Good Reads & Views

Slime: How Algae Created Us, Plague Us, and Just Might Save Us by Ruth Kassinger
Nonfiction

What it’s about: The story of algae, the origins of life, and the multi-billion dollar industry with innovators, farmers and scientists all trying to use algae to solve our urgent energy problems.

Reviewers say: “A fun and fascinating deep dive into the natural history, current uses, and vast potential of algae. Who knew that the slimy green stuff we commonly encounter as seaweed and pond scum is a driving force behind all of life as we know it?...Accessible and enthralling” (Kirkus). "Even readers who never expected to enjoy a book about slime will find this an informative and charming primer to "the world's most powerful engines"" (Publishers Weekly).

Extras: Recipes for Dulse and Cheddar Scones, and Irish Moss Blancmange, among others.

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The Food Explorer by Daniel Stone
Nonfiction

What it’s about: The true adventures of one David Fairchild, 19th-century botanist and food explorer, who was responsible for the introduction of various crops to the American marketplace, ranging from avocadoes and mangoes to seedless grapes and pomegranates.

Why you might like it: This adventure story reads like fiction and provides lots of “did you know…” tidbits, like who the Myer lemon is named after and why there are all those avocados being grown in California.

Reviewers say: “An erudite and entertaining historical biography of a food pioneer with particular interest for gastronomes and agriculture enthusiasts” (Kirkus Review).

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The Long Call by Ann Cleeves
Fiction

What it is: This first installment in the new Two rivers series by Ann Cleeves, author of the excellent Vera and Shetland series, introduces detective Matthew Venn. An investigation into the stabbing death of a man and the disappearance of two girls with Down Syndrome all turn up connections to the Woodyard Centre, a multi-use community arts centre in Devon, England, run by Matthew’s husband Jonathan.

Want a taste? “The road climbed steeply and then they were looking down at the village of Lovacott: a group of houses clustered around a small square, which was hardly more than the main street widened. A shop that seemed to sell everything, a pub. There was nothing picturesque here. No thatch. It would never have featured in an episode of Midsomer Murders.”

Reviewers say: “Cleeves makes good use of Devon local color and populates this subtle, expertly paced mystery with distinctive supporting characters” (Publishers Weekly).

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The Plague Charmer by Karen Maitland
Fiction

What it’s about: 14^th century England; the plague is spreading from village to village. There is a dwarf who was banished from his life as a jester, dead children and one alive wild woman retrieved from a shipwreck, superstition and holy relics, an apocalyptic cult, and the all-around breakdown of society.

Who it’s for: If you like dark and atmospheric, with interesting characters, give this one a try. It is a fascinating look at the Middle Ages and the ways society dealt with the Black Death and superstition.

Want a taste? “What I have to offer you cannot be bought with coins. I have a price, but it is not to be paid in gold or silver.”

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The Mausoleum by David Mark
Fiction

What it’s about: The year is 2010. Two old women are waiting for a dying old man to wake up so they can find out what he knows. The women’s story is told in alternating narratives and skips back to 1967 when the women first met in the graveyard of an isolated village by the Scottish border. WWII, espionage, POWs, Nazis, betrayal, they are all part of the story.

Reviewers say: “Deft writing, a plot filled with strange and unexpected twists, vivid characters, and a constant feeling of foreboding make this a gripping and unusual read” (Booklist). “Mark is writing at the top of his game” (Publishers Weekly).

Author notes: Mark is also the author of an excellent series of police procedurals, starting with The Dark Winter, which introduces DS Aector McAvoy.

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The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz
Nonfiction

What it’s about: The mother of a well-known actor makes arrangements for her funeral and ends up murdered hours later. A fictionalized Horowitz, and eccentric police detective Hawthorne, are on the case. Twisty, and great fun.

Want a taste? “As a rule, I don’t go to funerals. I find them too horrible and upsetting and the older I get, of course, the more invitations I receive. As a favour to my friends, I’ll make sure that none of them are told the date of mine.”

Reviewers say: “Horowitz's mystery is as cleverly constructed as the classic whodunits of the golden age, populated by fascinating characters and peppered with fair-play clues” (Publishers Weekly).

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You’re Dead by Chris Knopf
Fiction

What it’s about: Dr. Waters, an organizational psychologist for an aerospace manufacturer, comes home one night to find the dismembered head of his boss lying in a pool of blood in a guest bedroom. When the rest of the body shows up in Water’s storage locker, his mortgage is paid off, and a large sum of money ends up in his checking account, he becomes suspect #1.

Reviewers say: “Finally, a professional-grade detection-cum-actioner with a hero who actually has a logical reason for being so emotionally disengaged. More, please” (Kirkus).

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The Lost Man by Jane Harper
Fiction

What it’s about: Brothers Nathan and Bub haven’t seen each other in months, even though they are neighbors in the remote Australian outback. Now they are brought together when their brother Cameron’s desiccated corpse is discovered a few miles from his fully functioning truck. Why would Cam walk away, without taking water and food, in an area where you might not see anyone for days and the hot and dry conditions can kill a grown man in no time at all? Was it an accident, murder, suicide? Suspicions start to take hold and long-buried family secrets are revealed. 

Reviewers say: “Harper's masterful narrative places readers right in the middle of a desolate landscape that's almost as alien as the moon's surface, where the effects of long-term isolation are always a concern. The mystery of Cam's death is at the dark heart of an unfolding family drama that will leave readers reeling, and the final reveal is a heartbreaker. A twisty slow burner by an author at the top of her game” (Kirkus).

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The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel
Nonfiction

What it’s about: In 1986, 20yr old Christopher Knight drives his Subaru deep into the Maine woods, abandons it and starts walking. He ends up staying in the Woods for 27 years, living off food and other items he steals from a summer camp and local homes during a thousand plus break-ins. The installation of new Homeland Security equipment finally aids in his apprehension.

Want a taste? “Knight said that when he ran out of toilet paper, he sometimes tore pages from John Grisham novels. He mentioned that he didn't like Jack Kerouac either, but this wasn't quite true. ‘I don't like people who like Jack Kerouac,’ he clarified.”

Of note: A National Geographic Best Book of the Year.

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The Last Hours by Minette Walters
Fiction

What it’s about: Lady Anne despises her cruel husband and is hated by her spoiled daughter. After her husband succumbs to a deadly pestilence while away on business, she assumes control of his people and quarantines everyone inside the moat surrounding the house in order to protect them from the deadly sickness that is spreading in all of England.

Not for the squeamish: “The living conditions in Bradmayne are vile; one might think "Men urinated where they stood" would say it all about a village, but the author spares no detail in showing what grossness causes stench and attracts vermin. People seem not to connect these godawful conditions with the "killing sickness in the village" that carries "a deadly pestilence with putrid boils" and requires the digging of mass graves” (Kirkus).

Sequel note: The Turn of Midnight is coming out in August 2019 and continues where The Last Hours left off.

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