海角大神

Familiar authors predominate this month, providing a welcome opportunity to dive into their latest works.聽

1.听Lucy by the Sea,聽by Elizabeth Strout

At the start of the pandemic, Lucy Barton is whisked from New York City to coastal Maine by her ex-husband, who is concerned for her health. As days stretch into months, Lucy reflects on her life and her daughters, and finds lovingkindness, forgiveness, and healing through nature and new friendships.聽

2.聽Killers of a Certain Age,聽by Deanna Raybourn

The members of the first all-female squad of assassins 鈥� a poised, proficient, often spicy quartet 鈥� have reached their 60s and are ready to retire. Too bad someone from their organization, an outgrowth of World War II resistance fighters, wants them dead. Deanna Raybourn鈥檚 mystery-thriller-buddy novel delivers taut suspense, arch asides, white-knuckle fight scenes, and astute commentary about the assumptions that confront older women.

3.听尝别蝉蝉辞苍蝉,听by Ian McEwan

What constitutes a successful life 鈥� particularly one damaged by a crime of passion? Ian McEwan鈥檚 novel grapples with this question via the story of a troubled single father. Whether describing the day-to-day minutiae, a disturbing affair, or mammoth historical events, McEwan captivates with thoughtful, emotionally honest prose.

4.聽The Marriage Portrait,聽by Maggie O鈥橣arrell

Maggie O鈥橣arrell鈥檚 historical novel was inspired by Robert Browning鈥檚 poem 鈥淢y Last Duchess鈥� and the scant facts surrounding Lucrezia di Cosimo de鈥橫edici, who died under mysterious circumstances in 1561 at age 16, less than a year into her marriage. Out of this, O鈥橣arrell has painted a heart-pounding, atmospheric portrait of a chilling marriage and a young woman鈥檚 valiant attempts to escape her gilded cage.

5.聽Natural History,聽by Andrea Barrett

Andrea Barrett鈥檚 rewarding short story collection spans the Civil War era to the present day. Women鈥檚 roles evolve, as succeeding generations explore science, writing, teaching, and even flying, while still finding room for love and community. 聽

6.聽The Third Reconstruction,聽by Peniel E. Joseph

American ideologies and policies are in a state of constant flux, or as Peniel E. Joseph puts it, 鈥渞econstruction.鈥� By examining past eras of reconstruction, as well as the presidencies of Barack Obama and Donald Trump, he offers a path forward by encouraging us to embrace the duality of America鈥檚 history.

7.聽Dinners With Ruth,聽by Nina Totenberg

NPR鈥檚 longtime legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg recalls the relationships that have buoyed and sustained her through professional challenges and triumphs as well as personal joys and losses. At the heart of the intimate book is her nearly 50-year friendship with the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

8.听Fen, Bog and Swamp,聽by Annie Proulx

Annie Proulx takes readers to the world鈥檚 surviving wetlands and marine estuaries, which are under siege from development. She eloquently underscores the dangers for the planet, as wetlands sequester carbon emissions. The book is a stark but beautifully written 鈥淪ilent Spring鈥�-style warning from one of our greatest novelists.

9.听Black Snow,聽by James M. Scott聽

In March 1945, a U.S. bombing raid devastated Tokyo. While it may have shortened World War II, more than 100,000 Japanese people 鈥� mostly civilians 鈥� were killed. Was it justified? James M. Scott raises profound moral questions about the military strategy.聽

10.聽Happiness in Action,聽by Adam Adatto Sandel

Adam Adatto Sandel鈥檚 provocative book draws on his own experiences and the work of philosophers both ancient and modern to argue that happiness is less about achieving one鈥檚 goals than about 鈥渟elf-possession, friendship, and engagement with nature.鈥�