This week, we feature an atmospheric mystery set in Edwardian England and a compilation of moving verses from the famous African American poet Langston Hughes.
Mystery
‘A Case of Mice and Murder’
By Sally SmithSir Gabriel Ward, KC, a barrister, practices at the Inner Temple (the London’s secret inner legal world) where he also lives. On May 20, 1901, his normal routine is disturbed when he literally stumbles over the body of Norman Dunning, the lord chief justice of England, at his chambers’ doorstep. Then William Waring, head of Inner Temple, assigns Ward to investigate the murder. Ward has the only ironclad alibi at the Inner Temple. A reluctant Ward, with a Watson-like sidekick, sets out to crack the case in this delightful mystery.
Raven Books, 2025, 336 pages
History
‘In the Shadow of the Sword: The Birth of Islam and the Rise of the Global Arab Empire’
By Tom HollandIslam is one of the powerful forces in today’s world. One of the newest of the major monotheistic religions, it exploded from the desert in the 7th century. This book examines Islam’s origins. It offers a fresh appraisal, yielding an original interpretation of Islam’s evolution, placing the origins of Islam into its historical context, and showing how other religions shaped it. Buttressed with solid research, it tells a startlingly different story from accepted versions. Well worth reading.
The literary giant is brought back to life by one of America’s most accomplished biographers. It’s impossible not to know who Mark Twain is. His fictional characters, like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, have become part of the American vernacular. Chernow, though, goes beyond Twain’s famous works and his characters. Readers are able to pry into the brilliant, humorous, burdensome, and grief-filled private life of one of America’s most notable sons. A thundering accomplishment.
Penguin Press, 2025, 1200 pages
Nonfiction
‘Secrets of Adulthood: Simple Truths for Our Complex Lives’
By Gretchen RubinFor lovers of the aphorism—those word-nuggets of truth—here’s a collection from America’s best-known commentator on happiness. She arranges these apothegms, all of which she created, by topics like procrastination, creativity, and work. “What can be done at any time is often done at no time” and “Telling someone to calm down usually has the opposite effect” typify her wit and wisdom. Also included are encouraging personal anecdotes. Great advice makes this a great gift.
Crown, 2025, 176 pages
Classics
‘Blues in Stereo: The Early Works of Langston Hughes’
By Langston HughesThis compilation of verse shines light on this poet’s early writings. While many of the poems focus on race, particularly the Black underclass, we also find pieces about love, loneliness, jazz, and travel. Here are familiar poems like “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” and “Mother to Son,” but more obscure verse as well, like “Lullaby” and “Steel Mills.” Also included are drafts and notes from an unfinished musical play, “Cocko’ the World,” which Hughes began in collaboration with Duke Ellington.
A classic summer picture book by beloved author Robert McCloskey, “Time of Wonder” follows two young sisters summering with their family on an island in Maine. It captures their delight in the natural landscape—swimming, sailing, and exploring, and their harrowing experience of a hurricane. Beautifully written and illustrated, this makes a terrific summer read.
Viking Books, 1985, 64 pages
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