Book of the Week: ‘No. 4 Imperial Lane’
No. 4 Imperial Lane Jonathan Weisman 2015, 341 pages Fiction American college student David Heller stays after his study abroad classes end, working as an assistant to Hans Bromwell, a quadriplegic. David gets to know Elizabeth, Hans’s sister, and Cristina, his niece. The novel is part eye-opening historical fiction – David observes the social upheavel of 1980s England and Elizabeth talks to him about her marriage to a Portuguese...
Book of the Week: ‘The Gilded Hour’
The Gilded Hour Sara Donati 2015, 741 pages Fiction A thoroughly entertaining period drama with dashes of mystery and romance, The Gilded Hour is about two female doctors, Dr. Liliane “Anna” Savard and Dr. Sophie Elodie Savard, who live near Washington Square with their Aunt Quinlan and her widowed stepdaughter, Margaret. As the book opens, Sophie is out delivering a baby, so Anna goes to issue health certificates for orphans with a...
Book of the Week: ‘The Dogist’
The Dogist Elias Weiss Friedman 2015, 304 pages Nonfiction If you have ever wanted to be overwhelmed by the cuteness and lovability of dogs, this book is for you. The Dogist (which started and continues as a Tumblr, Facebook and Instagram account) contains photos of dogs with little commentary, ranging from the smallest (Chihuahuas) to the largest (Great Danes). The photographs are beautifully composed and presented with very little...
Book of the Week: ‘Jacksonland’
Jacksonland Steve Inskeep 2015, 10 audio CDs Nonfiction Jacksonland is a fascinating history of one of the United States’s most influential presidents, Andrew Jackson, and the events leading up to expulsion of Native Americans from the southern U.S. known as the Trail of Tears. Author Steve Inskeep, the co-host of NPR’s Morning Edition, intertwines Jackson’s story, both personal and political, with the story of Chief John Ross, who...
Book of the Week: ‘Uprooted’
Uprooted Naomi Novik 2015, 435 pages Fiction Agnieszka is a village girl who is happy with her home, her family and her friends, especially her best friend, Kasia. Their local magician protects them from the dangerous creatures of the forest, which allows them to live on the border of their land. Everyone knows that Kasia will be taken by the magician as a servant at the upcoming harvest festival, as he always takes the best and the...
