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
“Amanda”
By HS Cross
Europa Editions, 336 pages, $26 (hardcover)
Set in post-WW1 England, this novel follows the story of two damaged people — Marion, fleeing Ireland from a short, violent marriage, and Jamie, upper-class and struggling to readjust to a world beyond the trenches. Full of voice, and with a deeply realized sense of place, “Amanda”
is erotic, romantic, and intense.
“Murder In Constantinople”
By EA Goldin
Pushkin Vertigo, 352 pages, $18.95 (paperback)
This exuberant novel is full of history and adventure. A murder mystery set in the mid-19th century, it tells the story of the young Ben Caanan, a bit of a trouble-maker, whose father wishes he would just settle down and help run their family business. Instead, a mysterious letter and a beautiful photograph lead him down a dangerous path.
Nonfiction
“Beyond Fast: How a Renegade Coach and His Unlikely High School Team Revolutionized Distance Running”
By Sean Brosnan
Atria Books, 288 pages, $29 (hardcover)
The inspiring story of one coach’s obsessive and nuanced leadership, which vaulted a run-of-the-mill high school cross country team to become the best program in history.
“The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science” (paperback)
By Dava Sobel
Grove Press, 384 pages, $20
Marie Curie gets the biography she deserves as Sobel skillfully distills her life and career. With attentive archival reconstruction, she provides insights that make it feel like you are reading about the renowned physicist for the first time.
Children
“Solo”
By Gráinne O’Brien
Little Island, 280 pages, $12.99 (young adult)
This charming novel-in-verse by Irish author and bookseller O’Brien captures the angst, intensity, and impossibility of adolescence. At the heart of this story is Daisy, a classical musician, who doesn’t quite feel a part of things at home or at school.
“Firefly”
By Robert Macfarlane and Luke Adam Hawker
Magic Cat Books, 32 Pages, $19 (picture book)
A simple story of a child who discovers a winter meadow radiant with fireflies, this book’s vivid line drawings and lyrical verse present a quiet vision of incandescent hope.
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