MYSTERIES
In a Dry Season by Peter Robinson. A town in England is flooded and deserted. It reappears decades later during a drought. A skeleton is found, the death caused by violence. Inspector Banks is called in to investigate. A classic.
Give Unto Others by Donna Leon. A Venetian police commissario tries to help a friend with a personal matter. This leads to the discovery of a fraudulent charity. Good descriptions of life in Venice.
In a Dangerous Place by Jacqueline Winspear. This Maisie Dobbs mystery is set in Gibraltar in 1937. She becomes involved in a murder investigation, a case that draws the attention of British intelligence.
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore. At a summer camp in the Adirondacks, two siblings go missing 12 years apart. Rich people involved in the camp work to protect their interests.
Skin and Bones by Paul Doiron. Eight short mysteries featuring a Maine game warden and written by a Camden author.
The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie. This famous work features Miss Marple in her first appearance in a mystery novel. She solves a murder in her hometown in 1930.
FICTION
Marlene by C.W. Gortner. This novel is based on the spectacular life of Marlene Dietrich, from her wild days in Weimar Germany, to classic movies, to entertaining WWII soldiers as a U.S. Army major.
The Secret Wife of Aaron Burr by Susan Holloway Scott. An 8-year-old girl, the offspring of an Indian mother raped by an English soldier, is sold into slavery. A French woman sees the girl being beaten and offers to buy her. The girl grows up and passes through several owners. She eventually ends up in the household of Aaron Burr.
Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks. Short stories by the famous actor on a variety of topics. The uniting theme is a connection to typewriters.
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. A rare book conservator finds clues to a medieval book’s history. The book is an illustrated story of centuries of Jewish life. Meanwhile, a series of events leads the conservator to discover secrets from her own past that reshape her life.
NONFICTION
Ernie. This autobiography of Ernest Borgnine is packed with insider stories by a master storyteller.
REPEAT RECOMMENDATIONS
Here are some books that have been recommended more than once:
The Painted Drum by Louise Erdrich
The Great Displacement by Jake Bittle
When Books Went to War by Molly Guptill Manning
Flapper by Joshua Zeitz