Books that captivate with their exquisite prose and unforgettable storytelling. Perfect for readers who appreciate the art of language.
The Martian
Andy Weir, 2014
387 pp.
Book Review by Molly Lundquist
January, 2015
You're screwed. You're alone...stranded millions of miles from earth...and everyone there thinks you're dead. But you're not, are you? At least, not yet—although unless you're really, really smart, you will be.
So how smart is "really smart"? Well, as smart as an astronaut or NASA ground operator. Those people are super smart, and if you're one of them, or in contact with one of them, your chances of survival are much improved.
Turns out, you're an astronaut!—which is how you landed (so to speak) in this mess to begin with, and which also means you might just survive till the next Mars landing in 4 years.
The Signature of All Things
Elizabeth Gilbert, 2013
512 pp.
Book Review by Molly Lundquist
December, 2014
In this engaging historical novel, Elizabeth Gilbert combines a period romance with a slice of scientific history—similar to, but larger in scope than, Tracy Chavalier's Remarkable Creatures. And in Alma Whittaker, Gilbert gives us a fascinating—though unlikely—heroine: brainy, six feet tall, and plain in appearance.
Alma is a prodigy, mastering the rudiments of botany at an early age and eventually becoming a specialist in mosses. Unglamorous, overlooked, and doggedly persevering, mosses and Alma are a perfect match. Of course, like many a wallflower, Alma has her secrets—though none are to be revealed in this review.
The Spy Who Loved: The Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville
Clare Mulley, 2012
448 pp.
Book Review by Molly Lundquist
December, 2014
It's a story straight out of Ian Flemming, except that Christine Granville was the real deal. Beautiful, clever, undaunted by danger, she was of Polish birth and one of Britain's top spies during World War II. Her exploits were so audacious she became a living legend.
Men and women alike found her irresistible; even ferocious Nazis dogs fell under her spell. Defying the odds—to say nothing of physical hardship—Granville survived the war only to be undone by a former lover. It was a sad and ignoble end to a glorious life.
Station Eleven
Emily St. John Mandel, 2014
352 pp.
Book Review by Molly Lundquist
November, 2014
If we were to lose everything, if our entire civilization were to collapse, what would you miss most? And what would you come to value most? This hypothetical is explored with vivid poignancy in Mandel's debut novel.
Twenty years after a virulent flu has wiped out most of humanity, a troupe of traveling actors and musicians carries their art to the sparsely populated "towns" of upper Michigan. They're willing to face hardships and danger because they hold fast to one paramont belief: "survival is insufficient"—a slogan from a long-ago Star Trek show painted on their horse-drawn pick-up trucks.
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
Autul Gawande, 2014
304 pp.
Book Review by Molly Lundquist
November, 2014
What a relief that someone like Atul Gawande, a physician, has written this book. In lucid, non-technical terms—and with a large measure of compassion—Gawande lays out how his profession fails us in our final days. Not surprisingly, the book has garnered a good deal of attention nationwide.
Ironically, Gawande tells us what we really already know: that before taking our last breath, we want control over the time left to us—we want to live out those remaining days, months, or years with a degree of independence. Yet independence requires a quality of service that nursing homes and physicians rarely provide. We can do better, he insists. And he sets out to show us how.