Nathalie Cooke’s culinary history text "Tastes and Traditions" explores menus as strategic documents—much more than simple bills of fare. Menus, it says, do not always present their wares in a straightforward way; some go off the... Read More

A decadent horror story (for the oyster) narrated with awe and gusto, Andreas Ammer’s "Portrait of an Oyster" is must for all who find their joy on the half shell. Once “a cheap form of nourishment” twice consumed to near... Read More

The incisive autobiographical essays of Amy Lee Scott’s "When the World Explodes" ponder private tragedies and global threats. Eleven inquisitive pieces consider personal crises alongside natural disasters and gun violence. One links... Read More

In Brandon Mull’s exciting fantasy novel The Gorgon’s Fury, adventurers work to save a magical kingdom. Newel and Doren are satyr cousins who are determined to win the annual Satyr Games. In addition to their competitive foes Barrett... Read More

"Starting and Managing an Import/Export Business" is a thorough primer for those interested in entering the global trade market. Tekle B Sebhatu’s comprehensive business guide "Starting and Managing an Import/Export Business" concerns... Read More

Set in the 1960s and 1970s in a city where World War II still reverberates, Robert Seethaler’s tender novel "The Café with No Name" is about a Viennese restaurateur’s interactions with his acquaintances and customers. Robert,... Read More

In Michelle de Kretser’s novel Theory & Practice, a Sri Lankan graduate student completes her thesis while embroiled in a love affair. In 1986, a woman takes rooms in Melbourne to research her thesis on Virginia Woolf. She wrestles... Read More

In James Reich’s science fiction novel "Skinship", a generation ship containing the last human beings endures a ponderous journey whilst combating a mutiny. Applewhite is the first navigator of The Charcot, a living ship carrying the... Read More