The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton

THE LIGHT PIRATE by Lily Brooks-Dalton is one of my favorite books of the year. The story begins by centering on a family in Florida and is told in four parts: power, water, light, and time. Kirby, the Dad, is an electrical lineman with two sons, Flip (8) and Lucas (12), and a pregnant second wife named Frida. They are busy preparing for a hurricane and become separated; Frida goes into premature labor and Wanda, named for the hurricane storm, is born. As she grows up, Wanda becomes closer to a survivalist neighbor and college teacher named Phyllis who “had spent her entire career seeking knowledge in one form or another, but the pursuit itself taught her infinitely more about the absence of knowledge than its presence. What is magic but science that is not yet understood? What is science but magic with an explanation?” And THE LIGHT PIRATE is indeed magical – readers will be enthralled by the plausibility of environmental changes and also totally engrossed in the personal relationships and adjustments of the endearing characters. THE LIGHT PIRATE is a LibraryReads selection for December and received starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus (“… complex and engaging characters make climate disaster a vividly individual experience rather than an abstract subject of debate"). Brook-Dalton's excellent novel had me thinking about the many environmentally related books reviewed here, especially David Pogue's How to Prepare for Climate Change.

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

Have you voted in the Opening Round of the Annual Best Books awards on Goodreads? If not, you still have the rest of today AND then you can vote again in the Final Round between November 29 and December 4; winners will be announced on December 8. I mention this because it prompted me to explore books that I had been wanting to read:

THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY by Brendan Slocumb was published in February 2022, was selected as a Good Morning America Book Club pick, and is currently on the GoodReads Choice Awards list of nominees in two categories: Debut Novels and Mystery & Thriller. Slocumb, a music educator and violinist who has performed with orchestras along the East Coast, has crafted exciting page-turner about a musician named Ray McMillian, his mentor and teacher named Janice, and several generations of Ray’s family. With multiple timelines, the story goes all the way back to Civil War days and an Italian violin crafted in the previous century. It is that violin which is stolen prior to a major competition for Ray who, like only 1.8 percent of musicians performing in classical symphonies, is Black. THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY places a great deal of emphasis on the prejudice and bigotry that Ray faces (from his own family and others) and it was especially disheartening to learn that several of these instances were based on events in Slocumb’s own life. The descriptions of music are beautiful and it was fascinating to learn more about that profession, including activities like the Tchaikovsky Competition. THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY received a starred review from Booklist – it is an excellent coming of age story and an impressive thriller. Slocumb’s second novel, Symphony of Secrets, is scheduled for publication next April.

The Age-Proof Brain by Marc Milstein

THE AGE-PROOF BRAIN by Marc Milstein offers “New Strategies to Improve Memory, Protect Immunity, and Fight Off Dementia.” Milstein, educated at UCLA, is a knowledgeable presenter, including press and television interviews, regarding brain health. His new text is easy to follow and offers numerous suggestions, particularly that “learning new information or a new skill keeps your brain young.” The book has three primary parts: the first several chapters explain how the brain and memory works as well as connections to the gut and heart; the second part reviews issues (memory loss, insulin resistance, inflammation, and mental health) associated with the brain and aging; the third part is filled with steps to take related to sleep, stress, exercise, community, nutrition, environment, and cross-training (developing different skills). Whether or not all of his information is truly “new” to you, Milstein’s appendix even includes a seven day plan with very specific examples which should be useful to everyone seeking to develop or reinforce healthy habits. For a related text and additional resources, see Dotson’s Keep your Wits About You.

The Wall Street Journal also recently recommended the best 2022 books (and podcasts) about aging and retirement, some of whom we had profiled: Fellowship Point and Independence Day.

Added note: And, The New York Times just published "3 Steps to Age Exuberantly:" be grateful (even for some "pain" where you can find joy); surround yourself with young people; and be curious (say "yes" whenever possible). These ideas are from a new book by Margareta Magnusson who also wrote the bestseller titled The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning.

The Twist of a Knife by Anthony Horowitz

Put THE TWIST OF A KNIFE by Anthony Horowitz on your “to be read pile.” This latest mystery novel follows the story line introduced in The Word is Murder, The Sentence is Death, and A Line to Kill which chronicle the sleuthing of a former policeman named Daniel Hawthorne and his sidekick, none other than Anthony Horowitz himself. The brand new title is one of the strongest yet in this series and stretches over only a few days – opening night for a Horowitz play (Mindgame actually was performed in London’s West End), subsequent death of a harsh and demeaning theatre critic, and a little more than 48 hours for investigative time as Hawthorne, often accompanied by Horowitz, travels around interviewing those related to the killing. He has a fairly finite set of suspects, the cast of the play (Jordan Williams, Sky Palmer, and Tirian Kirke), its director, producers, and their accountant (Ewan Lloyd, Ahmet Yurdakul, Maureen Bates, and Martin Longhurst), as well as the stage door attendant, Keith, and the critic’s family (Arthur and Olivia Throsby). The most likely suspect in the authorities’ view, however, is Anthony Horowitz. That makes for some interesting conversations - Hawthorne: “I never believe everything anyone says.” Horowitz: “Including me?” Hawthorne, smiling: “Why would I believe someone who spends his entire life making stuff up?” Clearly fun and amusing, THE TWIST OF A KNIFE is a quick read with many new puzzling facts, sure to please mystery fans. THE TWIST OF A KNIFE received starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. Captivated readers are likely to also enjoy Horowitz’s adaptation of his own Magpie Murders on pbs, plus recent whodunits with their own twists like Gentill’s The Woman in the Library or Pavesi’s The Eighth Detective.