Staff Recommendations, Week of December 5, 2023

 

The first list of recs for the last month of the year.

We'll do our recommending alphabetically (by first name) this week, which means we begin with Jason Kennedy and his words on Magus: The Art of Magic from Faustus to Agrippa, a history of magic in Renaissance Europe by Anthony Grafton. Jason says: "A serious look at those individuals in Medieval Europe that styled themselves as natural magic practitioners. They were alchemists, astrologers and such that focused on the laws of nature and how to use them to their benefit. This book charmed me with its window into the ways these magicians moved about the world and used what would later be described as science - however they would mix it with a bit of theater and showmanship (thinking of you, Faustus!)."

Our next recommender is Kathy Herbst, who brings us The Other Mothers, a thriller by British author Katherine Faulkner. Kathy says: "An engrossing page-turner about class, privilege, secrets, and murder that will keep you guessing until the very end. Tash is struggling to relaunch her career as a journalist while carrying for her two-year-old who's not adjusting well to daycare. When three moms at her son's daycare befriend her and offer to set up playdates, Tash is drawn into the lives of these well-to-do, successful women - a world she desperately wants to belong to. But when a young nanny is found dead under suspicious circumstances and Tash decides to investigate, she uncovers information that threatens her relationship with her husband and her new friends. Who exactly are the good guys? Who are the bad guys? Who is lying and who is telling the truth? And, are there really good guys and bad guys?"

Kay Wosewick wraps things up with On the Isle of Antioch, a novel by French-Lebanese author Amin Maalouf, translated into English by Natasha Lehrer. Kay writes: "Maalouf’s twist on 'alien contact' is fantastic. Two individuals live alone on a tiny, remote island in the Atlantic; each lives a solitary, satisfying life. After loss of electricity, radio, and satellite contact, they are swept up in the arrival of mysterious aliens. Major country leaders are contacted, but the quiet island is of unique interest to the aliens. They complete their necessary business swiftly, but linger, unsure if they should stay or go. You may be left questioning nothing less than the value of human civilization."

Now it's back to Jason for a paperback pick - Bad Cree, a horror novel by Jessica Johns that Jason describes like this: "In Bad Cree, horror and grief are bound together; the duality of meanings of seemingly benign objects can both frighten and soothe. Mackenzie has moved away from her family and all the loss she has endured, however her past won't leave her alone. Nightmares begin to impact her life, forcing her to return home for help. Other members of her family are experiencing the same hauntings that are getting more and more serious. This book will have you believing that sleep is overrated. A brilliant and scary debut!"

And now Daniel Goldin chimes in with his notes on The Ingenue, the second novel by native Milwaukeean Rachel Kapelke-Dale, also out in paperback this week. Daniel says: "Saskia Kreis, a once-piano prodigy who now writes test prep questions, returns to Milwaukee after her the death of her mother, the writer of feminist fairy tales, only to find that the family home that she expects to inherit has been gifted to someone else. And not just anyone else, but Saskia’s former secret lover. Basically, WTF? I really enjoyed the way mom’s revisionist stories are woven into the story, as well as the local Milwaukee details that infuse the narrative. But really, it’s the suspenseful way the secrets are peeled away in The Ingenue that makes this a Midwestern Gothic not to be missed."

And those are the recs!

While the general ebb and flow of the yearly publication schedule dictates a December with fewer recommendations than a typical month, you'll want to check the blog often in the coming week, as we've already begun our annual roll out the full list of Boswellian Top 5 picks of 2023 in daily posts. Read on!