“November is the most disagreeable month in the whole year,” said Margaret, standing at the window one dull afternoon, looking out at the frostbitten garden.
“That’s the reason I was born in it,” observed Jo pensively, quite unconscious of the blot on her nose.
“If something very pleasant should happen now, we should think it a delightful month,” said Beth, who took a hopeful view of everything, even November.
(Louisa May Alcott, Little Women, Chapter 15)
Whether you are one who takes a hopeful view of November, dear Patrons, or one who scoffs at the earlier evenings, there is no denying we are enjoying a stunning beginning to the month–and a perfect weekend in which to come in and pick up a new book! Here are five that have recently appeared on our shelves for your consideration:
The Gold Eaters: Waman is a young boy living in what we now call Peru, but when he is kidnapped by European explorers and forced to work as Francisco Pizarro’s translator, he must learn to define himself not by his relationship to his family and those he loves, but by the aggressive, wily men who have taken him prisoner, and demand his loyalty in a political game that means nothing to him–but will inevitably mean the destruction of the very world to which he hopes to return. Robert Wright based his novel on real historic actors, and carves his love for South America–and his heartbreak over the cultural destruction that is still occurring there–into every line of this book, crafting what Joseph Boyden has hailed “a brilliant and difficult reflection on the breaking of an Indigenous people on the wheel of ‘progress.’”
Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World’s Superpowers: The title alone should give you a clue about just how wide-ranging and unique Simon Winchester’s biography of the world’s largest ocean truly is. At the heart of his work is the idea that the Meditteranean Sea shaped our cultural origins, the Atlantic defined our past–but the Pacific will define our future. Ranging from the coast of Africa to the ports of Asia, to those tiny little islands in between, this is a book that is mammoth in scope, and yet Winchester finds a way to make the whole work delightfully accessible.
Eating Words : A Norton Anthology of Food Writing: There is as much an art to food writing as there is to any other form of literature, and this book celebrates all the delicious descriptions, sumptuous phrases, and delectable narratives that writers have used to talk about our meals and our menus from time immemorial. Beginning with the Old Testament and continuing through to Julia Child and Anthony Bourdain, this is a book for the foodie and the word junkie in all of us. Joyce Carol Oates raves, “Eating Words is a remarkable gathering of commentary on every aspect of food from the ritualistic and ‘symbolic’ to the pragmatic…There is much for carnivores here, not surprisingly, but surprisingly, there is a good deal here for vegetarians as well. Fascinating reading. A feast of a book!”
The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine: Fans of Precious Ramotswe will be overjoyed to hear that the 16th installment of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Series has arrived! In this tale, Mma Ramotswe has reluctantly agreed to take a holiday–but it isn’t long before she finds herself plunged into the middle of a mystery surrounding a troubled young boy, and the reputation of a beloved politician. Booklist gave this novel a starred review, cheering that it “showcases the boundless compassion, humor, and occasional wiliness of the agency’s founder . . . The title comes from Precious’s reflection that she, blessed by the love of her husband…walks in sunshine. Readers of this and the whole series will feel similarly blessed.”
Styx: Not only does Bavo Dhooge’s series’ opener feature a high-stakes hunt for a sadistic murderer known as The Stuffer, who positions his victims as public art installations in and around a Belgian beach resort, but it features a crotchety detective…who just happens to be zombie. Now, Detective Rafael Styx must hunt down the Stuffer, and learn to tame his hunger for human flesh. I can’t even. Richard Kadrey, who is among my favorite authors, says, “a taut detective story with dash of Surrealism. Imagine Dashiell Hammett sending Sam Spade into a dark, off-kilter world of artists, zombies, and serial killers” …and that is good enough for me.
We hope you find something to travel with you this weekend, dear patrons! Happy adventures, and happy reading!