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Oh, the Early Humanity! What to Read if You Like Jared Diamond
Homo Erectus Skull. Source: ncssm, Flickr. Jared Diamond has written several books about early humans and civilizations, including the highly-praised-and-awarded The Third Chimpanzee, Guns, Germs, and...
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New British Police Procedurals
Source: xpgomes12, Flickr If you're fond of Ian Rankin and his John Rebus novels, there's a bucket-load of new British police procedurals out there. Some of the authors are well-known, but I've tried...
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Heart-Warming Tales of Asperger’s
Source: frerieke, Flickr. Those with Asperger's Syndrome have unique challenges and gifts, but it's only recently that the greater world has been paying attention. For those curious about what it's...
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Down These Mean Streets…African American Detectives
Source: emiliano-iko, Flickr. Most mystery readers are familiar with Walter Moseley and his Easy Rawlins mysteries, set in bygone Los Angeles. However, there are other African American mysteries, set...
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Short Stories of Margaret Atwood
Source: Cat Sparx, Flickr. If you like either the miniseries or the book of The Handmaid's Tale, there's plenty more of Margaret Atwood. Her short stories are wonderful snippets of thought, with the...
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Enter the Detecting Lady: Victorian Mysteries
Source: ilovesunshine, Flickr. When I went looking for readalikes for Kaite Welsh's The Wages of Sin, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of books I discovered. It seems that the past few years...
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Three Merry Mysteries
The Thames as it snakes through London. Source: achresis khora. Flickr. Like mysteries with comic banter, likeable characters, and a strong sense of place? We've got three new entries in long-running...
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Love, Marriage, Parenthood, Death
Source: Paladin27, Flickr. Shakespeare says that a sad tale's best for winter, but I say spring brings tales of hope and growth. These four books are about loss, yes, but also about how we pick...
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Midwife Mysteries
Source: altamar, Flickr Midwives are known for delivering babies, but as mystery writers well know, they are also keepers of secrets. Their job takes them from the echelons of society to the truly...
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Fairies and Folktales: Historical Fantasy
Source: mhouchin, Flickr For those of you who like a little more magic than magical realism, I've got some books for you. These are all what could be considered historical fantasy, taking place in a...
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The Devil Gives His Due
Source: a75, Flickr. There are plenty of sayings about the devil: you can't kill him or cheat him, but what if you could? These book are all about mortals who go up against the King Of Lies, and...
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Back to the Killing Fields
Skulls of the victims of the Khmer Rouge. Source: screenpunk, Flickr. Cambodia may not be in the news much anymore, but the scars from its past are everywhere. The trials of the Khmer Rouge seem to...
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Shining Women Are People Too
Clock face with radium numbers, 1940s. Source: radiorosca, Flickr. In this age of big data and Amazon.com, it might be easy to think companies, especially our employers, have our best interests at...
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Toro! Books About Deaths in the Afternoon
Source: mait, Flickr. Bullfighting is an ancient tradition, still practiced in Spain and Mexico. Hemingway was a real fan, writing Death in the Afternoon as a paean to his fascination. Of course, not...
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Bookseller Sleuths
Source: samgracelewis, Flickr. Summer in Chicago has its charms, but sometimes it's nice to just curl up in the air conditioning and read. To celebrate the new book by Michael Sullivan and summer...
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Like “Girl with a Pearl Earring?” Read These!
Hallway at of the Uffizzi Gallery in Florence, home to many Renaissance masterpieces. Source: Paulina Alodia, Flickr. Tracy Chevalier's masterpiece is about a masterpiece: the eponymous Girl With A...
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Laughs in Space
Source: focalcurve, Flickr. Authors often use science fiction to ask Big Questions. That's fine and all, but could we yuk it up once in a while? The truly gifted can manage both, and I tried to include...
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Books For Swinging Lovers: Novels Featuring Frank Sinatra
Source: Nostalgia-domas, Flickr. Frank Sinatra has had a hold on the American imagination since he burst on the scene in the middle of the twentieth century. Dead over twenty years, he still does....
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Stories of Haiti
Voudoun Flag, Robert and Talbot Trudeau, Flickr. I find Haiti endlessly fascinating, from its very survival to its wealth of folk art. I chose these books because they are written or edited by Haitians...
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It’s Hard to Be a Girl in the Future
Source: chiaralilly, Flickr. If you're done watching The Handmaid's Tale and have read the book as well, there's more in that vein. Dystopias are popular with feminist writers. While I wrote about...
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