Rupert Holmes
A cross between Hogwarts and Terry Pratchett’s Assassins Guild, McMasters is a exclusive, private school teaching the fine art of murder. When “deletion” becomes the only option to solve you problems, McMasters is there to expertly guide you to the best solution – along with plenty of training …
Obsession, Death, and Glory in American’s Most Extraordinary Treasure Hunt
Daniel Barbarisi
Imagine a wealthy art dealer, suddenly facing death. He decides he will have a last hurrah by hiding a treasure chest stuffed with gold, jewels, money and more. Clues to the hoard will be hidden in a biography …
Two Years and Twenty Minutes Inside Biosphere 2
Jane Poynter
The controversial creation of Biosphere 2 still lives on today. This radical experiment to have eight people live in a sealed environment for two years was the brainchild of ecologist John Allen, and funded by billionaire Ed Bass. Based on …
Inside the Homes of the World’s Most Creative People
Sam Lubell
This solid collection is a slow read to carefully work your way through. The content itself is not dense – one to three pictures of a home interior along with a page description. But nearly every room and its …
My Remarkable Life in Show Business
Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks has been an icon of comedy for 70+ years. From his early Borscht Belt days, through years as a tv comedy writer and into his movie career, Brooks has brought us some of the biggest laughs in show biz. His …
Caroline Cox
“Street” fashion, the organic creation of style influenced by location, culture, politics, religion, social unrest and availability of materials, has always influenced “high” fashion. And vice versa. Author Cox makes an excellent attempt to cataloging and describing some of these various “strains” of fashion that have developed over …
Amanda Montell
Cults, like porn and art, are something we feel we’ll know when we see. There is no agreed upon definition and the line of cult-land is nebulous. Montell, a linguist, suggests the core of a cult is driven by language. A vocabulary of inclusion (the way WE talk) …
Andria Lo & Valerie Luu
Fashion and Wisdom from Chinatown’s Most Stylish Seniors
Anyone who is a fan of visiting Chinatown – be it Chicago, San Francisco, or New York – will recognize these elderly citizens. Always bundled to the nines, these are long-time residents of their own small cities …
Anne Glenconner
Glenconner’s first fiction book is a fascinating blend of experience and fabrication. A real-life Baroness, former lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret, and former owner of the Caribbean island Mustique, Glenconner sets her book on this very familiar location. With a clear-eyed look at the “haves” (the rich, famous socialites) …
Libby Cudmore
Codmore’s debut murder mystery is a Gen-X must read. The murder mystery plot is tight, interesting, and fast-moving. However, it’s Cudmore’s characters and their conversations that truly make the book. Jett Bennett, an aspiring writer in New York, is looking for her tribe. Living in her grandma’s apartment …
Richard Osman
Osman’s debut murder mystery is, in a word, adorable. The popular British tv presenter and comedian has written a sweet, funny, poignant and also truly excellent murder mystery. His elderly crime-solvers, four retirees at an exclusive retirement community, are fearless and brilliant. The two hapless police officers trying …
Kevin Kwan
In the dark days of Covid-19, any small distraction is so very welcome. Sex and Vanity is a slab of gooey chocolate cake with those fancy chocolate curls all over it. The relatively straight-forward story of “girl meets boy, falls for boy, then fights it like crazy to …
Jon Ronson
There is something utterly gripping and fascinating about psychopaths. The idea that someone is without morals or compassion, no internal brakes, repels and intrigues us. What if we didn’t have that little voice in our head telling us not to do something? What if we could do whatever …
Dr. Tara Westover
Westover’s memoir of life in an isolated, paranoid Mormon household is gripping, grim and terribly sad. Her bipolar father believes the End Times are near and they spend countless hours prepping. He also distrusts the government, the schools, doctors, safety gear and seat belts. His family pays …
Jacka is a relative newcomer to the urban fantasy genre, but a most welcome one. His mage, Alex Verus, is the everyman wizard. He is an adept diviner – having the ability to see into the future and suss out the most likely outcome. But this skill conveys little respect …
Edgar Cantero
Cantero‘s modernist gothic horror novel is a ridiculously fun read. When Brit “A” discovers he has inherited a huge mansion and fortune from a previously unknown relative, the penniless student chucks it all and comes to the States. He and his companion, Niamh, a mute punker chick, …
