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Children's & YAPicture Book

Amid uncertain times and life’s changes, love remains constant

Feature by Jill Lorenzini

As reviewers, we pick books apart. We dissect mood and discern connotation, weigh words and evaluate images. Our work can be analytical, almost scientific, and we love to do it. But what really brings us to our knees are books whose hearts beat louder than our pencils scratch. These picture books check all the boxes for excellence, but most importantly, their honesty resonates strong and clear.

Bess the Barn Stands Strong

In Bess the Barn Stands Strong, Bess the barn is an integral part of life on the farm. She participates in its celebrations and shelters its residents. Her wooden beams and well-made doors are kind and welcoming. But when Bess is replaced by a gleaming new barn, she is no longer the center of farm life—until she proves that a loving, unwavering heart always shines bright. 

A true storyteller, Elizabeth Gilbert Bedia gives Bess life with literary gilding; there’s repetition, imagery, personification and more. The prose flows, poetic and brusque by turns, as the finely wrought story oh-so-delicately addresses the concept of passing on. 

Katie Hickey’s art fills these pages with warmth. Her tones shift from light to dark but stay within an appealingly agrarian palette. Varied brushstrokes create movement and mood; soft fields are wind-swept under a swift-moving storm, and when Bess’ neglected beams begin to wilt, her distress is visible and wrenching. 

This is a book to share while tucked in somewhere cozy. Bess the Barn Stands Strong reminds us that love shelters us through all storms. 

Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away

Sometimes love protects us tangibly, while other times it surrounds us with friendships that change us forever. Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away gently addresses a difficult moment in many childhoods. Autumn has arrived, and so has the moving van. Daniela and her best friend, Evelyn Del Rey, spend one last day together, sharing all the things that make them “almost twins.” Daniela knows life is changing, but will her friendship with Evelyn continue? 

Sonia Sánchez’s illustrations resound with the clatter and chatter of kids at play. Vibrant colors and energetic patterns collide with myriad textures. Some images are framed slightly off-kilter, as though the product of a lively jumble of imagination. Each page feels like a long-ago moment, as pinpoints of detail stand out against a hazy recollection of boxes and bookshelves. Amid the chaos of moving day, Sánchez finds moments of connection and comfort: cookies baked by a neighbor, parents conversing nearby, the two girls placing the last special stickers on each other’s faces. 

Newbery Medalist Meg Medina writes in the earnest and playful voice of a child, using uncomplicated words and a tone that’s equal parts solemn and hopeful. Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away affirms feelings of sadness but provides assurance that true friendship—the kind built on sharing glittery stickers—endures.

Red Shoes

Sometimes love blossoms in spite of the miles, while other times it grows with every step we take. Red Shoes is a tribute to objects that bring us joy and people whose thoughtfulness follows us everywhere. The story opens as Malika’s grandmother surprises her with a pair of red shoes. Malika wears them on school days and play days, rainy days and fancy days. Even on a hard day when she has a disagreement with a friend, the red shoes are there. When the beloved shoes no longer fit, Malika and Nana decide to donate them. And so the shoes arrive in Africa as a gift from a generous aunt to a devout little girl who’s been fasting for Ramadan. 

Ebony Glenn’s art is bright and cheerful, and her characters pop against muted backgrounds. She imbues Red Shoes with a spunky personality and a visual style reminiscent of film animation. Bold shapes, warm shades and expressive faces create an inviting tone. It’s one of those rare books that feels both brand-new and well aged. Karen English’s narrative is kid-friendly, and her writing style—repetitive and full of onomatopoeia—makes for a sweet, delightful read-aloud. Red Shoes focuses on the joy Malika finds in her treasured shoes, but its heart sings of family, relationships and tradition. 

This Old Dog

Finally, there is love that expects nothing in return, love that delights in a sunny day shared, an easy walk and a whiff of fresh grass. After an old dog’s humans bring home their new baby, he wonders if he will ever again have a friend who moves at his speed. This Old Dog gives us a dog’s-eye view of love as an old dog falls fast for his little girl. From his big grin to his floppy, wagging tail, it’s clear that what the old dog lacks in elegance, he makes up for in loyalty. 

Gabriel Alborozo’s art is petal-soft, with a sketchy feel and a subdued tone. Colors tumble together to create a delightful chaos of fields and flowers, while quick lines emphasize action: wagging tails, fast-walking people, a happy somersault down a hill. Martha Brockenbrough writes in an unassuming voice, and her unpretentious, casually poetic lines will catch you off guard with their tenderness and honesty.

This Old Dog is a book that walks calmly into the room and warms your heart with its easy camaraderie before settling into a much-loved napping spot. After all, love doesn’t need to be fancy or extravagant. Sometimes, it’s as simple as having someone by your side.

As reviewers, we pick books apart. We dissect mood and discern connotation, weigh words and evaluate images. Our work can be analytical, almost scientific, and we love to do it. But what really brings us to our knees are books whose hearts beat louder than…

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The Hold List: Books that reward a committed reader

Feature by the editors of BookPage

As autumn approaches, we’re up for the challenge of books that ask a lot from their readers—mentally and emotionally.

Wolf Hall

As a young, impossibly nerdy child, one of my very first obsessions was Tudor England. (Why, yes, I had a lot of friends, why do you ask?) So I thought I’d take to Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel’s acclaimed novel based on the life of Thomas Cromwell, like a duck to water. Reader, I was wrong. Mantel plunges into the 16th century with a gusto that is as impressive as it is disorienting. Can’t keep track of all the men named Thomas? Pay closer attention! Unsure about the novel’s timeline, as often your only markers are religious holidays mostly unobserved these days? Look them up! But stick with it, and you’ll find yourself adjusting to the simmering chaos of Henry VIII’s reign and increasingly in awe of Cromwell’s ability to navigate this complicated and mercenary world. And by the novel’s end, you’ll be utterly astonished by Mantel’s ability to transport you there.

—Savanna, Associate Editor

The Bluest Eye

I read The Bluest Eye for the first time this spring, as part of an assignment for a class I was taking. What a dissonant reading experience—at once intensely pleasurable and supremely painful. I marveled at Toni Morrison’s word-perfect style in every sentence; her ability to find the exact right turn of phrase again and again is nothing short of genius, and the effect is sublime. Without these little bursts of delight at Morrison’s writing, it would have been impossible to follow 9-year-old Pecola Breedlove as she navigates self-loathing, rejection, isolation, sexual abuse and delusion in a white supremacist culture. Even with Morrison’s voice to guide the way, the temptation to look away was nearly constant. Reading this book will push you to your emotional limit, but, as with all of Morrison’s works, the reward for staying the course is transcendence.

—Christy, Associate Editor

Her Body and Other Parties

The opening story of Carmen Maria Machado’s debut collection is the key to why this book is such a challenge: A woman with a green ribbon around her neck tells a frightful fairy tale of wifehood and motherhood, and as dread builds, she frequently stops the telling to instruct the reader in ways that supplement the story, from emitting sounds to committing small acts of betrayal and even violence. These demands steadily intensify the relationship between reader and narrator, and the reading experience becomes almost unbearably intimate the more she insists that you know what this fairy tale means. From this opening salvo, we are complicit in all the later stories, each one fantastical and horrifying in its exploration of the cruelties leveraged against women’s bodies. There are few books more emotionally demanding. I am undoubtedly changed by it.

—Cat, Deputy Editor

Jellicoe Road

Melina Marchetta’s 2009 Michael L. Printz Award winner is not the kind of novel in which you will find explanations of character history, setting and premise carefully integrated into opening scenes, patiently establishing the story’s stakes. Instead, the opening third of the book is more like stepping into what you think is the shallow end of a swimming pool, only to find yourself dropping down, down, down, nothing but cold water above you and no sense of which way to swim to regain the surface. Names, places, the past, the present, some kind of conflict all swirl around you like so many chaotic bubbles. Not to be all Finding Nemo about this, but you just have to keep swimming, because if you do, I promise you that Jellicoe Road’s payoff is among the most cathartic and stunningly plotted you’ll ever encounter. I’m in awe every time I read it.

—Stephanie, Associate Editor

Far From the Tree

Any book that closes in on 1,000 pages poses an obvious challenge, but Andrew Solomon’s National Book Award-winning study of parent-child relationships levels up by encouraging readers to examine a well-worn concept in a new light. Solomon spent 10 years interviewing hundreds of families to pull together the case studies featured here, all of which involve children whose identities do not match those of their parents. Inspired by his experience as a gay child of straight parents, Solomon compassionately lays bare the tension between a parent’s instinct to encourage children to reach their full potential and a child’s need to be accepted for who they are. Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity is a celebration of difference, even as it acknowledges the difficulties. It is impossible to finish this book without reconsidering your own family dynamics.

—Trisha, Publisher

As autumn approaches, we’re up for the challenge of books that ask a lot from their readers—mentally and emotionally.
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Book Clubs: The wide world of historical fiction

Feature by Julie Hale

Four dazzling works of historical fiction, all set outside of Europe and America, are perfect for book clubs.

When Benito Mussolini invades Ethiopia at the beginning of Maaza Mengiste’s powerful novel, The Shadow King, a young maid named Hirut wants to fight alongside the men, but she’s not allowed. Joining with other women, including the wife of her employer, Hirut eventually comes into her own as a resistance fighter, and her coming of age and developing political consciousness provide a captivating arc for readers to follow. Mengiste’s fierce novel is a study of loyalty and identity in the years leading up to World War II.

Set in the 19th century, Esi Edugyan’s Washington Black tells the story of Wash, an 11-year-old boy who is enslaved in Barbados and selected to be the manservant of Christopher Wilde, the brother of his enslaver. Christopher takes Wash under his wing, using him as an assistant in his experimental launch of a hot air balloon. When the two are forced to leave Barbados, new possibilities open up for Wash. Complicated examinations of colonization, slavery and power dynamics add richness to Edugyan’s tense, gripping tale of adventure. Expect a rousing good read with somber undertones as Wash struggles to find his place in the world.

In Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko, a young Korean woman named Sunja has an affair with a rich man who turns out to be married. When Sunja discovers she’s pregnant, she marries a good-natured minister and they move to Japan. Lee spins a hypnotic saga that opens in the early 1900s and unfolds over several decades, first following Sunja’s and her husband’s experiences as immigrants, then the stories of subsequent generations of their family. Book clubs will find plenty to discuss in Lee’s sweeping novel, including gender roles and the pressures of family.

The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell begins in 1904 Northern Rhodesia (what is now the nation of Zambia) and spans a century. When British photographer Percy Clark makes his home in a colonial settlement known as the Old Drift, his adventures lead to unforeseen involvement with three Zambian families. Serpell draws upon elements of magical realism and Zambian history and mythology to create a singularly innovative and slyly funny narrative that unfurls the history of an evolving nation.

Four dazzling works of historical fiction, all set outside of Europe and America, are perfect for book clubs.

When Benito Mussolini invades Ethiopia at the beginning of Maaza Mengiste’s powerful novel, The Shadow King, a young maid named Hirut wants to fight alongside the men,…

Mystery

Whodunit: September 2020

Feature by Bruce Tierney

The latest from Louise Penny heads up our list of September's most thrilling suspense releases.

★All the Devils Are Here

Louise Penny’s latest novel featuring Québec homicide inspector Armand Gamache, All the Devils Are Here, takes place in Paris, the City of Light, where he’s awaiting the birth of his granddaughter. On the agenda are reunions with his son, Daniel; daughter, Annie; Annie’s husband, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, once Gamache’s second-in-command; and Stephen Horowitz, Gamache’s nonagenarian godfather, a billionaire activist who has made a lot of enemies over the years. One of those enemies turns up early in the story, deliberately running the elderly man down at a Paris crosswalk as Stephen’s friends watch in horror. Gamache and Beauvoir investigate the attempted murder, which local authorities are writing off as a simple hit-and-run, and there is much more afoot than meets the eye (please pardon my mixed metaphor). Beauvoir’s new corporate job seems to have been offered to him as a result of intervention by Stephen, and Daniel has a potentially shaky investment linked to a man who now lies dead on the floor of Stephen’s Paris pied-à-terre. Being Gamache and Beauvoir, they persist and prevail, in a sense, but not without taking some very serious hits along the way. Penny’s books are always a cause for celebration, and this one is superb in every regard.

The Red Horse

During World War II, soldiers who experienced “shell shock” (the condition we now call PTSD) were often remanded to mental hospitals for treatment. James R. Benn’s new Billy Boyle novel, The Red Horse, proves that rehabilitation was not always the featured item on the menu at such institutions. After a particularly harrowing set of adventures (chronicled in 2019’s When Hell Struck Twelve), Billy and his friend Kaz have been sidelined in the Saint Albans Convalescent Hospital: Billy with uncontrollable shaking and daytime nightmares, and Kaz with a faulty heart valve. The pair jumps into the fray once again when Billy witnesses what appears to be a murder—two men in the clock tower engaging in some sort of argument or struggle, culminating in the death plunge of one and the disappearance of the other. A couple of additional homicides erase any lingering doubts Billy may have had about whether the first was an accident or deliberate. But there are forces at play in Saint Albans that seek to interfere with his mission, particularly when he happens upon clues that involve an enigmatic logo of a red horse. As is always the case with Benn’s books, the painstaking research is evident, the story crackles with life, and the overlay of fictional characters onto very real historical events is seamless. If you are new to the series, welcome; there are 14 more to keep you busy after you finish this one.

The Killings at Kingfisher Hill

Author Sophie Hannah made a name for herself with clever, dark and intricately plotted standalone thrillers. Then in 2014, she was authorized to pen a series of novels featuring Hercule Poirot, the Belgian detective made famous by Dame Agatha Christie. It is no small undertaking to follow in the footsteps of Christie, but Hannah nails it in her latest, The Killings at Kingfisher Hill. The tone is pitch-perfect, the mystery aspect is as convoluted as anything ever crafted by Hannah’s predecessor, there are more red herrings than you would find at a Swedish breakfast buffet, and the diminutive mustachioed Belgian detective has never been cannier. This time around, Poirot is summoned to an English estate to look into the murder of Frank Devonport, a country gentleman. The alleged killer (Helen, fiancée of Frank’s brother, Richard) has confessed, but there is considerable doubt in the mind of her betrothed regarding her guilt. She will be hanged soon if no exculpatory evidence is unearthed. Who better to have on the case than Poirot, right? I am rarely a fan of series reboots, but Hannah’s work is first-rate. Poirot lives.

One by One

Speaking of Christie, the legendary writer was known for her “locked-room” mysteries, a subgenre of suspense fiction in which the perpetrator could not have entered or exited the crime scene without detection, and yet somehow a crime was committed. Ruth Ware’s latest work, One by One, updates this device. There’s no stodgy English manor house here but rather a gorgeous, luxurious and very isolated chalet in the French Alps playing host to a millennial corporate retreat. The merrymakers are the founders and employees of emerging social media platform Snoop, an application that allows you to track the digital music listening preferences of your favorite celebrities and your circle of friends, with the caveat that they can track yours as well. When one of the group’s members goes missing after an afternoon of skiing, a snowstorm and avalanche do double duty in isolating the already remote chalet—and then the guests start dying, one by one. Read this back to back with Christie’s And Then There Were None, and you will witness the evolution of a literary form over the space of eight decades as Ware proves she’s more than deserving of all those comparisons to the Queen of Crime.

The latest from Louise Penny heads up our list of September's most thrilling suspense releases.

★All the Devils Are Here

Louise Penny’s latest novel featuring Québec homicide inspector Armand Gamache, All the Devils Are Here, takes place in Paris, the City of Light, where he’s…

NonfictionNatureBiography

Book Clubs: October 2020

Feature by Julie Hale

For the spookiest month of the year, reading groups will love this quartet of slightly unsettling titles.

Sorcery abounds in Pam Grossman’s Waking the Witch: Reflections on Women, Magic, and Power. Grossman goes deep into the subject of witchery, digging into imagery, symbolism and—through evaluations of Salem, Massachusetts, and other storied locales—the significance of witches in history. She also looks at depictions of witches in books, movies and television shows. Grossman, a popular podcaster and active witch, writes with authority and wit, spinning a magical narrative that book clubs will find both instructive and playful. This book is a provocative study of an endlessly fascinating figure and a treat for mere mortals in search of a rewarding seasonal read.

The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini by Joe Posnanski unpacks America’s fascination with the extraordinary escape artist and magician. Posnanski gives a captivating account of the elusive Houdini (1874–1926), whose real name was Ehrich Weiss and who grew up in an immigrant family in Wisconsin. There are many rich ideas at play in this book, including the power of the media and the ways pop culture icons come into being. A whimsical selection for reading groups, it’s a captivating look at one of magic’s greatest practitioners and how his influence still lingers today.

A strong stomach is not required for readers to enjoy Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History, zoologist Bill Schutt’s intriguing study of a dark subject. Schutt traces cannibalism across species and eras, investigating myths and misconceptions while documenting cannibalism’s place in the evolutionary process. His narrative is lively and well organized, and it brims with concepts that are ripe for discussion, such as cultural taboos, the survival instinct and genetics.

In Witches of America, Alex Mar travels across the country to investigate the world of modern covens, mystics and pagans. Mar is an admitted disbeliever, but as she meets with members of the occult in New England and the Midwest, she finds her perspective shifting. She gives readers inside access to these arcane groups and reveals how they find a foothold in contemporary society. Book clubs will appreciate Mar’s evenhanded consideration of topics such as faith and the supernatural. Written with intelligence and an eye for eerie detail, her book is a can’t-miss Halloween pick.

For the spookiest month of the year, reading groups will love this quartet of slightly unsettling titles. Sorcery abounds in Pam Grossman’s Waking the Witch: Reflections on Women, Magic, and Power. Grossman goes deep into the subject of witchery, digging into imagery, symbolism and—through evaluations…
Mystery

Whodunit: October 2020

Feature by Bruce Tierney

Get lost in a sensational German thriller, an Agatha Christie-esque historical mystery and more in October's best mysteries.

The Orphan’s Guilt

John Rust, by all accounts an amiable lush, has just been stopped (yet again) for erratic driving. This could be the ticket that costs him his driver’s license, so he hires a shrewd defense attorney. The defense is centered on extenuating circumstances, in that the defendant’s brother, who never recovered from a brain injury suffered in childhood, has just died. Rust was his brother’s only caregiver and, save for his battle with the bottle, is considered to be a saint by all who know him. The defense of a DUI might not seem like the sort of storyline that would engage a reader for several hundred pages. No worries on that count, though, because Archer Mayor’s The Orphan’s Guilt, the 31st installment in the popular series featuring Vermont homicide investigator Joe Gunther, explodes into an investigation of a decades-old corporate scam in which millions of dollars disappeared; the unearthing of a cold case of child abuse with modern-day ramifications; and a murder or two for good measure. All avid mystery readers know the old adage “follow the money.” You’ll need to be on your toes to follow the money this time, and what it leads to is downright lethal.

A Pretty Deceit

Anna Lee Huber’s fourth mystery featuring intrepid English intelligence agent Verity Kent, A Pretty Deceit, opens near a World War I battlefield in Bailleul, France. Still numb from the news of her husband’s death in combat, Verity delivers a message to a field commander and, moments later, the command post is hit by a mortar shell and blown to bits. In the next scene, she is blithely motoring in the Wiltshire countryside a year and a half later, riding shotgun in a new Pierce Arrow roadster expertly driven by her husband. Wait a minute. Um, didn’t he die? Turns out not; communications were not always accurate in those times, and thanks to that, Verity has a new lease on life. Her contentment will not last long, though. While visiting a titled auntie who has fallen on postwar hard times, Verity finds herself on hand for the immediate aftermath of what may be a homicide on the estate grounds. Combine that with priceless heirlooms gone missing, a disappeared staff and a ghost sighting or two, and you have the makings of a historical mystery to delight fans of Agatha Christie or Daphne du Maurier. 

Back Bay Blues

The first time readers met Andy Roark, in Peter Colt’s 1982-set noir thriller The Off-Islander, he was a cop. Not anymore. He is also no longer a soldier deployed to Vietnam, although he carries strong influences from both professions into his new gig as a private investigator. Three years have gone by since the events chronicled in The Off-Islander, and now Andy returns for his sophomore appearance in Back Bay Blues. Despite the passage of time, his connection to Vietnam has only grown stronger. He has befriended Vietnamese refugees in Boston who fled their country by sea after the fall of the South Vietnamese government. So it is natural for him to enter into the investigation of the murder of a Vietnamese journalist, Hieu, whose death has been dismissed by police as a mugging gone wrong. But Hieu’s associates strongly suspect that he was on the verge of exposing the criminal leanings of the powerful anti-Communist group known simply as the Committee, a move that is not (and in Hieu’s case, was not) conducive to long life. As Andy becomes more and more drawn into the case, he demonstrates to both himself and the reader that although you can take the man out of Vietnam, you cannot take Vietnam out of the man.

★ Dear Child

Fourteen years ago, Munich college student Lena Beck disappeared. Now she has apparently been found, having escaped the newly deceased madman who kept her under lock and key in a remote cabin along the Czech border. When her overjoyed father meets her at the hospital, however, he is shocked to discover that this woman is not his Lena. The woman’s young daughter who escaped the woods with her, however, is a dead ringer for Lena, and a hastily administered DNA test confirms that the child is indeed Lena’s daughter. So what happened to Lena? The investigation in Romy Hausmann’s debut thriller, Dear Child, which is already a sensation in her native Germany, moves along in fits and starts, jumping between the perspectives of the young girl, Hannah; the grieving father, Matthias; and the mysterious woman called Lena, who is not the Lena of happy endings, at least not for the Beck family. And the one person who could tie up these disparate and conflicting narratives is, well, dead on the cabin’s living room floor, his head bashed in by a snow globe. I didn’t even try to figure out whodunit. I just kept turning pages, wondering what the hell was going to happen until I had finished the book in one sitting, in the small-numbered hours of the late night.

Get lost in a sensational German thriller, an Agatha Christie-esque historical mystery and more in October's best mysteries.

The Orphan’s Guilt

John Rust, by all accounts an amiable lush, has just been stopped (yet again) for erratic driving. This could be the ticket that…

NonfictionFictionChildren's & YASatireMiddle GradeMemoir

The Hold List: Books that legitimately made us laugh out loud

Feature by the editors of BookPage

They say it’s harder to make people laugh than it is to make them cry. Maybe this is why finding a book that makes you laugh—and we’re talking full-on guffaw here—is so difficult. We’ve done the hard work for you, so sit back and get ready to chuckle.

Priestdaddy

Usually when a poet pens a memoir, I buckle up for lyrical vignettes, a loose, dreamy structure and descriptions of open fields. But Patricia Lockwood isn’t your average poet, and Priestdaddy isn’t your average memoir. It’s as dense with bizarre observations about her father’s underwear as it is with beautiful turns of phrase about her father’s underwear. When Lockwood’s husband needed unexpected eye surgery, the pair returned to the Midwest to live with Lockwood’s parents in their rectory. Her father, you see, is a Catholic priest, despite his wife and five children. The rest of the book zigzags between this weird family reunion and Lockwood’s even weirder Catholic upbringing, filtered through the mind of someone who is herself breathtakingly weird. The resulting memoir is at once brilliant, irreverent, extraordinarily observed and precisely rendered.

—Christy, Associate Editor

The Wednesday Wars

I’ve never laughed harder at a book than I did at The Wednesday Wars, Gary D. Schmidt’s 2008 Newbery Honor-winning tale of seventh grader Holling Hoodhood, set in the late 1960s. In one chapter, Holling’s teacher, Mrs. Baker, assigns The Tempest. Holling is so impressed by Caliban’s “cuss words” that he decides to memorize them. He employs them in situations ranging from the cafeteria, where he deems his bologna sandwich “strange stuff,” to chorus, where he retorts, “Blind mole, a wicked dew from unwholesome fen drop you” after getting teased for singing soprano, to an encounter with his older sister. “A southwest blow on ye and blister you all o’er,” he tells her. Holling doesn’t mind that he doesn’t know exactly what he’s saying: “It’s all in the delivery anyway.”

—Stephanie, Associate Editor

The Sellout

There’s dark humor, and then there’s black hole-dark humor, and from that deep, crushing vacuum comes the biggest joke of all, a “post-racial” America. Paul Beatty’s Booker Prize winner is perhaps the greatest satirical novel of our lifetime, if not the greatest ever. The absurdity is beyond anything you’ve ever read; the wordplay is the cleverest, and Beatty’s irreverence the farthest star from political correctness. After the death of his father, our farmer hero, whose name is Me, finds himself as a crisis interventionist for the Black residents of Dickens, a town on the outskirts of Los Angeles that has been erased from the map. Despite Me’s protestations, an old Dickens resident (and former “Little Rascals” star) begs to be Me’s slave, punishments and all, and all he wants for his birthday is resegregation. Laugh to keep from crying, or cry to keep from laughing.

—Cat, Deputy Editor

China Rich Girlfriend

Kevin Kwan’s frothy novels of Asia’s ultrarich would just be compendiums of designer labels and other assorted decadences if not for his willingness to lovingly mock the society he invites the reader into. This is perfectly encapsulated by Colette Bing, a bundle of nervous energy swaddled in haute couture who darts through the second book of Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians series, China Rich Girlfriend. Colette is on a relentless quest to perfect every aspect of her existence. She named her dogs after Kate and Pippa Middleton and has the uniquely chaotic attitude of a person who has never encountered a problem she couldn’t buy her way out of. Kwan revels in her precisely orchestrated decadence and lampoons her absurdity in equal measure, creating a character you’ll love as much as laugh at.

—Savanna, Associate Editor

When in French

Think David Sedaris meets Jhumpa Lahiri, and you’ve got the gist of this smart, hilarious and tender memoir from New Yorker writer Lauren Collins. How did a woman from Wilmington, North Carolina, end up married to a Frenchman “who used Chanel deodorant and believed it to be a consensus view that Napoleon had lost at Waterloo because of the rain”? The story of their romance and Collins’ journey to fluency in French sits companionably alongside a thoughtful inquiry into the history of language. Pairing these two elements gives Collins’ experience universal resonance and intellectual weight, but there’s also a laugh on nearly every page as she recounts various linguistic misadventures, like informing her mother-in-law that she has given birth to a Nespresso machine. Lovers of language, romance and fish-out-of-water comedies shouldn’t miss it.

—Trisha, Publisher

They say it’s harder to make people laugh than it is to make them cry. Maybe this is why finding a book that makes you laugh—and we’re talking full-on guffaw here—is so difficult. We’ve done the hard work for you, so sit back and get…

NonfictionFood & DrinkBlack HistoryBiographyAmerican History

Fall’s biggest biographies

Feature by BookPage contributors

Big names, big personalities and big legacies. The subjects of this fall’s most captivating biographies need no introduction.

Mad at the World
By William Souder

John Steinbeck just might be the novelist for our time. In his sprawling epic The Grapes of Wrath, he captured Americans’ peculiar yearning for a life not their own, the promise of wealth beyond the veil of desolation and the wretched impossibility of such a promise. Steinbeck’s other epic, East of Eden, illustrates the ragged desperation of human nature, wreaking destruction rather than carrying hope. William Souder’s bracing Mad at the World: A Life of John Steinbeck vividly portrays the brooding and moody writer who could never stop writing and who never fit comfortably into the society in which he lived.

Souder, whose biography of John James Audubon was a Pulitzer finalist, traces Steinbeck’s love of stories to his childhood. As a teenager, Steinbeck immersed himself in Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, which he translated later in life, and in adventure tales and classics such as Treasure Island, Madame Bovary and Crime and Punishment. This early reading gave him glimpses into the shadowy corners of the human heart and provided him with models for telling tales of people engaged in heroic struggles against the injustices of their eras.

Steinbeck was a born storyteller who was a bit out of step with his times; many of his social realist novels appeared during the innovations of modernism. But Steinbeck remains widely read and relevant today, as vibrantly illuminated by Mad at the World.

—Henry L. Carrigan Jr.

★ Eleanor
By David Michaelis

Fueled by 11 years of research, the new biography of Eleanor Roosevelt by David Michaelis (N. C. Wyeth) is both compelling and comprehensive, making use of previously untapped archival sources and interviews. Michaelis, who actually met Roosevelt when he was just 4 years old, trains his careful attention on virtually all aspects of her incredible life and times to craft a fast-moving, engrossing narrative.

Eleanor follows its subject from birth to her death in 1962. Roosevelt’s life journey took her from a shy, often ignored child, whose mother shamed her with the nickname “Granny,” to a dynamic first lady and then a “world maker” when, as one of the country’s first delegates to the United Nations, she spearheaded the adoption of the first Universal Declaration of Human Rights in history. Of course, Eleanor Roosevelt’s life was also entwined with that of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Eleanor was so intrinsically linked with the New Deal and World War II, it’s sometimes easy to forget that she was born in 1884 and was almost 36 years old when the 19th Amendment passed in 1920.

Michaelis never neglects the politics and history that marked the life of this remarkable, fascinating woman. At the same time, his impeccable storytelling and seamless integration of dialogue and quotations allow him to create an intimate, lively and emotional portrait that unfolds like a good novel. As America faces another challenging period in its history, there may be no better time for readers to turn to the life of one of our nation’s truly great leaders for inspiration.

—Deborah Hopkinson

His Truth Is Marching On
By Jon Meacham

It’s been only a few months since the death of civil rights giant John Lewis, and though eloquent tributes from leaders like Barack Obama have attempted to sum up his legacy, it will ultimately fall to future generations to fully assess his contributions to the cause of racial equality in America. One of our most prominent contemporary historians, Pulitzer Prize winner Jon Meacham, offers an appreciative early assessment in His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope.

Meacham frankly admits that his book makes no attempt at a full-scale biography of Lewis. Instead, he focuses on the tumultuous period from 1957 to 1966, when Lewis rose from obscurity in a family of sharecroppers in Troy, Alabama, to national prominence in the civil rights movement. This “quietly charismatic, forever courtly, implacably serene” man was motivated by a fierce commitment to nonviolence and above all by his unswerving attachment to the vision he shared with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. of a “beloved community”—in Lewis’ words, “nothing less than the Christian concept of the kingdom of God on earth.”

Meacham makes a persuasive case for his claim that “John Robert Lewis embodied the traits of a saint in the classical Christian sense of the term.” At a moment when events have once again forced Americans to confront the evils of racism, His Truth Is Marching On will inspire both courage and hope.

—Harvey Freedenberg

★ The Man Who Ate Too Much
By John Birdsall

American cookery rests squarely on the shoulders of the late, great James Beard. His life and experiences are extremely well known and have been written about extensively. Yet in his new book, The Man Who Ate Too Much: The Life of James Beard, John Birdsall—a gastronomic expert in his own right, having twice won a James Beard Award—gives foodies a fresh, intimate look at Beard. He writes with candor, wit and vibrancy, as if Beard himself is speaking through Birdsall’s pen, retelling his colorful life and inviting us into his world. And Birdsall doesn’t mince words, delivering a raw, revealing look into how and why Beard had to tread cautiously as he navigated the world as a closeted gay man during the often unforgiving 20th century.

Birdsall’s strength as a food writer shines, with mouthwateringly descriptive prose about cuisine peppered throughout the book. He also provides touchstones to what was going on globally, including both World Wars, the World’s Fair of 1939, the Vietnam War, Watergate and the civil rights movement, giving context for the major events that affected Beard’s life.

The Man Who Ate Too Much is meticulously researched. Additionally, Birdsall’s insightful style allows readers to feel Beard’s successes and failures, highs and lows, and revelations and discoveries as they become deeply familiar with the family, friends, colleagues and rivals who impacted his life.

—Becky Libourel Diamond

★ The Dead Are Arising
By Les Payne and Tamara Payne

Pulitzer Prize winner Les Payne’s monumental and absorbing The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X peers into the gaps left by Malcolm X’s autobiography, taking us more deeply into the intimate details of his life, work and death.

In 1990, investigative reporter Payne began conducting hundreds of interviews with Malcolm X’s family members, childhood friends, classmates and bodyguards, as well as with FBI agents, photographers, U.N. representatives, African revolutionaries and presidents and the two men falsely imprisoned for killing Malcolm X. Drawing on these conversations, Payne traces Malcolm X’s story from his childhood in Omaha, Nebraska, through his teenage years in Lansing, Michigan, where Malcolm learned to resist the racial provocations of his white classmates. Payne chronicles Malcolm X’s time in prison, where fellow inmate John E. Bembry challenged Malcolm X by telling the young prisoner, “If I had some brains, I’d use them.” This encouraged Malcolm X to read all he could and to not only engage others with words but also support those words with facts from experts. In vivid detail, Payne retells the events leading up to Malcolm X’s assassination, offering fresh information about those involved.

The Dead Are Arising is essential reading. Completed after the author’s death in 2018 by Tamara Payne, Les’ daughter and the book’s primary researcher, it captures the vibrant voice of a revolutionary whose words resonate powerfully in our own times.

—Henry L. Carrigan Jr.

★ Red Comet
By Heather Clark

In Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath, biographer and Plath scholar Heather Clark lifts the poet’s life from the Persephone myth it has become and examines it in all its complexity. Clark admirably identifies and resists the morbid tendency to look at every moment, every work, as a signpost on the way to Plath’s tragic suicide. She also liberates the supporting cast of Plath’s life from the damning and one-dimensional roles they often occupy as part of the death-myth of Plath’s life. Her husband, Ted Hughes; his lover, Assia Wevill; Plath’s mother, Aurelia Plath—they are not villains but people who created art of their own, who loved and fought with Plath, who were not always good or right.

Clark’s detailed, multidimensional treatment infuses Plath’s life and work with dignity, character and a sense of interiority. We get the full scope of Plath’s incredible talent here, rightfully established as complicated, radiant and worthy of deep consideration. Plath was a genius. She was a woman living in a time of great social restriction for women. She had complicated and human relationships. She was mentally ill, and this mental illness both illumined her work and colored her perspective on the world. All of these things are held alongside one another without conflict in Clark’s book. Red Comet allows Plath to emerge from the shadows, shining in all her intricacy and artistry.

—Anna Spydell

Big names, big personalities and big legacies. The subjects of this fall's most captivating biographies need no introduction.
Mad at the World By William Souder John Steinbeck just might be the novelist for our time.…
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Surprises for the seasoned reader

Feature by Julie Hale

There’s always room for more books on a literature lover’s bookshelf, no matter how overflowing it seems to be. We’ve gathered five top-of-the-list titles that are sure to please ardent readers and literary trivia enthusiasts.

Cult Writers

Cult Writers: 50 Nonconformist Novelists You Need to Know celebrates a group of edgy, intrepid, slightly out-there authors—visionaries whose books may challenge and discomfit readers but never fail to thrill. This arresting little title is the latest entry in White Lion’s Cult Figures series, which recognizes maverick artists in various media. Octavia Butler, Angela Carter, Ralph Ellison and Ursula K. Le Guin are among the individualists found in this volume.

In crisply written biographical profiles, critic Ian Haydn Smith looks at the attitudes and aesthetic approaches of these authors and provides helpful context. Readers will discover unabashed courters of controversy (Pauline Réage, Michel Houellebecq), quiet outsiders (Joan Didion, Denis Johnson) and brash iconoclasts (Virginia Woolf, William S. Burroughs). Illustrator Kristelle Rodeia captures the essence of each novelist in exceptional, impressionistic portraits. Vibrantly designed and discerningly assembled, Cult Writers is a standout gift selection.

I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf

Among the literary-minded, books can induce fever, compulsion and fanaticism. Illustrator Grant Snider understands this all too well. He explores the singular world of the book-obsessed through concise cartoons that have appeared in the New York Times and other publications. I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf provides a sensational sampling of his work.

Snider dissects the peculiar habits and preoccupations of the literature addict with amazing economy. He classifies types of readers (“nocturnal,” “reclusive,” “indecisive”), offers ideas on arranging bookshelves (try organizing titles in rhyming couplets!) and reflects on a host of writerly topics, from lost pens to proofreader’s marks. His colorful panels convey just the right amount of information, seasoned with sly allusions and inside jokes aimed at the avid reader. Anyone with the book bug will savor Snider’s brand of humor.

Warriors, Witches, Women

In the rousing anthology Warriors, Witches, Women: Mythology’s Fiercest Females, Kate Hodges provides a fresh appraisal of 50 women from myth and folklore, demonstrating that they’re as vital and inspiring today as they were centuries ago. Hodges presents backstories and biographical information for each fierce female. Drawing on cultures from across the globe, she includes characters that many readers will recognize, as well as a host of less familiar figures.

Morgan le Fay, Baba Yaga, Circe, Artemis and Mami Wata are among the enchantresses highlighted in the book. As Hodges shows, these legendary women often wrestled with enduring concerns such as mortality and motherhood and now serve as symbols of strength for a new generation of readers. In her vibrant illustrations of these characters, Harriet Lee-Merrion contrasts delicate lines with rich colors and standout details. This exhilarating anthology brings a contemporary perspective to stories of iconic heroines.

The Call Me Ishmael Phonebook

The Call Me Ishmael Phonebook: An Interactive Guide to Life-Changing Books began as a lark. Stephanie Kent and Logan Smalley set up a phone number that book lovers could call in order to leave voicemails about their favorite titles. They received a flood of messages and had special rotary phones installed in schools, bookstores and libraries so that readers could record their impressions of significant books.

Those messages are compiled in The Call Me Ishmael Phonebook, which has been cleverly designed to resemble the print Yellow Pages of yesteryear and is packed with neat retro graphics, fun lists of phoned-in favorites, hidden literary references and other book-inspired surprises. From A Little Princess to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the books that callers rave about run the gamut. An unbeatable gift for your favorite bookworm, this whimsical volume is a testament to the power of literature.

Ex Libris

In Ex Libris: 100+ Books to Read and Reread, Michiko Kakutani, former chief book critic at the New York Times, offers a survey of important works and reveals why she finds them significant in brief, perfectly polished essays. From time-tested tales such as The Odyssey to contemporary masterworks like Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Ian McEwan’s Atonement and Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Quartet, her selections are drawn from a variety of eras and genres.

Kakutani also gives consideration to children’s books—Madeleine L’Engle and Maurice Sendak both get their due—and offers a witty appreciation of Dr. Seuss. The stunning book-jacket illustrations by Dana Tanamachi that appear throughout Ex Libris will delight die-hard bibliophiles. “In these pages, I’m writing less as a critic than as an enthusiast,” Kakutani explains in the volume’s introduction. Her mood shines through in this stirring tribute to the reading life.

We’ve gathered five top-of-the-list titles that are sure to please ardent readers and literary trivia enthusiasts.
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The Hold List: Books to spark and nourish the creative spirit

Feature by the editors of BookPage

Creativity is all about letting what’s inside of us out. Whether you’re searching for inspiration, looking for a step-by-step guide to a new hobby or eager for a glimpse into the creative life, these books will light the fire within.

Cross Stitch for the Soul

While visiting my parents in Texas for Christmas in 2017, I asked my mom, a devoted quilter, if she could teach me to cross-stitch. We went to a craft store the very next day, and by the time I left for home, I was hooked. I still consider myself a novice, so trust me when I say that the exquisite designs in Cross Stitch for the Soul aren’t beyond the reach of beginners. Designer Emma Congdon applies her colorful typographic sensibility to 20 quotations and aphorisms and creates bold postmodern patterns, each paired with a short personal reflection. She also includes no-nonsense guides to the materials and techniques you’ll need to get started. Stitching, Congdon writes, is “a chance to embrace slowness and create something beautiful at the same time.” I’m grateful to have had the creative outlet of stitching my way through her book this year.

—Stephanie, Associate Editor

Loitering With Intent

Many novels about aspiring authors are, to be blunt, extremely obnoxious. They either portray the writing process with toothache-inducing twinkle or with such overblown and tortured sturm und drang as to make the entire thing ridiculous. Between these two poles lies Muriel Spark’s Loitering With Intent, which trots happily alongside aspiring would-be novelist Fleur Talbot as she breezes through bedraggled postwar London. Fleur is young, highly educated and underemployed, but where others would succumb to ennui, Fleur finds inspiration. Her terrible landlord, her drifting friends and romantic prospects and, most of all, her bizarre boss are prime material for mockery and fictional examination. Nothing about her life is particularly glamorous, which somehow makes it all even more wildly appealing and quietly galvanizing.

—Savanna, Associate Editor

Walking on Water

If you’re looking to spark your creative side, Madeleine L’Engle’s book about spirituality and the creative process is both flint and tinder. Though it uses Christian language (L’Engle was devoutly Anglican), Walking on Water offers artistic nourishment for anyone who feels there’s something mystical taking place when humans make art—the mystery of how ideas come to us, the miracle of making something where there was nothing before. Reading L’Engle’s flowing prose feels devotional, as she meditates on the relationship between faith and art, art and artist. By her estimation, the artist’s responsibility is merely to show up to the page, the canvas or the studio and be open to the work. The work already knows what it wants to be; all we have to do is follow its lead. In this way, the artist’s role shifts from director to humble servant, freeing us up to participate in the collaborative art of creation.

—Christy, Associate Editor

The New Way to Cake

This year I joined the hordes of people coping with anxiety by mixing it, beating it and throwing it in the oven. For me, baking has become a way to touch base with loved ones—outside, at a distance—and, almost as importantly, a way to stay creatively inspired. This cake cookbook from Benjamina Ebuehi (whom you may know from “The Great British Bake Off”) is all about exploring flavors, ingredients and textures in unexpected ways. Many of her recipes have me dreaming of the future: spiced sweet potato loaf, hot chocolate and halva pudding, date and rooibos loaf, cardamom tres leches cake and more. The lemon, ricotta and thyme mini-cakes are on permanent rotation, and I’ll never make carrot cake ever again without adding some breakfast tea. Each bake is a chance to learn something new, find out what an unknown ingredient is like and discover how to do it better next time.

—Cat, Deputy Editor

Susan Sontag: Essays of the 1960s & 70s

The 2019 Met Gala didn’t do camp any justice. A gaggle of elites trying to understand the intricacies of this strange, whimsical, dynamic aesthetic was sure to end in failure, but one can’t help imagining Susan Sontag smiling at their attempt. Sontag coined the term in her essay “Notes on ‘Camp,’” published in 1964 during a drastically different cultural moment. This collection of essays showcases the brilliant mind of one of the 20th century’s most important writers and invites you to think about everything from aesthetics to death to feminism. Whatever the topic, Sontag is cool, compassionate and clear, not to mention impossible to be bored by. Reading this book reminds me of my favorite quotation of hers: “My idea of a writer: someone interested in everything.” She certainly was, and her writing moves me to be, too.

—Eric, Editorial Intern

Creativity is all about letting what’s inside of us out. Whether you’re searching for inspiration, looking for a step-by-step guide to a new hobby or eager for a glimpse into the creative life, these books will light the fire within.

Cross Stitch for the Soul

…
Mystery

Whodunit: November 2020

Feature by Bruce Tierney

The globe-hopping mysteries and thrillers in this month's Whodunit column offer an international array of intrigue.

The Girl in the Mirror

Every time I read a mystery novel about twins, my mind goes right to the trope of one of them posing as the other for nefarious purposes. Let’s address that notion right here at the beginning: In Rose Carlyle’s The Girl in the Mirror, that’s gonna happen, but not how you think. When wealthy Aussie businessman Ridge Carmichael dies, his will features a strange stipulation. His $100 million fortune will go to the first of his six children to bring a grandchild into the world. He is amenable to a female child, as long as she retains the Carmichael name on her birth certificate. Two of Ridge’s kids are too young to be meaningful competition for the prize, and a third has no interest in the money. But the race is on between the other three, although good luck getting any of them to cop to it. Two of them, Iris and Summer, are twins. One of them is going to get pregnant. One of them is going to die. One of them is going to assume the other one’s identity, with some disastrous results. And one of them is going to surprise the hell out of you at the end of the book. Good luck figuring out which one. . . .

Murder in Old Bombay

Based on a true incident, at the time declared to be “the crime of the century,” Nev March’s Murder in Old Bombay is a tale of intrigue, duplicity and, as the title suggests, murder. In 1892, the mystery of the clock tower deaths (sounds like a Nancy Drew title, doesn’t it?) is the stuff of headline news worldwide. Two girls from a good family fall from the Rajabai Clock Tower at Bombay University. Initially, suicide is widely rumored, but then a young Indian man is arrested for murder, tried and speedily acquitted in what many people feel was a sham trial and a gross miscarriage of justice. The official government report ultimately lists the cause of death as accident or suicide. Enter Anglo-Indian army captain James Agnihotri, who offers his investigative services to the grieving family and has a nose for truth not unlike that of his hero, Sherlock Holmes. First-time author March deftly uses James’ biracial background to depict the societal structure of India during the British Raj and, by extrapolation, to indict other societies in which race and caste are sources of discrimination.

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Nev March explores the historical tragedy that inspired her debut mystery.

The Witch Hunter

Finnish author Max Seeck’s debut novel, The Witch Hunter, provides further proof that some of the best contemporary mysteries come from Europe’s frozen north. The book’s protagonist, author Roger Koponen, has made his mark with a trilogy of tales about modern-day witches. During a meet-and-greet at a local bookstore on the other side of the country from his Helsinki home, an audience member poses an unsettling question: “Are you afraid of what you write?” If Roger is not now, he is about to be, as the murders begin to pile up, each one mirroring a scene in the Witch trilogy. It falls to Helsinki cop Jessica Niemi to investigate the first murder, that of Roger’s wife, whose face was sewn into a demonic, deathly grin with well-concealed fine thread. Jessica has demons of her own to deal with as well, some of which are revealed in a flashback parallel narrative in which she embarks on a dangerous affair with an Italian violinist in Venice. (Trust me, I will not be the only one to equate violins and violence before said flashback reaches its flashpoint.) Atmospheric to the max, the gray skies and snowy city streets of Seeck’s Helsinki would be enough to give you the shivers on their own, but the killer (or killers) at play here are the stuff of nightmares.

★ The Dirty South

When haunted former NYPD detective Charlie Parker first hangs out his shingle as a private investigator, he has only one client: himself. He’s determined to find the killer of his beloved wife and daughter and bring that person to justice of one sort or another, and reports of a similar string of murders lead him to rural Burdon County, Arkansas. The Dirty South is a prequel to John Connolly’s supernatural noir series, and in it a raw, brash, 20-years-younger version of Parker moves through unfamiliar territory, his progress mired at every turn by forces of good and evil alike. Parker realizes “the fix is in” when a young woman’s death is ruled accidental, despite the presence of some rather graphic evidence to the contrary. A huge business is looking to put down roots locally, and any suggestion of a murder in the vicinity might be enough to cause them to pull out of negotiations. There are powerful locals who will go to whatever lengths necessary to prevent that from happening—if needed, much further than simply falsifying cause-of-death reports. Despite its mystical elements, the Charlie Parker series is still more James Lee Burke than Stephen King. No vampires or zombies populate these pages, but the ghosts of restless spirits, residing for a time in the minds of the living, hovering in the corners of Parker’s eyes, most certainly do.

The globe-hopping mysteries and thrillers in this month's Whodunit column offer an international array of intrigue.
NonfictionMemoir

Book Clubs: November 2020

Feature by Julie Hale

Four memoirs explore family tensions and long-held secrets that ripple across generations.

Acclaimed memoirist Dani Shapiro was very close to her father, Paul, who died when she was 23. After a DNA test revealed that Paul wasn’t her real father, Shapiro’s world was turned upside down. In Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love, Shapiro writes about searching for her biological father, who donated sperm to a clinic that her parents visited for fertility treatments. It’s an electrifying story, and Shapiro uses it as a springboard into explorations of identity and selfhood, family ties and the human need for closure. Honest, tender and moving, her memoir combines a stranger-than-fiction plotline with insights readers will savor.

Ariana Neumann provides a riveting account of her Jewish family’s experiences during World War II and the extraordinary life of her father, Hans Neumann, in When Time Stopped: A Memoir of My Father’s War and What Remains. Hans spied for the Allies in Berlin before going on to make his fortune in Venezuela as an industrialist, but the author didn’t learn about Hans’ past until after his death. Her book is at once a suspenseful tale of survival and a poignant tribute to her father.

In A Good American Family: The Red Scare and My Father, David Maraniss tells the story of his father, Elliott Maraniss, who led a unit of Black soldiers during World War II and was accused of being a communist in the 1950s. Maraniss was under FBI surveillance and was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee, losing his journalism job as a result. In crafting a moving narrative of his father’s life during an era of fear, the author explores themes of patriotism and loyalty, racism and activism. He blends history with personal narrative to create a richly rewarding memoir.

Megan Phelps-Roper came of age in the conservative Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. As a zealous member of the congregation, she opposed homosexuality, espoused anti-Semitic views and became known for engaging critics on Twitter. But after her viewpoints shifted, she broke away from the church, a journey she documents in Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving Extremism. Phelps-Roper writes with unflinching honesty about questioning long-held beliefs and the process of building a new life. Book clubs will encounter substantial topics for discussion in her courageous, hopeful narrative.

Four memoirs explore family tensions and long-held secrets that ripple across generations.
NonfictionDesignCrafts, Hobbies & HomeArts & CultureArt

Make some room on those studio shelves

Feature by Julie Hale

Four fresh art and design books inspire, enlighten and cultivate creativity. Perfect for accomplished artists, occasional dabblers or anyone in search of a new hobby, these terrific titles provide instant inspiration.

The 99% Invisible City

Roman Mars and Kurt Kohlstedt are the dynamic duo behind the architecture and design podcast “99% Invisible,” and their intriguing book, The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design, draws upon the podcast’s concepts by picking out smartly conceived, frequently overlooked components of the urban landscape and explaining how they contribute to a thriving civic environment.

From traffic lights, public signage and historical plaques to manhole covers and city monuments, the book examines design elements big and small, revealing the ways in which they bring clarity to the chaos of modern life. The volume is organized into brief, easy-to-process sections, and it touches down in boroughs around the globe. Filled with nifty line illustrations in bold black and white, this eye-opening book will give readers a fresh appreciation for the beauty and functionality that are inherent—but not immediately apparent—in the urban world.

Open StudioOpen Studio

Open Studio: Do-It-Yourself Art Projects by Contemporary Artists gives readers the chance to craft along with major makers. The authors, curator Sharon Coplan Hurowitz and journalist-filmmaker Amanda Benchley, recruited a group of A-list participants for the volume (Marina Abramovic, William Wegman, Maya Lin—the list goes on), which is packed with brilliant photography, including candid shots of the artists at work.

The book’s 17 wide-ranging projects offer something for everyone. Sculptor Rachel Feinstein’s “Rococo Hut” is a small-scale architectural wonder that you can recreate with cutouts, while multimedia artist Wangechi Mutu’s “Earth Androids,” composed of paper pulp, soil, ink and paint, are simply out of this world. Painter Will Cotton’s foil-paper “The Royal Crown of Candyland” will bring out the kid in any crafter. The step-by-step instructions and how-to photos that accompany each project make staying on track a snap. Open Studio shows that getting creative is easy—especially when you can take cues from world-class artists.

Life in the StudioLife in the Studio

Stimulation, motivation and encouragement—that’s what artistic minds will find in Life in the Studio: Inspiration and Lessons on Creativity, Frances Palmer’s guide to starting—and maintaining—a creative practice. In this beautifully photographed book, Palmer, a celebrated ceramics artist, art historian and successful businesswoman, delivers big-picture advice without neglecting the small details. She shares tips on how to establish a creative routine, identify sources of inspiration and stay engaged. She also provides guidance on hands-on matters such as setting up a studio, with an overview of must-have tools and more.

Throughout the volume, Palmer reflects on how her skills and methods have evolved over her 30-year career. Through pottery projects, flower-arranging tutorials and recipes, she proves that creativity can manifest itself in unexpected ways. Both the seasoned artist and the beginner will be enriched by this stunning guide.

Truth BombTruth Bomb

Abigail Crompton’s Truth Bomb: Inspiration From the Mouths and Minds of Women Artists is as provocative as the title suggests. With a design that combines audacious colors and not-to-be-ignored graphics, the volume spotlights 22 prominent female artists—women from diverse backgrounds working in a wide range of media, including photography, video, painting and performance art.

Crompton, an artist and design-studio entrepreneur, assembled a stellar lineup for the book: Judy Chicago, Mickalene Thomas, Miranda July, Yayoi Kusama and the Guerrilla Girls are among the featured makers. She provides profiles of each, delving into their creative processes and techniques. Along the way, these extraordinary women share bits of hard-won wisdom, words of encouragement and practical advice. The book is also filled with beautifully reproduced examples of their work. Truth Bomb is an invaluable resource for anyone with creative inclinations. From start to finish, it’s a spirited homage to the artistic life.

Four fresh art and design books inspire, enlighten and cultivate creativity.

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