The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
Did you enjoy reading The Kite Runner? As I re-read it again while reading The Lion Women of Tehran for the first time, I loved the many parallels between the two novels, as well as one key difference: the female friendships that drive The Lion Women. The story spans decades as two childhood friends from different social classes in Iran experience betrayal, guilt, violence, love, and growth.
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanthi
One of my favorite reads in the past few years was heartbreaking and even had me shedding a few tears at the end. Most friends and students I have recommended this book to and read it, loved it too! This inspiring, exquisitely observed memoir finds hope and beauty in the face of insurmountable odds as an idealistic young neurosurgeon attempts to answer the question, What makes a life worth living? At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade’s worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. One day, he was a doctor treating the dying, and the next, he was a patient struggling to live. And just like that, the future he and his wife had imagined evaporated. When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi’s transformation from a naïve medical student “possessed,” as he wrote, “by the question of what, given that all organisms die, makes a virtuous and meaningful life” into a neurosurgeon at Stanford working in the brain, the most critical place for human identity, and finally into a patient and new father confronting his own mortality.
Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World by Christian Cooper (Adult NonFiction, 2023). Christian Cooper is an avid comics fan and expert birder who devotes every spring to gazing upon the migratory birds that stop to rest in Central Park, just a subway ride away from where he lives in New York City. While in the park one morning in May 2020, Cooper was birdwatching when what might have been a routine encounter with a dog walker exploded age-old racial tensions. Cooper’s viral video of the incident would send shock waves through the nation. Cooper tells the story of his extraordinary life leading up to the now-infamous incident in Central Park and shows how a life spent looking up at the birds prepared him, in the most uncanny of ways, to be a gay, Black man in America today.
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (Adult Historical, 2021). In June, 1954, eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson is driven home to Nebraska by the warden of the work farm where he has just served a year for involuntary manslaughter. His mother long gone, his father recently deceased, and the family farm foreclosed upon by the bank, Emmett’s intention is to pick up his eight-year-old brother and head west where they can start their lives anew. But when the warden drives away, Emmett discovers that two friends from the work farm have hidden themselves in the trunk of the warden’s car. Together, they have hatched an altogether different plan for Emmett’s future.
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (Adult Contemporary, 2014). A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It’s a small package, but large in weight. It’s that unexpected arrival that gives A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (Adult Historical, 2022). Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality, except for one. But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. As her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.
All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley (Adult Memoir, 2023). Millions of people climb the grand marble staircase to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art every year. But only a select few have unrestricted access to every nook and cranny. They’re the guards who roam unobtrusively in dark blue suits, keeping a watchful eye on the two million square foot treasure house. Caught up in his glamorous fledgling career at "The New Yorker," Patrick Bringley never thought he’d be one of them. Then his older brother got sick. He quit his job and sought solace in the most beautiful place he knew. To his surprise, this temporary refuge becomes Bringley’s home away from home for a decade. We follow him as he guards delicate treasures from Egypt to Rome, strolls the labyrinths beneath the galleries, wears out nine pairs of company shoes, and marvels at the beautiful works in his care. As his bonds with his colleagues and the art grow, he comes to understand how fortunate he is to be walled off in this little world, and how much it resembles the best aspects of the larger world to which he gradually, gratefully returns.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (Adult Historical Fiction, 2018). For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet fishing village. So in late 1969, when the popular Chase Andrews is found dead, locals immediately suspect her. But Kya is not what they say. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life's lessons from the land, learning the real ways of the world from the dishonest signals of fireflies. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world—until the unthinkable happens. -GoodReads. Read the book, then watch the movie!
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, this is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father's good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.
The Overstory Richard Powers
The Overstory is a sweeping, impassioned work of activism and resistance that is also a stunning evocation of - and paean to - the natural world. From the roots to the crown and back to the seeds, Richard Powers’s twelfth novel unfolds in concentric rings of interlocking fables that range from antebellum New York to the late twentieth-century Timber Wars of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. There is a world alongside ours—vast, slow, interconnected, resourceful, magnificently inventive, and almost invisible to us. This is the story of a handful of people who learn how to see that world and who are drawn up into its unfolding catastrophe.
The Dark Elf Trilogy: Homeland, Exile, Sojourn by R.A. Salvatore (Adult High Fantasy, 1990). As the third son of Mother Malice and weaponmaster Zaknafein, Drizzt Do’Urden is meant to be sacrificed to Lolth, the evil Spider Queen, per drow tradition. But with the unexpected death of his older brother, young Drizzt is spared—and, as a result, further ostracized by his family. As Drizzt grows older, developing his swordsmanship skills and studying at the Academy, he begins to realize that his idea of good and evil does not match up with those of his fellow drow. Can Drizzt stay true to himself in a such an unforgiving, unprincipled world?
The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré (Adult Fiction, 2020). You will find it impossible not to root for Adunni as she learns how to use her voice and achieve her goals.
James by Percival Everett (Adult Historical, 2024). A subversive and immersive retelling of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from Jim's point of view. If you think you know the story already, remember, you don't know half of it!
How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question by Michael Schur (Adult NonFiction, 2022). Schur compiled the philosophical research he did while writing The Good Place. He explains how people with different philosophical approaches ethical dilemmas and digests some fairly difficult philosophy in a way that's easy to read.
Above Ground by Clint Smith (Adult Poetry, 2023). Smith's second poetry collection contains some true gems. Think you don't like poetry? You should check out Clint Smith before you say that.
The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl (Adult, 2021). Whether you like Nirvana and the Foo Fighters or not, it will be hard to dislike this wonderful memoir by musician Dave Grohl. He takes you back to his early days as a child growing up in Virginia through his experiences in Nirvana and the Foo Fighters, including some great stories that only a rock legend like Dave Grohl could experience. I highly recommend the audiobook, read by Grohl himself.
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton (Adult Historical, 2021). Whether you're a fan of classic rock or not, you will enjoy this wonderful cast of characters as they recount the story of groundbreaking (fictional) musical duo Opal Jewel and Nev Charles as they break the music industry open only to be undone by tragedy. This book is excellent on audio, read by a cast of characters.
How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith (Adult Nonfiction, 2021). In his first nonfiction book, poet and Atlantic magazine writer Clint Smith visits various places around the United States and Senegal to explore the history of slavery and racism connected with these places.
The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai (Adult Historical Fiction, 2020). This multigenerational family saga will introduce you to the Trần family and their story, set against the backdrop of the Việt Nam War.
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones (Adult Thriller, 2020). If you like horror, you'll be captivated by this novel in which the vengeful "spirit" of a poached deer takes on the persona of the Deer Woman, a mythological creature associated with many Native American cultures, and stalks the men who cut her life short. You'll love it if you enjoyed movies by Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us).
Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (YA Historical, 2010). Andi Alpers is struggling after the death of her little brother. Her father, aghast over the notion that Andi might not graduate high school if she doesn't complete her thesis, forces her to go to Paris with him to finish her research on the composer Amadé Mahlerbeau. She finds the diary of Alexandrine Paradis, a performer who lived during the French Revolution. The line between the past and present is blurred as Andi finds herself drawn back in time. This one will appeal especially to music lovers.
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe (Adult NonFiction, 2018). This book explores the Troubles, sectarian violence in Northern Ireland, through the lens of the murder of Jean McConville, a mother of 10 who was murdered by the I.R.A. Fascinating and gripping nonfiction.
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah (Adult Memoir, 2016). Daily Show host and comedian Trevor Noah shares the story of his life from being born during apartheid in South Africa to his experiences as a young comedian on the come up. The audiobook is fantastic.
Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult (Adult General, 2016). This novel tells the story of an African American labor and delivery nurse and the racism surrounding her care of a white supremacist couple's newborn son. This is a very challenging and compelling story.
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn (Adult Historical, 2021). Three female code breakers at Bletchley Park during WWII. This is a fascinating book, based on historic events. I highly recommend the audio version as the reader's performance is brilliant.
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah (Adult Historical, 2021). The story of a family's struggle to survive living in the American Dustbowl during The Great Depression. The author did tremendous research and effectively anchors this fictional story in American history. I also recommend listening to the audio version as the reader's performance is compelling and adds to the drama of the story.
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan (Adult Memoir, 2012). When twenty-four-year-old Susannah Cahalan woke up alone in a hospital room, strapped to her bed and unable to move or speak, she had no memory of how she’d gotten there. Days earlier, she had been on the threshold of a new, adult life: at the beginning of her first serious relationship and a promising career at a major New York newspaper. What happened?
Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith (YA SciFi, 2014). Sixteen-year-old Austin Szerba interweaves the story of his Polish legacy with the story of how he and his best friend, Robby, brought about the end of humanity and the rise of an army of unstoppable, six-foot tall praying mantises in small-town Iowa.
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay (Adult Historical, 2006). Paris, July 1942: Ten-year-old Sarah is brutally arrested with her family in the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup, the most notorious act of French collaboration with the Nazis. But before the police come to take them, Sarah locks her younger brother, Michel, in their favorite hiding place, a cupboard in the family's apartment. She keeps the key, thinking she will return within a few hours...
If I Stay by Gayle Forman (YA Romance, 2009). Seventeen year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterward, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little, she struggles to assemble the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the difficult choice she must make.
Saving June by Hannah Harrington (YA General, 2011). Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one — so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands.
Educated by Tara Westover
This memoir tells the story of Tara Westover, who was born to survivalist parents in rural Idaho and never attended school until she was 17. Despite her isolated and often dangerous upbringing, she pursued education, eventually earning a PhD from Cambridge University. Educated explores themes of family loyalty, self-invention, and the power of knowledge.
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
Actor Matthew McConaughey’s memoir is a collection of life lessons, stories, and unconventional wisdom drawn from his journals. Blending humor and reflection, Greenlights explores how he navigated personal and professional challenges by recognizing “greenlights” — moments of opportunity, growth, and forward momentum.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
Part memoir, part master class, this book blends Stephen King’s personal story with practical advice for writers. King recounts his journey from struggling teacher to bestselling author while offering candid, no-nonsense guidance on the writing process — from grammar and story structure to revision and perseverance. On Writing is both inspiring and instructional, making it a go-to resource for aspiring writers.
The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil by George Saunders (Adult Short Stories, 2005). A brief, satirical, look at politics, genocide, and humanity through the lens of the Hornerites.
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (Adult Historical, 1989). A look into the lives of four Chinese American Immigrant mother/daughter relationships told through vignettes which alternate between story teller.
The Birth of Loud: Leo Fender, Les Paul, and the Guitar-Pioneering Rivalry That Shaped Rock 'n' Roll by Ian S. Port (Adult NonFiction, 2019). But for these two American inventors, the sound tracks of countless lives would be all but unimaginable.
The Philosophy of Modern Song by Bob Dylan (Adult NonFiction, 2022). A work of genius by the Nobel Laureate for Literature.
Fame by Kevin McGrath (Adult NonFiction, 2023). A life’s work by one of the great, living English poets.
Dans Ma Bibliothèque: La Guerre Et La Paix by Marc Fumaroli (Adult NonFiction, 2023). The final work of a superb scholar. In French.
The Roman Republic of Letters: Scholarship, Philosophy, and Politics in the Age of Cicero and Caesar by Katharina Volk (Adult NonFiction, 2021). Professor Volk lays down a fresh foundation for understanding canonical authors in an accessible, and persuasive, way.
Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Pérez
Imagine a world where your phone is too big for your hand, where your doctor prescribes a drug that is wrong for your body, where in a car accident you are 47% more likely to be seriously injured, where every week the countless hours of work you do are not recognised or valued. If any of this sounds familiar, chances are that you're a woman. Invisible Women shows us how, in a world largely built for and by men, we are systematically ignoring half the population. It exposes the gender data gap – a gap in our knowledge that is at the root of perpetual, systemic discrimination against women, and that has created a pervasive but invisible bias with a profound effect on women’s lives. From government policy and medical research, to technology, workplaces, urban planning and the media, Invisible Women reveals the biased data that excludes women.
The Prison Healer series by Lynette Noni (YA Fantasy, 2021). Imagine a land with magic, rebels, internecine conflict, compelling young adult characters, and horrible gulags. Boom.
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande (Adult NonFiction, 2014). A very important book addressing the way our medical system is designed to treat death as a problem to solve rather than people experiencing a phenomenon. It looks at the way doctors, caregivers, friends and family should approach people dying differently and ways to bring dignity and comfort to death.
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman (Adult Fantasy, 2020). Imagine you are reading a D & D game. Its like that, but better.
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls (Adult Memoir, 2005). When sober, Jeannette's brilliant and charismatic father captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn't want the responsibility of raising a family. The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered. The Glass Castle is truly astonishing--a memoir permeated by the intense love of a peculiar but loyal family.
Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder (Adult NonFiction, 2003). Doctor, Harvard professor, renowned infectious-disease specialist, anthropologist, the recipient of a MacArthur "genius" grant, world-class Robin Hood, Farmer was brought up in a bus and on a boat, and in medical school found his life’s calling: to diagnose and cure infectious diseases and to bring the lifesaving tools of modern medicine to those who need them most. From Harvard to Haiti, Peru, Cuba, and Russia, Farmer changes minds and practices through his dedication to the philosophy that "the only real nation is humanity."
Educated by Tara Westover (Adult NonFiction, 2018). Tara Westover was 17 the first time she set foot in a classroom. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she prepared for the end of the world by stockpiling home-canned peaches and sleeping with her "head-for-the-hills bag." Lacking any formal education, Tara began to educate herself. She taught herself enough mathematics and grammar to be admitted to Brigham Young University, where she studied history, learning for the first time about important world events like the Holocaust and the Civil Rights Movement. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge. Only then would she wonder if she'd traveled too far, if there was still a way home.
"The Deavabad Trilogy" (The City of Brass, The Kingdom of Copper, The Empire of Gold) by S.A. Chakraborty (YA Fantasy, 2017). Among the bustling markets of eighteenth century Cairo, the city’s outcasts eke out a living swindling rich Ottoman nobles and foreign invaders alike.But alongside this new world the old stories linger. Tales of djinn and spirits. Of cities hidden among the swirling sands of the desert, full of enchantment, desire and riches. Where magic pours down every street, hanging in the air like dust.
Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It by Richard V. Reeves
Boys and men are struggling. Profound economic and social changes of recent decades have many losing ground in the classroom, the workplace, and in the family. While the lives of women have changed, the lives of many men have remained the same or even worsened. Our attitudes, our institutions, and our laws have failed to keep up. Conservative and progressive politicians, mired in their own ideological warfare, fail to provide thoughtful solutions. The father of three sons, a journalist, and a Brookings Institution scholar, Richard V. Reeves has spent twenty-five years worrying about boys both at home and work. His new book, Of Boys and Men, tackles the complex and urgent crisis of boyhood and manhood. Reeves looks at the structural challenges that face boys and men and offers fresh and innovative solutions that turn the page on the corrosive narrative that plagues this issue. Of Boys and Men argues that helping the other half of society does not mean giving up on the ideal of gender equality.
The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human by Siddhartha Mukherjee (Adult NonFiction, 2022). A history of the cell from discovery to utilization of cells in drug therapies. If you want to know what happens when cells malfunction or how they can be used to make humans from the perspective of a scientific researcher- this book is for you!
Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas by Jennifer Raff (Adult NonFiction, 2022). A study of both past and present, ORIGIN explores how genetics is currently being used to construct narratives that profoundly impact Indigenous peoples of the Americas. It serves as a primer for anyone interested in how genetics has become entangled with identity in the way that society addresses the question "Who is indigenous?""
Marmee: A Novel by Sarah Miller (Adult Historical, 2022). If you like the timeless novel "Little Women" you will love this read! This is written from Marmee's perspective and takes the reader on a journey through the eyes of a mother and wife in 1861 Concord, MA.
Because You Loved Me by Beth Moran (Adult Romance, 2023). The story of a girl whose father passed away. She goes to seek information about him and discovers so much. The author expertly depicts realistic, honest characters who face real life challenges. The story focuses on finding yourself but being proud of who you are.
Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz (YA Historical, 2022). Strong female character pursuing her dream of becoming a doctor/surgeon in a time when that was not accepted. "A gothic tale full of mystery and romance about a willful female surgeon, a resurrection man who sells bodies for a living, and the buried secrets they must uncover together."
The People We Keep by Allison Larkin (Adult Historical, 2021). Characters are so relatable- they will like be familiar to you! Details a journey toward belonging and self acceptance of a folk musician. Amazing read!
I Must Betray You By Ruta Sepetys (YA Historical, 2022). Teenaged Romanian boy who is blackmailed to become a spy by the government.
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo (Adult Contemporary, 2019). Follows the lives and struggles of twelve very different characters. Mostly women, black and British, they tell the stories of their families, friends and lovers, across the country and through the years. Joyfully polyphonic and vibrantly contemporary, this is a gloriously new kind of history, a novel of our times: celebratory, ever-dynamic and utterly irresistible.
Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde (Adult Essays, 1976-1984). These essays explore and illuminate the roots of Audre Lorde's intellectual development and her deep-seated and longstanding concerns about ways of increasing empowerment among minority women writers and the absolute necessity to explicate the concept of difference—difference according to sex, race, and economic status.
The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway (Adult Historical, 2008). This brilliant novel with universal resonance, set during the 1990s Siege of Sarajevo, tells the story of three people trying to survive in a city rife with the extreme fear of desperate times, and of the sorrowing cellist who plays undaunted in their midst.
Soccer Empire: The World Cup and the Future of France by Laurent Dubois (Adult NonFiction, 2010). Author Laurent Dubois illuminates the connections between empire and sport by tracing the story of World Cup soccer, from the Cup’s French origins in the 1930s to Africa and the Caribbean and back again.
Border Wars: The Conflicts That Will Define Our Future by Klaus Dodds (Adult NonFiction, 2021). How are borders built in the modern world? What does Brexit mean for Ireland's border? And what would happen if Elon Musk declared himself president of the Moon?
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. (Adult General, 2013). Ifemelu and Obinze are young and in love when they depart military-ruled Nigeria for the West. Beautiful, self-assured Ifemelu heads for America, where despite her academic success, she is forced to grapple with what it means to be "a Black Person" for the first time. Quiet, thoughtful Obinze had hoped to join her, but with post-9/11 America closed to him, he instead plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London. Fifteen years later, they reunite in a newly democratic Nigeria.
White Tears/Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color by Ruby Hamad (Adult NonFiction, 2020). Taking us from the slave era, when white women fought in court to keep “ownership” of their slaves, through the centuries of colonialism, when they offered a soft face for brutal tactics, to the modern workplace, White Tears/Brown Scars tells a charged story of white women’s active participation in campaigns of oppression.
Sexual Citizens: Sex, Power, and Assault on Campus by Jennifer S. Hirsch and Shamus Khan (Adult NonFiction, 2020). The fear of campus sexual assault has become an inextricable part of the college experience. Research has shown that by the time they graduate, as many as one in three women and almost one in six men will have been sexually assaulted. But why is sexual assault such a common feature of college life? And what can be done to prevent it?
Educated by Tara Westover (Adult NonFiction, 2018). Tara Westover was 17 the first time she set foot in a classroom. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she prepared for the end of the world by stockpiling home-canned peaches and sleeping with her "head-for-the-hills bag." Lacking any formal education, Tara began to educate herself. She taught herself enough mathematics and grammar to be admitted to Brigham Young University, where she studied history, learning for the first time about important world events like the Holocaust and the Civil Rights Movement. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge. Only then would she wonder if she'd traveled too far, if there was still a way home.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman (Adult Fantasy, 2013). A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing (Adult NonFiction, 1959). In August 1914, polar explorer Ernest Shackleton boarded the Endurance became locked in an island of ice. Thus began the legendary ordeal of Shackleton and his crew of twenty-seven men. When their ship was finally crushed between two ice floes, they attempted a near-impossible journey over 850 miles of the South Atlantic's heaviest seas to the closest outpost of civilization. Truly amazing story of—I have to say it—endurance.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (Adult Fantasy, 2020). Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house. There is one other person in the house—a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence of a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.
Across the Universe by Beth Revis (YA Fantasy, 2020). Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules. Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone—one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship —tried to kill her. Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren (Adult NonFiction, 2016). One of the most engaging nonfiction books I've ever read. Like science? You'll like this.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (Adult Classic Gothic, 1962). Living in the Blackwood family home with only her sister Constance and her Uncle Julian for company, Merricat just wants to preserve their delicate way of life. But ever since Constance was acquitted of murdering the rest of the family, the world isn't leaving the Blackwoods alone. And when Cousin Charles arrives, armed with overtures of friendship and a desperate need to get into the safe, Merricat must do everything in her power to protect the remaining family.
The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton (Adult Dystopia, 2022). As devastating weather patterns and rising sea levels wreak gradual havoc on infrastructure, a powerful hurricane approaches a small town on the southeastern coast. Kirby Lowe, an electrical line worker, his pregnant wife, Frida, and their two sons, Flip and Lucas, prepare for the worst. When the boys go missing just before the hurricane hits, Kirby heads out into the high winds in search of his children. Left alone, Frida goes into premature labor and gives birth to an unusual child, Wanda, whom she names after the catastrophic storm that ushers her into a society closer to collapse than ever before. As society continues to unravel, Wanda grows.
Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir By One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII by Chester Nez (Adult Memoir, 2011). The first and only memoir by one of the original Navajo code talkers of WWII-includes the actual Navajo Code and rare photos. Although more than 400 Navajos served in the military during World War II as top-secret code talkers, even those fighting shoulder to shoulder with them were not told of their covert function. And, after the war, the Navajos were forbidden to speak of their service until 1968, when the code was finally declassified.
The Codebreakers of Bletchley Park: The Secret Intelligence Station that Helped Defeat the Nazis by John Dermot Turing (Adult NonFiction, 2020). At Bletchley Park, some of Britain's most talented mathematicians, linguists, and intellectuals were assembled to break Nazi codes. Kept secret for nearly thirty years, we have now come to realize the crucial role that these codebreakers played in the Allied victory in World War II.
Night by Elie Wiesel
Born in the town of Sighet, Transylvania, Elie Wiesel was a teenager when he and his family were taken from their home in 1944 to Auschwitz concentration camp, and then to Buchenwald. Night is the terrifying record of Elie Wiesel's memories of the death of his family, the death of his own innocence, and his despair as a deeply observant Jew confronting the absolute evil of man. This new translation by his wife and most frequent translator, Marion Wiesel, corrects important details and presents the most accurate rendering in English of Elie Wiesel's testimony to what happened in the camps and of his unforgettable message that this horror must simply never be allowed to happen again.
The Women by Kristin Hannah
Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances "Frankie" McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path. As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost. But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.
Sooley by John Grisham
In the summer of his seventeenth year, Samuel Sooleymon gets the chance of a lifetime: a trip to the United States with his South Sudanese teammates to play in a showcase basketball tournament. He has never been away from home, nor has he ever been on an airplane. The opportunity to be scouted by dozens of college coaches is a dream come true. Samuel is an amazing athlete, with speed and quickness, but the rest of his game needs work. During the tournament, Samuel receives devastating news from home: A civil war is raging across South Sudan, and his father is dead, his sister is missing, and his mother and two younger brothers are in a refugee camp. Samuel desperately wants to go home, but it's just not possible. Partly out of sympathy, the coach of North Carolina Central offers him a scholarship. Samuel moves to Durham, enrolls in classes, joins the team, and prepares to sit out his freshman season. But Samuel has something no other player has: a fierce determination to succeed so he can bring his family to America. He works tirelessly on his game, shooting baskets every morning at dawn by himself in the gym, and soon he's dominating everyone in practice. With the Central team losing and suffering injury after injury, Sooley is called off the bench.
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state, is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
IN THE YEAR 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.
I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives by Caitlin Alifirenka
It started as an assignment. Everyone in Caitlin's class wrote to an unknown student somewhere in a distant place. All the other kids picked countries like France or Germany, but when Caitlin saw Zimbabwe written on the board, it sounded like the most exotic place she had ever heard of--so she chose it. Martin was lucky to even receive a pen pal letter. There were only ten letters, and forty kids in his class. But he was the top student, so he got the first one. That letter was the beginning of a correspondence that spanned six years and changed two lives.
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
A successful film professor and podcaster, Bodie Kane is content to forget her past—the family tragedy that marred her adolescence, her four largely miserable years at a New Hampshire boarding school, and the murder of her former roommate, Thalia Keith, in the spring of their senior year. Though the circumstances surrounding Thalia's death and the conviction of the school's athletic trainer, Omar Evans, are hotly debated online, Bodie prefers—needs—to let sleeping dogs lie. But when the Granby School invites her back to teach a course, Bodie is inexorably drawn to the case and its increasingly apparent flaws. In their rush to convict Omar, did the school and the police overlook other suspects? Is the real killer still out there? As she falls down the very rabbit hole she was so determined to avoid, Bodie begins to wonder if she wasn't as much of an outsider at Granby as she'd thought—if, perhaps, back in 1995, she knew something that might have held the key to solving the case.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (Adult Contemporary, 2022). Tells the story of Sam and Sadie, two friends who collaborate to produce a wildly successful video game. The book follows them from high school in Los Angeles to college in Cambridge and back to the West Coast where they experience great success and stunning failure, both personally and professionally. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (Adult Classic Dystopia, 1961). I first read this classic satirical novel in high school, and I loved it. It's about an American bombardier fighting in Italy during WWII, but it's really about the frustrating and hilarious ways in which the world can be entirely absurd. It gave birth to the very idea of a "catch-22," a problem that you can't escape because of the very nature of the problem itself (trust me, you'll get it if you read the book). I promise you a good laugh as well as classic satire. Enjoy!
In The Woods by Tana French (Adult Mystery, 2007). Do you like mysteries? Then allow me to introduce you to Tana French. She's an Irish writer who carefully constructs her mysteries to keep you guessing to the end. While some mysteries are just good, fun reads, French writes in beautiful prose, exploring complex themes with stories that will leave you haunted. And if you like this book, she has 7 more books for you to explore.
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien (Adult Classic Fantasy, 1937). Goblins and dragons and orcs OH MY!
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (Adult SciFi, 2021). Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. Hurtling through space on a tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species. And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson (Adult SciFi, 2015). What would happen if the world were ending? A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space . . . Five thousand years later, seven distinct races now three billion strong embark on yet another audacious journey into the unknown.
The Apocalypse Seven by Gene Doucette (Adult SciFi, 2021). This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but a whatever. The whateverpocalypse. That’s what Touré, a twenty-something coder, calls it after waking up one morning to find himself seemingly the only person left in the city. Once he finds Robbie and Carol, two equally disoriented Harvard freshmen, he realizes he isn’t alone, but it doesn’t explain where everyone else went. It doesn’t explain how the city became overgrown with vegetation in the space of a night. Or how wild animals with no fear of humans came to roam the streets. Add freakish weather to the mix, swings of temperature that spawn tornadoes one minute and snowstorms the next, and it seems things can’t get much weirder. Yet even as a handful of new survivors appear, life in Cambridge gets stranger and stranger. The self-styled Apocalypse Seven are tired of questions with no answers. Tired of being hunted by things seen and unseen. Now, armed with curiosity, desperation, a shotgun, and a bow, they become the hunters. And that’s when things truly get weird.
The Passage by Justin Cronin (Adult SciFi, 2010). First, the unthinkable: a security breach at a secret U.S. government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment. Then, the unspeakable: a night of chaos and carnage gives way to sunrise on a nation, and ultimately a world, forever altered. All that remains for the stunned survivors is the long fight ahead and a future ruled by fear—of darkness, of death, of a fate far worse. As civilization swiftly crumbles into a primal landscape of predators and prey, two people flee in search of sanctuary. FBI agent Brad Wolgast is a good man haunted by what he's done in the line of duty. Six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte is a refugee from the doomed scientific project that has triggered apocalypse. Wolgast is determined to protect her from the horror set loose by her captors, but for Amy, escaping the bloody fallout is only the beginning of a much longer odyssey—spanning miles and decades—toward the time and place where she must finish what should never have begun.
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (2004). A novel that combines fantasy with historical fiction (fairies + footnotes). Set in an alternate version of the 19th century in which magic is only studied in theory but the ability to practice it is considered lost to time. When the title characters independently develop the ability to do real, supernatural magic, their actions upend English society and the course of the Napoleonic Wars.
Linden Hills by Gloria Naylor. (Adult General, 1985). This novel uses Dante’s “Inferno” as an allegory for suburbia and the American Dream.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (L’Élégance du Hérisson in French) (Adult General, 2006). A playful and philosophical novel about personal identity and conflict.
“The Beckett Trilogy" (Molloy, Malone Dies, The Unnameable) by Samuel Beckett (Adult Classic, 1958). These novels are challenging, but they subvert your expectations about what literature is or can be.
Caddy for Life: the Bruce Edwards Story by John Feinstein (Adult NonFiction, 2004). The inspirational story of Bruce Edwards, caddy for legendary golfer Tom Watson, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2003. Tells the story of the friendship that developed between Edwards and Watson as the illness developed. You do not need to know about golf to appreciate this work! One WA student called it "the best book I ever read."
The Patron Saint of Lost Dogs by Nick Trout (Adult NonFiction, 2013). The story of a vet, Dr. Cyrus Mills, who returns to his home town after inheriting his father's failing veterinary practice. He intends to sell---but he gets caught up in the lives of the pets he treats--as well as the lives of their owners in the place he'd left behind. Great book for anyone who enjoys stories of new beginnings, forgiveness, and acceptance---and, of course, animals.
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein (Adult NonFiction, 2019). A close look at the world's best performers -- from athletes to business people and all in between to see that the specialization of skills at an early age is the exception, not the rule. Epstein makes the argument that cultivating a wide variety of skills and talents is the way to help people thrive.
Atomic Habits by James Clear (Adult NonFiction, 2018). What does it meant to get 1% better? Building small habits and changes can produce exponential results.
The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey (Adult NonFiction, 1974). Every game that we play (not just tennis!) is comprised of an inner game and an outer game. The outer game is recognizable - it is played against opponents. The inner game, however, is played within the mind of an athlete, and competes against self doubt and anxiety. This book discusses how an athlete can battle these mental obstacles and compete at their highest level.
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight
In 1962, fresh out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed $50 from his father and created a company with a simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost athletic shoes from Japan. Selling the shoes from the trunk of his lime green Plymouth Valiant, Knight grossed $8,000 his first year. Today, Nike’s annual sales top $30 billion. In an age of startups, Nike is the ne plus ultra of all startups, and the swoosh has become a revolutionary, globe-spanning icon, one of the most ubiquitous and recognizable symbols in the world today.
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
In 2014, Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes was widely seen as the female Steve Jobs: a brilliant Stanford dropout whose startup "unicorn" promised to revolutionize the medical industry with a machine that would make blood tests significantly faster and easier. Backed by investors such as Larry Ellison and Tim Draper, Theranos sold shares in a fundraising round that valued the company at $9 billion, putting Holmes's worth at an estimated $4.7 billion. There was just one problem: The technology didn't work. For years, Holmes had been misleading investors, FDA officials, and her own employees. When Carreyrou, working at The Wall Street Journal, got a tip from a former Theranos employee and started asking questions, both Carreyrou and the Journal were threatened with lawsuits. Undaunted, the newspaper ran the first of dozens of Theranos articles in late 2015. By early 2017, the company's value was zero and Holmes faced potential legal action from the government and her investors. Here is the riveting story of the biggest corporate fraud since Enron, a disturbing cautionary tale set amid the bold promises and gold-rush frenzy of Silicon Valley.
In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick
In 1820, the 240-ton Essex set sail from Nantucket on a routine voyage for whales. Fifteen months later, in the farthest reaches of the South Pacific, it was repeatedly rammed and sunk by an eighty-ton bull sperm whale. Its twenty-man crew, fearing cannibals on the islands to the west, made for the 3,000-mile-distant coast of South America in three tiny boats. During ninety days at sea under horrendous conditions, the survivors clung to life as one by one, they succumbed to hunger, thirst, disease, and fear. Philbrick interweaves his account of this extraordinary ordeal of ordinary men with a wealth of whale lore and with a brilliantly detailed portrait of the lost, unique community of Nantucket whalers. Impeccably researched and beautifully told, the book delivers the ultimate portrait of man against nature, drawing on a remarkable range of archival and modern sources, including a long-lost account by the ship's cabin boy.
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown
It was an unlikely quest from the start. With a team composed of the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington’s eight-oar crew team was never expected to defeat the elite teams of the East Coast and Great Britain, yet they did, going on to shock the world by defeating the German team rowing for Adolf Hitler. The emotional heart of the tale lies with Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not only to regain his shattered self-regard but also to find a real place for himself in the world. Drawing on the boys’ own journals and vivid memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, Brown has created an unforgettable portrait of an era, a celebration of a remarkable achievement, and a chronicle of one extraordinary young man’s personal quest.
Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber by Mike Isaac
In June 2017, Travis Kalanick, the hard-charging CEO of Uber, was ousted in a boardroom coup that capped a brutal year for the transportation giant. Uber had catapulted to the top of the tech world, yet for many came to symbolize everything wrong with Silicon Valley. Award-winning New York Times technology correspondent Mike Isaac’s Super Pumped presents the dramatic rise and fall of Uber, set against an era of rapid upheaval in Silicon Valley. Backed by billions in venture capital dollars and led by a brash and ambitious founder, Uber promised to revolutionize the way we move people and goods through the world. A near instant “unicorn,” Uber seemed poised to take its place next to Amazon, Apple, and Google as a technology giant. What followed would become a corporate cautionary tale about the perils of startup culture and a vivid example of how blind worship of startup founders can go wildly wrong. Isaac recounts Uber’s pitched battles with taxi unions and drivers, the company’s toxic internal culture, and the bare-knuckle tactics it devised to overcome obstacles in its quest for dominance. With billions of dollars at stake, Isaac shows how venture capitalists asserted their power and seized control of the startup as it fought its way toward its fateful IPO.
What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship, and Love by Carole Radziwill
An award-winning television producer traces her life and marriage to Anthony Radziwill, JFK's nephew, in a personal account that describes the influence of her mother's Austrian heritage, her work as a journalist in different international locales, her devastation at the deaths of JFK, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, and her husband's struggle with terminal cancer throughout their short marriage.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Achilles, "the best of all the Greeks," son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, is strong, swift, and beautiful, irresistible to all who meet him. Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence. Brought together by chance, they forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods' wrath. They are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of war and medicine, but when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, all the heroes of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.
How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones
Haunted and haunting, Jones’s memoir tells the story of a young, black, gay man from the South as he fights to carve out a place for himself, within his family, within his country, within his own hopes, desires, and fears. Through a series of vignettes that chart a course across the American landscape, Jones draws readers into his boyhood and adolescence—into tumultuous relationships with his mother and grandmother, into passing flings with lovers, friends and strangers. Each piece builds into a larger examination of race and queerness, power and vulnerability, love and grief: a portrait of what we all do for one another—and to one another—as we fight to become ourselves.
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (Adult NonFiction, 1998). Back in America after twenty years in Britain, Bill Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine. Laugh-out-loud descriptions of life on the trail are interspersed with acute observations of the history of the Appalachian Trail and the myriad characters that the author encounters. A worthwhile and entertaining summer read.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (Adult Classic, 1938). Wonderful gothic style novel set in Cornwall. This book has never been out of print since it was first published in 1938, and several movie adaptations have been made.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (Adult Classic Mystery, 1920). Agatha Christie's first detective novel introduces audiences to her most famous detective, Hercule Poirot. The story is a very enjoyable summer read and a terrific introduction to Christie's subsequent Poirot stories. Also check out the TV adaptation from the series Poirot with David Suchet as Poirot, available on YouTube.
You Know Me Al by Ring Lardner (Adult Sports Fiction, 1916). Ring Lardner was a sports writer in the early 20th Century who later turned to short story writing. The book is written in the form of 'letters' from fictional baseball rookie Jack Keefe to his buddy Al back home. It's written in a satirical style with an impeccable ear for vernacular speech.
The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell (Adult NonFiction, 1949). Campbell discusses his theory of the mythological structure of the journey of the archetypal hero found in world myths and explores the theory that mythological narratives from around the world frequently share a similar structure. The book has inspired a myriad of artists and writers and was the foundational work for George Lucas when creating Star Wars. As a companion piece, check out the video series 'The Power of Myth' where journalist Bill Moyers interviews Joseph Campbell about his work, available on YouTube.
N.B.: Most title summaries are from GoodReads.
Mildred H. McEvoy Library at Worcester Academy | 81 Providence Street | Worcester, MA 01604