Finding books to read is both planned and serendipitous. Every day I read the Wall Street Journal. They include a book review, usually non-fiction. On the weekend, they have a large book review section with new publications of a wide variety. I’ve learned to respect their choices given the hundreds of books that launch in a month.
Sam Sacks is my favorite reviewer. He provides “Easter Eggs” of previous excellent books by the featured author, or similar excellent books. There is also a weekly section asking a popular author to recommend books on a specific topic regardless of when published. This week it was James Kennedy selecting his five favorite books on unexpected horror.
Then there is the lure of “reading deeply.” When you find an author whose content and style you like, investigate their backlist for more gems. I did that recently with Amity Gauge. There are some authors, like Paul Theroux, where I’ve read all his books: most great (travelogues), some good, and a few worthy.
Though I love my friends, I find recommended books that thrill them sometimes disappoint me. But I would never have found The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elizabeth Tova (previously commented upon) was it not for my friend Lynn.
Search by Michelle Hunenen (Penguin 2023)
I loved this book about a Unitarian Universalist congregation’s search for a new minister. I am vaguely familiar with the complex process as my niece served on a such a Search Committee. Her stories were amazing, as is the search in which Michelle Hunenen is involved. She’s a cookbook writer, so all the committee food is detailed, and recipes are provided at the end.
The complexity of the search process and the committee member demographics combine to produce a book of rare honesty. There are old guard vs newer members. There are members with Christian outlook and pagan members who enjoy the collegiality of organized religion. There are academic types and goth protesters. What a great cultural study wrapped up in a fascinating book. Don’t miss it.
Schroder by Amity Gaige (Hachette, 2013)
Earlier this year, I read and loved Sea Wife by Amity Gaige (mentioned in this article). So, I dipped into her previous works. Schroder was lauded by several reviewers.
Here she uses the first person to dive into her main male character, Schroder, aka Eric Kennedy. The book is unsettling, the plot dark. As a reader, I always question a writer’s choice to use the voice of the opposite sex as the main character, especially in the first person. How does she know what leads a father to kidnap his child? Or to study pauses in conversation as his academic research topic? Or to change his name and begin a new life? Gaige pulls it off. There was nothing that seemed false. It’s an interesting, but not a compelling read.
Lincoln’s Lady Spymaster: The Untold Story of the Abolitionist Southern Belle Who Helped Win the Civil War by Gerri Willis (Harper, 2025)
A fresh look at Civil War history through the eyes and actions of a Victorian southern belle.
I never heard of Elizabeth Van Lew, a wealthy spinster living in Richmond, VA, center of the Confederate revolution. She adroitly used her position in society to inform Lincoln’s aides on Confederate military activities around their capital. Her network of runners to the North included carters, slaves, freemen and freewomen, farmers hauling produce, workers on the railroad – people who could move freely across enemy lines as she could not.
She volunteered in hospitals and prisons, helping Southerners and Northerners. This brought her close to wounded Northern officers whom she helped to escape. Why did she do this? Because of her opposition to slavery. Interesting read for lovers of Civil War history.
Imperfect Women by Araminta Hall (MCD/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2020)
Mary, Nancy, and Eleanor – friends from university who are still together. Two are married and have children; one isn’t and doesn’t. One has a great job; the others don’t. All are filled with regrets of broken dreams and paths not taken, and envy what their friends apparently have. Not one is entirely happy with her choices. Each has her own approach to the classic work-life balance conundrum. (Does anyone ever solve that problem?) All try to be good people, and no one really succeeds.
The plot surrounds the murder of Nancy, the beauty of the trio. She married well yet turns out to be the most unhappy. I found her the least interesting character. The murderer is a bit of surprise. An OK read.
October in the Earth by Olivia Hawker, (Lake Union Publishing, 2023)
This novel takes place during the Great Depression. A Kentucky wife of an evangelical preacher reaches the limits of tolerance for her manipulative husband and hops the train to hobo land. Sounds improbable? I thought so and continued to remain unconvinced by this road (train) story about two women who meet in a boxcar and journey across the U.S. We glean information about life as a female vagrant, hopping from town to town seeking meagre work.
I felt the experience lacked authenticity. Men are mostly kind and accepting of the pair. There is not much fear of sexual predators. But there is the suspense about the female-to-female relationship. Will they? Won’t they? Become lovers, that is. That felt like a forced plot twist. I did enjoy the women’s encounter with a group of church ladies who host tea parties and “by the way” offer help to vagrants. The church ladies provide medical help, food, shelter, and solace. I imagine that groups like this existed in towns small and large at this desperate time.
Spartina by John Casey (Alfred A. Knopf)1998
A trusted reviewer pointed me to this 1998 National Book Award winner by John Casey. It’s interesting on several levels. The location is a small Rhode Island coastal town changing from the fishing industry to the tourist industry. This affects all the locals and brings in new folks – good and bad. It’s clear that Casey loves the coastal environment, as we learn about spartina (a sea grass growing on the sandy banks), the fishing industry, and the love of his characters for this locale.
Dick Pierce, fisherman, husband, father, boat builder, curmudgeon, is our protagonist. He’s the only deeply developed character. Elsie, his love interest (in addition to his wife), is revealed as a quirky, self-interested young woman who insists on raising their love child in the small town. The center of the action is a hurricane that threatens Dick’s newly launched fishing boat. Casey’s writing is fine. But I found Dick’s negativity too much from beginning to end. A worthy read, but no joy.
Compass Rose by John Casey, 2010
Of course, I had to read Compass Rose, the sequel to Spartina, written by Casey 12 years later. The child, Rose, is now 12, and gradually is acknowledged by the parents, the wife, the stepbrothers, and a few members of the community.
Rose is a difficult teen, and her addle-brained mother does not help the situation. They are constantly at each other’s throats. Family and friends step in and form relationships with Rose that soothe the troubles. She becomes the pivot of the plot. Dick’s still a curmudgeon but mellowing now that he has his fishing business. Mostly, he spends time at sea with his crew, away time that suits him and his family. It’s a suitable sequel to Spartina, a book that did not beg for a follow-up.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
Do you follow any newspaper for its book recommendations? Which titles have you found in that way? Would you recommend anything this month?
