Newly Published, From Skateboarding to ‘Hamlet’ in New York
A selection of recently published books.
CIA Role In Africa Expanded As U.S. Cold War Worries Grew, 'White Malice' Details
Though Susan Williams' book is framed far too expansively, it overflows with fascinating information, research and bold ideas — especially regarding Congo's first prime minister, Patrice Lumumba.
(Image credit: Public Affairs)
13 New Books We Recommend This Week
Suggested reading from critics and editors at The New York Times.
New Books That Look at the Pandemic and Its Consequences
From the account of a new doctor to an insider’s look at the government response to Covid, four new titles that capture our reality.
Tale Of Tesla, Elon Musk Is Inherently Dramatic And Compellingly Told In 'Power Play'
Perhaps most interesting in Tim Higgins' book are the hints at what might have been: Tesla could have built a plug-in hybrid, or sold itself to Google, or become a battery supplier.
(Image credit: Doubleday)
Joy, Flexibility and Bravery Land on the Best-Seller List
In these semi-dark times, qualities of mercy are in demand for readers of all ages.
Alice McDermott Is Reading ‘Frankenstein’ for the First Time
“The original is more complex, more overwrought and more harrowing than popular culture had led me to believe.”
Death in Daylesford
UnCovered
review by Pam Saunders, ACLS Mays Landing Librarian
The waiting is over! After seven years, there is a new Phryne Fisher mystery to revel in: several mysterious goings-on, some involving deaths and others not, all the interpersonal twists and turns of Phryne’s household menagerie of folk who would otherwise have slipped through society’s cracks, two critters, and her diverse friends, and the background details of life in 1920s Melbourne (Australia) and environs.
Phryne travels to Daylesford with her trusted companion Dot for a country sojourn at the invitation of a somewhat mysterious retired Captain Herbert Spencer, who runs a retreat for Victoria’s shell-shocked WWI veterans and hopes for Phryne’s monetary support. Any thoughts of relaxation soon depart, however, as a murder occurs at a local Highland Games which bears similarities to a prior and then subsequent death. And then there is the matter of a spate of disappearances – local married women who have disappeared without a trace over a period of some years.
Meantime, back home in Melbourne, Phryne’s three wards become involved in solving the mystery of the drowning death of their schoolmate, along with Dot’s fiancé police Sergeant Hugh Collins, socialist taxi-drivers Bert and Cec, and household butler and housekeeper Mr. and Mrs. Butler.
Phryne ties up all the various mysteries with her usual panache and returns home to be regaled the adventures of her brood as she observes their growing maturity and social consciences to match her own.
Fast-moving but complicated, and studded with humorous prose (a police officer’s five-o’clock shadow is described as looking “as if he had just gone three rounds with a cheese-grater and been defeated on a technical knock-out”), this latest entry in the series will delight both series fans, fans of the Australian TV shows based on the books, and newcomers alike. This is the twenty-first novel in the series, and while having read the previous titles helps in understanding the characters’ relationships, one can start here without reading those that came first – although be forewarned that Phryne can be very addictive and you may find yourself binge-reading from the beginning.
The Nuns In 'Agatha Of Little Neon' Don't Fly Or Sing, But They Will Stay With You
You don't have to be Catholic to connect with Claire Luchette's vivid story of a lonely young woman yearning for community — and also for everything she gave up to be part of that community.
(Image credit: Macmillan )
All The Moving Parts Fit Together In This Smart, Emotional Debut Novel
YZ Chin's Edge Case follows a Malaysian immigrant working at a lousy, sexist startup, worried about her marriage and the thought of having to move back home — all topics it handles beautifully.
(Image credit: Ecco)
5 Hit Men Board A 'Bullet Train' In This Fast And Fun Japanese Thriller
No fewer than five assassins are on the high speed train at the center of Kotaro Isaka outlandish and virtuoso novel — and within pages, they're going after each other.
(Image credit: The Overlook Press)
In This Memoir, Prison Is A Place — And A State Of Mind
Novelist Hwang Sok-yong spent years in prison — a disruption that's reflected in the structure of his new memoir. It's a cinematic, riveting story that captures the struggles of his life and career.
(Image credit: Verso Books)
A Novel Tracks Egypt’s 2011 Revolution and Its Bloody Crackdown
“The Republic of False Truths,” by Alaa Al Aswany, follows a large cast of characters during a historic upheaval.
Stories That Render America Just Strange Enough to Recognize
Saïd Sayrafiezadeh’s second story collection, “American Estrangement,” expands on the ambitions of his first.
Leila Slimani Tells the Story of Her Interracial Grandparents in Post-WWII Morocco
“In the Country of Others” is the first installment of a planned trilogy fictionalizing the author’s family history.
A Fabulous Family History That’s More Fiction Than Fact
“The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters,” by Julie Klam, is the story of the author’s grandmother’s colorful first cousins and of the effort to get to the truth about their lives.
International Fiction: Summer’s in High Gear and So Are the Cities
“The Eternal Audience of One,” “Late Summer,” “Last Summer in the City” and “Waiting for the Waters to Rise” offer readers tales from around the globe.
‘Ramadan Ramsey’ Is a Story About Hope in Even the Harshest of Circumstances
Louis Edwards’s latest follows a young boy who seems destined for a life of disappointment but proves that a positive attitude can lead to great rewards.
‘Mrs. March’ Is a Housewife on the Brink. What’s Pushing Her Over the Edge?
Virginia Feito’s debut novel features a woman persuaded that her husband, a celebrated writer, has skewered her in his latest book. Is she right?
Book Review: “The State Must Provide,” by Adam Harris
“The State Must Provide,” by Adam Harris, shows how a history of racism and exclusion shaped higher education.
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