Fiction
By John Grisham
In this third thriller in the Camino Island series, book dealer Bruce Cable and bestselling author Mercer Mann again team up to provide fun and suspense for readers. The story begins with a wedding—Mercer’s—on a Florida beach, then jumps to the battle between a powerful resort development company and an elderly woman, Lovely Jackson, over the ownership of a small deserted island that may lie under a curse. If you’re looking for some escapist entertainment this summer, you’ll find it here.
Nature
By John H. Rappole
Why do birds migrate? The popular view holds it’s due to weather: Birds leave nesting grounds to avoid winter weather, returning when the weather improves. John Rappole has studied migrating birds for 50 years. He believes birds leave ancestral homes in the tropics to exploit resources in their northern range. This book explains his conclusions. It also explores Mr. Rappole’s career as a research scientist. A fascinating book about environment and nature, it shows how species adapt to change.
Mystery
By Charles Todd
Bess Crawford was a nurse during World War I. The war is now over and she has been discharged. At home, she receives a letter from her cousin asking Bess to nurse Lady Beatrice, who is undergoing surgery. The war nurse accepts the invitation, which plunges her into a mystery involving Lady Beatrice’s family. She is sent to tend Beatrice’s godson, who was injured in a fall. A second man died in the fall and the godson is suspected of murder. Bess has to untangle the clues and determine the truth.
Ancient History
By Paul Stephenson
Before the sack of Rome in A.D. 410 and her official fall in 476, another city rose in the east: Constantinople. This city became the seat of power for the empire. This became New Rome, and it represented the new Eastern Roman Empire―the Byzantine Empire. But how did it arrive and what were all the moving parts―military, religious, and climactic―that made her the new beacon? Paul Stephenson’s work is a vast wealth of information. An important book that should be read slowly and studiously.
Classics
By Christopher Francese and R. Scott Smith
With today’s renewed interest in Ancient Rome, this book is a great boon to those who wish to read original sources “in contemporary (American) English idiom and style” without “gratuitous modernizing.” Here are works and excerpts by many of Rome’s great writers, like Cicero, Virgil, Livy, Ovid, and Plutarch. Just as fascinating are the 100 short documents at the book’s end—epitaphs, proclamations, inscriptions on public works, and more—that offer glimpses of daily life in The Eternal City.
For Kids
By Fiona Waters and Frann Preston-Gannon
If you’re looking to enjoy more poetry with your children, look no further than “Sing a Song of Seasons,” which offers lovely selections for every day of the year. This treasury centers on the beauty of nature and features poets like William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, John Updike, and more. Beautiful illustrations color every page. A delight.
