Reported by Garry
Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach is the hilarious and imminently readable book that focuses on sex. In her trademark witty and extremely well-researched way, Roach looks at the evolution of the science of sexuality. Our reader commented that there were many times while reading the book that she thought “Well, I was not wondering about that, but now that I’ve read a bit about it, I AM wondering.” The consensus amongst our readers is that any book by Mary Roach is entertaining, educational, very well-written and definitely about a subject that you wouldn’t normally think about reading, and this book is no different. MC
The Pyramid is a prequel to the popular Wallander series of murder mystery books by Henning Mankell. This set of five short stories, stretching over nearly four decades, shows the evolution of the beloved Swedish police inspector. The first story is set when Wallander is a twenty-one year old rookie patrolman, with the last placed just prior to the first published Wallander novel “Faceless Killers”. This collection of short stories delves into the backstory of Wallander and those in his life, giving the reader further insight into the brusque but greatly insightful Swedish investigator. While this book was written well after the Wallander series was underway, our reader said that it really helped her understand the character better and cast a slightly new light on some of his quirks that show up in the novels. DC
The Astonishing Color of After is a debut novel by Emily X. R. Pan strongly flavored with magical realism. Mourning, magic, art, and love all come together in this young adult story about Leigh Chen Sanders, a half-Asian half-Caucasian girl in the United States whose Taiwanese mother has killed herself and taken the hidden history of her family to the grave with her. Leigh is convinced that her mother has become a bird, and travels to Taiwan not only to track down the bird she believes is her mother, but to meet and get to know her family for the first time. Our reader is an artist, and was particularly taken with the way Leigh and her friend Axel described emotions as colors (Leigh is a synesthete whose senses tend to overlap; Leigh sees colors when she hears sounds.) Our reader liked this book and commented on how the author paints a realistic portrayal of depression and mental illness but also maintains a sense of wonder and joy. MH
Disappearance of a Scribe is the latest mystery by best-selling author Dana Stabenow. Set in Ptolemaic Egypt during the reign of Cleopatra, this book is the second in her “Eye of Isis” trilogy. There is a possible serial killer on the loose – two bodies have been found on the bottom of the Alexandria harbor, two years apart. Both of them were fitted with cement sandals to hold them down, and their unsolved deaths threaten to derail Cleopatra’s plans to rebuild after the Alexandrian War. She asks Tetisheri, her new Eye of Isis, to find out who the deceased are and why they were murdered. Our reader enjoyed this historical fantasy novel with its well-crafted mystery and attention to historical details, and recommends it for an easy, fun mystery read. MC
Also mentioned:
The Mitford Vanishing by Jessica Fellowes
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show by Jonathan Karl
Crossed Lines by Jennifer Delamere
House by Tracy Kidder
Slavery Remembered: A Record of Twentieth-Century Slave Narratives by Paul D. Escott
Haiti After the Earthquake by Paul Farmer
Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them by Jennifer Wright
Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy
My Own Country: A Doctor’s Story by Abraham Verghese
Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan
In the Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan
Free Speech Handbook: A Practical Framework for Understanding Our Free Speech Protections by Ian Rosenberg
You Don’t Know Us Negroes and Other Essays by Zora Neale Hurston
Greek Myths: A New Retelling by Charlotte Higgins
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