These are the fiction titles our reviewers like best this month:
Indian Country, by Shobha Rao
Newly married Janavi and Sagar leave their familiar world of Varanasi, India, for a dam-removal project in Montana’s Cotton River Valley. As the couple struggles to find their cultural bearings, opposition to the project, plus the suspicious drowning of a Native American colleague, deepen old rifts in the community. Shobha Rao weaves an absorbing story of dislocation and memory. – Erin Douglass
Why We Wrote This
Our reviewers’ picks this month include a novel based on the life of female photojournalist Dickey Chapelle, who covered conflicts from World War II to Vietnam. Also in historical fiction, a battle of wits ensues between a widowed shop owner and a dashing rogue in 1740s London. In nonfiction, “The Martians” looks at the craze for all things Red Planet in the early 20th century.
The Last Assignment, by Erika Robuck
This historical novel, based on the life of combat photojournalist Georgette “Dickey” Chapelle, follows her reporting from World War II to the Cuban Revolution to the Vietnam War. Erika Robuck captures the camaraderie of the troops with whom Chapelle was embedded, and the fearlessness with which she lived and died. – Stefanie Milligan
The Art of a Lie, by Laura Shepherd-Robinson
Dubbed “a gladiatorial battle of wits” by its author, this twisty comeuppance tale delivers. On one side is shop owner Hannah Cole – widowed, aggrieved, and currently hiding a very big secret. On the other side is dashing rake William Devereux, lugging lies and dodgy motives of his own. Set in London in 1749, the story discourages easy moralizing about guilt and justice. – Erin Douglass
The View From Lake Como, by Adriana Trigiani
This big-hearted tale of a dutiful Italian American daughter is hilarious. After divorcing her husband, Jess finds herself catapulted to Italy and her uncle’s marble business and ancestral home. There, she meets an inspiring gold artist. Adriana Trigiani’s characters and dialogue are a delight. – Stefanie Milligan
These are the nonfiction titles our reviewers like best this month:
Algospeak, by Adam Aleksic
Linguist Adam Aleksic takes readers on a conversational plunge into language change in our algorithm-powered, social media era. He tracks terms as they move from a subculture’s insider lingo to hot new hashtag to offline slang to verbal ubiquity. – Erin Douglass
The Invention of Charlotte Brontë, by Graham Watson
Graham Watson critiques biography itself while exploring the fraught life, creative output, and frenzied eulogizing of “Jane Eyre” author Charlotte Brontë. No one comes off great – not the father, the husband, nor friends such as writer Elizabeth Gaskell, who takes on the herculean task of chronicling “England’s great enigma.” It’s a compelling look at narrative-making. – Erin Douglass
Ring of Fire, by Alexandra Churchill and Nicolai Eberholst
World War I has been called “the great seminal catastrophe of the 20th century” by American historian George Kennan. Alexandra Churchill and Nicolai Eberholst, making extensive use of foreign-language sources including letters and diaries, have produced a vivid, insightful, and unsparing account of the war’s opening days. – Terry W. Hartle
The Martians, by David Baron
Science journalist David Baron’s captivating book describes the Mars craze of the early 20th century, when it was widely believed that intelligent life existed on the red planet. Well-researched and elegantly written, Baron’s account illuminates the origins of America’s continuing fascination with Mars. – Barbara Spindel
A Flower Traveled in My Blood, by Haley Cohen Gilliland
Haley Cohen Gilliland delivers an in-depth account of Argentina’s fierce legion of activist grandmothers. They were driven to protest – and investigate – the disappearances of family members during the military junta’s terror campaign from 1976 to 1983. The book is rousing, roiling, and awe-inducing. – Erin Douglass
Tonight in Jungleland, by Peter Ames Carlin
It’s hard to believe that Bruce Springsteen’s “Born To Run” – one of the most acclaimed albums in rock history – was almost buried by Columbia Records. After disappointing sales of the young musician’s first two records, executives had planned to drop him. Peter Ames Carlin tells of the album’s creation, and how it eventually secured Springsteen’s stardom. – Joan Gaylord
