Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Best for: Anyone wanting a beautiful bit of writing that isn’t about a plot so much as a feeling. In a nutshell: A day in the life of four astronauts and two cosmonauts as they orbit the earth 16 times. Worth quoting: “We find out about our own unspecialness and in a flush of innocence we feel quite glad – if we’re not special then we might not be alone.” “We think we’re the wind, but we’re just the leaf.” Why I chose it: This […]
An Unfortunate Christmas Murder by Hannah Hendy
Best for: Fans of ‘cozy’ mysteries; those who enjoyed the first in the series. In a nutshell: During rehearsals for the annual Christmas play, a member of staff is killed in a freak accident. Or was it an accident? Worth quoting: N/A Why I chose it: I’m traveling (which means no cat photos with the books, sadly) and don’t have the brain power to focus on most books. This is keeping me company as I fly, and on my runs. Review: I love a series […]
The Dinner Lady Detectives by Hannah Hendy
Best for: Those looking for a bit of a cozy mystery. In a nutshell: Margery and Clementine are a couple who work together as dinner ladies at the local school. The kitchen manager is found dead in a walk-in freezer, and while everyone else writes it off as an accident, Margery and Clementine aren’t so sure… Worth quoting: N/A Why I chose it: I like the idea of a sort of simple, cozy little mystery, and it was available from my library. Review: I had […]
The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
Best for: No one. Seriously. The concept – the very very basic, simple, concept, is something I think many people could find helpful. But the other 299 pages of this 300 page book don’t make up for it. In a nutshell: Professional self-help writer Mel Robbins claims to have discovered a concept that her daughter is responsible for specifically (and that various philosophical and religious groups have been pitching for centuries) and then spends a lot of time providing some okay and some awful examples […]
Nice Try: Stories of Best Intentions and Mixed Results by Josh Gondelman
Best for: Fans of gentle storytelling and humor. In a nutshell: Comedian and writer Gondelman tells stories from his life, usually with a humorous take, and often with a bit more self-awareness than one gets from such books. Worth quoting: N/A Why I chose it: I’m most familiar with Gondelman as a panelist on the NPR show Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me, and I follow him on BlueSky, but didn’t realize he had a book, so figured I would check it out. Review: This is […]
Against Borders: The Case for Abolition by Gracie Mae Bradley and Luke De Noronha
Best for: Those who have a feeling that there’s something wrong with current systems of immigration and borders but wants to put some facts behind that. In a nutshell: Authors Bradley and de Noronha look at all the ways that borders — and the enforcement of immigration associated with them — are a negative for society, and offer some ideas for ways to abolish them. Worth quoting: “Borders do not materialize only at the edges of national territory, in airports, or at border walls. In […]
