All Book Reviews
What鈥檚 really worth doing? A philosopher weighs in.Adam Adatto Sandel鈥檚 鈥淗appiness in Action: A Philosopher鈥檚 Guide to the Good Life鈥� points out three keys to lasting satisfaction and joy.聽
The 鈥榠mprobable鈥� presidency of Grover ClevelandGrover Cleveland was the 鈥渟elf-made, scrupulously honest鈥� person Americans say they want in a president. So why isn鈥檛 he better remembered?聽
Baseball columnist Tyler Kepner sets up a history of the World Series鈥淭he Grandest Stage鈥� by Tyler Kepner tells the offbeat stories behind MLB鈥檚 World Series with an eye toward the players who rose to the occasion.聽 聽
Appalachian survival: 鈥楧emon Copperhead鈥� is a riveting, epic taleBarbara Kingsolver鈥檚 鈥淒emon Copperhead鈥� re-imagines Dickens鈥� 鈥淒avid Copperfield鈥� as a story of survival set in the Appalachian Mountains.
For men torn down by war, getting back up is a battle worthy of hopeCombat veteran Bill Glose鈥檚 short stories in 鈥淎ll the Ruined Men鈥� crack open the challenges faced by Gulf War soldiers and their families.聽
Vienna: City of 鈥榗harm and flair,鈥� from Trajan to Mozart and beyondAngus Robertson鈥檚 鈥淭he Crossroads of Civilization: A History of Vienna鈥� provides readers with a deep background on this glittering city.
Manzanar camp novel explores moral culpability during World War IIA sweeping novel tells of a California ranching family in the 1940s, and the building of Manzanar camp to detain Japanese American citizens.聽
鈥楬ester鈥� imagines a backstory to Hawthorne鈥檚 鈥楾he Scarlet Letter鈥�Hester Prynne refused to be shamed for her actions in 鈥淭he Scarlet Letter.鈥� Was Hawthorne writing about someone he knew?聽
In 鈥楩airy Tale,鈥� Stephen King riffs on the classic hero鈥檚 questThe master of horror, Stephen King, comes up with a not-so-scary riff on fantasy stories and the hero鈥檚 quest in 鈥淔airy Tale.鈥�
A Medici princess rebels against her gilded cageSeeking agency over her life, a Medici bride plots to escape a loveless, and possibly lethal, union in 鈥淭he Marriage Portrait鈥� by Maggie O鈥橣arrell.聽
A voice that wouldn鈥檛 be ignored: Nellie Bly and the pursuit of truthA novel about journalist Nellie Bly expands on the facts about her courageous efforts to expose abuses in a mental health facility for women.聽
Speaking whale? Scientists are working on it.Humankind may be closer to communicating with whales than we think, writes Tom Mustill in 鈥淗ow To Speak Whale.鈥�
Sound advice: Audiobooks to thrill, delight, and spread hopeA quartet of outstanding audiobooks features the work of Simu Liu, Andy Weir, Louise Erdrich, and Anne Tyler. Their stories are laced with humor.
Jim Thorpe ran track and played football. He tried to outrun racism.As a talented, multisport athlete, Jim Thorpe, a Native American, faced prejudice and condescension聽because of his race.
Can 鈥榚motional outsourcing鈥� fix failing romantic relationships?A summer beach read with humor and depth, 鈥淭he Fixer Upper鈥� asks, 鈥淲hat if women could outsource the emotional burden of 鈥榝ixing鈥� their partners?鈥澛�
The dedicated women behind the world鈥檚 first general-purpose computerKathy Kleiman writes a lively tribute to the female mathematicians who calculated ballistics trajectories for the U.S. military during World War II.聽
The best thing since Babe Ruth? How Shohei Ohtani is making history.Babe Ruth was renowned for both his hitting and pitching. Now, young baseball phenom Shohei Ohtani from Japan is following in the Babe鈥檚 footsteps.聽
A modern-day Huck Finn travels the Mississippi on a flatboatNo one thought journalist Rinker Buck would succeed in taking a flatboat from Pittsburgh to New Orleans. He proves them wrong in 鈥淟ife on the Mississippi.鈥�
Where the Nile began: The perilous journey to seek the river鈥檚 sourceAn expedition to discover the Nile River鈥檚 origin was the 鈥淗oly Grail鈥� of 19th-century exploration, as聽Candice Millard鈥檚 鈥淩iver of the Gods鈥� shows.聽
Mohsin Hamid鈥檚 novel 鈥楾he Last White Man鈥� imagines a post-racial worldBritish Pakistani novelist Mohsin Hamid explores a provocative question: Can white supremacy persist, if no one is white any longer?聽
