“The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - that you’d thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you’ve never met, maybe even someone long dead. And it’s as if a hand has come out and taken yours.” From Alan Bennett’s “The History Boys”
The above quote perfectly captures what we are all looking for in books. We have lots of new ones here at the Library, just waiting for you to sink into their pages and feel that rewarding rush. Here are brief reviews of some of our beyond-the-bestsellers new fiction and nonfiction.
Fiction
“Conjure Women” by Afia Atakora is a debut novel that earned heaps of praise from media sources. It tells the story of three Southern women whose lives are full of secrets and sorrow as they strive to survive both slavery and later freedom. Likened to the works of Toni Morrison, it is an engrossing and powerful tale.
“Dictionary of Lost Words” by Pip Williams is set during the women’s suffrage movement and has its germ in fact. Esme is a young girl whose father is compiling the Oxford English Dictionary. When he and his team reject words for various reasons, many of which are seriously sexist and elitist, Esme retrieves them and saves them for her own compendium. Critics have called it “utterly irresistible” and “delightful, charming, and clever.”
“Early Morning Riser” is Katherine Heiny’s third novel and won 11 “best-of” citations when it came out in mid-spring. Funny, poignant and a fast read, it will let you escape into its world where the lovely young Jane must learn that sharing may result in a more abundant happiness.
“The Elephant of Belfast” by S. Kirk Walsh transports the reader to 1940s Ireland where its main character, Hettie, is charged with saving a young elephant when German bombs threaten to completely destroy the city. Based on a true story, it is emotionally wringing but ultimately hopeful.
“Not Dark Yet” is Peter Robinson’s latest in his mystery series starring the legendary Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks. Known for their believable characters and suspenseful plots, these novels are steeped in British settings and have won awards in the U.S., the U.K., and Sweden.
“Raft of Stars” by Andrew J. Graff takes place in Wisconsin, where two scared young boys are on the run, chased by four adults. The wilderness to which they escape is full of its own dangers, creating tense and terror-filled scenes on a fast river. A vivid adventure novel as well as a coming-of-age story, it will sweep you along on its compelling ride.
Winner of the French Voice Prize, “In the Shadow of the Fire” by Herve Le Corre has been translated from the French in English by Tina Kover. The book is set during what is known as “the bloody week” when 1871 Paris was ruled by a radical group called the Commune. Three soldiers, in the midst of preparing for combat, set out to find a criminal who has been abducting young women, one of them the fiancée of one of the men. An historical novel with a mystery at its center, the book has been described as ‘“Les Miserable’ meets action thriller.”
Nonfiction
“How Y’all Doing: Misadventures and Mischief from a Life Well Lived” by Leslie Jordan is a collection of the Chattanooga native’s observations about funny and entertaining escapades he has experienced. Known as a television personality and sit-com star, Jordan, through his Instagram postings, has been catapulted to the heights of pop culture, and this book echoes his approval and will appeal to his many fans.
“Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old” by biologist Andrew Steele explores the phenomenon know as “biological immortality.” Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s chief medical correspondent, calls the book fascinating and adds, “…Steele highlights therapies being developed to stymie aging, from rebooting the immune system to repairing DNA to removing senescent cells.”
In “Flight of the Diamond Smugglers: A Tale of Pigeons, Obsession, and Greed Along Coastal South Africa,” reporter Matthew Gavin Frank sets out to discover the dangerously clever methods used by smugglers to sneak these valuable gems from the mines by attaching them to the feet of pigeons. It’s an exciting tale that eposes exploitation and greed and reads like a page-turner.
“Dr. Disaster’s Guide to Surviving Everything” by John E. Torres, MD, offers important information that anyone can use to be prepared for the unexpected. Some topics that are covered include: how to start a fire without matches; the safest seat on an airplane; why you should avoid using a landline during thunderstorms; what first-aid supplies you need in your home; and the first thing you should do when entering a shopping mall.
“Great Adaptations: Star-Nosed Moles, Electric Eels, and Other Tales of Evolution’s Mysteries Solved” by Kenneth Catania will appeal to anyone who has ever wondered just why some animals have extraordinary abilities. The author’s enthusiasm for his subject is engaging and offers brilliant insights for both the scholarly and casual science reader.
“The New Heirloom Garden: Designs, Recipes, and Heirloom Plants for Cooks Who Love to Garden” by Ellen Ecker Ogden tackles vegetable as well as flower gardening in this lovely book that celebrates the diversity of plants. “An heirloom garden is an opportunity to plant a piece of history,” writes the author.
In “Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War,” Malcolm Gladwell, author of “The Tipping Point” and “Outliers” and a staff writer at The New Yorker, has turned what was a topic on his podcast, “Revisionist History,” into a book-length treatise. Examining what has been called the “deadliest night of the war,” he questions whether it was worth it to bomb Tokyo.
by Karin Glendenning
The above quote perfectly captures what we are all looking for in books. We have lots of new ones here at the Library, just waiting for you to sink into their pages and feel that rewarding rush. Here are brief reviews of some of our beyond-the-bestsellers new fiction and nonfiction.
Fiction
“Conjure Women” by Afia Atakora is a debut novel that earned heaps of praise from media sources. It tells the story of three Southern women whose lives are full of secrets and sorrow as they strive to survive both slavery and later freedom. Likened to the works of Toni Morrison, it is an engrossing and powerful tale.
“Dictionary of Lost Words” by Pip Williams is set during the women’s suffrage movement and has its germ in fact. Esme is a young girl whose father is compiling the Oxford English Dictionary. When he and his team reject words for various reasons, many of which are seriously sexist and elitist, Esme retrieves them and saves them for her own compendium. Critics have called it “utterly irresistible” and “delightful, charming, and clever.”
“Early Morning Riser” is Katherine Heiny’s third novel and won 11 “best-of” citations when it came out in mid-spring. Funny, poignant and a fast read, it will let you escape into its world where the lovely young Jane must learn that sharing may result in a more abundant happiness.
“The Elephant of Belfast” by S. Kirk Walsh transports the reader to 1940s Ireland where its main character, Hettie, is charged with saving a young elephant when German bombs threaten to completely destroy the city. Based on a true story, it is emotionally wringing but ultimately hopeful.
“Not Dark Yet” is Peter Robinson’s latest in his mystery series starring the legendary Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks. Known for their believable characters and suspenseful plots, these novels are steeped in British settings and have won awards in the U.S., the U.K., and Sweden.
“Raft of Stars” by Andrew J. Graff takes place in Wisconsin, where two scared young boys are on the run, chased by four adults. The wilderness to which they escape is full of its own dangers, creating tense and terror-filled scenes on a fast river. A vivid adventure novel as well as a coming-of-age story, it will sweep you along on its compelling ride.
Winner of the French Voice Prize, “In the Shadow of the Fire” by Herve Le Corre has been translated from the French in English by Tina Kover. The book is set during what is known as “the bloody week” when 1871 Paris was ruled by a radical group called the Commune. Three soldiers, in the midst of preparing for combat, set out to find a criminal who has been abducting young women, one of them the fiancée of one of the men. An historical novel with a mystery at its center, the book has been described as ‘“Les Miserable’ meets action thriller.”
Nonfiction
“How Y’all Doing: Misadventures and Mischief from a Life Well Lived” by Leslie Jordan is a collection of the Chattanooga native’s observations about funny and entertaining escapades he has experienced. Known as a television personality and sit-com star, Jordan, through his Instagram postings, has been catapulted to the heights of pop culture, and this book echoes his approval and will appeal to his many fans.
“Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old” by biologist Andrew Steele explores the phenomenon know as “biological immortality.” Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s chief medical correspondent, calls the book fascinating and adds, “…Steele highlights therapies being developed to stymie aging, from rebooting the immune system to repairing DNA to removing senescent cells.”
In “Flight of the Diamond Smugglers: A Tale of Pigeons, Obsession, and Greed Along Coastal South Africa,” reporter Matthew Gavin Frank sets out to discover the dangerously clever methods used by smugglers to sneak these valuable gems from the mines by attaching them to the feet of pigeons. It’s an exciting tale that eposes exploitation and greed and reads like a page-turner.
“Dr. Disaster’s Guide to Surviving Everything” by John E. Torres, MD, offers important information that anyone can use to be prepared for the unexpected. Some topics that are covered include: how to start a fire without matches; the safest seat on an airplane; why you should avoid using a landline during thunderstorms; what first-aid supplies you need in your home; and the first thing you should do when entering a shopping mall.
“Great Adaptations: Star-Nosed Moles, Electric Eels, and Other Tales of Evolution’s Mysteries Solved” by Kenneth Catania will appeal to anyone who has ever wondered just why some animals have extraordinary abilities. The author’s enthusiasm for his subject is engaging and offers brilliant insights for both the scholarly and casual science reader.
“The New Heirloom Garden: Designs, Recipes, and Heirloom Plants for Cooks Who Love to Garden” by Ellen Ecker Ogden tackles vegetable as well as flower gardening in this lovely book that celebrates the diversity of plants. “An heirloom garden is an opportunity to plant a piece of history,” writes the author.
In “Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War,” Malcolm Gladwell, author of “The Tipping Point” and “Outliers” and a staff writer at The New Yorker, has turned what was a topic on his podcast, “Revisionist History,” into a book-length treatise. Examining what has been called the “deadliest night of the war,” he questions whether it was worth it to bomb Tokyo.
by Karin Glendenning
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