Seeking your next good read? Emma Snyder, owner of The Ivy Bookshop at 5928 Falls Road in Baltimore, offers recommendations for must-read titles for adults and children.
Fiction
“Kairos”
By Jenny Erpenbeck, translated by Michael Hofmann
New Directions, 336 pages, $25.95 Hard cover
In her newest novel, the masterful German writer Jenny Erpenbeck offers a fascinating view of 1980s East Berlin while exploring the personal and political implications of societal decay. Disturbing, passionate, and utterly alive.
“Lone Women”
By Victor Lavalle
One World, 304 pages, $27 Hard cover
Merging history with horror, written with great energy and style, Lone Women tells the gripping story of a woman, in 1915, running from her past. Lavalle portrays the early 20th century American west as you’ve never seen it before.
Nonfiction
“Last Call at Coogan’s: The Life and Death of a Neighborhood Bar”
By Jon Michaud
St. Martin’s Press, 320 pages, $29 Hard cover
Michaud traces the history of Coogan’s, a New York City bar and restaurant that served as a vital sanctuary for the Washington Heights neighborhood throughout the 1980s, 90s, and 2000s. It’s a deeply personal story about a specific community, and a celebration of small business.
“Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World”
By John Vaillant
Knopf, 432 pages, $32.50 Hard cover
In what is suddenly an extremely timely account of a Canadian wildfire disaster, John Valliant researches and reflects on the relationship between humanity and nature. Fire, a central tool in our lives, can also be a catalyst for great destruction — and its effects seem to be accelerating each year.
Children
“Wallflowers”
By Joy Mackenzie
Harper Collins, 40 pages, $16.89 Hard cover
In a world that can be deafeningly loud, Wallflowers is a celebration of the subtle, quiet, and gentle personalities that enrich our lives. Picture Book (Ages 4-6 years)
“The Witch of Woodland”
By Laurel Snyder
Walden Pond Press, 304 pages, $19.99
Snyder’s newest novel tells the story of Zippy, who, while preparing for her bat mitzvah, discovers that she can conjure magic. A beautiful story about family, ritual, expectations, and that confusing — and magical? — terrain of early adolescence. Middle Grades (Ages 8-12 years)
Filmmaker Justin Schein looks at wealth and inequality through the very real story of his late father.
For 35 years, the late Deborah Brodie, aka Bubbie Cookie, amassed a collection of over 200 Jewish ritual objects, which she used to teach her Hebrew school students with special needs.
Conceived by Columbia resident Benjamin Kintisch, "Life Review: The Hospice Musical" offers a thought-provoking and occasionally amusing perspective on mortality.
Steve Hofstetter, who will perform at Soundstage next week, recently made headlines for his social media post ridiculing some fans' warnings about Charm City's safety.