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
“Trespasses” (Hardcover)
By Louise Kennedy
Riverhead Books, 304 pages, $27
Set in Northern Ireland during “The Troubles,” this beautifully written novel tells the story of Cushla, who teaches in the local school and helps at her family’s bar. When she meets Michael, a married, Protestant barrister who defends IRA members, she’s drawn into a passionate affair.
“Babel” (Paperback)
By R.F. Kuang
Harper Voyager, 560 pages, $27.99
In the early 19th century, a young boy orphaned in China is brought to London to attend Oxford University’s Royal Institute of Translation, a place that teaches both language and magic. This fantastical history interrogates colonialism, industrialization, expansionist instinct, and the ways that language and knowledge are intertwined with power.
Nonfiction
“A Private Spy: The Letters of John le Carré” (Hardcover)
By John le Carré, Edited by Tim Cornwell
Viking Books, 752 pages, $40
This collection of John LeCarre’s letters is artistic, political and personal. It is a delight for the amateur archivist to see into his correspondence with spies, writers, politicians and public figures. This is a generous and witty glimpse into a remarkable post-war life.
“The LEGO Story: How a Little Toy Sparked the World’s Imagination” (Hardcover)
By Jens Andersen
Mariner Books, 432 pages, $32.50
Who doesn’t love Lego? This book offers a cultural history of the beloved toy that also serves as a case study of how a deeply held belief — that play is necessary in a healthy society — can drive extraordinary and meaningful business success.
Children
“Love, Escargot” (Picture Book, ages 4-6)
By Dashka Slater
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 40 Pages, $18.99
Escargot, a delightful French snail, is headed to a Valentine’s Day party where he’s in for a bit of a surprise. This is the third installment in what is just about the funniest and most surprising picture book series around.
“The Sheep, The Rooster, and the Duck” (Middle Grades, ages 8-12)
By Matt Phelan
Greenwillow Books, 240 pages, $16.99
It’s 1784 in France and nefarious villains are trying to steal Benjamin Franklin’s inventions. Can they be thwarted by his hardworking chateau caretaker and a trio of animals? Madcap history accompanied by energetic illustrations makes this book a treasure.
Container vegetable gardening is a terrific option for people with limited space and/or time. Rebecca Brown and Norman Cohen share some tips.
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.