Category: Books Other Recommendations

Enemies of the People: My Family’s Journey to America by Kati Marton Non-fiction – memoir from Janet Hungary WWII. Second husband was Peter Jennings, 3rd was Richard Holbrooke, daughter of prominent journalist.

Feminist City: Claiming Space in a Man-Made World by Leslie Kern Non-Fiction suggested by Toni From Amazon – We live in the city of men. Our public spaces are not designed for female bodies. There is little consideration for women as mothers, workers or carers. The urban streets often are a place of threats rather […]

The Fires of Autumn by Irène Némirovsky Fiction suggested by Barbara From Amazon: This panoramic exploration of French life between the wars reads like a prequel to Irène Némirovsky’s international bestseller Suite Française. At the end of the First World War, Bernard Jacquelain returns from the trenches a changed man. Broken by the unspeakable horrors […]

Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas Non-fiction suggested by Annie From Lisa: Entertaining and poignant memoir of what it was like to grow up in the US with Iranian parents who were trying to adapt to being in America.

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier Fiction suggested by Nancy The New York Times bestselling novel by the author of At the Edge of the Orchard and Remarkable Creatures Translated into thirty-nine languages and made into an Oscar-nominated film, starring Scarlett Johanson and Colin Firth Tracy Chevalier transports readers to a bygone time […]

Glass House: The 1% Economy and the Shattering of the All-American Town by Brian Alexander Non-fiction suggested by Anca Alexander’s hometown, Lancaster Ohio, was declared the All-American Town by Forbes in 1947; its Anchor Hocking Glass was the foundation of a healthy, booming community. The once-vibrant town began to crumble as the factory shut down. […]

God’s Hotel: A Doctor, a Hospital and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine by Victoria Sweet, M.D. non-fiction from Barbara K. Laguna Honda Hospital, San Francisco. Read an article from the New York Times.

Gone to Soldiers by Marge Piercy Fiction from Verna WWII in the US. vignettes: a tapestry of World War II, of six women and four men, who fought and died, worked and worried, and moved through the dizzying days of the war. A compelling chronicle of humans in conflict with inhuman events.

Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood Fiction suggested by Lisa This book is part of the Hogarth Shakespeare Series, where well-known authors are writing modern takes on Shakespeare’s series. Hag-Seed is Margaret Atwood’s ‘retelling’ of The Tempest. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves Shakespeare and Margaret Atwood’s novels. From Goodreads: When Felix is deposed […]

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J. D. Vance Non-fiction suggested by Janice Former marine and Yale Law School graduate describes growing up in a poor Rust Belt town, his chaotic family history, and offers a compassionate analysis of the struggles of America’s white working class.