海角大神

Frederick Douglass,聽by Sidney Morrison

Frederick Douglass roars from the pages of this meticulous novel, thanks to the voices of his steadfast wife, Anna, and their children, plus confidants, paramours, and even enslavers. A complex man emerges. Proud and persistent, fickle and flawed, he鈥檚 inseparable from the era鈥檚 tumult and hard-fought triumphs.

厂丑补苍驳丑补颈,听by Joseph Kanon

European refugees adrift in Shanghai face few options at the dawn of World War II. As Jewish spy Daniel Lohr and his flame, Leah, ping-pong between local gangs, Western opportunists, Japanese occupiers, and his crime-boss uncle, they鈥檙e drawn down morally murky paths. The threats, narrow misses, and one-liners pack a punch in this tale of loyalty and survival.

How To Age Disgracefully,聽by Clare Pooley

An eclectic bunch of West London locals bands together to save a community center. All wrestle with shame and regret. Each needs a boost. Madcap schemes, snappy banter, and insights on rebooting one鈥檚 joy make Clare Pooley鈥檚 latest novel go down smoothly.聽聽

厂丑别濒迟别谤飞辞辞诲,听by Lisa Wingate

Lisa Wingate interweaves two stories of courage set in Oklahoma. In 1909, two girls 鈥� one white and one Choctaw 鈥� subsist in the woods after fleeing abuse. In 1990, a park ranger investigates missing bones and a mysterious death. The novel is a page-turner.

The Glassmaker,聽by Tracy Chevalier

Tracy Chevalier鈥檚 exceptional novel hopscotches through five centuries of a glassblowing family in Murano, Italy. Time moves forward, but the characters age very little. Chevalier鈥檚 descriptive prose on glassmaking artistry, together with her delightful characters, creates an entrancing tale.聽

闯补肠办颈别,听by Dawn Tripp

Dawn Tripp鈥檚 fictional portrait of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis captures her imagined emotional life, including her marriage to John F. Kennedy, her grief after his assassination, and her complicated marriage to Aristotle Onassis. These weave a through line that鈥檚 a testimony to Kennedy Onassis鈥� resilience.

骋辞诲飞颈苍,听by Joseph O鈥橬eill

Lured by his dodgy, fortune-seeking, soccer agent half brother, Mark Wolfe finds himself in West Africa searching for a teenage soccer prodigy. Bouncing from office politics to families, from global capitalism to colonialism, the novel delivers storytelling with wit and depth.

David Rowland: 40/4 Chair,聽by Erwin Rowland and Laura Schenone

Is it possible to reinvent the chair? David Rowland did. His 40/4 design was the first stackable chair 鈥� 40 can nestle together like matryoshka dolls. This beautifully illustrated book chronicles the industrial designer鈥檚 extraordinary creativity.聽

A Paradise of Small Houses,聽by Max Podemski

The Philadelphia row house. The Boston triple-decker. The New Orleans shotgun house. These types of homes evolved over decades, serving low- and middle-income residents. Such urban dwellings offer a template for addressing the housing shortage.聽

Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell,聽by Ann Powers

鈥淭raveling鈥� isn鈥檛 a conventional biography of Joni Mitchell. Ann Powers deconstructs Mitchell鈥檚 life into thematic chapters 鈥� from feminism to fusion jazz. Powers also shares how the songs resonate with her own life.