If only I could read faster, but I’ve always been a slow reader. So many good books I see on my reading table, like stacks of travel brochures, and I want to go everywhere. I remind myself “bird by bird,” as Anne Lamott teaches us in her classic by the same title, adding these books to my already full reading life, stories of family secrets, the Troubles, and Nazi heritage.
Category: Nonfiction
A sylvan delight: “The Forest” by Alexander Nemerov
This new book, set during Jacksonian America, seduced me with surprising ease. Its impressive, sometimes dramatic, sometimes reflective episodic tales fascinate with their combined historic and invented characters from the 1830s. Here's a brief review.
Intriguing new books in fiction and nonfiction
A handful of reading opportunities to consider for different moods -- from mystery to epic drama, the Sistine Chapel to the Vietnam War. Two novels, two nonfiction, one crime mystery -- all recently published.
Three February books
A small selection with a broad range in topics, herein you’ll find a hard look at five literary marriages (heads up fans of Phyllis Rose’s "Parallel Lives") and Salman Rushdie’s new novel about a woman inhabited by a deity. Also, a book-length essay from one of my newest favorite translated authors, Nona Fernandez.
Six favorite books from my year of reading
This 2022 end-of-year list includes an equal number of fiction and nonfiction. The books earned their place for the unusual qualities that set them apart: storytellers that amazed me, atmospheres that erased time, facts that broadened my thinking. Four of the books have been mentioned here before; two are new.
Rudolf Vrba’s escape from Auschwitz and an unputdownable whodunnit
Two very different books, both written with expert style and intrigue guaranteed to fascinate: "The Escape Artist" by Jonathan Freedland and "The Enigma of Room 622" by Joël Dicker. Here's what they're about and why they're so immersive.
Catching up on my nonfiction reading
Nothing better than reading a good book on the porch at night with a breeze and the cicadas. Three books from my TBR table are now in the mix, all nonfiction and varied in topic. One was a finalist for the nonfiction 2021 National Book Award. The other two are “finds” that called to me. Take a look. Maybe there’s something here for you and your reading during these dog days of summer.
Paris’s 19th century institutionalized female hysterics
The Salpêtrière hospital in Paris functioned as a city within a city, an enclosed asylum for women whose nerves were shot. That's my modern speak for what then neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot termed hysteria. In "City of Incurable Women," author Maud Casey lets their stories be known. Read more about her new book here.
Now reading: poetry, nature, true crime, and J.S. Bach
For too long, Ilya Kaminsky’s “Deaf Republic” sat on my reading table, a story told in poems that’s not only profound but now so very timely. Also in this blog post you’ll find a compelling mix of fiction and nonfiction, with authors writing about love for the natural world, truth in a murder investigation, and the St. Matthew Passion.
Nonfiction coming to my reading table
Three books, three intriguing topics: stolen art, a musician’s performance anxiety, and a deep look into the interviewing process. Here’s why I’ve chosen to read them.
The Dayton Literary Peace Prize Winners 2021
Since 2006, this significant prize in literature has celebrated the power of the written word to promote peace. Here are the 2021 winners: one adult fiction and one adult nonfiction, both of World War II and lives revealed, both riveting reads.
From best seller to austere memoir, here’s what’s coming up next
It’s an odd juxtaposition on my reading table: Kate Zambreno, who pushes the boundaries of literary form, next to the best-selling Andy Weir with his newest page-turning space odyssey. Such are my reading habits this month. I also just discovered a novel I must read based on comments by U.K. bloggers, which is also here, and more.
Bookmarked’s no-holds-barred personal narratives
I'm hooked by this series where authors write about a book that influenced them, all the while sharing moving and memorable stories about themselves. Here’s a look at a new edition by Kim McLarin, plus a mention of Bloomsbury’s 33 1/3 series, short books about albums.
My reading life: just finished + coming soon
A 21st century poet writes about the life of an enslaved 18th century poet, and a psychoanalyst explores that fateful night in Gethsemane in two profound stories far from this century. Plus, March is promising to be a literary month to look forward to – here’s why.
My 10 favorite books of 2020
Literary novels, a biography, a humorous memoir, a fable, and more. "What I want to tell you about is something quite different," says one character in these unforgettable books on this year-end list.
The Longest Chapter 