Good Reads & Views

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny
Fiction

What it’s about: In the village of Three Pines a bricked up-room is discovered that contains a copy of a 17th century painting, The Paston Treasure, but with some modern additions. At the same time, Chief Inspector Gamache revisits his first case with this second-in-command and now son-in-law, Jean Guy Beauvoir, and travels even further back in time to a mass slaying at Montreal's École Polytechnique, when Gamache was just starting out in the police force.

Reviewers say: Kirkus calls this “one of Penny's best. Penny will have you turning the pages as fast as you can to see how she'll manage to tie everything together”; “blends nuanced characterization with nail-biting suspense” (Publishers Weekly).

Here's a taste: "Everyone, he knew, had one. A locked room. Either in their home, or their head, or their heart. Where things that should never see the light of day lived, and waited. For their chance to escape."

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What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds by Jennifer Ackerman
Nonfiction

What it’s about: Science writer Ackerman discusses the biology and history of owls around the globe, those mysterious symbols of wisdom and knowledge (and Harry Potter fame).

Reviewers say: “There's fascinating trivia on every page (owls perform "sophisticated mathematical computations" to pinpoint prey by sound, and some owl attacks on humans may be attempts to play), making for a revelatory glimpse into the lives of the "enigmatic" raptors. Bird lovers will be enthralled” (Publishers Weekly).

Suggestion: If you listen to the audio version, also get the book for the owl pictures; if you read the book, get the audio for the owl sounds.

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The Everyday Gourmet: The Joy of Mediterranean Cooking by Bill Briwa
Nonfiction

Who it’s for: People who like to cook and people who like to watch other people cook. And people who like to eat, of course.

What it is: A combo of one book and 3 DVDs. The DVDs show all the food being made, and the book covers what was shown on the DVDs and includes all the wonderful recipes, with pictures. You'll want to try these recipes. Lessons include food from Northern, Central, and Southern Italy, Spain, Morocco, Tunisia, Greece, Istanbul, and the South of France.

Good to know: This is part of the Great Courses Everyday Gourmet series which is available for viewing on kanopy, with your Batavia Public Library card.

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Retirement Reboot: Commonsense Financial Strategies for Getting Back on Track by Mark Miller
Nonfiction 

What's it about? An easy-to-read book that offers nine practical retirement strategies. Includes advice on how to become an “active citizen” and the author’s views on extending, not contracting, Medicare and Social Security.

Who should read it: Anyone who wants to improve their prospects for retirement and get a handle on their finances in their remaining working years and beyond.

About the author: Mark Miller is a journalist, author, and podcaster considered a top expert on retirement and aging. He contributes regularly to the New York Times “Retiring” column, which appears in the Sunday edition, where they are among the best-read personal finance stories in the paper. He also writes monthly national columns on retirement for Reuters, Morningstar, and Wealth Management magazine.

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Fairy Tale: A Novel by Stephen King
Fiction 

What it’s about: 17-yr. old Charlie befriends an elderly recluse and his dog. When the recluse dies, Charlie inherits the dog, Radar, and the house, including a shed that is the portal to another world. It is into this world Charlie needs to travel to turn back the clock on the life of the dying Radar. And what a magical - but dangerous - world it turns out to be...

Reviewers say: “Narnia on the Penobscot: a grand, and naturally strange, entertainment from the ever prolific King…A tale that's at once familiar and full of odd and unexpected twists--vintage King, in other words” (Kirkus Reviews).

Good to know: Excellent on audio. Seth Numrich won the 2023 Audie award for Best Male Narrator for Fairy Tale.

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The Wolf and the Watchman by Natt Och Dag
Fiction

What it's about: When a mutilated corpse is discovered in a local swamp in 18th-century Stockholm, a disabled ex-soldier and a lawyer with tuberculosis work together to unmask the murderer and prevent another killing.

Reviewers say: "Natt och Dag writes sensory, horror-inducing descriptions of the lives and deaths of the poor inhabitants of Stockholm. At the same time, his characters almost spring off the page, they are so human and so fully realized. Natt och Dag doesn't apologize for human nature, nor does he excuse our crimes and basest cruelties, but his deep dive into the dark corners of our psyches, as well as this harsh time in history, is both chilling and thought-provoking. Relentless, well-written, and nearly impossible to put down” (Kirkus Reviews).

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Past Life by David Mark
Fiction  

What it’s about: Aector McAvoy and his boss Trish Pharaoh are investigating the murder of a fortune teller, which brings up shadows of the past for McAvoy. 12 years earlier, the fortuneteller aunt of Aector’s future wife Roisin, was also brutally murdered.

Reviewers say: “Polished prose, lovable recurring characters, and a stunning revelation make this a mystery to savor” (Kirkus Reviews).

Series alert: This is #9 in the critically acclaimed DS McAvoy series. David Marks has also written several standalones, including The Mausoleum, Borrowed Time, A Rush of Blood, and Suspicious Minds.

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Billy Summers by Stephen King
Fiction

What it's about: In this (non-horror) noir thriller, Veteran Billy Summers is an assassin-for-hire who will only take jobs where he kills really bad guys. Now he wants to retire, right after completing one last job. As is usually the case, things don’t go quite as planned and he ends up going after the people who stiffed him on his last job. They should have known better…

Reviewers say: "This is another outstanding outing from a writer who consistently delivers more than his readers expect" (Publishers Weekly); “Murder most foul and mayhem most entertaining. Another worthy page-turner from a protean master” (Kirkus Reviews).

Want a taste? " He has no problem with bad people paying to have other bad people killed. He basically sees himself as a garbageman with a gun.” “God doesn’t have a plan, He throws pickup sticks."

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Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
Fiction

What it’s about: Frank Drum looks back on the summer of 1961, when he was twelve. Events during this fateful summer greatly affected his family and other denizens of the small community of New Bremen, Minnesota.

Reviewers say: “The small-town milieu is rendered in picturesque detail, accurate down to period-appropriate TV programs, for what becomes a resonant tale of fury, guilt, and redemption” (Publishers Weekly); “A novel that transforms narrator and reader alike” (Kirkus Review)

Good to know: This coming-of-age novel is also excellent on audio. For more from this award-winning author, try his Cork O’Connor mystery series, which is highly recommended.

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The Ludwig Conspiracy by Oliver Pötzsch
Fiction

What it's about: A rare books dealer and an art detective are forced to go on the run when they start investigating a diary, written in code, about Ludwig, the fairytale king of Bavaria, who was declared insane, disposed, and found dead the next day.

Reviewers say: "While readers will find broad parallels with Dan Brown's thrillers, Pötzsch's sophisticated plotting and good use of a real-life historical puzzle place this far ahead of most Da Vinci Code wannabes" (Publishers Weekly).

Good to know: This is very enjoyable on audio, read by the excellent Simon Vance, British accent included. Available from hoopla.

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