Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson

 

 Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson. Simon and Schuster, 2003. Adult biography.

This is probably one of the definitive biographies of Benjamin Franklin and his life and times.  

It covers his family's history, his scientific, political, and work life and includes insights that most readers would not have gleaned from American history classes. 

When Ken Burns recently premiered his PBS series on Ben Franklin, one of the experts shown was Walter Isaacson. I was so impressed that I picked up this title. It does not disappoint. Two of my very favorite tidbits include

"Of the first eighteen women who came to Massachusetts in 1628, for example, fourteen died within a year." p.13

"The more earthy and middle-class backwoodsmen still revered Franklin's Autobiography-it was the one book that Davy Crockett carried with him to his death at the Alamo"...p.479

Truly, we read to learn and Walter Isaacson does not disappoint!

Blue Shoe by Anne Lamott

 

 Blue Shoe by Anne Lamott. Riverhead Books, a division of Penguin Books, 2002. Adult fiction.

      Californian Mattie Ryder, mother of Harry and Ella, has moved back into her family home. Her ex husband, Nicky, is still around at times. Her mother, Isa, lives not far away. The narrative explores Mattie's friends, family, inner life, church life, and generally EVERYTHING about Mattie, her past, present, and future. 

      This book has been in my stack to read for a long time. Maybe it just took a freeze for everything to shut down and for me to pick it up. Somehow, the book was just the ticket to realize that things could always be worse! 

Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall

 

Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall. Pamela Dorman Books (Viking), 2025.

In the same vein as his wildly successful Broadchurch series, Chibnall scores another well written crime to be solved. Detective Nicola Bridge and her family are new to small Fleetcombe on the English coast, but it is where Nicola grew up. Have things changed much?  When the body of local bartender Jim Tiernan is discovered, Nicola and her partner, Harry Ward, must piece together the local legends, the personalities of the people, and the clues left at the scene.

As Nicola weaves the web of her home and work into a workable web, readers will look forward to more novels about this heroine. 

Knave of Diamonds by Laurie R. King

 

 Knave of Diamonds: A Novel of Suspense featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes by Laurie R. King. Bantam Books, an imprint of Random House, 2025. Adult fiction. Mystery.

When Mary Russell's charming uncle, Jake Russell, shows up, Mary and Sherlock become involved in a cold case surrounding long missing Crown Jewels of Ireland. It's a case that Sherlock and his brother Mycroft had investigated with no results. And, now Jake, a man whom Mary has not seen since she was a child and a criminal himself seems to know a great deal about it all. The game's afoot again!

This new book in King's long running series about Russell and Holmes is a rip roaring adventure. Ernest Shackleton's brother, Frank, even makes an appearance! Start with the first book, The Beekeeper's Apprentice, and join the fun!

Finding Grace: A Novel by Loretta Rothschild

 

 Finding Grace: A Novel by Loretta Rothschild. Thorndike Press 2025. (Large Print edition).  Adult fiction.

Honor and Tom seem the perfect couple. Their four year old daughter, Chloe, is darling. They celebrate Christmas every year at The Ritz in Paris. Honor's best friends, Annie and Lauren, are supportive. Yet with all of this, Honor deeply longs for another child. which she medically cannot have. She reads all about egg donations and surrogates. Even though Tom is less enthusiastic, he goes through with the plans that mean so much to Honor and she picks the perfect donor just before Christmas .Everything is put in place. Then, their lives are changed forever. 

This is a debut novel and what a zinger of a book! I defy readers to finish the first chapter and not clamor for more. 

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

 

   Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Illustrated by Jeffrey Middleton. Three Rivers Press, 2005.

Amy Krouse Rosenthal was one of the most creative people I ever met. She loved her family and she loved life. Unfortunately, she died of ovarian cancer in March 2017. Her children's books are still beloved. When you see photos of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's toddlers, they were usually photographed with Amy's books. Ophrah put Amy's books on her list of books to buy as new baby gifts. I was lucky enough to have dinner with Amy and a publisher rep at Atria in Houston many years ago. Amy pulled a tiny wind-up music box from her bag and enchanted us with her umbrella stories. It was such a delightful and memorable evening. Check out her New York  Times column published just days before she died. She was planning for her husband's second wife!  A quirky soul, gone far too soon!

This memoir has entries about small things in Amy's life all put into the form of an encyclopedia. It's funny. It's interesting. It will make readers think about their own lives and look for the small treasures in daily life. With honesty and grace, Amy chronicles her life. We are all sad that there is not a Volume 2.

The Art Thieves by Andrea L Rogers

 

 The Art Thieves by Andrea L. Rogers. Levine Querida (Chronicle Books), 2024. YA futuristic fiction.

Stevie Henry is a young Cherokee woman whose tight nuclear family includes Mom, Dad, and little brother Levi. They live in a Teas city, but return to the reservation on weekends and see extended family. Her best friends, Jess and Loren, are a couple and the three hope to attend college together soon. Stevie works in the gift shop at the local museum and it is here that she meets Adam, a handsome young artist. Adam says he is from Costa Rica, but that soon is proved false.  

When Levi gets seriously ill, the family is desperate to help him.  When Adam  tells Stevie that he is really from the future and that our world is about to have major problems, how will Stevie react? Can they save major art works? Can they save themselves? Can anyone save Levi?

The references to Levi's allergies ring true and the little family is incredibly careful with his food choices. The art museum is a place of learning and safety for Stevie. The words she speaks in Cherokee and her links to her heritage fit into the narrative. Details about Jess and Loren and their relationship and reactions to Jess's strict parents are carefully woven into the story, too. So much of the coming apocalypse makes the characters search for what's really important to them. This is a book that makes readers THINK!