海角大神

There鈥檚 something for everyone in this month鈥檚 book recommendations, whether you鈥檙e hungry for tales of political movers and shakers or would rather wander through dreamy European cityscapes.聽

1.聽The Parisian,聽by Isabella Hammad

Isabella Hammad鈥檚 first novel is not a page turner. That鈥檚 not an insult. With historical sweep and sentences of startling beauty, she has written the story of a displaced dreamer, a young Palestinian whose merchant father sends him to France to study in 1914. Patient readers will be rewarded with a new voice worth listening to.

2.聽The Guest Book,聽by Sarah Blake

The Milton family is forced to address the lies buried under three generations of family lore. Sarah Blake spins a fascinating epic that touches on privilege and ambition, racism and grief, revealing as much about America鈥檚 identity as it does the Miltons鈥�.

3.聽The Flatshare,聽by Beth O鈥橪eary

This quirky romantic comedy has surprising depth. London book editor Tiffy is mending from an emotionally abusive relationship; devoted night nurse Leon is struggling with his own issues. They become flatmates who correspond only through sticky notes, until they bumble into each other. Colorful storylines, generous-hearted characters, and British banter make this a refreshing novel.

4.聽The Satapur Moonstone,聽by Sujata Massey

Perveen Mistry, a rare woman lawyer in 1920s India, travels to a remote princely state to resolve a dispute between a grandmother and mother about the young maharajah鈥檚 schooling. The death of the first in line to the throne was thought to be a curse, but the dauntless Perveen unravels a nasty plot. There鈥檚 a romance brewing, too.

5.聽Walking on the Ceiling,聽by Ayseg眉l Savas

Ayseg眉l Savas鈥� debut novel is a kaleidoscope of exquisite memories. Nunu, a young woman from Istanbul, moves to Paris after her mother鈥檚 death. Longing for connection, she meets a kindred spirit in a famous older gentleman British author. Their intellectual repartee as they meander through the City of Lights, visiting cafes, is engrossing.聽

6.聽Stony the Road,聽by Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Reconstruction saw a brief flowering of African American empowerment after the Civil War. But as Henry Louis Gates Jr. recounts, the ideals of Reconstruction were soon extinguished by Jim Crow, a system of oppression designed to preserve the South鈥檚 status quo. Gates explores how the propaganda of Jim Crow informs public discourse today.

7.聽A Good American Family,聽by David Maraniss

David Maraniss鈥� insightful, bighearted book centers around his father鈥檚 1952 appearance before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. The author, contrasting his father鈥檚 story with that of committee chairman John Stephens Wood, a onetime Ku Klux Klan member, compels us to consider how 鈥淎merican鈥� was defined.聽

8.聽Our Man,聽by George Packer

George Packer鈥檚 biography of diplomat Richard Holbrooke, best known for brokering the Dayton Accords that ended the Balkan wars, is also an elegy for the vision of American power he represented.聽

9. Top Gun,聽by Dan Pedersen

During the Vietnam War, Navy carrier pilots were losing air battles. To remedy this, maverick Dan Pedersen envisioned a 鈥渢rain the trainer鈥� program using the best pilots to develop new tactics. He straps readers right into the cockpit of his Navy F-4 Phantom jet fighter as he chronicles the now-famous Navy Fighter Weapons School, aka 鈥淭op Gun.鈥� His bold, white-knuckle action and passion to be the best make this an exciting book from beginning to end.

10. The Impeachers,聽by Brenda Wineapple

The first president that Congress attempted to remove from office was Andrew Johnson in 1868. Brenda Wineapple鈥檚 history of Johnson and the Reconstruction era鈥檚 bitter partisanship serve as a corrective to anyone mistaking the end of the Civil War as a period of calm.聽