New in Paperback:
Six new paperbacks to check out this week.
James Baldwin’s Review, Babe Ruth and Other Letters to the Editor
Readers respond to recent issues of the Sunday Book Review.
Five Poets Who Find Music in the Personal, the Political or in Music Itself
New collections from Paul Muldoon, Rita Dove, Jim Moore, Marianne Worthington and Frank Bidart.
11 New Books We Recommend This Week
Suggested reading from critics and editors at The New York Times.
On the Best Seller List, Rachel Held Evans’s Legacy Endures
How ‘Wholehearted Faith’ survived computer problems and the death of its creator
Claire Tomalin’s Favorite Fictional Heroine? It ‘Must Be Natasha’ in ‘War and Peace’
“Joined of course by Emma, Elizabeth Bennet, Anne Elliot, Marianne — well, that’s enough.,” says the renowned British biographer, whose latest book is “The Young H.G. Wells.” “We all enjoy heroines who don’t always behave themselves.”
A Biography of E.O. Wilson, the Scientist Who Foresaw Our Troubles
In Richard Rhodes’s “Scientist,” a portrait emerges of Wilson’s ability to focus on the smallest details in nature and recognize the ways in which they connect to larger ecosystems.
Newly Published, From Primo Levi to ‘Positive Masculinity’
A selection of books published this week.
'Passing' — the original 1929 novel — is disturbingly brilliant
The movie adaptation of Nella Larsen's Passing is out now, and if you're less familiar with the book, critic Carole Bell describes it as a "decades-early precursor to a Patricia Highsmith novel."
(Image credit: Signet Classics)
Want a good, therapeutic cry? Pick up 'You've Reached Sam'
The heartbreak starts right away in Dustin Thao's debut novel: 17-year-old Julie's boyfriend Sam is killed in a car crash — but then she calls his phone, just to hear his voice again. And he answers.
(Image credit: Wednesday Books)
Three Y.A. Novels About the Challenges and Charms of Growing Up
“Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World” (by Benjamin Alire Sáenz), “Bad Girls Never Say Die” (by Jennifer Mathieu) and “Himawari House” (by Harmony Becker) all explore, through very different approaches, what it means to grow up.
Women Seeking Intimacy Through Food, Mathematics and Rhythm
From a New York au pair to a kathak dancer in India to an aspiring mathematician in Oslo, the heroines of three debut novels seek solace in vocation.
A New Novel by Louise Erdrich Haunted by Covid and George Floyd’s Death
Set in Minneapolis mostly during 2020, “The Sentence,” by the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, is a ghost story about America’s current traumas that also evokes those of our collective past.
4 New Y.A. Fantasy Novels Full of Dark, Enchanting Twists
These fantasy novels — “Year of the Reaper,” by Makiia Lucier; “Beasts of Prey,” by Ayana Gray; “Skin of the Sea,” by Natasha Bowen; and “Gilded,” by Marissa Meyer — will transport you to magical worlds.
Lily King Tries Her Hand at Something New: Short Stories
In “Five Tuesdays in Winter,” the longtime novelist strings together a series of small worlds that form their own solar system.
Scholars Cringe at the Term ‘Dark Ages.’ Dan Jones Explains Why.
Jones’s book “Powers and Thrones” is a comprehensive history of the Middle Ages that links the medieval era’s genuine achievements to modern times.
Is the Supreme Court on Its Way to Becoming a Conservative Bastion?
Linda Greenhouse’s “Justice on the Brink” looks back at the Supreme Court’s last year, with intimations of what we can expect in the future.
DaVinci’s Cat
UnCovered review by Alexa Zbieranowski, Librarian, ACLS Ventnor Branch
Still enjoying animal-themed stories from our summer program Tails and Tales? Here’s another one to try! Catherine Gilbert Murdock’s DaVinci’s Cat is a children’s historical fiction and time-travel mashup that transports readers back to Rome during the Italian Renaissance.
The story follows Federico Gonzaga in the year 1511. The 11-year-old Duke of Mantua is living in Rome as a “special guest” (a hostage) of Pope Julius II. Federico’s life in the papal palace is lonely until he discovers a friendly cat that appears out of thin air and vanishes again. He soon discovers that an unassuming closet is actually one of DaVinci’s contraptions that transports people (and cats) through time. Soon, Federico is pals with an art dealer from 1928 and Bee, the present-day daughter of art historians.
A paradox-free time travel story is no fun! Federico’s and Herbert’s deal to swap twenty-first century snacks for precious sketches by Raphael backfires. The time-space web becomes further entangled when modern-day Bee enters the scene. Bee has discovered a sketch that is her absolute twin—it must have been made by Raphael but it’s missing a signature. Federico and Bee become partners to solve the mystery of Bee’s artwork doppelganger and to prevent the growing rivalry among famous artists from changing history; Present-day lives depend on it.
DaVinci’s Cat is a charming combination of time travel, improbable friendships, and collaborative problem-solving. I would recommend this book as a read-aloud for the whole family, even grown-ups might appreciate the way Murdock weaves historical fact into a fun adventure. This book will definitely stir readers’ curiosity about Renaissance artworks—a peek at the paintings mentioned throughout helps the book come to life.
Louise Erdrich's disquieting new novel will keep you on your toes
Set in a haunted Minneapolis bookshop over the course of one very momentous year, The Sentence is an ambitious novel, featuring a sinister ghost, a country in tumult and Erdrich's own shifting style.
(Image credit: Harper Collins)
Take a rom-com road trip in 'How to Marry Keanu Reeves in 90 Days'
K.M. Jackson's laugh-out-loud new romance follows a Keanu Reeves superfan who's heard her celeb crush is getting *gasp* married — and she has to stop him! But will she find real love along the way?
(Image credit: Forever)
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