Hello fellow readers! We’re having a few technical difficulties with this blog platform, so I thought this post went up a few weeks ago, only to discover that it had not. Here it is now:
Hopefully you’re all staying cool and enjoying reading time in the air conditioning. We’ve been getting some interesting nonfiction titles this summer. If you like to read about America’s favorite summer past-time – baseball – we have a few new titles for you. The 1998 Yankees: The Inside Story of the Greatest Baseball Team Ever by sports commentator/journalist Jack Curry, give an in-depth look at the season the Yankees won their 24th World Series title. Sons of Baseball by Mark Braff features a foreword by Cal Ripken Jr. and personal anecdotes from sons of major league ball players. 62: Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees, and the Pursuit of Greatness is written by Bryan Hoch, the long-time beat reporter covering New York baseball. It covers Judge’s quest to break Roger Maris’ home-run record.
British history enthusiasts will enjoy Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter who Forever Changed British History by Tracy Borman. This informative and interesting well-researched book sheds light not only how the mother and daughter changed history, but also on the more personal aspects of their lives. The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World by Shelly Puhak details the lives of two medieval sisters-in-law, Brunhild and Fredegund, who also wielded an unusual amount of power and influence in their time. However, Puhak not only tells their stories, she reveals how their stories were rewritten after their deaths, and not in a flattering way. Her underlying mission in writing this book is to expose how history often maligns women in power. It’s a very readable book with interesting insights into an era that most of us are unfamiliar with.
Also new are two poignant but fascinating Holocaust-era books. Both are about loss, love, and connections that defy even the most horrific circumstances. Unearthed: A Lost Actress, a Forbidden Boo, and a Search for Life in the Shadow of the Holocaust by Meryl Frank is a mystery woven into a family memoir and the chronicle of a search for answers about a family member who disappeared during the Holocaust without a trace. This book will also appeal to genealogists and family historians who have struggled themselves to piece together parts of their family histories. My Friend Anne Frank: The Inspiring and Heartbreaking True Story of Best Friends Torn Apart and Reunited Against All Odds by Hannah Pick-Goslar begins with the author’s childhood friendship with Anne Frank, their separation in 1942, and her search to find answers about her friend.
Lastly, the long-awaited follow up to Temple Grandin’s memoir, Thinking in Pictures, is here! Visual Thinking is both an explanation and celebration of the contributions of visual thinkers. Grandin challenges readers to use new approaches to education, parenting, employing, and collaborating so instead of excluding visual thinkers, all of society can benefit from their special gifts and way of seeing things. This book is not based just on Grandin’s personal experience and knowledge; it was written using over 25 years of research.
The next blog post will feature some of our new fiction titles, so stay tuned!