641.3383 Vanderhoof, Ann: THE SPICE NECKLACE: My Adventures in Caribbean Cooking, Eating, and Island Life

 

The subtitle of this breezily written book says it all.  Vanderhoof and her husband put their jobs on hold and sailed around the Caribbean on their boat, discovering the foods and recipes of the various islands.  Enriched with bits of history and geography, this is entertaining reader for the cook   and the armchair traveler.

304.8 Wilkerson, Isabel: THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration

 

The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist explores the Great Migration of African-Americans from the South to places such as Chicago, Harlem, and Los Angeles.  By focusing on three individuals in three decades she makes her subject personal and compelling.

THE DEVOTION OF SUSPECT X by Keigo Higashino

 

When a woman’s abusive ex-husband is killed, her smitten neighbor offers an alibi.  Now he must match wits with the genius who is helping the police.  Wonderfully original psychological suspense.

BIO PINTER Fraser, Antonia: MUST YOU GO? My Life with Harold Pinter

 

Fraser uses excerpts from her diaries to illuminate the love story she shared with the great playwright, including their travels, their work, and their family.  A deeply felt and cleverly written memoir.

027.6 Steinberg, Avi: RUNNING THE BOOKS: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian

 

In need of health insurance, recent Harvard graduate Steinberg became the librarian at Boston’s South Bay prison.  His stories of the inmates he worked with are as fascinating as one would expect:  sometimes hilarious, often heartbreaking.  A captivating look at a closed world.

 

A VERY SIMPLE CRIME by Grant Jerkins

 

When Adam’s wife is murdered, he becomes the top suspect.  His brother, Monty, is an attorney who defends him at trial.  Keep your eye on the prosecutor and enjoy the twists and turns in this entertaining tale.  For fans of legal suspense.

THE IMPERFECTIONISTS by Tom Rachman

 

This debut novel is made up of linked stories about people who work for a failing English-language newspaper in Rome.  The stories are about the personal lives of the characters,  but brief interludes chronicle the reason for the newspaper’s existence. Funny, touching, surprising, outstanding.