Ironwood by Michael Connelly

IRONWOOD by Michael Connelly is his second mystery novel (after Nightshade) set on Catalina Island featuring Detective Sergeant Stilwell. It’s intriguing to picture the lifestyle for the six thousand or so permanent residents who cope with more than a million visitors each year. The island, its iconic buildings (e.g., bell tower, casino, hotels, including the Mt. Ada, the former Wrigley mansion) and its harbor with regular ferry service to the mainland, are as much a part of the story as the adventures that Stilwell faces. As the only detective on the island, he deals with multiple cases of vandalism, a horrific attack which kills one deputy and severely injures another, and a resurrected missing persons case that involves Renee Ballard on the mainland. Connelly does an excellent job of sharing Stilwell’s thinking on each event; potentially intertwined cases and a sense of edginess keep readers involved – I read this in about a day. IRONWOOD received starred reviews from both Booklist (“Connelly is at his most polished and incisive here, with crackling dialogue, complex investigations, tricky relationships, escalating suspense, and dogged and inspired sleuthing by a principled, rule-breaking hero.”) and Library Journal (“the pace is relentless, and Stillwell is a captivating character”). Highly recommended.

Storm Warning by James Byrne

STORM WARNING by James Byrne is another Dez Limerick thriller (#4, after Chain Reaction) and it does not disappoint. Dez is a wise-cracking “gatekeeper,” skilled at opening doors and fending off intruders. He is off to Newfoundland during a blizzard with a State Department official, her bodyguard, and other law and medical personnel. Their mission is to contact a group of scientists who’ve suddenly gone quiet five stories down in an innovative mine that also appears to have cut off access. Byrne complicates Dez’ task by adding well-armed Russians who are after something in the mine, plus, greedy (and psycho) capitalists employing mercenaries and several traitors. The pace is exhilarating and feels like non-stop action interspersed with clever quips from Dez. STORM WARNING received a starred review from Publishers Weekly (“Byrne brilliantly braids plot threads from previous installments into the action, creating a high-octane page-turner that respects its audience’s intelligence.”). Don’t miss it!

The May House by Jillian Cantor

THE MAY HOUSE by Jillian Cantor (The Hours Count) is a book about sisters and the week they spend together each year (“‘It’s my favorite day of the year,’ she called out. ‘May day!’”) at their Grandmother Vera’s house on the beach at Coronado Island near San Diego. The story is sometimes confusing because it skips around in time and shifts focus between Julia (the eldest, obsessing over rules and scheduling), Emily (big-hearted middle sister struggling to find a purpose in life) and Nora, (the youngest, pursuing an acting career despite opposition from their widowed father). Over thirty years, they experience personal and professional upheaval, including marital problems, parenthood for some, and an unrequited crush on next door neighbor, Nate, a local surfer. Given the sisters’ lack of contact during the year, THE MAY HOUSE is somewhat like the Alan Alda rom-com, “Same Time, Next Year,” providing opportunity for readers to judge the choices being made and to observe the characters’ growth. Still, they do care about each other: Julia muses, “Her sisters. She would never love anyone in quite the same frustratingly wonderful way that she loved Emily and Nora. They'd bickered their whole lives. But being sisters always transcended everything else. Their shared history, their shared trauma, their shared DNA. It was all irreplaceable.” Cantor drops plenty of hints about a not-so-secret secret that eventually emerges and propels the sisters forward, embracing the many blessings they have.

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett

THE CALAMITY CLUB by Kathryn Stockett (The Help) is set in 1930s Oxford, Mississippi and the beginning is quite disheartening as Stockett describes life in an orphanage for Margot Louise (Meg) LeFleur, an eleven-year-old whose asides to the reader are reminiscent of those from Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce. Meg is intelligent, but scarred by being abandoned by her mother, called Charlie. And Meg struggles to cope with the abusive treatment at the orphanage. Things are a bit brighter (literally) when she meets Birdie Calhoun, poor sister to Francis Tartt, one of the local volunteers. Birdie is in town in hopes of much needed funds from her sister and the wealthier family into which she married. Sadly, it is the Depression Era, and no one is spared the ravages of poverty; that means Birdie eventually meets Charlie and, in an act of desperation, the two form a business venture. A LibraryReads Selection, THE CALAMITY CLUB is a tale of betrayal and also of loyalty; of strict social standards and also of acceptance due mainly to necessity; of sexual mores and women’s health. Book clubs will find much to discuss from this lengthy (656 pages) historical fiction novel which does drag in parts. Readers will develop affection and concern for Meg as well as Birdie - who is an especially likeable character - but their circumstances and the “calamities” they face are not.

All We Say by Ben Rhodes

ALL WE SAY by Ben Rhodes, a New York Times best-selling author, highlights “The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches.” He divides the book into three chronological parts: from the Revolution to Civil War; from Reconstruction to the 1940s and beginning of the Superpower era; and from Civil Rights to MAGA. The speakers and their topics are sometimes well-known (e.g., Benjamin Franklin, Frederick Douglass, Louis Brandeis, or FDR’s “Four Freedoms”), but Rhodes has included a variety of speakers who were well-known in their own time like Red Jacket’s “We Have Always Lived Here,” delivered in 1805, or Mary Lease speaking about how “Wall Street Owns This Country” in 1891. Speeches from several other female activists (Maria Stewart, Anna Dickinson, and Dolores Huerta) are presented.  Plus, Rhodes deftly contrasts the oratorial might of Confederate Alexander Stephens and Abraham Lincoln and later Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy. More modern-day speeches by Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump are also provided. In each chapter, Rhodes supplies some background and historical context as well as the experiences that shaped the speakers; gives the text of the speech itself; and then additional analysis. He is not a neutral observer by any means and chose these speeches to illustrate a 250-year argument about what it means to be American, contrasting “a story that views the nation as inherently right from the beginning” with one that “views the nation as engaged in a struggle to live up to that founding promise in the Declaration of Independence: a multiracial democracy founded upon the idea of human equality.” It is interesting, too, to reflect upon the ways that technological change has impacted both the audiences (size, attention span, common access) and delivery. Be forewarned that the text is rather dense although avid readers will appreciate the Selected Bibliography and Notes (roughly fifteen percent of the text). Much to ponder here.

Our Story by Rachel Seidman

OUR STORY by Rachel Seidman is subtitled “A Guide to Recording and Sharing Your Family History.” Seidman, a curator at the Smithsonian’s American Women’s History Museum and previously director of the Southern Oral History Program at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, places the focus squarely on establishing an oral history, devoting the majority of the book to three parts that deal with Before the Interviews, The Interviews themselves, and After the Interviews. As a professional historian herself, she advocates for significant preparation (e.g., background research) prior to beginning interviews. In addition, she offers some practical advice (e.g., what (if any) recording devices to use) although I wish there were simpler prompts (e.g., instead of asking about gender roles in your family) for questions and topics to explore. Her suggestions for follow-up questions are constructive and informative. There are many books available about collecting family stories and Seidman’s attention to options for organizing, publishing and saving the research makes this one a bit unique. Overall, OUR STORY was a useful resource, but its emphasis on producing a quasi-professional product may be intimidating to many potential readers. Still, she makes it inspiring: “In a world where we can easily feel disconnected from one another, where we hear more sound bites than stories, where we post quick, selectively shiny updates about ourselves online, it is deeply rewarding to slow down, dig deeper, and draw closer to one another by listening more carefully and sharing memories.”

A Little More Social by Nicholas Epley

A LITTLE MORE SOCIAL is a new book by Nicholas Epley (Mindwise) where he explains “How Small Choices Create Unexpected Happiness, Health, and Connection.” Epley is the John Templeton Keller Professor of Behavioral Science and faculty director of the Roman Family Center for Decision Research at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He argues that we should not allow fear and myths to keep us from reaching out more to others, pointing out that if we work on changing our often overly pessimistic expectations, introverts and extroverts alike can benefit. Instead, Epley encourages readers to treat beliefs as “bets” or “guesses” rather than certainty and he discusses the rejection theory videos of Jia Jiang who invited rejection with outlandish requests in an attempt to overcome his own fear. Several other chapters of A LITTLE MORE SOCIAL deal with choosing Thankfulness, Kindness, and Honesty. Overall, Epley cites numerous experiments and research in an effort to convince people to be a little more open and he tries to offer specifics, but changing a mindset is difficult and it would help to have more recognition that not everyone has his capacity to reach out.  Notes, related commentary, and an Index comprise roughly thirty percent of the text. The video below is Epley’s Ted Talk: “The Simple Habit for a Happier Social Life” and conveys many of the ideas in his new book: 

David Brooks interviewed Nicholas Epley at a Family Action Network session on May 21 and that video will be posted shortly on their website. A favorite quote? They referred to the idea that “everyone you ever meet knows something you don’t.” A motivator like that may encourage readers to modify their own routines.

Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

Set on the water in Rhode Island, DOLLY ALL THE TIME by Annabel Monaghan is the perfect beach read escape. In an almost too good to be true romance, we meet Dolly Brick (now in her 30s) who used to tease her sister with tales of becoming a princess and riding off on a horse with a gentle man. After helping a local (and wealthy) businessman, Stewart Whitfield, fix a tire on his car, Dolly is offered a platonic contract to act as his girlfriend for the summer. As a single Mom (and underpaid teacher who helps at the family fish store), she agrees. Of course, Dolly and Steward develop feelings for each other, and he even takes her thirteen-year-old son, Gus, under his wing. No relationship is totally “smooth sailing,” though, and the appealing characters struggle a bit with expectations from themselves and well-meaning friends and family. DOLLY ALL THE TIME is a Hall of Fame LibraryReads selection for May 2026 and received a starred review from Kirkus (“a charming love story that absolutely radiates warmth”), plus praise from authors Catherine Newman and Beth O’Leary. Enjoy!

How to Rule the World by Theo Baker

HOW TO RULE THE WORLD by Theo Baker is a fascinating memoir about his time as a Stanford undergrad and his reporting about hubris and allegations of research misconduct tied to then Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne. It has certainly stirred some debate about elitism and Baker’s own privilege: see review and accompanying comments in The New York Times. I wonder how much of the negativity there is a result of what Anand Giridharadas, the reviewer, summarizes as how Baker “confronts his dreamland and concludes, painfully, that it is rotten, indifferent, built on lies, craving power for its own sake.” In any case, Baker’s account is well-written and well-substantiated and fact-checked. He describes not only the painful freshman journey to belong, but also the avarice and competition in the tech/finance and entrepreneurial world which Stanford feeds. HOW TO RULE THE WORLD received a starred review from Publishers Weekly (“incendiary account ... [and] ... a confident testament to the power of independent journalism from an author with a bright future”).

Baker’s reporting for The Stanford Daily won the George Polk Award. For a sense of his writing style, see this recent piece in The New York Times called “What A.I. Did to My College Class.”

The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung

THE LAST MANDARIN by Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung is a stand-alone political thriller. In this novel, modern day terrorist attacks are occurring simultaneously all over the globe and a Chinese dissident, Vivien Li and her food-blogger daughter, Alice, are drawn into a mystery which even leading intelligence agencies are struggling to decipher. As readers would expect from Penny (Inspector Gamache series), there are numerous plot twists and surprises. She and Fung (an award-winning Canadian journalist) also convey the political intrigue (e.g., betrayal by supposedly loyal staff) and behind the scenes maneuvering (including a unique back channel for communications), in a manner reminiscent of writers like Allen Drury or Gore Vidal. Library Journal says, “this book is character-driven and nuanced,” and Publishers Weekly calls THE LAST MANDARIN “an eerily plausible nail-biter.” Louise Penny herself writes, “This is the story of political intrigue but it is, at its heart, about that relationship. About the wounds the struggles the need to connect with the parent.” Enjoy the rapprochement and the adventure!!

The audiobook is narrated by Eunice Wong who does an absolutely excellent job. A favorite scene is the online gathering of the experts from several countries and Wong’s ability to use her voice and convey their biases and country of origin.  Barnes & Noble and Abe Books each recommend more authors/titles in this genre. Looking for a political thriller in movie form? Try these suggested by IMDb.

Change of Plans by Sarah Dessen

CHANGE OF PLANS by Sarah Dessen (Lock & Key; Just Listen; The Truth about Forever and more) is her first novel in seven years and offers the chance for new readers to sample Dessen’s expressive writing. Booklist says, “Dessen’s greatest strength is her creation of vivid atmosphere, which enhances both her characters' personalities and their conflicts.” Here, the award-winning young adult author introduces readers to Finley, a graduating high school senior who lives with her stepmom, dad, and their young family. Finley has a strong, two-year relationship with Colin, but must decline his family’s invite to a cruise because her career-oriented and distant mother, Catherine (Cat) has plans for the two of them to travel together. Quite a bit does change when Colin meets another girl on the cruise and Finley’s Mom chauffeurs Finley to The Woods, a family home on a rural lake, instead of heading to New York City. Finley meets new friends (Clark, Ben, and Lana) and aunts (Liz and Kasey) as she begins to learn more about her Mom – and herself. CHANGE OF PLANS received starred reviews from Kirkus (“she discovers strength, independence, and the transformative power of being fully present …. A sweet, nuanced, and reflective coming-of-age love story filled with moments of true beauty between family and friends”) and Publishers Weekly (“delightfully layered, bighearted novel”). As Clark says, “Everything changes. You have a choice: make it hard or make it work. And there's enough hard shit already.”

Mother Tongue by Sara Nović

MOTHER TONGUE by Sara Nović (Girl at War and True Biz) received well-deserved starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal and Publishers Weekly. Nović uses this memoir to share her experiences, reflections, and research about being deaf and the deaf culture. In an effort to teach and inform others, she is willing to be vulnerable, resulting in a poignant tale. Nović explores related history (e.g., Nazi eugenics and Alexander Graham Bell’s campaign against American Sign Language) as well as the prejudice she encountered when trying to adopt a deaf son from another race. The tone is not academic, but the vocabulary often is, in MOTHER TONGUE, a moving and educational work.

What We Ask Google by Simon Rogers

WHAT WE ASK GOOGLE by Simon Rogers is subtitled “A Surprisingly Hopeful History of Humankind.” Rogers, Google’s data editor, does tend to adopt a more positive perspective in recounting examples of questions sent to Google. In particular, he points to patterns – whether daily (like getting a baby to sleep at 2am) or more seasonally (search for “comfort food” in October and other recipe requests around Thanksgiving and December holidays). Many of his comments are extolling the Google Trends dataset; being curious, I tired looking at Google Trends, but most of the current queries were related to sports scores or another aspect of popular culture. Publishers Weekly called WHAT WE ASK GOOGLE “a fun if shallow tour of the modern world’s most burning questions.” That is a fair assessment, but there are some surprising anecdotes and memorable graphs included in WHAT WE ASK GOOGLE. For example, Rogers says that half of the top “how to learn …” searches in the US are about language and the most often translated word across all languages is “beautiful.” In another chapter, he notes that “one in every twenty Google searches is for health-related information.” And he stresses repeatedly how search seems to show our need to help others, such as in the chapter on grief where people ask what to say to someone who is grieving. There is an opportunity to dig deeper: a little over fifteen percent of the text is devoted to notes and sources.

Walk by Courtney Conley and Milica McDowell

WALK by Courtney Conley and Milica McDowell is an amazingly uplifting text about how to “Rediscover the Most Natural Way to Boost Your Health and Longevity - One Step at a Time.”  I was honestly surprised at how accessible and informative this book is. Conley, a chiropractor and founder of Gait Happens, and McDowell, an educator and speaker, are firm believers in the power of walking and are very adept at offering encouraging suggestions. This book allows them to share those ideas more widely in a dozen chapters dealing with subtopics like longevity, pain, walking mindset, shoes, and training. The first half of the book focuses on the importance of walking and its many benefits for physical, mental, and emotional health. For example, “A slower gate can be detected up to seven years before the clinical onset of dementia, making gate speed a valuable early marker.” The book’s second half shifts towards being even more practical, as the authors say, “giving you everything you need to know to assess your current foot health and to implement a walking routine.” Although the list of resources they include are largely tied to Conley’s Gait Happens, the authors also include several very helpful appendices (e.g., Foot Assessments, Strength Assessments, Time Inventory Tracker). My favorite one is called “The Movement Snacks” which summarizes the activities included at the end of each earlier chapter. In addition, a Notes section represents approximately ten percent of the book. WALK received a starred review from Library Journal: “Anyone seeking an individualized walking program will find this book an excellent read.” Definitely worth a look.

Good Joy, Bad Joy by Mikki Brammer

GOOD JOY, BAD JOY by Mikki Brammer (The Collected Regrets of Clover) introduces readers to Joy Bridport, someone who at first seems truly too good to be true. Joy invariably looks on the bright side, gives others the benefit of the doubt, and sacrifices her own needs to help others. Her life, however, gets turned upside down (look at that cover!) when she learns that her best friend of eighty years, Hazel, has terminal cancer. Brammer shares Joy’s innermost thoughts about her parents’ values, her troubled relationship with her own daughter (Elizabeth) and grandson Finn, as well as a new friendship with Rowan, a neighbor recently released from jail. Joy starts to take some risks, and the lack of consequences will have readers nodding in agreement about how older women often are invisible. GOOD JOY, BAD JOY is a rather sad story and while Joy grows, it can be a difficult read emotionally. Like “good” Joy, Booklist describes this novel more positively as “a heartwarming, poignant story of self-discovery and hope.” Book groups will find much to discuss.

Moonlight Murder by Uzma Jalaluddin

MOONLIGHT MURDER by Uzma Jalaluddin is her second Detective Aunty novel and I found it even more enjoyable than the first, although also a bit slow-paced in parts. Kauser Khan, the main character, is an older widow whose heritage is Muslim and South Asian. She lives in Toronto where her son (Ali, then 15) was killed by a hit and run driver eighteen years ago. The story revolves around her belated investigation of his death and the more recent death of another young teen, Qasim, close friend of her granddaughter, Maleeha. As the beautiful cover illustrates, the culture of the tightly knit community in the Golden Crescent neighborhood of Toronto is integral to the story and Jalaluddin brings to life secondary characters like Kauser’s daughter; old friends May (“Who knew that a shared love for Louise Penny and the Public Library would lead to a friend for life?”), Fatima, and Nasir (also a potential romantic interest); the local police; and several high school students, including the brother, Kamal, and the best friend, Joquiem, of Qasim as well as some of his teachers. The dual mysteries (“Two parallel stories, separated by decades and circumstance, linked by place and community. Both deaths assumed accidents. Both with unanswered questions about motive, story, and intention…”) offer suspense and surprise. Kauser is an appealing character who relies on her faith and also still grapples with grief (“It felt good to make plans for the future. It felt good to feel capable of thinking beyond the next few days. She had lived her life in survival mode for so long, wrestling with the ghosts of death, loss, and grief, … but she could feel something shift inside her now, at last.”). Read this series in order as you anticipate the next title.

The Flag Was Still There by McKean and Bennett

THE FLAG WAS STILL THERE by David McKean and M. Todd Bennett is a scholarly work which traces “A History of the American Experiment in Five Anniversaries:” 1776, 1826, 1876, 1926, and 1976. THE FLAG WAS STILL THERE received a positive review from Kirkus and praise from well-known historians like Douglas Brinkley and Walter Isaacson. However, it is fairly dense and would be daunting for our high school students, even those enrolled in AP US History. The reoccurring patterns (discrimination, nativism, corruption) and “inflection points” beg to be documented in a more accessible form – what interesting, informative, and necessary conversations they could prompt as the nation will soon be celebrating 250 years. Kudos to McKean, a former U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg, and Bennett, a professor of history at East Carolina University, for highlighting these key issues.

Open To Work by Ryan Roslansky and Aneesh Raman

OPEN TO WORK by Ryan Roslansky (LinkedIn CEO) and Aneesh Raman (Chief Economic Opportunity Officer at LinkedIn) is heartfelt advice about “How to Get Ahead in the Age of AI.” The authors point to how in the industrial age “standardization was the point. When AI handles the standard, though, things start to flip. Suddenly your differences aren't limitations. They're your competitive advantage.” They relate stories of Nilofer Merchant (consultant who coined the term “onlyness”); John Henry (founded a dry-cleaning service at 19 and sold it two years later for a million dollars); and Leena Nair (CEO of Chanel) to illustrate how important it can be to build on one’s unique strengths and experiences. They stress “distinctly human capabilities which AI cannot replicate” and the interaction amongst these 5Cs: curiosity, courage, creativity, compassion, and communication. They say, “As you get going, remember that it's OK to pause, restart, or change direction. The key is just to keep moving.” OPEN TO WORK will encourage readers to experiment with AI due to its conversational tone, thoughtful prompts, and helpful exercises (e.g., listing twelve top tasks sorting them into one of three buckets: (1) routine tasks that AI can do alone; (2) tasks to do together with AI tools and (3) uniquely human tasks, generally involving emotional intelligence). In fact, the final chapter includes a detailed, practical 30-60-90-day plan for getting started with AI, complete with examples and coaching. Over twenty percent of OPEN TO WORK is devoted to Notes and an Index.  Additional interviews with Ryan Roslansky are available on the podcast The Path.

I am Not a Robot by Joanna Stern

I AM NOT A ROBOT by Joanna Stern (former technology writer for The Wall Street Journal) is subtitled “My Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything” and looks at a variety of areas (e.g., health, travel, communications) while using real world examples to showcase some potential benefits and downsides of AI. For example, Stern spent time with a very experienced radiologist and AI looking at mammogram and ultrasound images. It was fascinating to hear the health professional praise AI. In contrast, when she went to the dentist, AI was used as a crutch to justify recommending unnecessary and expensive procedures. Bill Gates told her, “The foundation of AI advances for healthcare are both in the discovery side and in the delivery side,” referring to being able to speed up innovation and to offer more and better explanations to patients. In fact, Stern interviewed “nearly two hundred people – from everyday users to some of the most powerful voices in this industry,” including  Steve Mann (the “father” of wearable computing), Sal Khan (educational technology leader), and Mustafa Suleyman (Microsoft’s CEO) amongst others. She shares her thoughts in a variety formats, often essentially bullet pointing ideas as when she describes her experiences with a variety of wearables or her problems with relying on AI only to answer texts and emails (that was a very short experiment). Stern explores potential impacts on education through a visit to her alma mater, Union College in Schenectady, New York, finding that teachers and students share concerns about AI’s impact, especially on critical thinking skills. Stern’s writing style is distinctive, and Publishers Weekly acknowledges that, saying, “Stern’s balanced, clear-eyed assessments and crisp, funny prose (‘I was teetering on the edge of the AI-byss’) make this stand out among the growing crowd of books on AI.” Highly recommended.

Below is a 20 minute video interview dealing specifically with writing and researching I AM NOT A ROBOT, but if you are curious about Stern’s twelve years of tech reporting at The Wall Street Journal, check out a wider variety of videos.

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.

AI for Good by Josh Tyrangiel

AI FOR GOOD by Josh Tyrangiel takes a generally positive stance as it describes “How Real People Are Using Artificial Intelligence to Fix Things That Matter.” Tyrangiel is a writer at The Atlantic and he uses examples from healthcare, government, and education to illustrate his points in this relatively short (272 pages) book. Citing practical case studies that center on The Cleveland Clinic, Operation Warp Speed, and Khan Academy; The Wall Street Journal notes that Tyrangiel writes that success “often hinges on a point person at the technology partner (e.g., OpenAI, Palantir) who combines technical fluency with the ability to inhabit a client’s challenges and understand the environment in which the technology must function.” Hence, a potentially transformative technology like AI may need to more gradually evolve for effective implementation; Tyrangiel also further develops the idea of institutional resistance in these complex environments which means battling “professional cultures, government policies, entrenched stakeholders, money, rivalries, emotions” and more. This tension (speed vs human values) makes it all the more important that we each better understand the technology; Tyrangiel asks his readers to “spend an afternoon with ChatGPT, Claude, or whatever equivalent you like” which will be “different from any previous interaction you’ve had with software.” He advocates making the technology your own and offers powerful suggestions like “make an AI summarize its own privacy policy in bullet points an eighth grader can understand” and “stay close to Team Human” by gauging who it is empowering. A thought-provoking critique. 

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.