four.

On Monday, I shared my thoughts on some of the audiobooks I've listened to lately. Today are brief musings on some of the print and digital books I've read or am still reading.

How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper (Putnam, May 28): I'm a huge fan of quirky premises and characters, so I pretty much knew I'd really enjoy this novel. Andrew works for the government, trying to track down the next of kin when a person dies alone without any obvious clues to friends or family. He's a loner and is mostly okay with that. There's only one hitch: his work colleagues think he's a happily married man with two kids. Even that's okay . . . until he meets the new employee, that is. Peggy reawakens Andrew's ability to connect with others, but how will he be able to reveal all his secrets? Fun and different with characters that are easy to root for or boo at. (print copy provided by the publisher)

Time Museum Volume 2 by Matthew Loux (First Second, June 11): This is the second entry in the Time Museum series starring a group of kids who work at a natural history museum. This isn't your usual museum though, it's a portal to different worlds and different time periods. Each member of the youthful squad has a unique skill, and together they manage to get out of scrapes. In this installment they are sent to the French court of 1778, where they have to correct a glitch in time. The fun starts when the squad is given a new instructor--none other than Richard Nixon. The series is geared to a middle grade audience and is filled with action, humor, good art, a recurring bad guy, and (a little) young love. The time loop theme was sometimes hard to follow, but I still liked the story and artwork and seeing how the kids are maturing and learning to work as a team. (digital copy provided by the publisher)

The Weather Machine: A Journey Inside the Forecast by Andrew Blum (Ecco; June 25): I've always been interested in the weather and forecasting, and since moving to same county that houses AccuWeather's headquarters, my interest has only increased over the years. I've been reading this book slowly (a chapter every few days) and haven't finished yet. I've learned a lot about the history of forecasting, the science of meteorology, and the technology that drives them. The weather is one area in which countries throughout the world freely share knowledge and data. Blum visits weather stations, talks to weather experts, and tells us about the art and science behind the daily forecast. Try to imagine living in the days before the telegraph or telephone, when major storms could hit at any time, giving you absolutely no warning or time to prepare. Fascinating stuff. (digital copy provided by the publisher)

And here's what I've loaded onto my phone for listening and onto my tablet for reading as I get ready for yet another trip.

• The Shepherd's Hut by Tim Winton (Picador, June 11): a kind of coming-of-age story set in Australia. This is my first Winton novel, and I have high hopes for this book, which has won much praise. (print review copy)
• With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo (HarperTeen, May 7): The author, the food aspects, and the message to trust one's talents all call to me. Also part of #WeNeedDiverseBooks (digital review copy)
• Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips (Knopf, May 14): This is a totally new setting (Kamchatka) for me and promises to be a combo thriller and community story. (audiobook freelance assignment)
• Ancestral Night by Elizabeth Bear (Gallery; March 5): Now that I know I like science fiction, I thought I give this much, much, much praised first in a new space opera series a try. (audiobook review copy)

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Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: Reading across the Genres

First, for my friends in Florida and the South -- I'm hoping you are safe and that you have electricity and that you spared the worst of the hurricane.

For the rest of you north of the Equator, I hope you are enjoying the fall weather. I'm thrilled I can pull out my sweaters and long-sleeved shirts. I'm so ready for cooler temperatures and afternoon tea. I still have a window or two cracked during the day, but it's definitely cold out there!

With October comes a seasonal busy time for my work, and my personal reading time is crawling. I've gotten through only 4 books in two weeks. Oh well, the books will still be there waiting after I meet my deadlines.

The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Harper; September 18). This is the final installment in Zafon's Cemetery of Forgotten Books quartet. I listened to the first book (The Shadow of the Wind) when it first came out, before I was blogging, and that audiobook has remained one of my all-time favorites. I don't know why I didn't listen to the next two books, but I'm glad I gave Labyrinth of the Spirits a try. The plot follows Spanish secret police agent Alicia Gris as she attempts to complete her last mission before she returns to civilian life. The book is part thriller and part mystery and is set mostly in Barcelona. I barely remember the first book, but I didn't feel lost and I actually ended up recognizing the names of some of the characters. I liked the book, although I wasn't as blown away as I hoped. The tension was definitely there--as Alicia and her partner begin to uncover corruption stemming from the Franco regime, the danger increases--and I was invested in the outcome. I probably would have appreciated the book more if I had read the entire quartet; still I like the way Zafon conducted a kind of meta analysis as he tied up lose ends to the series. Narrator Daniel Weyman did a fine job reading the unabridged audiobook (HarperAudio; 27 hr, 55 min), which was a good thing, because this is a long audio. My only complaint was his British accent, which meant I had to keep reminding myself the book took place in Spain, not the UK. But all in all, his performance kept me invested. (For more on the audiobook; see AudioFile magazine.)

Swing by Kwame Alexander with Mary Rand Hess (Blink, October 2). I've become fond of novels in verse and so was looking forward to reading Alexander's newest. This coming-of-age story is about two high school friends who share a love a baseball, though neither of them made the team; who are good students, though they can still have fun; and who are different enough to push each other and teach each other. Noah is currently obsessing over his other best friend, Sam (a girl), and wondering how he can cross the line from buddy to boyfriend. The only problem is that Sam has a boyfriend, and she likes the other guy a lot, even if he is a jock and a bit of a jerk. Walt, on the other hand, is determined to make the baseball team and practices almost every day. He's also a trivia buff and and jazz lover. This short novel, though, is no high school romp; it covers themes of friendship, young love, diversity and race (Noah is white; Walt is black), responsibility, and larger societal issues. Alexander himself reads the audiobook (Blink Audio; 4 hr, 8 min), and I think this was a brilliant choice. His characterizations were spot-on and his diction is clear. He infused his performance with measured emotion. Swing may break your heart, but you won't want to miss this in print or in audio. You'll be thinking about Noah and Walt long after you close the book. (For more on the audiobook; see AudioFile magazine.)

On Sunset by Kathryn Harrison (Doubleday, October 2). I didn't know what to expect when I started this memoir of growing up in the sixties in Los Angeles. Instead of a straightforward chronology, Harrison's approach is more of a love song to her eccentric grandparents, who provided her with a unique upbringing. Her grandmother came from a wealthy family of multicultural Jews in Singapore, and her grandfather was raised poor in London. Each became world travelers and had fairly full lives when they met late in life. Their one irresponsible daughter went the other direction, getting pregnant while still a teenager. Though her mother didn't live in the big house on Sunset Boulevard, Harrison saw her often and wasn't abandoned in the usual sense. Her memoir is mostly a collection of her grandparents' stories: eight-day train trips from the Orient to Paris, fur trapping in the wilds of Alaska, meeting a Russian prince, fighting in World War I, immigration, and learning to accept one's fate without losing one's past. I loved Harrison's voice and her grandparents' stories. Don't miss this one. I listened the unabridged audiobook (Random House Audio; 6 hr, 39 min) read by Rebecca Lowman, who beautifully blurred the line between author and performer. My only regret is that by listening I missed out on the photographs included in the book. I'll have to see if my library has a copy. (For more on the audiobook; see AudioFile magazine.)

Jar City by Arnaldur Indridason (Picador, 2006): When I was doing my big book culling the other week, I made a vow to myself to start reading from own shelves. We're all drawn to the new and shiny and sometimes forget those books we always meant to read. I learned about Indridason's Reykjavik police procedural series starring Inspector Erlendur when I was lucky enough to attend a BEA book blogger reception in Picador's offices; I left the party with the first couple of books in the series. Since then, I've collected all the Erlendur books to date. I thought it was about time I actually read them.

Oh boy have I missed out. I really like the setting, the mystery, and getting to know Erlendur and his family. Jar City starts with a murder that leads the inspector to revisit a cold case involving rape. Meanwhile, a bride disappears from her wedding reception and no one has heard from her and two elderly sisters were assaulted. Besides juggling multiple police cases, Erlendur (divorced) is dealing with a troubled daughter. Family issues, police department relationships, and the way rape victims are treated, all come into play. Indridason builds the tension and writes a tight story, and I really enjoyed getting a peek at life in Iceland. If you like mysteries set outside the United States or the UK, give this series a try. I'm already looking forward to the second book.

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11 Nonfiction Titles to Read This Summer

I’ve been a nonfiction fan most of my life. As a child, biography and autobiography were among my favorite books. When I got older, I added science, history, and memoir to my nonfiction mix After I discovered audiobooks, the way I read most nonfiction changed: These days I like to tag team between audio and print: a great narrator can bring the book alive and the print copy allows me to see the footnotes, charts, photos, maps, and so on. It’s a great way to get the best of both worlds. Here are 11 books that are on my summer nonfiction reading list.

On the Water

Barons of the Sea: And Their Race to Build the World’s Fastest Clipper Ship by Steven Ujifusa (Simon & Schuster; July 17): What the subtitle doesn’t tell you about this look at sailing the open seas is that the motivation for building a fast ship in the late 1700s was to get rich via importing spices, tea, silks, and opium from the Far East. The baron in the title is no accident; this is also a story of the early robber barons who were America’s first one-percenters. (audiobook read by Arthur Morey)

Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate and Innocent Man by Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic (Simon & Schuster; July 10): You might remember the bare-bones story of the USS Indianapolis: it carried the atomic bomb across the Pacific and was later struck by Japanese torpedoes, leaving 900 men stranded in the ocean—only about 300 survive. Relying on firsthand accounts, interviews with survivors, the authors reveal the true story of what happened to the ship and crew, setting the record straight about who was and wasn’t to blame for the disaster. (audiobook read by John Bedford Lloyd)

Women’s Stories

Lush: A Memoir by Kerry Cohen (Sourcebooks; July 17): In an increasingly stressful world the number of women struggling with alcohol dependency is on the rise. Cohen wasn’t your stereotypical drunk: she kept the household running, she took care of the kids, she had a social life . . . but she also waited impatiently for 5pm when she could respectably pour herself a glass of wine or two or three. This is the story of how she realized she had a problem and how she found a way to embrace life again. (audiobook read by Allyson Ryan)

Open Mic Night in Moscow: And Other Stories from My Search for Black Markets, Soviet Architecture, and Emotionally Unavailable Russian Men by Audry Murray (William Morrow; July 24): I don’t do a lot of solo travel, but the former Soviet Union wouldn’t be on my list of places to visit all on my own. Twenty-eight-year-old standup comedian Murray, however, was not deterred. This is the story of her nine-month journey across what was once the USSR. Part travelog, part tale of self-discovery, the memoir is supposed to be as funny as is it as story of strength and independence. (audiobook read by Emily Woo Zeller)

Women of the Blue and Gray: True Civil War Stories of Mothers, Medics, Soldiers, and Spies by Marianne Monson (Shadow Mountain; August 7): Like many Americans, I have a fascination with the Civil War and I’ve always been interested in women’s roles during the war. Monson takes a diverse look at the parts played by women on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line and by women of different cultures and skin colors. We meet not only nurses and Underground Railroad workers but also spies, advisers, and soldiers. (audiobook read by Caroline Shaffer)

Empress: The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan by Ruby Lal (Norton; July 3): I had no idea that in the early 1600s a Muslim women sat on the throne of Persia. Although the 20th wife of her emperor husband, she ruled by his side and by herself, wielding power and respect both from the court and on the battlefield. Lal rescues Nur Jahan from the backwaters of history, introducing her to a new generation of strong, independent women. (I didn’t find an audiobook)

Men’s Stories

Room to Dream: A Life by David Lynch and Kristine McKenna (Random House; June 19): I’ve been a kind of David Lynch fan since Twin Peaks first aired in the 1990s. This book is as unusual and unique as much of Lynch’s work. The text alternates between McKenna’s biography (based on research and interviews) and Lynch’s thoughts and memories of the same events or projects. The font changes so we know at a glance whose words we’re reading, and the book is loaded with black and white photographs. (audiobook read by the authors)

City of Devils: The Two Men Who Ruled the Underworld of Old Shanghai by Paul French (Picador; July 3): In the years between the wars, Shanghai was known as refuge for outlaws hoping to fade into the crowd of their peers. For Jack Riley and Joe Farren, the gambling dens and music halls of the city were their golden tickets to wealth—at least for a few years. French bases his true crime story on eyewitness accounts and contemporary documents, bringing to light the rise and fall of the mob culture of the East. (audiobook read by Paul Chan)

Through History

The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization by Vince Beiser (Riverhead; August 7): I don’t think I’ve ever really thought about how sand shapes my everyday life: paved roads, glass, and silicon are just some of things that owe their existence to sand. Despite the world’s deserts and beaches, quality (useful) sand is actually a limited resource, and its importance has political and social implications. Through Beiser’s research, we gain a new appreciation for the endangered resource. (audiobook read by Will Damron)

1968: Radical Protest and Its Enemies by Richard Vinen (Harper; July 3): You know the saying: If you can remember the sixties you didn’t live through the sixties. Yet few of us alive in 1968 can forget that year of assassinations, riots, and protests—and not just in the United States. Viven takes a global perspective, including French labor strikes and antiwar rallies in London, of a short period in history that had far-reaching affects on social and cultural norms, such as feminism and gay rights. (audiobook read by Tim Gerard Reynolds)

The Secret Token: Myth, Obsession, and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke by Andrew Lawler (Doubleday; June 5): One of bits of U.S. history that most of us remember from grammar school is the story of Roanoke and the mystery of what happened to those early colonizers. For 400 years, scholars and the public have debated and theorized on the British colony’s fate, and journalist Lawler introduces us to the archaeologists, historians, and others who are consumed with discovering the truth. A mystery and history rolled into one. (audiobook read by David H. Lawrence XVII)

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15 True Stories to Read This Spring

Good news for nonfiction fans: This spring is chock-full of new books that tell true stories in a full range of topics, including medicine, sports, politics, self-help, and history. I've concentrated on just four broad areas for today's round-up, and I'm highlighting books that are on my personal reading list.

Science and Nature

• Chasing New Horizons by Alan Stern and David Grinspoon (Picador; May 1): The subtitle of this fascinating story of NASA's New Horizons program says it all: "Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto." Written by the mission's principal investigator (Stern) and an astrobiologist (Grinspoon), this very readable account includes two glossy photo inserts.
• The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World by Steve Brusatte (William Morrow; April 24): Who doesn't love dinosaurs? Paleontologist Brusatte tells us all about their 200-million-year reign as the kings of planet Earth. His review of current dinosaur research, new fossil discoveries, and theories about their extinction is accessible, easy to follow, and well illustrated.
• The Man Who Climbs Trees by James Aldred (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; May 22): When you watch BBC nature documentaries and read your National Geographic, do you ever wonder who was behind the camera, bringing you up close and personal to nature? In this book, Aldred shares what it's like to be a nature photographer who specializes in working in the forest canopy and the tops of the world's tallest trees.
• The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester (Harper; May 8): Winchester's latest book examines how the notion of precision and the development of machines that ensured standard measures drove the Industrial Revolution and led to twenty-first-century technological wonders. Along the way, he talks about human nature, craftsmanship, and art.

Biography

• Jane and Dorothy: A True Tale of Sense and Sensibility by Marian Veevers (Pegasus; April 3): Veevers's double biography of Jane Austen and Dorothy Wordsworth compares the two women's parallel and divergent lives. They were born just four years apart and endured similar social restrictions on their creative talents but chose different solutions.
• The Duchess: Camilla Parker Bowles and the Love Affair That Rocked the Crown by Penny Junor (Harper; April 10): Admit it, you're curious about the woman who changed the nature of the British royal family forever. Junor's balanced biography of Camilla presents a side of the duchess little known outside the UK.
• Francis I: The Maker of Modern France by Leonie Frieda (Harper; April 10): Frieda outlines the life of the Renaissance king who made France a mighty nation and set the foundations for its strong, enduring future. This new account of Francis I is based on archival material and is written by an experienced historical biographer.
• Visionary Women by Andrea Barnet (Ecco; March 13): Barnet outlines how four cutting-edge women changed the world by following their passions or telling their truths. The women profiled are Jane Jacobs (journalist), Rachel Carson (marine biologist), Jane Goodall (primatologist), and Alice Waters (chef/restaurateur), who continue to both inspire us and make us fully see the world around us.

Contemporary Culture

• Figures in a Landscape: People and Places by Paul Theroux (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; May 8): Besides Theroux's signature travel pieces, this collection of previously published essays includes a look at his reading life as well as surprising experiences with well-known individuals (such as surfing with Oliver Sacks!). He is always entertaining and thought-provoking.
• The Last Cowboys: A Pioneer Family in the New West by John Branch (Norton; May 15): For 150 years the Wrights have herded cattle on their Utah spread and made a name for themselves as bronco-riding rodeo champions. Branch followed the multigeneration family for three years, recording the twilight of the American West.
• The View from Flyover Country: Dispatches from the Forgotten America by Sarah Kendzior (Flatiron; April 17): Kendzior's essays add insight to why America's heartland helped place Donald Trump in the White House. The pieces look at politics, economics, racism, sexism, and the future of the country's working and middle classes.
• Unwifeable by Mandy Stadtmiller (Gallery; April 3): The essays in Stadtmiller's collection present the frank, funny, and universal story of her life as a single thirty-something woman in New York City, juggling a professional career with the messiness of dating. Stadtmiller has been called "a real-life Carrie Bradshaw."

On the Water

• Disappointment River: Finding and Losing the Northwest Passage by Brian Castner (Doubleday; March 13): This is the double story of Alexander Mackenzie's 1789 search for the Northwest Passage and author Castner's 2016 canoe journey along the same route. Castner's engrossing account presents a mix of history, travel, anthropology, and nature.
• Into the Raging Sea by Rachel Slade (Ecco; May 1) and Into the Storm by Tristram Korten (Ballentine; April 24): Both of these books look into the October 2015 sinking of the ship El Faro during Hurricane Joaquin, killing the entire crew. Slade focuses on the specifics of the disaster onboard ship as well as the event's place in the broader context of the U.S. merchant marine fleet and climate change. Korten focuses on the Coast Guard's heroic rescue of the crew of the Minouche, another ship caught in the storm, as well as its failed, desperate search for the El Faro. The two accounts together offer a well-rounded view of this tragedy.

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Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: From Fantasy to Biography; Or My Reading Life

Baby it's cold outside! Winter is here, even if the calendar says not quite yet. We have snow and the promise of a white Christmas, though there's hardly enough white stuff on the ground to shovel.

We also made enormous progress on our holiday shopping, and I think we're done. Phew. We haven't wrapped anything, but, hey, that's what Christmas Eve is for, right?

All that running around plus two holiday parties meant very little time for reading, though I did manage to finish one book, reread another, ditch one, and start two more.

This Week's Highlight: On Wednesday over on the AudioFile Blog, I will be recommending five good audiobooks for winter solstice listening. Because the kids are likely on school holidays, two of the titles are appropriate for family listening. I hope you take a look.

What I Read Last Week

The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty (Harper Voyager, Nov.): Like many of you, I often shy away from the big-buzz books because they so often fall short of the hype. Not so with The City of Brass. The setting is the Mideast and the time period is likely the turn of the 19th century. The action starts in the streets of Cairo and ends at the magical city of Daevabad, the city of brass where only those with djinn blood may enter. Our protagonist is Nahri, a 20-year-old orphan who has no knowledge of her family or background and who supports herself by attempting to heal the sick and by reading fortunes, with a little swindling and thieving on the side. During a ceremony in which she is pretending to perform a kind of exorcism, she inadvertently conjures up a dangerous djinn warrior, and her life is completely flipped.

Based on Mideast folklore and traditions, Nahri's story is full of adventure, magic, politics, danger, friendship, and intrigue. I loved the setting and the beings Nahri meets on her journey. Secretive Dara, is a djinn of many talents whose legendary reputation is either hero or uber-villain, depending on one's family's history. Ali, the second son of Daevabad's ruler, is both a trained warrior and a devout Islam. Muntadhir, brother to Ali, is the heir to the throne and lives for all the pleasures his money and status can buy. Nahri is streetwise in the human world, but how will she fare in the city of brass, where the king takes a special interest in her and claims she is the half-blood daughter of the djinn's most famous healer?

Complex, different, non-Western, adult and the promise of more books to come. Don't hesitate to give The City of Brass a try.

Audiobook notes: I read most of this novel in print, but I listened to the middle third when cooking last week. I enjoyed Soneela Nankani's performance of the unabridged audiobook (Harper Audio; 19 hr, 35 min). I noted good pacing and and distinct voices for the characters. I especially liked hearing the correct pronunciation of the names, beings, and places. Overall, however, Nankani didn't capture my attention enough to prevent my returning to print.

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman (Roc, 2016): I love this alternate history, time-bending series in which the librarians of an extra-world library engage in espionage and theft, um, preservation of books that are emblematic or important to each of the different versions of the world. When I received The Lost Plot, the newest installment, which is coming out next month, I thought I'd reread the entire series--this time in audio instead of print (Audible Studios; 10 hr, 31 min). It was fun to start over with the first book in the series and see librarian Irene and her assistant, Kai, at the beginning of their working relationship. I had forgotten some of the details of their adventure in an alternative steampunk London, and the overall story held up well to a second reading. I like both the world building and the characters, and the story is light enough for holiday season reading. Book lovers and librarians should give the series a try.

Audiobook notes: Susan Duerden's performance is enthusiastic but almost too dramatic for my tastes. She creates distinct voices and has good pacing, but I felt as if she were reading to children. The protagonists of the series are absolutely adults and there is some mention of sex, so the juxtaposition of the theatrical reading with some of the text was jarring. I noticed that she narrates all the books in the series, and I'm not quite sure if I'm going to finish my reread in print or audio. Stay tuned.

The Shores of Tripoli: Lieutenant Putnam and the Barbary Pirates by James L. Haley (Putnam, 2016). I loved the Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series (you may have seen the movie Master and Commander based on the books), so thought I'd like Haley's new series, which explores the early days of the U.S. Navy. Set in 1801 in the Mediterranean, the book is full of fascinating details of life aboard a naval vessel and introduces us to pirates, privateers, and European and North African politics. Although I have a paperback, I decided to try the audiobook. Sadly, Paul Boehmer's performance (Penguin Audio; 15 hr, 43 min) didn't work at all for me. I could hear breath noises, and there was something about Boehmer's cadence and earnest delivery that bothered me. I listened for almost 2 hours before returning it to Audible. The story definitely has promise, so I'll continue the book in print, but probably not until after the holidays. There is quite a lot of information dumping at the beginning--basically to set up the complex foundation of the series--which may have been some of the problem with the audio. I'll let you know if I carry on.

What I'm Reading Now

I started listening to Felicity Hayes-McCoy's The Library at the Edge of the World, read by Emma Lowe (Dreamscape; 9 hr, 42 min). The story is set in modern times in a remote area of Ireland and is about a woman of a certain age who is taking a chance on new beginnings. I'm enjoying the story and the narration. I also started reading Laura Thompson's The Six (Picador, 2017, paperback). I'm one of those people who's totally fascinated with the Mitford sisters and can't seem to read enough about them (and by them). This new biography is terrific so far.

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9 Nonfiction Books to Read Right Now

No matter where you live, October is a time for changing seasons. For me, the days are noticeably shorter, and I'm looking forward to cool evenings curled up with a book. This week I'm expanding my horizons by gaining new perspectives on humanity and learning more about life in other places and other times. The 9 books I feature today are exemplary of the outstanding nonfiction available in your bookstore right now.

What It Means to Be Human

• Admissions by Henry Marsh (Thomas Dunne, Oct. 3): A well-respected retired neurosurgeon examines his career with grace and style. Marsh provides a broad perspective by sharing not only his tenure in Britain's top hospitals but also his experiences as a volunteer in much poorer countries with few medical resources.
• The Origins of Creativity by Edward O. Wilson (Liveright, Oct. 8): A Pulitzer Prize-winning evolutionary biologist looks at the intersection of the humanities and biology to explore the importance of creativity in the evolution of Homo sapiens. Wilson looks to our distant past and also offers his thoughts on how we can protect our planet's future.
• On Living by Kerry Egan (Riverhead, Oct. 25): A compassionate hospice chaplain shares the life lessons she learned while tending to the dying. Egan writes that surprisingly few patients wanted to talk about God, instead finding meaning and purpose in their relationships with family and friends.

Insights into Other Lives

• Code Girls by Liza Mundy (Hachette, Oct. 10): A well-known journalist give thousands of women their rightful place among the American heroes of World War II. Mundy introduces us to the young female recruits who spent the war years breaking enemy codes, testing U.S. codes, and providing vital intelligence to the military.
• Blood Brothers by Deanne Stillman (Simon & Schuster, Oct. 24): An award-winning author delves into the deep friendship between Sitting Bull, a Lakota Indian, and William Cody, the owner of the famous Wild West Show. Stillman focuses on the lives of the two men in the years after the Little Big Horn, placing their actions in the broad context of Native American rights both then and now.
• The Six by Laura Thompson (Picador, Oct. 3): A freelance journalist gives us the inside scoop on the famous Mitford sisters. Thompson not only tells us the gossipy stories of the young women but notes how their very diverse lives reflected the changing British and European landscape surrounding the war years. (Note: not new, but new in paperback.)

Investigating Issues

• A Moonless, Starless Sky by Alexis Okeowo (Hachette, Oct. 3): An on-site reporter provides a firsthand and personal account of devastating conflicts in four African countries. Okeowo reports on a small group of inspiring individuals who suffered and survived extremist violence and who are now trying to end further tragedy in their respective homelands. 
• Wild Horse Country by David Philipps (Norton, Oct. 10): A Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist explores the history of the wild horse from its introduction by Spanish explorers to its hallowed place in the American imagination. Most important though, Philipps exposes the precariousness of the mustang's future in the ever-diminishing public lands of the west.
• Death in the Air by Kate Winkler Dawson (Hachette, Oct. 17): A documentary film producer / journalist looks at the two active killers of 1952 London's harrowing winter of death. Dawson tracks the effects of the tens of thousands of deaths caused by a five-day noxious smog and the half dozen victims of a presumed serial killer, who was on the loose in the crippled city.

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Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: What to Read and Listen to Now

Except for that stupid dental crown that broke last week and the temporary crown that fell off over the weekend (millions of dentist office visits!), life is finally back to what I call normal. That means I'm still working hard, but my evenings and weekends are once again mine. Yay!

I'm hoping for lots of pleasure reading to finish out the year (yikes! only ten weeks or so until New Year's). In the meantime, I was able to find a few moments to read and to listen to audiobooks, so all was not lost, though I feel like I'm somehow falling behind.

What I read last week

• A Wild Swan by Michael Cunningham is a collection of fairy tale retellings that combine traditional elements with contemporary details. These are dark, adult tales that show the universal and eternal themes of these centuries-old stories. I also loved the awesome black-and-white illustrations. (now in paperback from Picador USA, 9781250097309)
  
• Agnes by Peter Stamm is a translation of the author's short debut novel. Although the book has the feel of an early work, this look at life imitating art (or is it art imitating life?) is worth your time. A Swiss nonfiction author meets a Chicago graduate student who wants him to write her story. (Other Press, 9781590518113)

What I listened to last week

• The Peculiar Miracles of Antoinette Martin by Stephanie Knipper is the story of two sisters and one special-needs girl, who has unusual talents. There was way too much foreshadowing in this book to make it a winner with me, though others have loved the themes of sisters, family, and motherhood. Narrators Andi Ardnt and Cassandra Campbell do good work here. For more, see AudioFile magazine. (Highbridge Audio; 9 hr, 20 min)
• The Boat Rocker by Ha Jin is an audiobook I don't think I totally understood. It's the story of a Chinese-born naturalized U.S. citizen who is stretching his wings to tell the truth through his journalism. Eduardo Ballerini is a pleasure to listen to, but I question the decision to forgo the use of a Chinese accent. For more, see AudioFile magazine. (Random House Audio; 6 hr, 37 min)

What I'm reading and listening to now

• The Inquisitor's Tale by Adam Gidwitz is a kind of take-off of Chaucer set in Medieval times and geared to a middle grade audience. It involves the French crown and the Church and their conflict with three children and a dog. I've just started this multicast audiobook from Listening Library, but I can already tell I'm going to be hooked. This is for pleasure reading, so a review will appear here soon.
• The Guineveres by Sarah Doment is the story of four girls, all named Guinevere, who bond over shared names and their orphan status. We follow the girls as they juggle their Catholic upbringing with their more worldly desires. So far this is another huge winner from Amy Einhorn, who is now with Flatiron Books (9781250086617)

What are you reading or listening to? Anything I should add to my reading list?

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6 Books to Read This Summer (the 24in48 Edition)

This past weekend was the 24in48 Readathon (try to devote 24 hours to reading over the course of two days). I didn't track my reading stats, but I think I read about 8 hours a day over the weekend. I'm still (and ever) in the middle a few books, but here's what I finished.

Dave Goulson studies bees for a living--he's a biologist--and has a fascination with the natural world, from the smallest bugs to the largest mammals. In his second book, A Buzz in the Meadow, he invites us to the French countryside where he and his family have restored a rundown farm with the goal of providing a rich environment to a variety of plants wildlife. I love his intimate, conversational style and enjoyed seeing the farm from his point of view. More important, I liked learning about how easy it is to become a steward, protecting the often-forgotten species of insects and plants that inhabit our planet. (Picador, May 2016--paperback edition)

Faith Erin Hicks's Nameless City is the first in a new graphic novel / comics series that stars an unlikely couple: a well-off young boy who has been sent to the city to become a warrior, although his true love is books, and a homeless girl who knows how to negotiate the city and who is tough, smart, and resourceful. The story has a medieval Asian feel and involves politics, class differences, and the winds of war. The story hints at a deep past and a changing future and sets the stage for the rest of the series.The artwork is engaging, and its earthy colors resonate with me. You can easily get a feel for the action and the facial expressions are clear, and full of emotion. (First Second, April 2016)

I've been curious about Mona Awad's 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl not only because it won several awards but also because it received glowing praise from readers and bloggers. Perhaps I simply wasn't in the mood, but I had only a so-so reaction. There are certainly some emotionally intense and painful moments in the book as Elizabeth matures from teen to adult and struggles with her self-image and her relationships--with her mother, other women/girls, men/boys, store clerks, and others. In the end, though, I wanted something more, although I couldn't tell you what the more might be. It's a quick read and may resonate more deeply with you than it did with me. (Penguin Books, February 2016)

As many of you know, I love books in verse, so Sharon Creech's Moo was on my list. The story follows a young family that decides on a whim to move to Maine and start over when the parents lose their jobs after the big-city (New York?) newspaper they work for downsizes. The contrasts between city and country life are exemplified in how Reena and her little brother adjust to the freedom of being able to roam around outside without an adult. After their parents volunteer them to help an elderly woman take care of her cow, the siblings learn the less romantic side of rural living. Zora the cow has a mind of her own! I laughed out loud and I shed a few tears and I absolutely loved this book. ((HaperCollins, August 2016; Middle Grade)

Over the weekend I decided to read a short story or two in between the bigger books and picked Bonnie Jo Campbell's Mothers, Tell Your Daughters to do the job. I haven't finished the collection, but the stories I've read so far are emotionally strong and revolve around women in tough situations and tough relationships: marriage, sex, family, jobs, abuse, death. I might not be like many of the women I read about but I could easily connect to their issues and choices (or lack thereof). Of course, I liked some pieces more than others, but can recommend the collection for those of you who like to read short stories. My approach, as I noted, is to read only one or two pieces at a time; I'll finish the book over the next day or so. (Norton, October 2015)

One of my most anticipated books of the summer was Jacqueline Woodson's Another Brooklyn, and I was not disappointed. This amazing novel starts in contemporary times and with a funeral but quickly takes us back to the 1970s and focuses on a Southern, motherless black family who relocated to Brooklyn. Woodson captures the time period--the changing neighborhood, the drugs, the violence, the few choices, the difficulties of being young and black and female and poor.  Female friendships, death, family, choices, trust, religion . . . this slip of a book gave me so much to think about. I am a bit older than August, the protagonist, but I remember the era. Despite the immense differences between August's life and mine, we still share the universal experiences of being female in America. (Amistad, August 2016)

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Today's Read: Paradime by Alan Glynn

Say you're down on your luck, your relationship is crumbling, and you're suffering from PTSD thanks to your military service. What woud you do if you met your doppelganger, who just happens to be one of the rich and famous?

There's no app for this.

Though I seem to have one for nearly everything else. I can track my movements over the course of a day, every footstep, every heartbeat. I can monitor my stress levels, boost productivity, enhance cognition.

But relieve anxiety? Eliminate dread? Not a chance.

—Paradime by Alan Glynn (Picador, 2016, p. 3)

Quick Facts

• Setting: New York City; in the near future (?)
• Circumstances: Danny Lynch has returned home from Afghanistan, traumatized by what he's seen. While working as a prep cook in a Manhattan restaurant, he notices Teddy Trager, who looks enough like Danny to be his twin. As Danny becomes obsessed with the other man, he begins to take on his mannerisms, eventually fooling people into believing he's Teddy. Can an ordinary guy pass for a world-famous technology genus? 
  
• Genre: reviewers have called this novel everything from dark comedy to conspiracy theory, futuristic Gothic, and psychological thriller
• Characters: Danny Lynch, a veteran with PTSD; Kate, his girlfriend; Teddy Trager, a billionaire techy; and (according to reviews) a handful of real people.
• Why I might read it: A review in Publishers Weekly mentioned that the novel was a take on The Prince and the Pauper, but I'm under the impression that only one of the men is actually playing the game. From the Kirkus review, I'm expecting a fast-paced story with a few twists. Something about the premise has grabbed my attention, although I'm still on the fence.

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8 Books to Look Forward To (BEA)

One thing I love about BookExpo American (BEA) is the look into my reading future. Publicists are naturally extra-excited about the books coming out over the summer, but they are also already talking about fall and even 2017.

Although I won't likely get to these books until the weather starts to turn again, I thought I share a handful of those that came home with me from Chicago. So what's on my list? A mix of familiar authors and new ones, literary fiction and fantasy, books in translation, and even some art history. Can't wait to hear which ones call to you.

Favorite Authors / New Novels

• Cruel Beautiful World by Caroline Levitt: Set around 1970, this novel captures an era as a young girl heads off to rural Pennsylvania on a journey of independence. A coming-of-age story with themes of first love, sisters, and loss of innocence all with an undercurrent of danger. "Lucy runs away with her high school teacher, William, on a Friday, the last day of school, a June morning shiny with heat." (Algonquin, October) • The Motion of Puppets by Keith Donohue: In Donohue's classic style of mixing reality with fantasy, this is a tale of a woman who is trapped in a magical world and of her husband who must first find her and then figure out how to rescue her. Set in the Old City of Quebec "She fell in love with a puppet." (Picador, October)

Stories about Writers: Translated

• Cabo de Gata by Eugen Ruge: A Berlin writer escapes his past to start over in small coastal Andalusian village, but settling in to a new home in his new country requires more than just trying to learn Spanish. Only after he befriends a ginger cat, does his life begin to truly change. Translated from the German. "I remember stopping short midmovement." (Graywolf Press, November) • Agnes by Peter Stamm: When Agnes asks her lover to write a story about her, he begins with their happy courtship, but he soon realizes he needs some tension or drama to bring life to his tale. Is he writing fiction or making plans? Translated from the German. "Agnes is dead. Killed by a story." (Other Press, October)

Mysterious Doings

• The Inquisitor's Tale by Adam Gidwitz: This story within stories, set in France in 1242, is about a peasant girl, a young monk, and a mysterious boy healer. Travelers at an inn begin to relate what they know about the magical trio, allowing us to piece together a tale of danger, dragons, clashing religions, and kingly courts. Middle grade fantasy with a Chaucer foundation & beautiful illuminated illustrations. "The king is ready for war." (Dutton, September) • The Secrets of Wishtide by Kate Saunders: Laetitia Rodd, a middle-aged widow puts her inquiring mind to work as a private investigator, often helping her barrister brother. When she goes undercover as a governess at a country estate, she unearths much more than the details of the young master's love life. Set in Victorian England and the first of a new series. "It was a bright, windy October morning, and Mrs. Bentley and I were down in the basement kitchen making a rabbit pudding." (Bloomsbury, September)

Artists in History

• A Revolution in Color by Jane Kamensky: John Singleton Copley counted many of the Boston patriots as his clients and patrons in the years before the Revolution. The artist, however, did not share their political views. This well-researched history/biography looks at Copley's life, ambitions, and paintings both in the colonies and in London and sets all in the context of contemporary politics and sociocultural ideas. "John Singleton Copley grew up facing the sea, heaving heart of Britain's growing blue-water empire." (Norton, October) • Mad Enchantment by Ross King: When you hear the name Claude Monet, you're likely to immediately think of his famous water lily paintings, but you might not know story behind how he came to create that series. This thoroughly researched biography looks at Monet's late-in-life work against the bigger picture of his personal losses, World War I, and the rising generation of new artists with their bold, experimental styles. "Where was Georges Clemenceau?" (Bloomsbury, September)

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8 Books for Holiday Gift Giving 2015

I'm betting you and I share a few things in common, and I'm probably right when I say that one of those is our love of giving books to family and friends. Of the new releases that crossed my desk this fall, here are eight I thought would be perfect for gift giving. Take a look and see if there isn't something just right for the people on your holiday list.

For six years, Tyler Knott Gregson (a professional photographer) has written a daily haiku celebrating love. That's more than two thousand poems! The pieces in All the Words Are Yours, Gregson's second haiku collection, run the range from romantic to evocative. Some are hand-lettered and some are typed, and almost all are accompanied by one of Gregson's beautiful photographs. Give this small tome to someone special and share the positive energy. (Perigee, 9780399176005) Here's an example:

I have simple needs, / Just you and my morning tea, / The moment I rise.

Pamela Paul's collection of writers and other notable people talking about their reading life is now out in paperback, just in time for the holidays. By the Book contains interviews that originally appeared in the New York Times Book Review; they offer fascinating reading for inquiring literary minds. What are Neil Gaiman's reading habits? What writer would Elizabeth Gilbert like to meet? What kinds of stories call to Jhumpa Lahiri? (Picador USA, 9781250074690) Here's where Francine Prose likes to read:

The passenger seat of a car on the New York State Thruway, on a sunny day without much traffic.

Caitlin Kuhwald's Hillary Rodham Clinton Presidential Playset is just too much fun not to be a part of this list. You get dolls and three-dimensional sets of Bill, Hill, the White House, the Clinton enemies, the ghosts, and more. You can change their clothes and their facial expressions to act out a variety of scenarios for the Oval Office, situation room, or White House lawn. Imagine life with Hillary as president. The dolls are printed on thick card stock in full color, and the sets open up within the pages of the book. There's even a pocket in the inside cover to store your dolls. (Quirk, 9781594748318) This one is appropriate for your friends on both sides of the aisle--as long as they have a good sense of humor.

The Time Chamber is Daria Song's newest adult coloring book. This volume introduces us to a red-haired fairy who lives in a cuckoo clock. We get to accompany her on her adventures into the world of humans and see our everyday items from the perspective of a very small magical being. The pages range from intricate to simple and just beg for colorful embellishment. Although Song provides the beginning of the story, it's up to readers and artists to interpret the illustrations in their own way. (Watson-Guptill, 9781607749615) Don't forget to pick up a box of colored pencils or artists' markers to go with. Hours and hours of calming creativity for the teens and adults on your list.

Also new in paperback this fall is The Whaling Season by Peter Lourie. I love the books in the Scientists in the Field series, which are geared to middle grade readers but are appropriate for science geeks of any age. This amazing nonfiction adventure is packed with photographs, facts, and stories of what it's like to be an Arctic whale biologist, both in the field and in the lab. In one chapter we learn just how difficult it is to study whale anatomy (see the quote); the animals' shear size can be daunting. (Harcourt Brace, 9780544582415) Pick this up for your young scientist.

A forty-five-foot bowhead whale has a 450-pound heart. The bowhead aorta, the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the other arteries, is at least a foot in diameter. The average adult human's aorta is one and a half inches.

Here's a cool book: Andrew DeGraff's Plotted: A Literary Atlas. The pages of this book are chock-full of colorful maps showing us the worlds and/or the journeys we've learned about in all kinds of classic books, from Kafka to LeGuin. For example, DeGraff creates New York City from the perspective of Ellison's Invisible Man, the fictional warrens of Adams's Watership Down, and the U.S. South of Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn We see ships and ocean voyages and even the five stages of Dickens's A Christmas Carol. Each map or set of maps is introduced by a short essay (written by Daniel Harmon), identifying the original book or myth or poem or story. (Zest, 9781936976867). Engrossing browsing ahead for the literary set.

Baby boomers, Mad magazine fans, comics lovers, and cold war fanatics will all love Spy vs Spy, edited by John Ficarra. This volume collects 150 classic "Spy vs Spy" comic strips that were first published in the irreverent magazine. No matter your age, you'll find plenty to laugh at as the pointy-nosed spies attempt to thwart each other at every turn. They stop at nothing and will use every lowdown trick they can thing of. The cold war may be over, but East still fights West and spies are among us. Don't miss the short introduction by the comedian Lewis Black. (Liberty Street, 9781618931597) Children of boomers: here's the perfect gift for your liberal parents. This is also recommended to anyone you know who has a warped (in a good way) sense of humor.

The final suggestion on this list is Steve Turner's The Complete Beatles Songs. This large book contains stories, lyrics, history, and trivia about every song the Beatles ever recorded. (Note that the book doesn't include music or chords.) The text is accompanied by many photographs, some of which will be familiar and others that you may not have seen before. Turner describes the circumstances that inspired the songs, the meanings of the lyrics, and the interpersonal dynamics of the group as they went through the various stages of their career: the changing musical styles, the Eastern influences, and so on. (Dey Street, 9780062447340) This is a must-have addition to any music lover's library. Here's John looking back to 1963:

"I Want to Hold Your Hand" materialized when Paul came up with an opening line, then hit a chord on the piano. I turned to him and said, "That's it! Do that again!" In those days, we really used to absolutely write like that--both playing into each other's noses.

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