When Max Costa signed up as a ballroom dancer for the Cap Polonio in 1928, he […]
Grunt, by Mary Roach
One of my favorite things as a librarian is helping people search for odd topics. […]
Clinch, by Martin Holmén
Even though I finished Martin Holmén’s Clinch (translated by Henning Koch), I’m still not sure if I […]
Grand Hotel, by Vicki Baum
Last semester, when I worked with a World War II history class, I quickly learned […]
Ceremony, by Leslie Marmon Silko
Ceremony, by Leslie Marmon Silko, is hugely confusing but full of wisdom for readers who […]
The Night Watch, by Sarah Waters
This novel, The Night Watch, by Sarah Waters, should not work. It’s written backwards, for crying […]
The Orphan Sky, by Ella Leya
I am tempted by books set in places I’ve never read about, much less visited. […]
The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery
What is life for? And how should we live? Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog […]
A Country Road, A Tree, by Jo Baker
Jo Baker is a literary chameleon. I have witnessed her slip into the words of […]
The Nazi Hunters, by Andrew Nagorski
Unlike Hiding in Plain Sight, Andrew Nagorski’s exploration of the pursuit and prosecution of war criminals […]