The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei

Labeled “one of the best debuts of the year,” THE DEEP SKY by Yume Kitasei is a work of science fiction deftly wrapped around a mystery and a story of damaged relationships. The adventure begins with Asuka and Kat taking a spacewalk, but an explosion means multiple people are killed and the ship veers off course. Asuka, part Japanese and part American, was a last minute addition to the crew of 80 on the Phoenix which is a desperate international effort to resettle humans on Planet X. It becomes Atsuka’s task to find out what and who caused the explosion while also trying to help the engineers reorient the Phoenix so that the mission can continue. The crew tries many plans including one with “more holes in it than an old T-shirt and certainly not as comfortable.” Kitasei alternates chapters (there are 72) between tension on the spaceship and the conflict in the many years before when Atsuka, Ruth, Gabriela, Miki, Treena, Ying Yue, Hao Yu, Lala, and the others were students competing for a chance to join the final team. That background provides reasons for believing that eco-terrorists could be involved and also offers insights into personal animosities and motivations. Puzzling and entertaining, THE DEEP SKY received a starred review from Kirkus (“a strong, character-driven, and accessible tale”).

Beijing Rules by Bethany Allen

BEIJING RULES by Bethany Allen, an award-winning China reporter at Axios, deals with China’s role as a world power, arguing that China has “weaponized its economy.” Allen begins with the coronavirus pandemic and notes that “China was the only major economy in the world to expand in 2020;” she further says “with the West flailing, he [Xi] saw a window of opportunity to go on the offensive.” Allen outlines a concept she calls “authoritarian economic statecraft” and argues that Beijing uses gatekeeping, legal and economic leverage (e.g., tariffs), and channels of influence to shape behavior beyond its borders. One of Allen’s key points is that Western attitudes towards China will need to change and are changing. The content is fairly academic and generally sophisticated, making for a rather dry read. However, the work is well-documented - at least a third of the book is devoted to Notes and an Index. BEIJING RULES received a starred review from Kirkus (“A disturbing, insightful book about China’s hidden, multitiered war—and how the West can fight back.”).

Mrs. Porter Calling by AJ Pearce

MRS. PORTER CALLING by AJ Pearce is the third in the Emmy Lake Chronicles following Yours Cheerfully and Dear Mrs. Bird. This time, Emmy Lake, a young advice columnist at the magazine named Woman’s Friend, grapples with unwanted changes in the publication due to its recent inheritance by Mrs. Cressida (call me Egg) Porter. Mrs. Porter is totally clueless about the magazine and the value it brings to its readers who are bravely dealing with numerous personal issues while scrimping and saving in wartime. Instead, she wants to add her own poetry, fashion layouts, and society weddings – all of which necessitates cutbacks in the more established sections. Emmy and her colleagues (editor Guy Collins, Mrs. Mahoney, young Hester and more) form a solid, caring team who strive to remember the readers in all they do. So much focus on publishing had me thinking about The Lady and its niche market in the UK. The first part of MRS. PORTER CALLING, chronicling many unattractive actions by Mrs. Porter and firmly establishing that unlikeable character, is a bit of a slog. Heartwarming shenanigans by three children from a family who moves in with Emmy and her friend Bunty (who experiences a new romance) add humor. The second half turns inspirational after a personal tragedy galvanizes everyone and that is more of the caliber of Pearce’s earlier titles. MRS. PORTER CALLING and this entire series is suggested for readers who enjoyed Jennifer Ryan’s The Kitchen Front, another book about friendship and pulling together on the Homefront in England during World War II.

The Parrot and the Igloo by Lipsky

THE PARROT AND THE IGLOO by David Lipsky received the rare distinction of being recommended by LibraryReads even though it is a work of non-fiction. Lipsky, a professor of writing and literature at NYU and a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, adopts a narrative approach which will succeed in engaging readers as they learn more about the history of climate change and its denial. For example, Lipsky outlines the impact of events like the harnessing of electricity, increased use of fossil fuels, 1970's environmental movement, and the documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. The text is divided into sections on inventors (primarily Edison, Tesla, and Westinghouse), scientists (e.g., Jim Hansen, Roger Revelle, Svante Arrhenius) and deniers (and their links to the tobacco industry strategy). Some rather startling observations (e.g., discovery of greenhouse effect in 1824; a 1956 Time Magazine article warning that “in fifty years or so this process … may have a violent effect on the Earth’s climate”) contrasts with the better-known (and, sadly) ongoing political lobbying and inaction. At 496 pages, this is already a lengthy text so the endnotes are published online. THE PARROT AND THE IGLOO received starred reviews from Kirkus (“simultaneously captivating and disturbing”) and Publishers Weekly (“a first-rate entry in the field of climate denial studies”). Interested readers should definitely check out related titles like Greta Thunberg’s compilation The Climate Book.

The Last Ride of the Pony Express by Will Grant

THE LAST RIDE OF THE PONY EXPRESS by Will Grant is subtitled “My 2,000-mile Horseback Journey into the Old West” and it offers fascinating facts while providing quite a travelogue on horseback between St. Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California. Grant is accompanied by two horses, Chicken Fry (love that name!) and Badger on a series of adventures that trace the route of the Pony Express (see map). Readers will be astounded to learn that the Pony Express was in operation for only about 18 months, from April 1860 to October 1861, completing no more than 150 round trips. Introducing readers to hosts such as the head of the National Pony Express Association, locales involving river crossings, and origins of words like mustang, Grant weaves in numerous tidbits and reflections on how the West has changed, even recently. He notes, for example, that “between 1970 and 2020, the number of dairy farms in the US fell from 648,000 to 32,000.” Musings on the impact of the Western frontier on the national psyche and the “fabling” inspired by the short-lived Pony Express balance descriptions of potential danger and also glimpses of humor. Grant is a former cowboy and horse trainer who began a journalism career in 2008 with many of his stories involving horses, including exploits in Mongolia, Arizona, and Kyrgyzstan. I am looking forward to more adventures from him. Both informative and entertaining, THE LAST RIDE OF THE PONY EXPRESS received a starred review from Booklist.