This week, we feature a charming farce set in a small Italian town and a biography about a remarkable oilman who protected the environment. Fiction A Suite Summertime Sizzler ‘The Hotel Nantucket’ By Elin Hilderbrand Part mystery, part romance, and all fun, this novel follows Lizbet Keaton, who lands a job as the general manager…

This week, we feature a memoir from a survivor of the Khmer Rouge and a compelling biography of an unlikely hero of the American Revolution. Fiction The Sharpe Legend Begins ‘Sharpe’s Eagle: Richard Sharpe and the Talavera Campaign, July 1809’ By Bernard Cornwell This is the first in the Sharpe’s Series by Bernard Cornwell. The…

This week, we feature a biography of young Louis Braille for children, and an insightful examination of the biomedical field’s rise to power. Fiction The Clue Is in the Call ‘Call for the Dead: A George Smiley Novel’ By John le Carré Le Carré was the spy-master novelist of the 20th century. “Call for the…

This week, we look at exotic journals from the female “Lawrence of Arabia” and a history of early U.S. Navy heroes and their inspiring dedication. Fiction A Fun, Mystical Thriller ‘Percy St.-John and the Chronicle of Secrets’ By E.A. Allen Fate brings Percy to an old monastery in Switzerland. His gifts as a thief, however,…

This week, we look at an engaging history of battlefield medicine and a must-read by a “horse whisperer” who uses horse sense to train leaders. Fiction A Victorian Thriller ‘By Gaslight: A Novel’ By Steven Price In this trans-Atlantic Victorian-era thriller, Detective William Pinkerton, son of the famous American detective, is in search of the man…

This week, we look at a lively overview of England’s formative years and their impact, and a biography of a U.S. frontiersman and peacemaker. Fiction Revisiting the Glory Days ‘Bleachers’ By John Grisham This is a different book than what we might expect from the law-drama king. Grisham takes readers on a walk down memory…

This week, we feature the harrowing story of a Filipina war widow’s courage, and an insightful commentary on the effects of America’s fixation on youth. Fiction A Story of Second Chances ‘The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry: A Novel’ By Gabrielle Zevin A.J. Fikry is a curmudgeon. Life hasn’t panned out how he’d planned. He’s…

This week, we feature a winning novel about a beloved teacher, and two edifying biographies—one for children, one for adults—of our first president. Fiction The Story of Texas—Fictionalized ‘Texas’ By James A. Michener Legendary for his geographically based fiction, Michener takes the reader far back into Texas’s history, into the mid-1500s, well before it ever…

This week, we feature an insider’s look at the Nixon administration and a chilling novel illuminating the terrors of the Soviet regime. Fiction A Study in Provincial Life ‘Middlemarch’ By George Eliot “Middlemarch” (1871–72) is considered Eliot’s masterpiece. Set in the early 19th century, the novel explores views on art, religion, science, and politics. Brilliant…