‘Tis the season for cozying up with a good book, and since we’ve been reading more than ever this year (a silver lining of the pandemic, perhaps?), book recommendations are in high demand around here.
We recently caught up with our friends at the beloved Battenkill Books in Cambridge to find out what books we’re going to want to have stacked at the ready on our nightstands this season. Whether you prefer fiction or nonfiction, there’s a little something for everyone.
Battenkill Books on a warmer day
A quick PSA, if we may: if you’re reading more this year like we are, don’t forget to support your local independent bookstores! Shops like Battenkill Books make it super easy with curbside pickup and shipping options, too. And, well, we’ve all seen You’ve Got Mail, right? ;)
Simply click each title to shop.
FICTION
Hypnotic and wildly imaginative musing on tragic events in the life of Shakespeare, seen from various perspectives and with language that envelopes you in this world constructed by Maggie O’Farrell.
The House on Vesper Sands by Paraic O’Donnell
Deeply satisfying historical fiction mystery set in late 19th century London. A seamstress falls from her high window, a cryptic message stitched into her skin and a rash of missing girls…enter the perfect detective duo and a determined journalist to tell the story as it unfolds. You won’t be able to stop reading.
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Backman at his finest. A bungled bank robbery lands a group of eight strangers in a hostage situation at an apartment viewing…thus begins the strange circumstances in which Backman explores our deeper connections, our place in the world and our capacity for compassion.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
A mad pact made by a young woman, to live forever, and cursed to be forgotten by everyone she ever meets. The story begins in France 1714…300 years later, everything changes when someone remembers her name in a hidden bookstore.
Transcendent Kingdom by YAA Gyasi
Gyasi follows up her bestselling Homegoing with this beautifully written exploration of family, suffering and the precarious security of faith and home. Gifty is a PhD neuroscience candidate studying suffering and addiction, whose Ghanaian family has been touched by great loss. Luminous and layered.
French is an artist of atmosphere, be drawn into the captivating world of her writing. A Chicago cop moves to a small Irish village where nothing much happens, but he finds himself drawn back into detecting when local buried darkness is unearthed.
NONFICTION
May draws from literature, nature and mythology to consider the ways we think about fallow times, seasons of dormancy and the restoration that is possible in these times. Inspiring and eye-opening.
An exploration of the classical educations of the first four American presidents and how these works shaped the political and philosophical landscape during the nation’s early years.
The Age of Wood by Roland Ennos
Fascinating look at the significance and the long history of our engagement and reliance on this fundamental material. A deep dive into the profound role wood and trees have played in shaping our society and our place in the world.
Ghostways: Two Journeys into Unquiet Places by Robert MacFarlane, Stanley Donwood and Dan Richards
“The Irish phrase Aiteanna Tanai-usually translated as ‘thin places’ or ‘places of shade’-refers to those landscapes in which the past is eerily restless, or the thresholds between realms are slender.” Thus begins Ghostways by Robert Macfarlane, Stanley Donwood and Dan Richards which takes Orford Ness and Holloway as their subjects. A fascinating blend of nature, history and the eerie echoes that resonate in certain places.
