Women Holding Things - Maira Kalman
Not only is Maira Kalman #1 Illustrator Supreme (to me), she also has a delightfully keen and quirky sense of humor that shines in her latest book. Author and illustrator of over 30 children's and adult books, she continues to embrace the tiny things that make up the world as she sees it. "You hold in your hands a thing I hold most dear. A Book. If there was ever a time to hold onto something, this is it. Hold on, dear friends. Hold on." — Maira Kalman
The Philosophy of Modern Song - Bob Dylan
Wow o wow. Dylan has gone way out over the top with this absolutely beautifully produced book of over 60 of his essays about the songs of 20th century musicians, ranging from the Grateful Dead to Vic Damone, Willie Nelson to the Fugs, Rosemary Clooney to Nina Simone, Ray Charles to Johnny Paycheck, Marty Robbins to Cher . . . and many many, happily, more! His take on the songs, the artists, the messages, and the timeframes are true Dylan, with his eclectic voice and worldview, connecting musical genres and time periods within the music industry. Wonderful archival photos and graphics make this a coffee-table treat beyond treats.
The Light Pirate - Lily Brooks-Dalton
This gripping work of literary fiction, an apocalyptic story about the devastating effects of climate change, reveals how one woman survives in the Florida wilderness after the entire state is, literally, swallowed up by water. Though it's frightening to read of a future we've been warned of, this story provides a sense of hope that survival is possible when the world offers little to believe in and to live for.
Stay True - Hua Hsu
This is the sweetest, while at the same time the saddest, memoir about growing up and of having to come to terms with the inexplicable death of a best friend. New Yorker staff writer Hua Hsu recounts his college years, at UC Berkeley in the 1990's, where he and Ken nurtured an opposites-attract friendship. The tiniest details bring Hua and Ken's story alive in what I found to be a page-turning, gripping anecdote of a time and the power of friendship.
Lucy By the Sea - Elizabeth Strout
Thank you Elizabeth Strout for keeping Lucy Barton alive! This newest novel about Lucy ("My Name is Lucy Barton" and "Anything is Possible") and her former husband, William ("Oh William!") finds them leaving NYC for Maine, at the cusp of the pandemic, where they share a house on the sea. A loving story about family and the efforts, as many of us can relate to, Lucy and William go through to keep themselves and their adult children from getting Covid. More than that, the story is about childhood memories, loss and forgiveness, and watching nature slowly undergo its seasonal changes as the world is put on hold by the pandemic.
Mending Matters - Katrina Rodabaugh
I confess: I love mending blue jeans! This book is the coolest how-to for patching jeans using the Japanese hand-stiching method known as shishiko. Now one of my craft bibles, I cannot imagine how I lived without it! Learn techniques and get ideas for adding way-cool stiching embellishments to your clothing. Ever since discovering the technique — and this book — my husband calls me "Etsy!"
Now Is Not the Time to Panic - Kevin Wilson
Kevin Wilson is so good at creating eccentric characters, so irresistible in their oddballness you can't help falling in love with them. As intriguing and brazen a story as his "Nothing to See Here," his new novel occurs during one eventful summer during which two lonely teenagers create a piece of art that changes them and the world around them.
The Keeper of Stories - Sally Page
A heartfelt story about a house cleaner who is so much more than a house cleaner. A wise, observant person, Janice is a storyteller, a collector of stories she hears, creates in her mind, and overhears as she listens in on conversations on the bus and elsewhere in her day-to-day life. Her honesty and wit contribute to positively changing the lives of the few people she engages with and will make you wish she was your house cleaner too.
The Other Side of Night - Adam Hamdy
A can't-put-down mystery that turns into a twisting fantasy story, starring a disgraced female police officer and the mysterious poet she is in love with and the young boy he fosters, both of whom turn out to not be who they appear to be. The deviating plot is a real head-scratcher but totally worth what comes into play when all the pieces start to come together.
We Are the Ark - Mary Reynolds
"A few years ago, my increasing awareness of the collapse in biodiversity and the lack of safe space for wildlife led me to start a movement called "We Are the ARK," landscape designer Mary Reynolds. According to her, an ARK is a restored, native ecosystem — Acts of Restorative Kindness. With beautiful hand-drawn illustrations by artist Ruth Evans, this precious and inspiring book is a how-to on bringing about change in one's own backyard and mind-set.