These are the fiction titles that our reviewers like this month:
The Wayfinder, by Adam Johnson
Adam Johnson plunges readers into the South Seas. Faced with dwindling resources on a remote island, young Kōrero and her family yearn to set sail for their ancestral home. But warmongering kings, dynastic turmoil, and uncharted oceans await. Mighty and mythic, the novel is a captivating saga about endurance and purpose. – Erin Douglass
Why We Wrote This
October means fall is in full swing. This month, our reviewers enjoyed everything from a Jane Austen-inspired historical romance extravaganza (on the novel side) to a memoir by wunderkind music journalist and filmmaker Cameron Crowe (on the nonfiction side).
Bog Queen, by Anna North
When a well-preserved body turns up in a bog in Ludlow, England, in 2018, a young forensic anthropologist must verify its identity and determine the cause of death. The mystery novel braids together two timelines: the Iron Age and the 21st century. The body sparks curiosity while also igniting a battle among archaeologists, environmentalists, and industrialists for control of the bog. – Heller McAlpin
Let Me Go Mad in My Own Way, by Elaine Feeney
After her mother’s death, Claire returns to Ireland to care for her moody father. She’s surprised to find her ex-boyfriend has moved nearby, hoping to reunite. Elaine Feeney’s multigenerational saga brings out themes of redemption and renewal against the backdrop of Ireland’s violent past. – Stefanie Milligan
And Then There Was the One, by Martha Waters
This winking, witty, cozy mystery doffs its deerstalker to grandes dames Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, while dishing out cleverness of its own. In Buncombe-upon-Woolly, amateur sleuth Georgie reluctantly partners with a detective’s assistant – the charmer Sebastian – to investigate a death at the Marbled Cheese. Sparks fly, puns abound, facades fall; it’s a romp. – Erin Douglass
The Everlasting, by Alix E. Harrow
Alix E. Harrow unfurls a time-traveling tale packed with epoch-spanning emotion. Una, a radiant knight, and Owen, a battle-scarred scholar, discover they are mere pawns in a rapacious queen’s quest to rule forever. The duo’s efforts to outsmart her keep the plot zipping along. Amid the running and fighting, passion blooms. – Erin Douglass
The Elopement, by Gill Hornby
Gill Hornby whips up another Jane Austen-inspired historical romance extravaganza. With telling details of an era ruled by strict social and religious mores, “The Elopement” finds the extended Austen clan facing the quandary of an unsuitable match. Fans of Hornby’s “Miss Austen” and “Godmersham Park” will enjoy this. – Stefanie Milligan
Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon, by Matthew Norman
Tavern owner Grace and ad executive Henry discover friendship after the loss of their spouses. Matthew Norman wraps his characters in empathy and comedic finesse. With beloved Christmas movies, two charming kids, and a dog named Harry Styles, this hope-filled tale sparkles. – Stefanie Milligan
These are the nonfiction titles our reviewers like this month:
1929, by Andrew Ross Sorkin
Journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin follows up “Too Big to Fail,” his account of the 2008 financial crisis, with a lively history of the devastating stock market crash that triggered the Great Depression. In addition to capturing the human drama behind the crash, Sorkin warns of similarities between that era and our own time. – Barbara Spindel
The Uncool, by Cameron Crowe
Wunderkind music journalist and filmmaker Cameron Crowe dives deep into his “happy/sad” Californian childhood and gives readers a backstage pass to his interviews with rock legends. The memoir is told with humility and honesty. – Mackenzie Farkus
The Boston Way, by Mark Kurlansky
Mark Kurlansky chronicles how 19th-century abolitionists committed to nonviolence tried to steer Americans away from fighting the Civil War. Their tactics, though unsuccessful in preventing the conflict, shaped the thinking of future leaders such as Mohandas Gandhi and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. – Danny Heitman
