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Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors
The National Book Critics Circle Award has released longlists for its annual awards in the categories of autobiography, biography, criticism, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, as well as for the Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize. Below is the nonfiction longlist.
A bit ago I read Emma Southon's A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and loved the deep dive into how murder and assassination were viewed in ancient Rome. Not long after posting that review I heard about another book about ancient roman history. The podcaster mentioned how much they'd enjoyed a biography about Agrippina, a woman who was a descendant of Julius Caesar. She was also a sister, niece, wife, and mother to three other emperors.
Ally Condie had a major hit years ago with her young adult Matched trilogy, and has been a mainstay of the children’s and young adult lists since. The Unwedding marks her adult debut, an entry into the crowded thriller/crime field. Happily, The Unwedding is a winning effort, infusing one of the most traditional of crime sub-genres—the locked room mystery—with a subplot of grief and coping through tremendous loss.
What do you get when you combine a snuggle and a tickle? That’s a snickle! And what do you get when you read Give Me a Snickle! by Alisha Sevigny? Just about the best feeling ever and the cutest board book around! This beautiful book pairs colorful photographs of babies and toddlers being cuddled by their loved ones with silly, rhyming, made-up words that describe different kinds of snuggles. Give Me A Snickle! is gorgeous and fun and captures the joy of snuggling. It is sure to delight little ones, ages 0-3, and their caregivers.
The Wisconsin Book Festival is pretty good at predicting the best books of the year! If you got to see some of these authors during the Fall Celebration or during standalone book events in 2024, maybe you already knew you were in the presence of greatness.
In his history of Chicago in the 19th century Cronon's primary thesis is that rural and urban growth/development go hand in hand with one another. The two worlds are interdependent and rely on one another to continue to exist. And in the case of the rise of Chicago these connections are especially true.
I've been thinking a lot about gratitude and family so I'm really excited to share two new picture books especially for young readers ages 4-8 that combine these concepts to beautifully illustrate one of the oldest and most human arts of all: fixing something precious with the help of someone who loves you.
All her life Lady Imogen Loveless has been told she's "too much". And given her interest in blowing things up and lack of interest in any of the things a "real" lady does, she's convinced that she'll always live up to her name and remain single. But that fact doesn't stop her from truly liking (and lusting after) Scotland Yard inspector, Thomas Peck. For his lights, while Tommy may at times be very frustrated by Imogen, he's also totally fascinated by her. The only way in which she's "too much", as far as he's concerned, is in her station - she's an aristocrat and he a commoner.
This richly detailed thriller starts with two hikers in the woods stumbling upon a dead body in an open cottage. A single black feather goes unnoticed at the death scene. This is an omen of more black feathers to come and the nightmare-inducing murders of crows that have been haunting me ever since. Full disclosure: I find crows unnerving in the best of times. The crows in this novel represent the absolute worst of times. I'll leave it at that.
Every month there are new titles purchased for the Too Good to Miss collections at our libraries. If you're not familiar with TGTM (as we call it here in library-world), it's a special collection of popular books that are truly too good to miss. Some are new and popular titles, others are older titles that might not have had as much media attention as a bestseller or celebrity book club selection but are still great reads that deserve another look.
