September reads dish up big variety

Such a variety this month, everyone should find something enjoyable!

 

Try these fiction titles:

 

The Translator by Harriet Crawley. Espionage thriller in Russia. Timely, smart, topical. I would be very careful if Putin-land is on your itinerary. Great to read or listen to. 

 

The Briar Club by Kate Quinn. An eclectic group of young women living in a boarding house in Washington D.C. in 1950. How they navigate the social and political changes of the time results in an engaging and character driven story.

 

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore. Our Book Club choice for this month. Old money in Upstate New York and the hierarchy that affects generations of families and disrupts lives.

 

Shanghai by Joseph Kanon. Pre-WWII Shanghai was lawless, vice-filled and ripe for profit. Filled with Jews fleeing Europe, Japanese and Chinese all vying for money and power. Trust no one. Yet another slice of history I knew nothing about. 

 

Moral Injuries by Christie Watson. Psychological thriller in London: Three best friends from medical school harbor a secret for 25 years until it comes into play and threatens their happy lives. What would you do to protect your loved one?

 

Come to The Window by Howard Norman. For fans of The Shipping News by Annie Proulx (count me in!) Set in Nova Scotia in 1918 during the Spanish flu epidemic, this off-beat story starts with a woman murdering her husband on their wedding night.  

 

Trouble in Queenstown by Delia Pitts. Cop turned private eye, Vandy Myrick returns to her Jersey hometown where politics is all who you know. She gets involved in a simple surveillance case which quickly devolves with a double murder. 

 

Wordhunter by Stella Sands. Pursuing a serial killer by examining the notes he leaves. A savvy young woman skilled in forensic linguistics is asked to help, but who can she trust? Good characters, bad people, fun, fast read.

 

Looking for some nonfiction? Check out these titles.

 

Origin Story by Howard Markel. Charles Darwin was not your average scientist and his writings after sailing on HMS Beagle not presented until 20 years later, were not readily accepted back in London. His life-long skills of keen observation and journaling resulted in his scientific findings. He also fathered 10 children, the last when his wife was 48. Sheesh.

 

A Walk In The Park by Kevin Fedarko. How not to attempt to walk the Grand Canyon from end to end. Exquisite descriptions of the canyon while the author and his companions hike through and suffer a myriad of complications, injuries and bad luck. Fedarko is a well-known outdoor/ nature writer making this enjoyable reading.