A World Lit Only By Fire

by William Manchester

Hachette Book Group

    The answers to three of the recent Jeopardy Masters questions are in this book - Louis XV, Atlantis & Sir Thomas Malory. This is a fun history of a fascinating time - the transition from the darkness of the Middle Ages to the beginning of the Renaissance. We sometimes think our era has a lock on corruption, but the Popes and the Holy Roman Empire knew their way around bribery, promiscuity and ever more horrendous ways of killing those who dared to disagree with them. And Magellan, poor Magellan.

   In an odd way, this is all a bit reassuring.

If you would like to know more about this book, or own it, please try your local independent bookstore or bookshop.org .

 Halcyon

by Elliott Ackerman

Knopf/PRH

May 23, 2023

    When does compromise become hypocrisy? 

    Faulkner said "The past is never dead. It's not even past."

    Halcyon is the stately Southern mansion owned by Robert Ableson - esteemed attorney, WW ll hero and recently dead. Ackerman brings Ableson and all around him to vibrant life. This novel manages to involve science, politics, Confederate monuments, family secrets, Civil War battles, much more, and still be fun.

If you would like to know more about or own this book, please contact your local independent bookstore or bookshop.org

Himself

by Jess Kidd

Simon & Schuster

    An Irish mixture of fantasy and murder in a small town with memorable characters swarming the pages. You have to root for Mahony, something of a rogue, who returns to his hometown to try to discover his roots. In doing so he sends the entire village into a completely ridiculous, but fun, chaos of their own making. Did I mention ghosts?

   Kidd has several other books, including Mr. Flood's Last Resort, Things in Jars  and The Night Ship - all very different, but greatly enjoyable.

If you would like to read or own this or any of Jess Kidd's books, please try your local independent bookstore or bookshop.org

So Long, See You Tomorrow

by William Maxwell

Vintage International/PRH

   This is the story of the friendship between two young teenagers in the 1920s and how easily that relationship is destroyed by things they have no control over. It is also a story of memory and its failings, as one of the grown men tries to understand what happened.  A brilliantly written look into the lives of two boys and the things that they can't and don't want to know.

    This is probably still taught in high schools, but may be best read at a later age to appreciate the subtlety and strength of Maxwell's art.

If you would like to know more about or own this book, please try your local bookstore or bookshop.org.

The Gospel of Orla

by Eoghan Walls

Seven Stories Press/PRH

    This is the strangest book I've read in a long time. It's also absolutely wonderful.  Fourteen year old Orla's voice is unique and compelling - her grief so real and her hope so strong that you can't help wishing for a miracle. There's also Jesus and an elephant named Fantasmo who are important characters in Orla's world.

If you would like to know more about Orla, or own this book, please check your local independent bookstore orbookshop.org

Standing in the Shadows

by Peter Robinson

Wm.Morrow/HarperCollins

   If you haven't read any of the Inspector Banks books, this is not the place to start. Gallows View is the first, but In a Dry Season is my favorite. They are all very well crafted British police procedural mysteries with a great cast of characters.

   It is very sad that Robinson passed away in 2022, so this will probably be his last, unless the publishers have a manuscript somewhere. This is an interesting story told from two very different points of view - the ex boyfriend of a young woman murdered many years ago and the police tracking down the truth behind a not ancient skeleton found at an archaeological dig. It all comes together very well.

If you would like to know more about this book, or try the series, please contact your local independent bookstore or bookshop.org .

The Queen of Dirt Island

by Donal Ryan

Viking Press

    The form of this novel is superb. Each chapter is a prose poem of two pages; all connecting to create the story of the Aylward women - strong, funny, profane and loving across their generations.

    There is tragedy and heartbreak but mostly love. There is such warmth and humor in these pages you can't help but smile throughout, even when the going gets rough.

    I've enjoyed other books by Ryan but this is his best, so far.

If you would like to know more about this book or own it, please try your local independent bookstore or bookshop.org

 The Wind Knows My Name

by Isabel Allende

Ballantine Books/PRH

June 6, 2023

    Among the memorable characters in this novel are Simon Adler, who as a child is sent by his tearful mother away from Vienna in 1938 on a kindertransport to England and Anita Diaz whose mother is separated from her at the Mexican border in 2019. The story follows both of these refugees as they make their way to new lives and the people who help them forward. Allende manages to create feeling for all the individuals in very succinct and distinct ways.

If you would like to know more about  or own this book, please try your local independent bookstore or bookshop.org