Nonfiction
By Sebastian Junger
Mr. Junger has experienced several brushes with death, especially as a war correspondent, but it was on a quiet morning at his home in July 2020, when Death pounded loudly at the door. He collapsed, was rushed by ambulance to a hospital over an hour away, and nearly succumbed to a ruptured aneurysm. His account of that near-death experience provides a vivid description of his medical treatment, incidents from his past, and an absorbing inquiry into the meaning of death and its aftermath.
History
By Steven Johnson
Dynamite was seen as a construction tool. Anarchism was supposed to lead to peaceful coexistence. Forensics deals with crime. When these three combined, they often did so explosively. “The Infernal Machine” examines how the merging of dynamite, anarchism, and forensic science led to the creation of the surveillance state. It is a study of unintended consequences that shows how an extreme political movement and an organizational reaction to it consistently led to centralization of power.
Science Fiction
By John Ringo and James Aidee
One minute Jason Graham is in an Alabama restaurant, the next minute he is on a space station over a planet in the far end of the Milky Way galaxy. Plucked from Earth before it was destroyed, Earth’s population was split into 500,000 people blocks and given new, terraformed planets as homes. Groups were split by political leaning. Graham is with the free-market, decentralized government types. He sees the opportunity for the adventure and embraces it in a fun-filled, action-packed story.
Ancient History
By Tom Holland
Out of chaos comes order. This was at least the case in Rome after Caesar Augustus settled the dust through war. For a century, Rome experienced peace, and then Nero committed suicide, leading to a vicious scramble among designing men to become emperor. Mr. Holland guides the reader through the Roman streets, inside the Forum, and on the battlefields of the provinces. In the pursuit of the Pax Romana, one must walk a blood-soaked path. A wealth of Roman history in elegant form and not too lengthy.
Classics
By Anthony Gilbert
Originally published in 1927, this is a classic English murder mystery, right down to a body discovered in the library. Sir Simon Chandos, the deceased and the owner of Freyne Abbey, is found with a confessional note and a bottle of pills, but one of his guests, amateur detective Scott Egerton, suspects murder and sets out on the dangerous task of unmasking the killer. Anthony Gilbert was the pen name of Lucy Beatrice Malleson, who wrote more than 60 crime novels under this and other pseudonyms.
For Kids
By Maurice Sendak
Recently published from the late children’s book author Maurice Sendak, “Ten Little Rabbits” is the simplest of books featuring the familiar illustrating style of the author. As a magician counts the rabbits hopping out of his hat, readers are encouraged to practice basic counting skills. Its sparse format is great for budding readers to read along.
