Book Lovers Recommendations September 2020 Part II

Recommendations by Sue Lipstein

 

 

All the Devils are Here
By Louise Penny

 

The is the 16th in the Inspector Gamache series.  This one takes place in Paris when a good friend of Gamache’s is killed in what was not an accident, but a deliberate attempt to kill him.  That sets the case in motion as Gamache starts to uncover more secrets

 

 

Anxious People
By Fredrik Backman

 

The anxious people referred to in the title are a group of people at an apartment open house who are taken hostage by a failed bank robber.  Each of them have their own issues and quirks, and are described as “the worst group of hostages in the world.”  A good excuse to get into the character development that Backman is so good at.

 

 

Caste: The Origins of our Discontent
By Isabel Wilkerson

 

Wilkerson writes about caste, which refers to the hierarchy of power in the US that we really don’t talk about, and possibly are not even aware of.  Caste is beyond race or class, but if we don’t recognize it, we can’t work to erase it.  

 

 

Monogamy
By Sue Miller

 

Annie is grieving the sudden death of her beloved second husband. They had had 30 happy years together-or so Annie thought.  She finds out after his death that he had been having an affair in the weeks before his death. 

She  has to grieve while at the same time, pull the pieces of her life together.

 

 

Once I was You
By Maria Hinojosa

 

This highly personal memoir serves as an immigration history as well.  Hinojosa was a baby when her father emigrated from Mexico to Chicago to join the faculty of the University of Chicago.  In 1986, she visited her first immigration detention center and has continued every since to advocate for immigrants.  She is the voice of people who came to America in search of the American dream and found a nightmare.

 

By Ruth Ware

 

Eight co-workers on a company retreat in the Alps find themselves trapped together, isolated in their chalet while cut off from the rest of the world.  There are enough work rivalries as it is, but soon they find that  they have a killer amongst them as well..

 

 

By Edward O. Wilson

 

Wilson is a two time Puliltzer Prize winner and scientist, who has always been fascinated by ants.  This is a personal account as well as a scientific one.  He has had experience with over 15,000 ant species-however, he writes in this book about only 25 of them.  It’s always fascinating to get a peek into the passions of others, especially when they are such good writers.

 

 

By Yaa Gyasi

 

This is a novel about a Ghanaian family in Alabama.  The daughter is studying neuroscience at Stanford, using mice to understand depression and addiction, two problems that have plagued her own family.  

 

 

By Geraldine Woods

 

Woods takes sentences from such great writers and speakers as Toni Morrison, Virginia Woolf and Yoda-and reveals the craft that goes into creating a memorable sentence.  For those who admire great writing, this is a different way to look at the craft of writing.  It can also help would-be writers hone their craft.

 

 

By Helen MacDonald

 

This is a book of essays that are connected through what the author calls “the eye of the beholder.”  Most of them are tied into the world of science.  The author also used her essays to discuss how important it is to treasure all the species on our planet, not just our own.