Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey by Kathleen Rooney 

Toward the end of World War I, a group of soldiers led by Major Charles Whittlesey found themselves not only surrounded by the enemy but strafed by friendly fire.  Among their company was a homing pigeon named Cher Ami.  After several failed attempts by other pigeons to get a message back behind the lines, Cher Ami flew through enemy fire, and was seriously wounded, but managed to get her life saving message to headquarters.  Whittlesey’s unit quickly became famous, known as the Lost Battalion, although they were neither a battalion nor lost. What makes this book remarkable isn’t the facts, but the voices that Kathleen Rooney gives to both Major Whittlesey and Cher Ami as they tell their story in alternating chapters.  Cher Ami is a bird with attitude and a certain world-weary realism, combined with a determination to get the message through and to get home.  Major Whittlesey carries both the weight of his responsibility for his troops and the loss of his carefully maintained privacy heavily on his shoulders.  When he and Cher Ami become heroes, literally paraded for all to see, the unwanted fame leads to tragedy for both pigeon and commander.  Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey will make you laugh even as it breaks your heart. 

Mrs. Chippy’s Last Expedition:  The Remarkable Journal of Shackleton’s Polar-Bound Cat by Caroline Alexander. 

The story of Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 expedition to Antarctica aboard the Endurance is a familiar one, told by Caroline Alexander in her non-fiction book, Endurance.  In this slim volume, Alexander returns to the subject of the Endurance, but tells the story from the point of view of Mrs. Chippy, the ship’s cat.  Mrs. Chippy’s official job was to keep the ship free of rodents, but as he tells us with great pride and professionalism, he also looks after his mates and generally keeps spirits up. Chippy records his observations in his own ship’s log, giving us a cat’s eye view of what that long confinement on the ship and on the ice must have been like, for the crew, for the many sled dogs who accompanied them and for Mrs. Chippy himself.  Never sentimental or sweet, thanks to a crisp, seaworthy tone, Mrs. Chippy’s Last Expedition is a thoroughly original retelling of one of the great adventure stories of the 20th century. 

-Marilyn

I have been craving a way to get my mind to slow down during this bustling holiday season. My “To Do” lists are a definite indication of my world being out of control – too much to accomplish in any one day. 

What I was looking for was a book that could ease me into a more peaceful life.  My first pick was The Art of Stillness – Adventures in Going Nowhere by Pico Iyer. It was a concise 66-page primer. I didn’t want to race through it. I wanted to absorb its essence. 

Within each short chapter was a dynamic breath of fresh air to embrace silence. To allow yourself to focus on nothingness and feel the beauty of the moment. 

The book has inspired me to start my day without a rush. To sit quietly in my chair, listen to the outside world waking up, feel grateful that I am here once again to place my footprint on this day. 

The second book was recommended by my co-worker Kirsten: Christmas Days: 12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days by Jeanette Winterson. The short stories were just the right size for my scattered brain. I could focus on just one at the beginning of my day. Each story was followed by a recipe where Jeanette shares the historical lineage of say a Mince Pie or her own association with the recipe. These were short stories in themselves.  Even though I won’t be likely to make any of them, I enjoyed reading how someone else got pleasure in it. ’Tis the season where we reflect on our own family traditions for food and comfort around our holidays. 

– Pat  

Continuing on with our favorites of there year. Here are our favorite NONFICTION books we read in 2021. We’ve got some biography, history, parenting, how-to, true crime, and more. We hope you enjoy exploring!

It’s no secret that we like to read over here. There are too few hours to read all that we would like, but from the hours we did spend reading in 2021 these were our favorites. There’s a real mix in here: realistic, surreal, dystopian, suspenseful, heart-warming, heart-chilling(?), historic, modern, and lots more. Most were published this year, but a few were from our TBR backlist. In my fantasy world I can code something up like NPR’s Books We Love (formerly the Book Concierge). Instead of that. You get this. We hope you like exploring!

We’ll be covering the rest of our favorite books in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for nonfiction, YA, biography and more!

-Mike

November is Native American Heritage month! So, we’ve selected a few titles of new fiction from brilliant Native American authors. Happy reading!

The Removed by Brandon Hobson 

A 12-year-old boy named Wyatt is taken into foster care by a couple, Maria and Ernest. Years earlier, the couple’s son Ray-Ray was killed by a police officer. With the arrival of the young boy in their home uncanny resemblances of Ray-Ray begin to reveal themselves. Both of their other children, Sonja and Edgar, have their own struggles with the past and present. Alternating first-person narrations are interspersed with narrations from a long dead relative, Tsala, who experienced the Trail of Tears. This is a spiritual and ghostly novel that unflinchingly glares at the pain of loss and the difficulties of healing a family. 

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones 

Ten years prior, a group of four young men living on the Blackfeet reservation shot at an elk heard, killing many. The land they were on was sacred and reserved for tribal elders. Now the men are in their 30s and have moved away from the reservation. But Lewis, one of them men who committed the egregious act on sacred ground, is having unsettling visions. He suspects these visions are of the unborn elk calf they killed so many years ago. The other men also start to see similar visions. The haunting creature shifts forms and now the hunters have become the hunted. Jones uses spare prose to create an ethereal horror tale full of shadows of the past.  

Two Feathers Fell from the Sky by Margaret Verble

A young woman named Two Feathers performs as a horse-diver at the zoo in Nashville in 1929. When a sinkhole suddenly opens, it swallows Two Feathers and her horse. She then she discovers that the zoo is built on Native American burial grounds. With a dead horse, herself severely injured, and her future now in question, Two Feathers encounters an ancient spirit who watches over her. Verble steeps this novel in the historic era and touches on themes true to the time. Working conditions, race, and class are all intricately woven throughout the novel. This is an ambitious work from an award-winning writer. 

-Mike

E-content from the New Hampshire Downloadable Books Consortium:

Brandon Hobson; Stephen Graham Jones; Margaret Verble

E-content from Hoopla:

Brandon Hobson; Stephen Graham Jones; Margaret Verble

Reluctant Royals: Prince on Paper

In the next installment of the Reluctant Royals, we’ve got Nya, who’s recovering from all the revelations about her life in “A Princess in Theory” and Prince Johan, a man with a reputation as a playboy that doesn’t seem to hold up under scrutiny.

As Nya heads back to Theosolo for the wedding of Naledi and Thabiso, she bumps into Johan, who bears far too much of a resemblance to the prince Nya is romancing in her new dating sim game. However, it can’t hurt to romance him only in the game, right?

Johan knows his reputation and knows how it looks but he’s got secrets of his own. After the loss of his mother when young, he’s not really sure he wants to fall in love. But with Nya at his side and a fake engagement, does he have a choice?

If you love twists and turns on the way to a happy ending, you will love this book.

-Shivani

Check out the rest of the Reluctant Royals series here: Reluctant Royals

The pandemic has found me thinking about food and cooking but lacking both the motivation and the patience to prepare anything complicated, not least because it’s less likely that I’ll invite anyone over to enjoy the “fruits” of my labor.  Luckily, I’ve happened on a couple of new cookbooks that meet my requirements for great flavor with little effort.  The recipes in these two cookbooks are quick and simple, the ingredients are neither exotic nor hard to come by, and the results are soul satisfying. 

Jacques Pepin.  Quick & Simple:  Simply Wonderful Meals with Surprisingly Little Effort.  (a revised edition of Pepin’s 1990, cookbook, The Short-Cut Cook)  

Only someone as celebrated and, at the same time, unpretentious, as Jacques Pepin could offer us this cookbook.  Focusing on very simple techniques and straightforward ingredients, and not embarrassed to use convenience foods, Pepin gives us quick and easy recipes for every meal.  The recipes are accompanied by gorgeous photographs as well as many of Pepin’s own lovely illustrations.  Two of my current recipe favorites are Crabmeat Croquettes with Tomato Relish (the inclusion of chopped ginger in the cakes is a lively flavor surprise) and Gateau Claudine, made with instant pudding mix and a purchased sponge cake (seriously!).  Pepin named this cake after his daughter, so you know it must be good.  This is one of the cookbooks I turn to when I’m looking for a recipe that’s quick on prep time and long on satisfaction.  During the pandemic, Pepin has also produced daily cooking videos that I’ve  become addicted to on Facebook.  None is longer than three or four minutes in length; all are simple and timeless, and it is a joy to watch Pepin at work in his own kitchen. 

Sam Sifton.  The New York Times Cooking No-Recipe Recipes. 

Sam Sifton’s No Recipe Recipes is my other current go-to “cookbook”.  Sifton, the founding editor of “New York Times Cooking” has compiled an idea book that, amazingly, is even simpler than Jacques Pepin’s.  Sifton’s premise is that while you do need a pantry stocked with staples such as pasta, cheeses, herbs, and spices, you don’t need a recipe.  And indeed, none of these “no-recipe recipes” include measurements at all. For each recipe, there is simply a list of ingredients to be pulled out of pantry or fridge and combined for simple deliciousness.  While it may seem risky to abandon your measuring cups and spoons, it’s also enormously freeing, to say nothing of confidence building.  If in doubt, just add ingredients gradually and, of course, taste as you go along.  What’s also delightful about Sifton’s recipes is that they re-purpose traditional offerings in new ways.  Two of my favorites from No Recipe Recipes are Savory French Toast with Tomatoes and Basil (I’m so glad Sifton thought of that – it gives a whole new meaning to “breakfast for dinner”.) and Pot Stickers with Tomato Sauce.  Crazy?  Yes, and crazy good. 

Even as we move, in fits and starts, back toward a semblance of normal life, the recipes in these two cookbooks should continue to provide quick and tasty solutions to the question: “What’s for dinner?”  

-Marilyn

Our Mothers’ War: American Women at Home and at the Front During World War II by Emily Yellin 

This book is an excellent, comprehensive look at the roles American women played in bringing about the Allied victory in World War II. Learn about the Women’s United States Naval Reserve (WAVES), the United States Coast Guard Women’s Reserve (SPARS), Women’s Army Corps (WACs), and the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), through terrific true stories of valor, bravery, and good old-fashioned hard work. Yellin describes women on the home front, operating in various military service branches, industries, and locations around the U.S. The book recounts the stories of the WASPs who played a vital role in training male aviators and aerial gunners, at times by sacrificing their very lives during deadly air combat exercises. Yellin describes the importance of key figures both real and symbolic like the illustrious Eleanor Roosevelt and the iconic Rosie the Riveter. Discussion of the internment of Japanese Americans in the U.S. is brought to light as well as the critical role of African American women in the wartime efforts. This all-round look at WWII is about our American sisters, aunts, mothers, and grandmothers, both famous and unknown, who helped to deliver the one-two punches that were essential in toppling the fascist Axis powers. 

-Peter A.

Life’s Edge, by Carl Zimmer, is a fascinating exploration of the boundary regions between the world of the definitely alive and the realms of the decidedly not. While each of us has some sense of what life is, making a scientific definition is surprisingly difficult. Can a tardigrade truly be considered alive, given that it can be dehydrated for hundreds of years but resume living the moment it encounters water again? What about human tissue grown in labs? Or viruses? Or even people who pass every biological test possible but, due to a very specific nerve injury, stoutly maintain they have died? 

Carl Zimmer explores all of these peculiar corners and more in Life’s Edge. Taking examples from every field of science and delving deep into the history of the biological sciences, he weaves a cohesive narrative detailing our species’ struggle to define life. 

Personally, I found the book very engaging. The science is sound and the writing colorful, guiding me through these admittedly esoteric subjects gracefully. I would definitely recommend this book if you want to take a moment and ponder one of life’s greatest mysteries: what even is life?

-Rhys

Twins fascinate, and these two novels—both set in rural Britain, both about twins who live together into adulthood—capture the way that level of closeness with another person can both stifle and expand one’s reality. I read the first, a new novel by Claire Fuller, and was reminded of the second, written almost forty years earlier by Bruce Chatwin. So glad I treated myself to a reread.

Unsettled Ground

by Claire Fuller

The twins in this novel are fraternal, in their fifties, and live together in a cottage with their mother at the start of the novel. She dies, leaving her affairs—and by extension, theirs—in disarray. They are left living on the margins, evicted, suffering from food insecurity, and forced to remake themselves, having been stunted on their way to adulthood by their mother, who encouraged an unhealthy dependence. As they struggle to survive, they discover that their life was built on lies she told them. Though the sadness of their dysfunctional history pervades the novel, the story of how they reinvent themselves, and of how their narrow world starts to widen, keeps it from being depressing. A lyrical, quietly intense novel.

On the Black Hill

by Bruce Chatwin

Best known as a travel writer, Bruce Chatwin also wrote a few novels, whose themes overlap with his more famous books. On the Black Hill speaks to his interest in unorthodox lives, the specific genius of place, and the urge to wander. The twins in this novel are identical, and spend their whole lives together on a farm in Wales called the Vision, one of them longing to travel but too intensely bound to his brother to break free. The twins’ psychic closeness fascinates—when they’re apart and one is injured, the other feels the pain in his own body. Their daily lives are so closely described, I felt a little as though I were reading an ethnography of village culture in early-twentieth-century Wales. But Chatwin’s eye is deeply poetic, too, and lifts you into a rarefied realm. I’d read this book a third time, it’s that exquisite.

Kirsten G.

Colson Whitehead is one of the best, and one of the most important American writers today. I picked up Zone One years ago on a whim. What I found I loved, but I’m not sure I could have predicted how much better he could be, winning Pulitzer Prizes for both The Underground Railroad and Nickel Boys.  I’m anxiously awaiting the publication Whitehead’s new book Harlem Shuffle. White we wait, here’s Zone One!

Zone One takes place in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, and I know what you’re thinking: okay, zombie apocalypse, I’m out. But stay with me on this one. Usually zombie-fiction is about survival, guns, and blasting zombies into pieces. But Whitehead uses the aftermath of this catastrophic event as way to examine humanity when it must rebuild the world. The main character is Mark Spitz, one of the soldiers tasked with retaking Zone One (lower Manhattan) and clearing it of the un-dead. What surprised me most about this novel was how average Whitehead makes Mark Spitz. He’s just a guy with a job. In that way, he is able to pry into the mind of any human being that would be put in a situation like this. Humans have the tendency to want to go back to the way things were before catastrophic events, but you can only work with what you have. And it’s that part that feels more applicable now than the plague-y zombie-y stuff.  

I really recommend reading anything by Colson Whitehead. You can check out all that we have here: Howe Library Catalog – Colson Whitehead

And check out all our e-book and e-audiobook offerings here: NH Downloadable Books Consortium

– Mike

Woolly: The True Story of the Quest to Revive One of History’s Most Iconic Extinct Creatures By Ben Mezrich 

Howe Library selected this entertaining book for the Books and Lunch on Tuesdays (BLT) book group a couple years back. Recently I reread this one to catch some of the details I missed the first time around. The deftly written piece of nonfiction focuses on several genius scientists working to clone a woolly mammoth, using genetic information found in well preserved fossils from Siberia and live elephant cells. With the hope that woolly mammoths would help preserve the delicate permafrost ecosystems in the cold regions of Earth, the scientists, from a variety of backgrounds, embark on an epic journey.

Hot topics like the Human Genome Project and CRISPR gene editing are discussed in detail. The scientists work yields some thought provoking results, easy for nonscientist readers to grasp, especially if one is hoping to find out more about biodiversity and imminent climate emergencies. There are smatterings of interpersonal details and background accounts about the scientists that serve to keep the reader engaged with the different personalities on this scientific journey. This  is a great book group pick for a taste of nonfiction. 

-Peter

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott – If you’ve read all of the Rick Riordan books, maybe you’re ready for this series. There’s more about gods and goddesses from the Greeks, Norse and other ancient cultures. One of my favorite series to reread!

Sadie by Courtney Summer – This Edgar Award winner from 2019 is a well-written YA mystery. The main character does some scary detective work to find her younger sister’s murderer. The author gives us two story lines – Sadie’s interviews of the suspect’s family and friends and a podcast interview that’s two steps behind her. A gripping story.

The Book of Dust series: La belle Sauvage and The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman – Have you read the series His Dark Materials (Book 1, The Golden Compass)? I brought both books home and read these well-written fantasies in two days. I have to admit that I also enjoyed rereading The Golden Compass too.

-Gary B.

These novels feature fictional versions of real women from the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries—all of them path-breakers. I swallowed them almost whole, happily immersed in their historical periods, utterly absorbed by the imagined lives of these women.

LOVE AND FURY: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft

by Samantha Silva

Wollstonecraft tells her life story to her newly born daughter (who, eighteen years later, will write Frankenstein). Born into a family unsupportive of her intelligence, Wollstonecraft nonetheless found her calling as an advocate for women’s self-determination, challenging the eighteenth-century view that women were not fit for education, and writing one of the earliest works of feminist philosophy. Along the way, she had passionate love affairs before meeting her soul mate, the philosopher William Godwin, who celebrated her genius. This is also a moving portrait of their marriage.

THE MOONLIGHT SCHOOL

by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Cora Wilson Stewart pioneered a program to educate illiterate adults in early twentieth-century Kentucky—her “Moonlight Schools” operated in schoolhouses in the evenings, and eventually spread across the country. The heroine of this novel is Cora’s fictional cousin Lucy, who comes from Lexington to the mountain towns of Kentucky to help Cora with her project. At first dismissive of rural life, Lucy comes to admire the place and its inhabitants. When she sees how their illiteracy has made them vulnerable to exploitation from lumber companies, she’s determined to help them. A gentle and inspirational story.

WHAT IS VISIBLE

by Kimberly Elkins

Laura Bridgman, born and buried here in Hanover, was once world-famous. Deaf-blind, she learned to communicate in English fifty years before Helen Keller. Charles Dickens wrote about meeting her in 1842, and girls named their dolls “Laura” after her. Her story is sad and troubling—she was abandoned by those closest to her—but also fascinating. Samuel Gridley Howe, founder of the Perkins School for the Blind and her mentor, made her his puppet, but as she developed ideas of her own, including a preference for the Baptist church over Unitarianism, he rejected her. Other historical figures came into Laura’s orbit by way of Howe, among them his long-suffering wife, the poet Julia Ward Howe (who wrote “Battle Hymn of the Republic”), Senator Charles Sumner, with whom Howe had a romantic friendship, and John Brown, whom Howe helped fund. Elkins gives a sense of these intertwined lives on the eve of the Civil War, while at the same time convincingly imagining what it was like to be Laura Bridgman, and know the world only through touch.

E-CONTENT:

The Moonlight School – e-book

What Is Visible – e-audiobook

An essential part of the pleasure of being outdoors is food. It’s the fuel by which we go adventuring, it’s the lunch on top of the mountain, it’s the backcountry dinner. These three books explore all aspects of food and outdoor adventure, from nutritional considerations for peak performance, to the snacks that power the activity, to recipes for different kinds of camping.  

The New Camp Cookbook: Gourmet Grub for Campers, Road Trippers, and Adventurers is focused on car camping, and presupposes a lot of gear and ingredients. There’s a chapter on setting up the camp kitchen, and subsequent chapters give recipes for each of the day’s meals. These dishes are more gourmet than grub! They include Dutch Oven Deep-Dish Soppressata and Fennel Pizza, and Korean Flank Steak with Sriracha-Pickled Cucumbers. And sign me up for Summer Ale Sangria with Ginger and Peach! There are sections on cooking with both a cook stove and a camp grill.  

Dirty Gourmet: Food for Your Outdoor Adventures is a bit more versatile. It’s divided into three sections, for day hiking, car camping, and backcountry camping. Each section has information on meal planning, techniques for the cooking gear involved, and a collection of recipes. The three authors also run a collective blog of the same name. The recipes are a bit simpler and heartier, from Backcountry Mac and Cheese to Lentil Vegetable Stew with Dumplings–yet also with elegant touches, as with the Skillet Apple Pie with Cognac Butter.  

Peak Nutrition: Smart Fuel for Outdoor Adventure contains 100 recipes for snacks, meals, and beverages, but the bulk of the book is given over to a scientifically informed discussion of the role of nutrition in performance. The authors are both rock climbers, but they map out the specific needs of a number of activities, from bouldering and wall climbing to trail running to hiking and backpacking to backcountry skiing. It’s a comprehensive treatment of preparing for, fueling up for, and recovering from high exertion activities. It includes detailed sections on nutrition to slow aging, nutrition for different body types, and women’s nutritional needs. Among my favorite features are the numerous “Peak Profile” sidebars in which they ask outdoor athletes about their go-to energy food, the biggest challenge to getting good nutrition, their best and worst eating habits, and their favorite food indulgence at the end of the day. And then, of course, the big one: fleece or down? The answers are as entertaining as they are inspiring for planning one’s own outdoor adventures. 

-Jared

The traditional Western was one of masculine, rugged individuals. Men who relied on only themselves. They had grit and mettle. They were self-determined makers of their own destinies. They… probably didn’t exist. We all rely on one another. We all desire belonging. We all seek a family of some kind. Also, where were the women? Women in westerns were often background or minor characters (with some exceptions). They were rarely the main protagonists. Modern westerns have come around a little bit and here we have three notable examples. These novels all have women at their centers, women who are cutting their own paths in worlds run by men. The situations in these stories often require women to be the strong individuals we’ve come to expect in westerns. But they also contain the more uncommon elements of finding yourself and finding yourself in others. The women seek self-acceptance in a world that will not accept them and seek belonging with those who will take them as they are. These elements, coupled with sexual and gender fluidity, create new dynamics and new stories to tell in an old setting that we seem to be drawn to again and again. 

• 

• 

• 

Outlawed – by Anna North – A reimagined American West in the aftermath of a pandemic. Oppression has ravaged the country and barren women are cast out or killed. Ada becomes one of these women and seeks refuge with the Hole in the Wall Gang, a group of queer, gender-non-conforming women who have plans for their own place in the world. 

Upright Women Wanted – By Sarah Gailey – A post-apocalyptic American West. Queer traveling librarian smugglers. Bandits. Fascist. There’s a lot in this slim futuristic dystopian Western. 

Whiskey When We’re Dry – By John Larison – Jessilyn lost her mother when she was born. And now she’s lost her father. With no family to help her work their land she seeks out her outlaw brother, joining a militia that is hunting him down. But it turns out that he’s more than just an outlaw. He’s a prophet to many, and Jessilyn finds herself examining her own identity in a world not designed for girls like her. 

-Mike M.

E-content:

Outlawed (e-book)

Upright Women Wanted (e-audiobook)

A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole – In this corner, we’ve got the fabulous but scattered Portia Hobbs. She’s brilliant but messy and dealing with the feelings of constantly disappointing family or friends. So running off to Scotland to intern with a man who makes swords seems like the perfect next step, right?

And in this corner, we have Tavish McKenzie, a grumpy bear of a man who’s coming to terms with the fact that just because he makes medieval swords doesn’t mean he can operate on medieval business standards. This means letting Portia and her social media wizardry in. But that’s not all she wants to fix up. 

A truth bomb drops, revealing that Tavish is the secret son of a Duke. Now, he’s got a heck of a hill to climb to manage his potential new role and Portia can’t wait to spiff him up to do it. If they can survive this, they might just be able to survive falling for each other. 

-Shivani H.

Read Shivani’s review of A Princess in Theory, the first installment in the Reluctant Royals series.

No, it isn’t. It’s a Book Valet post! But I have been watching “This is a Robbery” on Netflix. The four-part limited series chronicles one of the most famous art heists in history from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Paintings from Vermeer, Rembrandt, Degas, Manet, all gone.  Despite knowing (spoiler alert (this shouldn’t be a spoiler alert, folks)) that they don’t recover the art, it is a fascinating tale of crime, corruption, and characters aplenty. If you are interested in the stolen art, the art heist itself and more, here are some related recommendations. 

Master Thieves – Stephe A. Kurkjian worked for the Boston Globe and was one of the most expert reporters to cover the Gardner Museum case. He takes his reporting over the years and presents it in Master Thieves: The Boston Gangsters Who Pulled Off the World’s Greatest Art Heist. His investigation flows through the mysterious underworld of Boston’s organized crime. It’s the most complete account to date of the who, when, why, and where the art might be now. Kurkjian also appears in the Netflix documentary series and gives great detail to a flummoxing case that has vexed experts for decades. 

The Art Forger – The Gardener heist is the backdrop for this mystery/thriller/romance novel by B. A. Shapiro. Claire Roth makes her living painting reproductions for an online retailer. When Aiden Markel, an influential art dealer, asks Claire to reproduce one of the Degas stolen from the Gardner, she makes a Faustian bargain in exchange for an art show in his gallery. During her work she discovers that the stolen Degas is itself a forgery. Claire wrestles with a complicated past relationship and current entanglements with the law. Her discovery might be the thing that saves her. This is a well-researched, suspenseful, and intricately plotted novel that will immerse you in some of the darker aspects of the art world. 

And my final recommendation is to… go to the museum! Located just a walk away from the Fine Arts Museum in Boston, the Isabella Stewart Gardner is like no other. Built in the style of a 15th-century Venetian palace, the Gardner houses American, European, and Asian art. The arrangements of the art and the feeling of viewing someone’s personal art collection gives the museum an intimacy that you can’t get at the big art museums. It’s a truly unique place. Book a discounted museum pass through Howe Library. (Hot tip: Do not steal the art!) 

-Mike M.

P. S. Check out all the Isabella Stewart Gardner related materials from Howe Library through our online catalog.

LADY CLEMENTINE by Marie Benedict. 

In 1909 Lady Clementine Churchill grabbed her new husband, Winston, by his jacket and saved him from the would-be assassin who was about to push him into the path of an oncoming train. It was only the first of many times that she would save Winston Churchill, most frequently, from himself.  This is the story of an intelligent, politically astute and ambitious woman, who, despite being compelled by the attitudes of the times to remain, ostensibly, in the background, managed to influence Churchill’s ideas, attitudes and actions in ways that shaped twentieth century history. In this fictionalized first-person account, we hear Clemmie’s distinctive voice as she caters to Churchill’s every need without ever allowing him to lose sight of her vital role in his success.   

RADIANT:  THE DANCER, THE SCIENTIST, AND A FRIENDSHIP FORGED IN LIGHT by Liz Lee Heinecke. 

Today, Loie Fuller is a largely forgotten figure, but in 1900s Paris she was a dazzling part of the new century’s creative burst of energy and light.  Fuller, considered a pioneer of modern dance was particularly known for her innovative use of theatrical effects.  Not surprisingly, she was drawn to Marie Curie, whose discovery of radium, with its glowing blue light, seemed tailor made for use in her performances.  As Heinecke tells us in this carefully researched work of historical fiction, Loie Fuller’s dream of using radium in her performances was never realized, but she and Marie Curie became lifelong friends whose mutual fascination with that element powered a shared delight in discovery across the boundaries of art and science. 

THE PARIS WIFE by Paula McLain. 

Could Hemingway have written a more heartbreaking line than this:  that in the end, he would “rather have died than fallen in love with anyone but Hadley.”  In THE PARIS WIFE Paula McLain imagines that first love between Hadley Richardson, a 28-year-old who believes that love may have passed her by, and an even younger Ernest Hemingway, still struggling to find himself as a writer and a man.  Shortly after marrying, the Hemingways head for the whirlwind that is Paris in the 1920s.  Neither Hadley nor Ernest is prepared for the hedonistic life of the lost generation and while Ernest struggles to become a successful author, Hadley tries to hold on to her sense of self as she is challenged to be wife and muse, as well as mother to their child.  In the end, the love they have for each other simply isn’t enough to survive the betrayals that wreak havoc on their marriage.

-Marilyn B.

I hope you’re as excited as I am, because I’m bringing you the first book in Alyssa Cole’s Reluctant Royals series. 

Naledi Smith is a busy grad student trying to do it all while being persistently bombarded by emails that she is engaged to an African prince. She sends those straight to the spam folder, because she knows that’s not how this works, especially for a kid out of the foster system. Or is it?

Prince Thabiso has been looking for his missing betrothed for years, after her parents left the country shortly after she was born. However, when she mistakes him for a fellow waiter at a job, he finds himself reluctant to tell her the truth and shatter this little dream of being seen as himself instead of a prince. 

Its a delicious combination of tropes in new shapes and new ways as these two flounder their way to love and understanding. You won’t want to miss it!

-Shivani H.