How to Start by Jodi Kantor

HOW TO START by Jodi Kantor is subtitled “Discovering Your Life's Work” and is a slender (112 pages) text intended to offer informative reading for the 18- to 25-year-olds in your life. Kantor, a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter for The New York Times, was asked to give the commencement speech at Columbia and that, in turn, inspired this text. She writes about developing craft (an often-slow accumulation of skill), identifying need, and the interplay between the two: “The craft she is learning will change and refine her assessment of that need. To meet that evolving vision, she will pursue higher forms of craft -- more skilled, new tools. Fresh needs will emerge, of the richness and strength of her craft will help her address the unexpected.” That may be a bit abstract for many 20-somethings, but they will likely benefit from Kantor’s acknowledgement of how universal their generation’s struggle is. HOW TO START is recommended by authors like Reid Hoffman (Superagency), Shonda Rimes (Year of Yes), and Gretchen Rubin (The Happiness Project) and this title also made me think of Tina Seelig’s What I Wish I Knew When I was 20 (she has a new book, What I Wish I Knew about Luck, forthcoming in June).

Jodi Kantor recently paired with Jennifer Breheny Wallace (Mattering) at a FAN session to discuss HOW TO START and the goals of financial stability, satisfaction (being connected to what one does), and contribution (how your career helps others). The recording will be available on the FAN (Family Action Network) website soon.

You Can't Hurry Second Chances by Michelle Stimpson

YOU CAN'T HURRY SECOND CHANCES by Michelle Stimpson is about a new life in small town Texas. Joyce Hicks has finally decided to divorce her husband after thirty years of being unfulfilled in her marriage. She moves away from Austin and settles in her grandmother’s house, but finds that her funds cannot cover all of the needed renovations in a timely manner. Her tenant, Gabriella Santos, is a talented chef who also struggles to see her own self-worth. Together the two of them push and pull each other along until Joyce learns to make decisions (including saying No to her daughter and Yes to a date with an old friend) with more confidence and Gabriella becomes brave enough to showcase her talents in public, leading to a new opportunity. Aspects feel like a coming-of-age story involving adults – with a rather abrupt, but happy ending.

The Mountains We Call Home by Richardson

THE MOUNTAINS WE CALL HOME by Kim Michele Richardson is a work of historical fiction subtitled “The Book Woman's Legacy.” It continues the excellent series which began with The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, followed by The Book Woman’s Daughter. This time, readers find Cussy Mary, a young woman whose skin appears blue due to genetic factors, in jail for marrying a white man, Jackson Lovett. It is the early 1950s (prior to the Supreme Court’s decision in Loving v. Virginia) so the partners are separated and imprisoned. This is a hard book to read at first as Cussy works long hours in the prison kitchen and laundry, amidst harsh conditions. Eventually, she and the readers find hope and some respite as she is assigned librarian duties and begins to transform life for other inmates through literacy and the escape that books often bring. Concerned with freedom and bodily autonomy, there are many sad aspects, including talk of lobotomies, a botched death sentence, and threatened abortion. This title is a LibraryReads Hall of Fame selection and for interested book groups, a Reading Group Guide is included which also explores rural vs. urban life and several social issues. Library Journal describes THE MOUNTAINS WE CALL HOME as “a deeply satisfying companion novel … exploring injustice, belonging, and the transformative power of literacy with compassion and grace.” Kim Michele Richardson is herself passionate about literacy and has honored the Pack Librarians by founding an initiative called Courthouses Reading Across Kentucky, establishing Little Free Libraries across the state.

The Westerners and The Gunfighters

As we look this year to America’s 250th anniversary, here are a couple of lengthy and ambitious non-fiction texts worth exploring. 

THE WESTERNERS by Megan Kate Nelson is subtitled “Mythmaking and Belonging on the American Frontier.” Nelson, whose The Three-Cornered War was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, chooses to profile seven individuals who represent the diversity -- Indigenous peoples, Black Americans, Mexican Americans, and Canadian and Asian immigrants -- which is often ignored or forgotten but was present out West during the 1800s. She weaves together and overlaps stories featuring a biracial fur trader; the richest woman in Santa Fe; and Sacajewa, plus others like Little Wolf (a Northern Cheyenne chief); a soldier and gold miner; and female immigrants who remained resilient in the face of prejudice. Kirkus says that this very long title (464 pages) “sometimes plods,” but provides “a useful survey of the ‘messy, complicated lives of the real people who built the West.’” Booklist called it “a uniquely compelling look at the dynamism and conflict that defined the West.” THE WESTERNERS received a starred review from Publishers Weekly for its “richly layered portrait of the 19th-century frontier.” Nelson’s Epilogue section reprises how white Americans distorted facts and created myths in order to “fit a narrative that was compelling to them.” She concludes by stating, “If we do not acknowledge this expansive history of the West as a pivotal part of the nation's past, this erasure will continue the work of the frontier myth and usher us into an unjust future.”

THE GUNFIGHTERS by Brian Burrough is another thoroughly researched and well-written text. In contrast to Nelson, Burrough focused on the violence associated with white male dominance and some of the more memorable characters (many familiar names) from the nineteenth century. I read this as part of a Texas book group, and it helped me to better understand some of the cultural underpinnings for Texans. For example, there is an apparently locally well-known song about Sam Bass, but even Burrough acknowledges that “perhaps the gunfighter legend is dimming.” He hypothesized that “A gunfighter's fame endures, in almost every case, in direct proportion to his engagement with the written word, because he either talked to a journalist or two, as Hickok did; wrote an autobiography, John Wesley Hardin’s route; fired off letters to governors and newspapers a la Jesse James and Billy the Kid; or became involved in a shootout so spectacular it drew national attention … Wyatt Earp” Beverly Gage (This Land is Your Land) says Burrough “tells his story as only a loving -- but conflicted -- son of Texas could.” Several maps, numerous footnotes, references, and an index are included.

A Deadly Episode by Anthony Horowitz

A DEADLY EPISODE by Anthony Horowitz is book six in the Hawthorne and Horowitz Mysteries (following the story line introduced in The Word is Murder, The Sentence is Death, and A Line to Kill – plus more - which chronicle the sleuthing of a former policeman named Daniel Hawthorne and his sidekick, none other than Anthony Horowitz himself.). These mysteries are clever, fun, and entertaining and the latest title received starred reviews from both Booklist and Publishers Weekly (“This series is in peak form.”). This time, Hawthorne and Horowitz are visiting the filming site for The Word is Murder; a small, cash-strapped company is creating the film and have hired an eco-activist to write the script. Horowitz is not pleased with the changes from the book, but that is a non-issue when the lead actor, David Caine, playing Hawthorne is killed. There are a roughly a half dozen suspects, but numerous motives (seems as though Caine was universally disliked) and plenty of opportunity. Full of subtle clues and red herrings, there’s mystery within the mystery - I especially enjoyed reading about an earlier case, Hawthorne’s first as a private detective. While A DEADLY EPISODE could likely work as a stand-alone, it is much preferable to read this series in order as readers learn more about each of the characters and can observe the growing relationship between them. Enjoy!

NOTE: Here is the New York Times with suggested titles for classic private eye detective novels.

Murder Will Out by Jennifer K. Breedlove

MURDER WILL OUT by Jennifer K. Breedlove is described by the publisher as “a lighter, modern gothic mystery.” It has a full cast of characters, including many ghosts. Their home, pictured on the lovely cover, is called Cameron House and is set on an island in Maine. Willow Stone returns to that island after learning of the death of Susan Davis, a friend of her parents and an important part of her childhood summers, although they have been estranged for over fifteen years. Being from Away, Willow is met with suspicion and resentment, but she readily senses that something is not right, especially after a second death occurs. Both are tied to Cameron House and the family members who stand to inherit it. Can she trust the locals? How does she react to the ghosts? Numerous secrets, including multiple affairs and entanglements produce a suspenseful story and a surprising, satisfying ending. Winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award, MURDER WILL OUT received a starred review from Library Journal, recommending this debut to fans of Katherine Hall Page (Faith Fairchild series), Nancy Atherton (Aunt Dimity books) and Carolyn Hart’s ghostly cozies. I, too, am looking forward to more from this promising author.

A Course Called Home by Tom Coyne

A COURSE CALLED HOME by Tom Coyne is a series of wonderful “Adventures of an Accidental Golf Course Owner.” After entertaining us with travels to golf courses across America and Europe, Coyne will have readers enthralled by the efforts to save an almost 100 year old nine-hole golf course, Sullivan County Golf & Country Club in upstate New York. The amount of work required to run one’s own business, especially one that requires the physical upkeep of a golf course, plus concerns over finances are shared in an entertaining, relatable way. Coyne is extremely fortunate in the employees like Shane, chief groundskeeper, or the trio of pro shop retailers: Gary, Jimmy, and John; even the local high schooler Henry and other part-timers seem to form a family of sorts. And, Coyne’s connections in the golf world make their own (often surprising) contributions whether it’s equipment, supplies, rental golf carts, or financial support. Even Bill Murray, Jason Kelce and Mike Madden make appearances. Best-selling author Coyne weaves in reflections about his own family and the beauty of the Catskills where they now live for part of the year. Truly enjoyable and highly recommended.