Pedrag B. Slijepčević’s compelling science book Biocivilizations disputes assumptions about the preeminence of humanity, arguing that much older forms of life have perfected skills that still elude human beings. Citing thinkers... Read More

Hermann Hesse wrote iconic, pensive novels, but he was also a butterfly collector. In "Butterflies", a charming book for nature and literature lovers, he marvels over the creatures up close. Excerpts concerning butterflies, selected from... Read More

An overachieving chef learns to embrace loss as a chance for renewal in Suzanne Woods Fisher’s Christian romance novel "The Secret to Happiness". Twenty-eight-year-old Callie is fired from her job as a hotel chef due to a food... Read More

A retired English teacher learns to hope and love again while he helps his daughter face a devastating illness in "Outer Sunset", Mark Ernest Pothier’s graceful, wise, and tender novel. Jim retired early from teaching; he seems to have... Read More

Intimate and revelatory, Natalie MacLean’s memoir "Wine Witch on Fire" covers her career as a wine writer, as well as the unexpected end of her marriage. MacLean was raised by a single mother in Canada. Because her father’s presence... Read More

Intimate, vibrant, exuberant, and with elements of a travelogue, Chawadee Nualkhair’s cookbook "Real Thai Cooking" introduces regional specialties with flair. Surveying four Thai regions and their unique cooking styles, flavors, and... Read More

In her memoir "What You Don’t Know Will Make a Whole New World", librarian Dorothy Lazard reflects on her childhood through the neighborhoods of California’s Bay Area. As a girl in St. Louis, Lazard would often wander her... Read More

In Joanna Barker’s beguiling romance novel "A Heart Worth Stealing", more goes missing than romantic affection. When Ginny’s father’s watch is stolen from the family estate that he left under her care, she is eager to find it. But... Read More