Diversity is the theme for these nine books – not in terms of race or gender, but topics. The one I enjoyed most was Kate Atkinson’s latest, followed by Dog of the North. Both light reading and a refreshing change of pace. None here I did not enjoy. I learned from your feedback that I should not speak ill of a book; I just won’t comment on those. And I do appreciate your taking the time to comment on my “comments.”
I’ll Come to You by Rebecca Kauffman (Counterpoint, 2024)
A sad, lovely little book about the “modern” family – the term used on the book’s fly leaf. Here, modern appears to be synonymous with the tangles of divorced parents, divorced friends, and divorced siblings. But the book also deals with reawakening. A stoic Boomer lovingly holds the grandchild of his romantic interest. A son and his mother rally around their father/husband as he seeps into dementia.
I had a warm feeling when I finished the book. Recommended.
Death at the Sign of the Rook: A Jackson Brodie Book (Jackson Brodie Series) by Kate Atkinson (Doubleday, 2024)
What an enjoyable book! Kate Atkinson made me laugh out loud – and I don’t ever recall laughing at her books before. IMHO, she’s read Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club Series and decided to lighten up her characters a bit.
Jackson Brodie is aging. But he still outwits his clients and his young police cohorts. The plot concerns art theft, always a head scratcher, because most stolen art disappears into the hands of wealthy hoarders who may have paid for the heist. Highly recommended for delightful reading.
Realm of Ice and Sky by Buddy Levy (St. Martin’s Press, 2024)
Airships occupy a small space in the history of aviation. Who would have thought that they played a major role in Artic exploration? Levy studies three explorers who saw the possibility of flying over the pole rather than slugging behind dog sleds. And it worked, but not without much drama.
The exploration time is the first quarter of the 20th century. All the participants are brave beyond our understanding, especially the crew members who stood to gain so much less money and fame than the captains. Marconi’s new electronic communication system plays a big role. (Thunderstruck by Eric Larson is an excellent book about Marconi.)
International cooperation is a big theme – prescient of the International Space Station. And I could not suppress my horror as the Germans became involved. They used airships throughout their bombardment of London in WWII. Recommended for history lovers.
Big Breath In by John Straley (Soho Press, 2024)
You know the book will have a quick denouement when the protagonist sets the stage that she is leaving chemo behind to have her last fling with life. In Big Breath In, our heroine is a marine biologist who often assisted her PI husband solving cases that benefitted from her scientific skills.
Her husband is now dead, but his former colleague approaches our frail scientist to help with a case taking place right under her nose in Seattle. It involves child and female trafficking, motorbike gangs, old friends, and family. I’d almost label it a “cozy” mystery except that our heroine keeps speeding up and down the Washington highway and byways on an old Harley. Enjoyable mystery.
Eclipse by Keiichiro Hirano (Columbia University Press, 2024)
Five hundred years ago, in France, a young priest studying philosophy in Paris takes leave of his studies to trace down a copy of an ancient text in the city of Lyons. On his journey, he stops in a village and falls under the spell of an alchemist, who owns a copy of the book. Our young priest is interested in introducing some pagan philosophies into contemporary religious philosophies, so the alchemist is a good information source.
Keiichiro Hirano was a college student when he wrote Eclipse. He became an instant literary hero in Japan. It’s an interesting little book, but I didn’t see much difference between Eclipse and the original Grimm tales.
The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzie (Penguin Press, 2023)
An enjoyable romp featuring a woman living in California to whom things happen. Her sister, living in Australia, is a woman who makes things happen. Their parents disappeared in the Outback seven years ago. It’s time to wrap things up, sell the house, get on with life.
This hits just when our passive California sister goes through a divorce and attempts to assist with the complicated lives of her mother’s parents, now her divorced grandmother and grandfather. McKenzie creates intense, fun characters, including the grandmother’s accountant and his ramshackle van, The Dog of the North. It’s a fun ride, enjoy it.
Selling Dead People’s Things by Duane Scott Cerny
How can you not love a book with this cover and title? Cerny is a Chicago antique dealer (mid-Century modern) who purchases estates of the deceased. The stories are fun and build from the start of his career. We rise with him to become one of the largest dealers in Chicagoland.
The short essays reveal tales of his clients (dead and alive), other dealers, career angels, and career killers. You will enjoy this book if you’ve ever known the thrill of finding a “treasure” in the shadowy confines of an antique sale barn.
All Fours by Miranda July (Riverhead Books 2024)
Ah, life of the privileged LA Millennials! I might have enjoyed it more if I read it at age 40 rather than age 81. July is a good writer – the book flows along smoothly. I loved her description of people as The Drivers and The Parkers. Our protagonist is a Parker, content where she is, and wants to be a Driver, looking for adventure. Immediately, when she attempts the switch, she cowers back into the shelter of a Parker. And from there she creates her imaginary new world.
The first half of the book is devoted to building an imaginary world. The rest deals with how that imaginary life affects real changes in a couple who cannot communicate well with each other. There is a good deal of emphasis on lesbian sex, non-binary children, and non-traditional marriage. Be warned.
The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue (Summit Books, 2025)
Short enjoyable historical novel about a passenger express steam train from Granville to Paris that crashed through the barriers onto the street below Montparnasse Station in 1895. Donoghue takes the passenger list of known travelers, fleshes out their backstories, and invents a few characters to fill the train. The Author’s Note at the end (I read it first) gives the historical details and the denouement of the lives she could trace.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
What are you reading this month? Have you heard of any of these titles? What new books would you recommend?
