The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix

THE LEFT-HANDED BOOKSELLERS OF LONDON by Garth Nix is likely intended for a young adult audience (the main character, Susan, has just turned eighteen), but I am highly recommending it for readers of any age who enjoy adventure and fantasy. It is the 1980s and Susan takes off for London, intending to find her birth father and enroll in college. Somehow, though, the veil between the New World and the Old World is shifted and suddenly magical creatures are in pursuit of Susan and Merlin, one of the title characters. Merlin and his bookseller relatives (some are right-handed and some are even-handed) use their varied talents to work quietly to keep the two realities separate and at peace. Deftly including suspense, humor and even a bit of romance, THE LEFT-HANDED BOOKSELLERS OF LONDON is an engrossing escape into a magical world. Nix’s latest title received positive reviews from Booklist (“A remarkable romp..."), Publishers Weekly ("[an] immersive fantasy"), and Kirkus who writes, “Readers will beg for more adventures in this London.” I agree.

Who Gets In and Why & The College Conversation

WHO GETS IN AND WHY by Jeffrey Selingo (College (Un)Bound) is definitely generating “buzz” not only just with our Post High School Counseling faculty, but also in the media, with favorable reviews in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, plus a recent excerpt in The Atlantic. Throughout the text, Selingo uses numerous examples from shadowing admission officials at Davidson College, University of Washington, and Emory University to provide his take on “A Year Inside College Admissions.”  He notes the changes in acceptance rates over the last few decades (in 1990, Johns Hopkins was accepting 53 percent versus 11 percent today), due in part to the increased number of applications per student which is itself a function of increasingly sophisticated direct marketing campaigns. Selingo acknowledges that “human beings like certainty, and admissions procedures provide anything but.” However, he makes a valiant effort to describe the process, dividing his writing into three main sections: Fall: Recruitment Season; Winter: Reading Season: and Spring: Decision Season. WHO GETS IN AND WHY received starred reviews from Library Journal (“This well-researched work is an invaluable tool for college-bound students and their families …”) and from Kirkus (“Selingo, who writes that he is “astonished and frustrated” at the preoccupation with a small group of elite colleges, hammers home several points: Apply to colleges that will actually accept you. Consider what you and your parents can really afford, and carefully scrutinize financial aid offers. Think as much about what you will do once you’re in college as where you will go.”).  You can learn more from Selingo about his goals in writing this book in his short video:

 

THE COLLEGE CONVERSATION by Eric Furda and Jacques Steinberg is exactly as described in its subtitle: “A Practical Companion for Parents to Guide Their Children Along the Path to Higher Education.” Furda (Dean of Admissions, University of Pennsylvania) and Steinberg (author of The Gatekeepers almost two decades ago) repeatedly offer advice to parents such as “this is your opportunity as a parent to set a tone that will encourage your child to value the four years of high school as its own experience, rather than as merely a means to an end” in an effort to ease some of the stress and pressure which students face. The authors explicitly note that parents, counselors and even those in the admissions field recognize “that students have been pushed too hard in recent years at the expense of learning and well-being.” Written before the pandemic forced some limits, Furda and Steinberg encourage students to carefully make the “tough decisions” about extracurricular involvement, be it for areas where they excel, those in which they truly enjoy participating (choir member vs soloist), or an opportunity for self-reflection and service to others.  The text is divided into sections (an outline of “conversations” and recommended activities) on the Discovery Phase, the Search, the Application, the Decision, and the Transition, with each offering helpful details and suggested timelines. All of this relevant information (e.g., mention to the common app spreadsheet on “First Year Deadlines, Fees and Requirements” and references to school-related services like Naviance) should prove useful insight, particularly for parents navigating the process with a child for the first time.

 

Dear Ann by Bobbie Ann Mason

DEAR ANN by Bobbie Ann Mason is the latest novel from a well-known and respected writer whom George Saunders describes as “a strange and beautiful author.”  Our students sometimes read her novel In Country as part of a Junior Research project. This newest offering jumps around in time between the mid-1960s and 2017. The main character, Ann Workman, grew up in rural Kentucky and faced a choice for graduate school between Stanford University and a small East Coast college. Nearing the end of her life, she reflects on choices made, relationships formed, and once again, the impact of the Vietnam War. I did enjoy the reflective spirit of DEAR ANN, but found the third person narration to be a bit stilted. The letters (to and from Ann) helped to build empathy for the characters and added to the story. Honestly, though, I would tend to recommend titles like Youngson’s Meet Me at the Museum or Haig’s The Midnight Library first, but I am sure that Mason’s many fans will enjoy this novel, too.

 

One by One by Ruth Ware

ONE BY ONE by Ruth Ware is a modern-day version of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.  This new mystery is set in the Alps where nine current and former members of a tech start-up (called Snoop), along with their lawyer, have come to ski and conduct some tense business negotiations involving a potential sale for millions of pounds. Told with alternating chapters, readers learn the action from Erin, one of the luxurious resort’s employees dealing with her own past trauma, and Liz, a socially awkward guest who used to work for Snoop and who controls the deciding two percent of stock. The first death is an apparent accident on the ski slopes in the midst of a ferocious blizzard. An avalanche isolates their chalet and then more guests die “one by one;” entitlement and privilege are increasingly questioned; paranoia sets in; and the action really kicks into high gear. Receiving starred review from both Booklist and Library Journal (“fans will devour this in a sitting”), Ruth Ware’s ONE BY ONE also appeared on the LibraryReads Hall of Fame for September 2020; others in that list included new novels Anxious People by Fredrik Backman, The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult (review forthcoming) and A Deadly Education, another dark fantasy by Naomi Novik.  

I SAW HIM DIE by Andrew Wilson is another mystery with Agatha Christie connections – this time as a character. Here, Christie has been asked to protect the life of a former English intelligence officer now living at an estate on Scotland’s Isle of Skye. A huge house party is involved and, of course, a death ensues. The description and pace, however, seemed quite slow to me. Much hypothesizing occurs (as does some fairly obnoxious misogynist behavior even for the 1930 setting), but with little action early on. I would recommend instead other works (all can be read as standalones) in this series like A Talent for Murder. 

All the Devils are Here by Louise Penny

ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE by Louise Penny is mystery number sixteen in the excellent Chief Inspector Gamache series. As the cover suggests, this title is set in Paris where Armand and Reine-Marie are visiting their grown children, Daniel (now a venture capitalist pursuing investment strategies) and Annie (pregnant and married to Armand’s former assistant, Jean-Guy Beauvoir). Paris is also where a key influence in Armand’s youth, financier and honorary guardian Stephen Horowitz, lives. Sadly, Horowitz is almost killed after a celebratory dinner and Armand sets about finding why. In addition to exploring family dynamics, Penny also continues to offer wry social commentary: “Don’t believe everything you think. Chief Inspector Gamache wrote that on the board for the incoming cadets at the start of every year.” Another character later comments, “people believe what they want to believe, beginning with their own lies.” Penny’s tale is full of twisty relationships and her trademark suspense. This story involves corporate finance, possible police corruption, and jealousy – both personal and professional. ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly. This mystery is another engrossing puzzle from a favorite author – enjoy!