海角大神

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

The Eleventh Hour,听by Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie spins five short stories humming with verve. Whether it鈥檚 a once-celebrated academic awaking to find his own lifeless body, a musical genius balancing her otherworldly talents with the perplexities of love, or language itself sulking at the indignities of a world without 鈥渘o,鈥� the collection jousts with myriad dilemmas 鈥� rivalry, aging, family fissures 鈥� alongside creativity, immortality, and possibility. 鈥� Erin Douglass

厂别补蝉肠谤补辫别谤,听by Benjamin Wood

Benjamin Wood鈥檚 鈥淪eascraper鈥� is a beautiful, atmospheric tale about a 20-year-old shrimp harvester named Tom who yearns for more out of life. Set in a dreary English seaside town on the day a fascinating stranger visits and rouses Tom鈥檚 dreams, the story feels as timeless as its themes. 鈥� Heller McAlpin听 听Read our full review here.听

The Name on the Wall,听by Herv茅 Le Tellier,听translated by Adriana Hunter

Herv茅 Le Tellier explores the identity of a French resistance fighter whose name is etched on the wall of Le Tellier鈥檚 country home. This historical novel with relevance for today plumbs the depths of extremism. It鈥檚 a thoughtful, intimate read that ultimately draws the author himself into the story. 鈥� Colette Davidson听 听听

A Love Story From the End of the World,听by Juhea Kim

Juhea Kim鈥檚 haunting, poetic prose explores climate change in 10 different fantastic, speculative short stories. Propelled by Kim鈥檚 love for humanity and her deep knowledge of nature and wildlife, the book is imaginative and thought-provoking. 鈥� Stefanie Milligan

贬别濒尘,听by Sarah Hall

In Sarah Hall鈥檚 great blast of a novel, characters across time and circumstance 鈥� scientists, visionaries, loners, and wanderers 鈥� face the blustery Cumbrian wind called Helm. Storylines weave, language crackles, and the weather really whips. There are wince-inducing bits, but overall it鈥檚 as fresh and surprising as a mountaintop squall. 鈥� Erin Douglass

That鈥檚 Not How It Happened,听by Craig Thomas

In Craig Thomas鈥� novel, stay-at-home mom Paige has written a memoir about her family raising a son with Down syndrome. When a Hollywood director wants to make a feel-good movie of their lives, much honest reckoning and hilarity ensues. The character of Emmett, their charming son, is wonderful. 鈥� Stefanie Milligan

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

The Man of Many Fathers,听by Roy Wood Jr.

Comedian Roy Wood Jr. looks back at the life lessons taught by men in his life 鈥� not all of whom were typical role models. With writing that is honest, pensive, and colorful, the memoir shows Wood鈥檚 desire to be a good father to his own son.听鈥� Ken Makin听听Read our Q&A with the author here.

贬辞蝉迟补驳别,听by Eli Sharabi

Eli Sharabi, kidnapped from his home on an Israeli kibbutz on Oct. 7, 2023, and held by Hamas for 491 days, has written a searing account of his captivity and his will to survive. He experiences deprivation and loss, but his unshakable love of life inspires.听鈥� Barbara Spindel听 听Read our full review here.听

Indignity,听by Lea Ypi

Lea Ypi powerfully and poignantly reconstructs the life of her grandmother after being surprised by an online comment accusing her grandmother of collaborating with the Fascists and then the Communists in 20th-century Albania. Ypi explores questions related to truth, memory, and dignity against a backdrop of tumultuous geopolitics. 鈥� Barbara Spindel听

The History of Money,听by David McWilliams

Factoids galore pop up in this jaunty account of money鈥檚 evolution from grain-based shekels, coins, and credit to taxation, Treasuries, and cryptocurrency. Throughout the book, McWilliams, an Irish former central bank economist, asks smart questions and draws connections. Paper money鈥檚 mass acceptance, he notes, was an evolution in money that required an evolution in society: trust among strangers. 鈥淒ad book鈥� fans, rejoice. 鈥� Erin Douglass