September 2024

Love this cover!

A really good reading month.  There were some disappointments but even those weren't total losses as I did finish them, sort of.

I found some good online stuff this month. Oh, dear - the map thing! 

Fiction:

There Are Rivers in the Sky by Shafak, Elif

A tale of two rivers (the Tigris and the Thames) is mostly set in two eras (1800s and 2010s) but it begins in Nineveh with a single raindrop and a stone tablet containing part of the Epic of Gilgamesh. A good read.

The Life Impossible by Haig, Matt

Good but not as good as The Midnight Library.

Mina's Matchbox by Ogawa, Yōko; translated from the Japanese by Snyder, Stephen B.

A year (1972) in the life of a twelve year old Japanese girl who goes to live with relatives while her mother studies. Her cousin, Mina, has a pet pigmy hippo.

The Rhino Keeper by Forsberg, Jillian 

Advance review copy via LibraryThing. So-so.Split timeline with the historical (18th Century) being more rewarding than the modern one.

Burn by Heller, Peter 

Dystopian novel set in Maine in the near future. Two hunters stumble into a civil war.

Scattered All Over the Earth by Tawada, Yōko; translated from the Japanese by Mitsutani, Margaret

Refugees form a sort of troop and wander around Europe looking for something. I enjoyed the trip.

The Fires of Autumn by Némirovsky, Irène; translated from the French by Smith, Sandra

A French family endures. 1918-1941. 

The Most by Anthony, Jessica

A clever game of marriage.

The Love of My Afterlife by Greenwood, Kirsty 

So. Much. Fun. meta-romance

West Heart Kill by McDorman, Dann

More. Such. Fun. meta-murder mystery.

The Golden Spoon by Maxwell, Jessa

Another fun mystery. In this one six contestents and the hostess/crator of a TV baking competition tell about a week of filming gone horribly awry.  Love the cover! 

Tell Me Everything by Strout, Elizabeth 

Lucy, Olive, the Burgess boys, and all the other flawed folks from Crosby, Maine

Yerba Buena by LaCour, Nina

Sara, at 15, runs away from her Northern California home. Emelie lives a troubled life in Long Beach CA. They meet, part, meet again....

The Examiner by Hallett, Janice 

Six students work an a group project whilst persuing an MFA degree but all are not what they say they are. In fact, nothing about their project is what it's billed to be. There is a mysterious radio, someone disappears, and the plot thickens.

The Library of Lost and Found by Patrick, Phaedra 

Lots of family secrets in this one. Also it's never too late to come of age.

Sandwich by Newman, Catherine

What can I say? The family relationships in this struck me as unreal and creepy.

War by Candlelight by Alarcón, Daniel

Disappointing story collection by an author I usually like. Maybe it was the subject matter but I started skimming and skipping.

Contents: Flood; City of clowns; Third avenue suicide; Lima, Peru, July 28, 1979; Absence; Visitor; War by Candlelight;  Science for being alone; Strong dead man.

Nonfiction:

Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers by Smith, Emma 

A fun read.

Dear Black Girls: How to Be True to You by Wilson, A'ja 

The target audience, obviously, is black girls, but this would be a good read for teachers, coaches, counselors, and others working with black girls. I can see it being read and discussed in a mixed race environment. 

The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Tan, Amy

Interesting at first but there was a bit too much. So she fed the birds and felt good about it. BUT. I was bothered by her horror at how outdoor domestic cats impact wild birds but was gleeful about turning her little dog loose to terrorize the squirrels and other creatures she didn't want in her yard. She also a bit judgemental about which are "good" birds and which are "pests." The pictures were nice.

The Seine: The River that Made Paris by Sciolino, Elaine 

Lots of information about the river from it's source to the sea.  

Online:

What Comes Along by Henry Gifford 

"An arachnid in the corner carefully traipses through the crack, under where the baseboard just fails to meet the worn and oaky floor."

Impressions of the South of France by Hugo von Hofmannsthal; translated from the German by Henry N. Gifford

Interiors of Pastry Shops and Bakeries: Design Strategies that Integrate Functions, Users, and Materials by Agustina Iñiguez; translated by Antonia Piñeiro

The Greek-American Guardian of Neoclassical Athens by Tasos Kokkinidis

Google Arts & Culture

Spent almost as much time here as I did at the train thing.

David Rumsey Map Collection

I'm going to have to set aside a day or two (or more) to explore this. It has a search feature for text on the maps!

August 2024

August was off to a mixed start. It started with a fine romp with The Wedding People  which was a holdover from July. Then I picked up a bunch of holds and some were real bummers. This led  to a lot of skimming and skipping and DNFs until, finally, on August 11th I picked up Fire Exit and read it in one sitting. Excellent! Some other good stuff followed. 

The month is ending with me about one third through Elif Shafek's There Are Rivers in the Sky which I am enjoying. 

Fiction:

The Wedding People : a novel by Espach, Alison

Lots of fun and some romance, growing up, etc. during an especially lavish wedding week in Newport, RI.

The World After Alice by Green, Lauren Aliza

Another wedding; This one is in Maine and not quite as lavish as Newport. And it wasn't nearly as much fun. A disfunctional family function. 

Liquid, Fragile, Perishable by Kuebler, Carolyn 

A year in the life of a Vermont village. A very good debut novel.

Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight by Onda, Riku; translated from the Japanese by Watts, Alison

Billed as a thriller but this more of a psychological game between roommates (brother and sister) who deal with a past event while breaking up house to move off in separate directions. Good Read; good cover.

Silken Gazelles by Alharthi, Jokha; translated from the Arabic by Booth, Marilyn

Childhood friendship and loss as two Omani women go their separate ways. A very good read.

The Keeper of Lost Things by Hogan, Ruth 

A bit on the sentimental side but it was a pleasant read with some fun characters. 

Fire Exit by Talty, Morgan 

What is family? How do we self identify? Should family secrets be revealed? In this fine novel set in Maine on and near the Penobscot Indian Island Reservation a man struggles with his own identity and that of his daughter. 

Our Narrow Hiding Places by Jansma, Kristopher

Locale shifts between New Jersey in 2017 and Den Haag during WW2. It deals with the Dutch Famine of 1944-45 and the transgenerational physical and mental effects of starvation.

The Illegal Gardener  (Greek Village/Greek Island #1) by Alexi, Sara 

A British ex-pat buys a house in a mainland Greek village. It's rundown and the garden is a mess. She hires a Punjabi day worker to help her clear things up. They bond (not romantically) and she ends helping him earn enough to return to his homeland. A bit too simplistic: not sure if I want to read more in this series.

The Unmaking of June Farrow: A Novel by Young, Adrienne 

Confusing time travel which I skimmed a bit just to see how it turned out. Set in North Caroline Blue Ridge area.

James by Everett, Percival 

Why do prize winning books so often disappoint me?

Beep by Roorbach, Bill

Beep is a monkey secretly transported from Costa Rica to Manhattan by an eleven year old girl. He has adventures, he leads a rebellion, maybe even saves the world (sort of). Sounds promising but it wasn't very good.

The Thirteenth Husband by Macallister, Greer 

So many facts were changed to fit the narrative that this biofic of Amy Crocker was a whole lot more fic than bio. Ugh!

Catalina by Villavicencio, Karla Cornejo

Coming of age DACA, Harvard. Meh 

Nonfiction: 

Miss May Does Not Exist: The Life and Work of Elaine May, Hollywood’s Hidden Genius by Courogen, Carrie  

More pop analysis (both psycho and social) than I wanted to read.

Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell by Montgomery, Sy; illustrated by Patterson, Matt

The parts about turtle rescue, rehab and release were very interesting and engaging. The attempts to tie it all to "mending the world" were a bit of a stretch. 

Wild Girls: How the Outdoors Shaped the Women Who Challenged a Nation by Miles, Tiya 

This seems like an attempt to get more milage out of an acedemic thesis by publishing it as a book. Not worth the time it took to read it.

River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze by Hessler, Peter 

Whew! After three disappointing nonfiction reads I finally read one I enjoyed. The two years are 1996-97 and the place is a teacher's college in Fuling in Sichuan province. 

The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church by McCammon, Sarah 

Another winner in the nonfiction categpry.

July 2024

Some really good covers this month. This one captures the spirit of the book.

Lots of sisters this month (the first six novels in the list below) in varying degrees of light and serious reading. I enjoyed all six.

Also this month gave me three books from three different mystery series. I enjoyed them but don't especially want to follow any of these characters but I might pick one when I'm in the right mood.  Flavia could be very annoying, the California/Scotland Last Ditch crew were fun in a small dose, and Sharon McCone is mildy interesting.

Fiction:
Shanghailanders by Min, Juli 

Three sisters, lots of money

Tehrangeles by Khakpour, Porochista 

Four sisters, lots of money, covid-19 defiance, Kardashian wannabes.

One Big Happy Family by Day Jamie

Three (possibly more) sisters, an inheritance, murder, and more.

The Other Side of Disappearing by Clayborn, Kate

Two sisters, not much money, two podcast (true crime) journalists, one missing mother, a road trip. 

 A Good Life by Grimaldi, Virginie; translated from the French by Serle, Hildegarde

Two sisters, not a lot of money, clearing out a beloved grandmother's home, set in Anglet, France

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Flavia de Luce, #1) by Bradley, Alan

Two sisters, maybe money, maybe land poor, country house, English village, mystery. 

Hop Scot (A Last Ditch mystery Book 6) by McPherson, Catriona 

Set in Scotland.

Circle in the Water  (Sharon McCone #35) Muller, Marcia 

Set in San Francisco and other Northern California locations.

No Two Persons by Bauermeister, Erica 

A book comes into the lives of nine different persons in these interlinked stories.

The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Mishima, Yukio; translated from the Japanese by Nathan, John

Coming of age in Japan. A short book but not an easy read.

Welcome to Glorious Tuga by Segal, Francesca

A woman travels to a remote island in search of her father. A fun read.

The Heart in Winter by Barry, Kevin

Lame Irish western

The Berlin Letters by Reay, Katherine 

I enjoyed this one that spans the time from the night the Wall went up to the time it came down.

Ninetails : nine tales by Mao, Sally Wen

These stories are tied together by the Angel Island Chines immigrant experience and by the spirits of the Asian fox and ghost women legends.

Contents:

The haunting of Angel Island : Arrival. Love doll ; Beasts of the chase

The haunting of Angel Island : parts 2-3. Turtle head epidemic ; The fig queen

The haunting of Angel Island : parts 4-5. A Huxian's guide to seduction revenge immortality ; Thegirl with flies coming out of her eyes

The haunting of Angel Island : parts 6-8. Lotus stench ; The crush

The haunting of Angel Island : departure.

The History of Sound: Stories by Shattuck, Ben

More linked stories, these set in Northern New England.

Contents:  The history of sound -- Edwin Chase of Nantucket -- The silver clip -- Tundra swan -- August in the forest -- The journal of Thomas Thurber -- Radiolab: "Singularities" -- The auk -- The children of New Eden -- Introduction to The Dietzens: searching eternity in the North American wilderness -- Origin stories.

Nonfiction:

Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Dench, Judi; O'Hare, Brendan; illustrations by Dench, Judi

A memoir told in a pleasant interview style.

Into the Amazon: The Life of Cândido Rondon, Trailblazing Explorer, Scientist, Statesman, and Conservationist by Rohter, Larry 

Good biography of a man we should have heard of.

Dragon Hoops by Yang, Gene Luen; color by Pien, Lark

A non-athletic (dare we say nerdy) high school teacher learns to love basketball.

Snacks for Dinner: Small Bites, Full Plates, Can't Lose by Volger, Lukas

Why not? But is it a snack if it takes a  lot of planning and prep?

Slow Noodles: A Cambodian Memoir of Love, Loss, and Family Recipes by Nguon, Chantha

Not snacks. This is refugee fare, comfort food (when available), and hunger.

The Manuscripts Club: The People Behind a Thousand Years of Medieval Manuscripts by de Hamel, Christopher 

Nice to read about these obsessive people but a bit more detail than I needed. Still, it was a pleasant slog. Even though the library let me renew it twice I still had to skim a bit to get it returned in time. 

Contents:  The Monk: Saint Anselm; The Prince: The Duc de Berry; The Bookseller: Vespasiano da Bisticci; The Illuminator: Simon Bening; The Antiquary: Sir Robert Cotton; The Rabbi: David Oppenheim; The Savant: Jean-Joseph Rive; The Librarian: Sir Frederic Madden; The Forger: Constantine Simonides; The Editor: Theodor Mommsen; The Collector: Sir Sydney Cockerell; The Curator: Belle da Costa Greene.

The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi by Upholt, Boyce 

This was slightly better than just ok. I would have liked a good bibliography of the "suggested further reading" type.

Why Italy Fell Out of Love With Cilantro

by Andrew Coletti July 1, 2024

 

Faroe Islands: Inside the undersea network of tunnels

Film by Adrienne Murray & James Brooks; Executive Producer: Camelia Sadeghzadeh

June 2024

June had plenty of hot days in which I didn't do much but read and eat!  Good news for my various TBR lists. Especially since one of my few trips to the library involved just picking up some holds and no browsing, I ended up with some that I actually didn't want to read. 

Books listed here are from the public libraries unless otherwise noted.

For July? I hope I can keep chipping away at the TBRs but there is, perhaps, too much good stuff on my holds list!

Fiction:

A Northern Light in Provence by Birkelund, Elizabeth 

Greenland woman goes to France to translate a poet's work from Provençal to English. Enjoyable read.

Why I Killed My Best Friend by Michalopoulou, Amanda; translated from the Greek by Emmerich, Karen

Good one from my "owned but unread cart."

Everyone Leaves by Guerra, Wendy; translated from the Spanish by Obejas, Achy

Coming of age in Castro's Cuba. From my "unread on Kindle" TBR list.

October Light by Gardner, John 

Elderly Vermont siblings get into a stubborn standoff.  Another good one from my Kindle backlog

One of Us Is Sleeping by Klougart, Josefine; translated from the Danish by Aitken, Martin

Grieving the end of a relationship. Plus mother/daughter issues. From my TBR cart.

Under a Neon Sun by Gale, Kate

Covid-19 in Los Angeles. Gen Z domestic workers who can't afford to stay home. I really liked this ARC (via Librarything). I've read several Covid related novels but this was different because of the "I don't have the choice to quarantine" pov.

You Are Here by Nicholls, David 

Five people set out on England's  Coast to Coast Walk, One of them nearly completes it. 

The Safekeep by Wouden, Yael van der 

This novel is set in The Netherlands in 1961.  A post WW2 novel.  The cover depicts two pears but it's not a cookbook nor a "foodie" book. The cover is appropriate because two pears are eaten and they become symbolic. 

This Strange Eventful History by Messud, Claire 

A family saga (three generations from 1940-2010) about pieds-noirs displaced from Algeria and roaming about the world.

The Turtle House by Churchill, Amanda 

Two points of view:  that of a Japanese war bride from Osaka now in Texas and that of her  grandaughter. The parts about the grandmother in WW2 are interesting. The Texas parts aren't. An ARC (via Goodreads).

Bear by Phillips, Julia

Two sisters struggling to make end meet and care for their dying mother encounter a bear, Set on San Juan Island, Washington. These women are supposed to be in their late twenties but seem more like teenagers. Not good.

Regarding Anna by Osmund, Florence

Young woman becomes a private investigator in order to learn the skills to find her birth mother. A very complicated plot with lots of twists and interesting characters. From my Kindle backlog.

Fresh Water for Flowers by Perrin, Valérie; translated from the French by Serle, Hildegarde

Another complicated plot. This takes place in France. Lots of back and forth in time and pov and this one also has lots of twists and odd characters.  An enjoyable read.

The Flower Sisters by Anderson, Michelle Collins

Family secrets and town secrets are revealed when teen is dumped (by her mother) on her grandmother in a small Missouri town. An OK read.

The good, the Bad, and the Aunties (Aunties, #3) by Sutanto, Jesse Q.

I enjoued this frolic but not enough to read more in the series.

The Werewolf at Dusk: And Other Stories illustrated by Small, David

Three dark stories in graphic novel format.

Contents: Introduction: The beast within -- The werewolf at dusk by Michel, Lincoln -- A walk in the old city by Small, David -- The tiger in vogue by Jean Ferry, Jean.

St. Petersburg Noir edited by Goumen, Julia and Smirnova, Natalia; various contributors and translators

Not my favorite of the series but ther were a few good stories in this. From ny Kindle backlog.

Contents: Introduction -- Part I: Gangsters, Soldiers & Patriots "Training Day" by Andrei Kivinov (Kupchino) -- "The Sixth of June" by Sergei Nosov (Moskovsky Prospect) -- Wake Up, You’re a Dead Man Now by Vadim Levental (New Holland) -- “The Witching Hour” by Alexander Kudriavtsev (Dostoevsky Museum)

Part II: A Watery Grave “Peau de Chagrin” by Natalia Kurchatova & Ksenia Venglinskaya (Rybatskoye) -- “Drunk Harbor” by Lena Eltang (Drunk Harbor) -- “Barely a Drop” by Andrei Rubanov (Liteyny Avenue) -- “Swift Current” by Anna Solovey (Kolomna) -- “The Phantom of the Opera Forever” by Julia Belomllinsky (Arts Square)

Part III: Chasing Ghosts “The Nutcracker” by Anton Chizh (Haymarket Square) -- “Paranoia” by Mikhail Lialin (Lake Dolgoe) -- “The Hairy Sutra” by Pavel Krusanov (Moika Embankment, 48) -- “A Cabinet of Curiosities” by Eugene Kogan (Kunstkamera) -- “Hotel Angleterre” by Vladimir Berezin (Hotel Angleterre).

 

Verse:

The Jumblies, and Other Nonsense Verses by Lear, Edward; Illustrations by Brooke,  L. Leslie

I had a reading prompt to read "something frivolous" so if frivolous=silly, this fits the bill. From Project Gutenberg

Nonfiction:

Have You Eaten Yet: Stories from Chinese Restaurants Around the World by Kwan, Cheuk 

An interesting tour. This was a birthday gift and that meant I could savor it in small bites. Nice.

Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees by Nezhukumatathil, Aimee 

Essays on food (mostly fruit) and personal memories of food.  One reviewer wanted more personal stuff butI at first I wanted less. But then it kind of grew on me and I ended up learning from it. 

The Mystery Guest by Bouillier, Grégoire; translated from the French by Stein, Lorin

Delightful! and I learned a lot too. One of my favorite reads this month.

1974: A Personal History by Prose, Francine

Gives a partial answer to "Whatever happened to Tony Russo?" As for Francine? Well, she is very good at looking back to a time when she was very young. 

The Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common Paradise by Laing, Olivia

A delightful account of the restoration of an English garden. This was an ARC (via Goodreads) and I'm glad because I can keep it.

Ghost Town Living: Mining for Purpose and Chasing Dreams at the Edge of Death Valley by Underwood, Brent

Disappointing.

The Spice Must Flow: The Story of Dune, from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies by Britt, Ryan

This was fun to read. It's been many years since I read the first three Dune books and I haven't seen any of the various film or TV adaptations but that didn't affect my enjoyment or interest in this book.

Secrets of the Sun: A Memoir by Yoshikawa, Mako 

Apparently I liked this well enough to give it three Goodreads stars. However, after three weeks, I can barely remember it even when I reread the blurb.

How to Kill an Earworm: And 500+ Other Psychology Facts You Need to Know by Smit, Jana Louise 

Mostly "facts" I already knew.

May 2024

What a good reading month! Lots of social, genre, gender, mood, geographical, and historical variety. There was even a wide variety in length from the numerous short stories to a 700 page history.

Of the over 30 books read  most got three or more stars. Four got only two stars. There were none with only one star but two or three I didn't finish.  (They weren't terrible they just weren't to my taste.) I also had to return a few to the libraries because I didn't have time to get to them. Those went on my TBR lists (which never seem to get shorter).

Fiction:

Change: A Novel by Louis, Édouard; translated from the French by Lambert, John

Gay coming of age in Amiens and Paris.

The Waiter by Faldbakken, Matias; translated from the Norwegian by Menzies, Alice

A traditional waiter, a traditional Oslo restaurant, traditional are pretty much set in their ways until they aren't.

Wives Like Us by Sykes, Plum 

A fun farce among a trendy Cotswold set.

A House for Alice by Evans, Diana

After living most of her adult life and raising a family in London, Alice wants to return to her homeland.

Pete and Alice in Maine by Shetterly, Caitlin

New York couple flees to Maine during Lockdown. It doesn't go well.

Blue Ruin by Kunzru, Hari

More folks from NYC fleeing Covid. In this one it's an artist, his wife (another Alice), a gallerist and his girlfriend on a large property in Upstate New York. Alice's long ago lover Jay (an artist ) accidently stumbles into their retreat. Twenty years ago it was not a happy breakup and it's not a happy reunion.

Women and Children First by Grabowski, Alina

A small New England town copes with the death of a high school girl. Told from several women's points of view.

Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Charles, Janet Skeslien 

Women war volunteers working among French civilians on the edge of the Zone Rouge during World War I.

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Simonson, Helen

Post World War I British women dealing with the loss of men and jobs.

The House of Broken Bricks by Williams, Fiona 

A mixed race family strugles with loss and hardships in the UK marshes.

The Good Deed  byBenedict, Helen

An American woman seeking a retreat from her poblems is staying on the Greek island Samos. Seh rescues a drowing child and becomes involved in the world of a nearby refugee camp.

The Titanic Survivors' Book Club by Schaffert, Timothy 

A group of people who "survived" the Titanic disaster by having had tickets but never actually having boarded the ship form a reading group based in a rather unsuccessful book shop in Paris.

Library for the War-Wounded by Helfer, Monika; translated from the German by Davidson, Gillian

Post WW2 Austria.

Daughters of Shandong by Chung, Eve J.

Historical novel set in mainland China and Taiwan during the late 1940s 

The Cursed Friend by Salvioni, Beatrice; translated from the Italian by Pala, Elena

Coming of age in 1936 Italy.

Again and Again by Evison, Jonathan 

Is the old man delusional or did he really live several lives?

The Paris Novel by Reichl, Ruth 

Coming of age in Paris in the 1980s, surrounded by fashion, food, and family secrets. 

Infinite Country by Engel, Patricia

A Columbian family is separated by US immigration policies. 

The Spoiled Heart by Sahota, Sunjeev 

Meh

All Fours by July, Miranda

The premise was good--a woman set out from LA on a solo cross country road trip and makes it as far as  Monrovia. Goofy choices follow as she spends her entire trip there. The writing was good EXCEPT: too much graphic sex. Yuch!

Indian Burial Ground by Medina, Nick 

Strange things happen on the Rez. Paranormal? Imagination? Hallunication? Whatever, it was a good read and makes me wonder whaat good books I may be missing because I shy away from things tagged as "horror."

The Twilight Garden by Adams, Sara Nisha 

A shared garden in London comes back to life.

So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men by Keegan, Claire 

Contents: So late in the day -- Long and painful death -- Antarctica.

The Faraway World: Stories by Engel, Patricia

Contents: Aida -- Fausto -- The book of saints -- Campoamor -- Guapa -- La ruta -- Ramiro -- The bones of Cristóbal Colón -- Libélula -- Aguacero.

Soul Food: Life-Affirming Stories Served with Side Dishes and Just Desserts by Gibbs, Beth 

Fifteen inter-related stories.

Green frog : stories by Chung, Gina

Contents: How to eat your own heart -- Green frog -- After the party -- Rabbit heart -- Presence -- Human hearts -- Mantis -- The sound of water -- Attachment process -- The arrow -- Names for fireflies -- Honey and sun -- You'll never know how much I loved you -- The fruits of sin -- The love song of the Mexican free-tailed bat. 

The 2023 Larry Brown Short Story Award Issue (Pithead Chapel; Volume 13, Issue 1; January 1, 2024)

Award Winner: Orange by Siamak Vossoughi

Second Prize: Cosmic Acceleration by Bec Bell-Gurwitz

Third Prize: Lady Luck by T.E. Wilderson

Finalist: The Wall at the Back Garden by Mary Hannah Terzino

Finalist: Full Tour with Death House by Mark Doyle

Nonfiction:

Native Nations: A Millennium in North America by DuVal, Kathleen

An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s by Goodwin, Doris Kearns 

The Sister: North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, the Most Dangerous Woman in the World by Lee, Sung-Yoon 

A Wealth of Pigeons: A Cartoon Collection by Bliss, Harry and Martin, Steve

Fine: A Comic About Gender by Ewing, Rhea 

Stranger on a Train: Daydreaming and Smoking Around America with Interruptions by Diski, Jen

The Secret Life of the Savoy: Glamour and Intrigue at the World's Most Famous Hotel by Williams, Olivia 

The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth by Schlanger, Zoë 

The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age by Wolraich, Michael