海角大神

These are the fiction titles our reviewers liked best this month.

The Listeners, by Maggie Stiefvater

June Porter Hudson, general manager of the Avallon Hotel & Spa in the mountains of West Virginia, receives the assignment of a lifetime in 1942. She鈥檚 been told to prepare to 鈥渉ost鈥� Axis-power diplomats, journalists, and businessmen until the U.S. State Department can secure their passage home. Fleet-footed writing, juicy characters, wartime tensions, and a bit of mystery make this a sensational summertime read. 鈥�聽Erin Douglass

A Shipwreck in Fiji, by Nilima Rao

In Nilima Rao鈥檚 second Sergeant Akal Singh mystery, set in 1915, the murder of an Indian small-business owner, plus rumors of German sailors skulking about Fiji鈥檚 islands, has Akal and his compatriots juggling leads. Rao鈥檚 winning characters ground the historical tale of community and identity. 鈥�聽Erin Douglass

Where the Rivers Merge, by Mary Alice Monroe

Mary Alice Monroe鈥檚 passion for the Low Country of the American South is woven through this shimmering novel. In it, Eliza Rivers battles to conserve and pass on the legacy of her family鈥檚 estate, secrets and all. The saga, the first of a duology, enthralls. 鈥�聽Stefanie Milligan

Endling, by Maria Reva

Maria Reva鈥檚 blistering debut novel stars Yeva, a malacologist, who by day crisscrosses Ukraine to rescue rare snails and by night works for a 鈥渂outique matchmaker鈥� to pay the bills. As Russia鈥檚 2022 attack begins, a kidnapping plot, a left turn into metafiction, and a race to save a singular gastropod propel the tale. It鈥檚 a shape-shifting, fist-shaking blast of a book. 鈥�聽Erin Douglass (Read our full review.)

Before Dorothy, by Hazel Gaynor

Hazel Gaynor imagines a backstory for Dorothy鈥檚 Auntie Em of 鈥淭he Wizard of Oz.鈥� Set during the Depression, the novel shows how 鈥淓mily鈥� became the courageous woman who raised Dorothy. The harshness of the Dust Bowl gives rise to colorful and determined characters who anticipate those of Oz. 鈥�聽Stefanie Milligan

The Rarest Fruit, by Ga毛lle Bel茅m, translated by Hildegarde Serle

Black botanical genius Edmond Albius blooms beneath the gaze of R茅unionese novelist Ga毛lle B茅lem. Raised by a white horticulturist on Bourbon Island in the 1830s, the enslaved child, delighted by all things flora, ends up cracking the mystery of the vanilla orchid鈥檚 pollination. B茅lem transforms little-known history into an exquisite ode. 鈥�聽Erin Douglass

Crown, by Evanthia Bromiley

Evanthia Bromiley鈥檚 novel follows a pregnant mother and her 9-year-old twins facing eviction from a trailer park. When Jude goes into labor, she tells the twins to hide nearby. Fearing discovery, the children venture out to find a new home. Bromiley鈥檚 bold ensemble story vibrates with light and humanity. 鈥�聽Stefanie Milligan

These are the nonfiction titles our reviewers liked best this month.

The Spinach King, by John Seabrook

John Seabrook鈥檚 鈥淭he Spinach King鈥� is a great American tragedy 鈥� about his own family. The Seabrooks revolutionized vegetable farming and the frozen food business in New Jersey, amassing a fortune. This reckoning with his family鈥檚 past encompasses ambition, ingenuity, and hard work, but also exploitation, greed, and corruption. 鈥�聽Heller McAlpin (Read our full review.)

Buckley, by Sam Tanenhaus

William F. Buckley Jr., editor of the National Review, shaped the conservative wing of the Republican Party. Joe McCarthy, Barry Goldwater, and Ronald Reagan were all indebted to Buckley鈥檚 intellectual leadership. Sam Tanenhaus brings the iconic figure to life in this evenhanded, insightful, and well-written biography. 鈥�聽Terry W. Hartle (Read our full review.)

Charlottesville, by Deborah Baker

Deborah Baker offers a compelling account of the white supremacist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. The spark was a City Council vote to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from a park. Baker provides historical context for the unrest, and profiles activists and clergy who led the counterprotests. 鈥�聽Barbara Spindel