海角大神

Here are the 10 books that impressed the Monitor's book critics this month:

听

1听 Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen

Kin Stewart is a time-traveling secret agent with a heart of gold who got lost on a mission and created a family. Intelligent, caring characters in an amusingly crafted debut novel that packs an emotional wallop as Kin races across time to save his daughter. Mike Chen鈥檚 science fiction adventure is convincing and truly wonderful.

2听 We Must Be Brave by Frances Liardet

The transforming power of lovingkindness reverberates throughout Frances Liardet鈥檚 enthralling novel, which deals with two generations touched by wartime in a small English village in the 1940s. Newlywed Ellen Parr rescues a spirited 4-year-old girl in an air raid who captures her heart and changes her life. With beautiful prose and historical authenticity, this story embraces a community with an indomitable spirit.

3听 The Gown by Jennifer Robson

The royal wedding of England鈥檚 then-Princess Elizabeth to Philip Mountbatten in postwar London brought a glimmer of light to a dark time. Jennifer Robson鈥檚 novel is a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Elizabeth鈥檚 gorgeous wedding gown and its talented embroiderers. It tells of three generations of women overcoming adversity, and honors the strengthening power of friendship and art. It鈥檚 a charming and romantic novel with style and substance.听

4听 Bowlaway by Elizabeth McCracken

A body is found in a cemetery. That might not sound unusual, but this body is alive. Bertha Truitt is found with a bag containing 鈥渙ne abandoned corset,鈥� one bowling ball, one candlepin, and, 鈥渦nder a false bottom, 15 pounds of gold.鈥� So begins National Book Award nominee Elizabeth McCracken鈥檚 first novel in 17 years, 鈥淏owlaway,鈥� which combines a love of New England history with an eye for the eccentric to create a tragicomic tale that spans 100 years of a family and its bowling alley. At times the quirkiness threatens to overwhelm the story, but its generous heart keeps 鈥淏owlaway鈥� spinning safely out of the gutter.

5听 On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

Lights up on Garden Heights! We鈥檙e back in the neighborhood of Angie Thomas鈥檚 debut novel, 鈥淭he Hate U Give,鈥� exploring some similar themes through a very different heroine. Brianna 鈥淏ri鈥� Jackson is a talented rapper looking to break out, dealing with a loving but complicated home life and the systemic problems of society. She鈥檚 an irrepressible, appealing 鈥� and believable 鈥� guide. (See full review)

6听 The Darkest Year: The American Home Front 1941-1942听by William K. Klingaman

The author uses contemporary sources to survey the nation鈥檚 psyche in the tense months following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Describing widespread fears of another attack, shifts in roles as men enlisted and women took over their jobs, and shortages of everything from sugar to gasoline, the historian vividly captures the bleak and anxious mood at a time when the Allied victory was in no way assured.

7听 Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
by Patrick Radden Keefe

Packed with true crime, terrorism, grinding poverty and rampant police and military corruption, Patrick Radden Keefe鈥檚 history of Troubles-era Ireland moves between questions about the abduction and murder of a mother of 10 in Belfast and the machinations of Irish Republican Army figures Gerry Adams, Brendan Hughes and Dolours Price. Keefe鈥檚 account of sectarian strife and suffering reveals the costs of colonialism and a society stripped of trust and faith in government. It鈥檚 a harsh, and necessary, reminder of how prejudice hurts everyone.

8听 Notes on a Shipwreck: A Story of Refugees, Borders, and Hope by Davide Enia听

Davide Enia, one of Italy鈥檚 most lauded playwrights, presents a haunting memoir about refugees and rescuers, survivors and strangers, fathers and sons. Especially rare 鈥� and searing 鈥� among the voices he captures are those of the rescuers, who face the terrible decision about whom to save and whom to abandon. Translator Antony Shugaar adroitly enables English-speakers access to this spectacular testimony.

9听 I鈥檓 Not Here to Give a Speech听
by Gabriel Garc铆a M谩rquez

From boyhood speeches to addresses given in the presence of presidents and kings, the words of the Nobel Prize-winning author are captured and translated in this brief read. Through meandering narratives and poignant conclusions, readers are invited to glimpse his passion and intellect as he ruminates on creativity, the power of poetry, and Latin America 鈥� one speech at a time.听鈥淚鈥檓 Not Here to Give a Speech鈥� is a welcome reminder of his immense contributions to literature, as well as his skill in using literary fame to highlight the distinct culture and creative strength of Latin America.

10听 Midnight at Chernobyl听
by Adam Higginbotham

Journalist Adam Higginbotham sifts through archives and dozens of firsthand accounts to produce the most complete and compelling history yet written in English of the worst nuclear power plant meltdown in history. (See full review)听